18
May

08:00 AM EST

Medicinal Chemistry

Name: Medicinal Chemistry Strategy Meeting East Coast 2026 (Boston)
Start: 2026-01-01T08:00
End: 2026-05-20T18:00
Location: Crowne Plaza, London Docklands

Strategy Meeting East Coast USA 2026

Reinvigorating Productivity in Pharma Biotech Through Advanced Technologies and Innovative Techniques that Interrogate Activity and Mechanisms

Le Meridien Cambridge Boston

A MEETING EXPERIENCE UNLIKE ANY OTHER

Fresh Medicinal Chemistry Insights

Tired of the same conference experience? Real discussions and genuine networking are often promised, but not always delivered. Proventa International’s R&D Strategy Meetings are designed to avoid the pitfalls of a typical conference, by providing the right environment to make those important connections through interactive roundtable discussions, exclusive networking and keynote panel debates. Join Medicinal Chemistry professionals from across the East Coast, in Boston MA, to discover new insights and take your company’s mission to the next level.

What makes our strategy meetings unique?

Roundtable Discussions

Intimate discussions led by renowned industry experts. Have your voice heard and debate alongside like-minded life science executives.

Unrivalled Networking

With senior delegation from big pharma and innovative biotech from across the East Coast, you can network with peers from different locations, all in one place.

Personalised Agenda

Choose the topics that matter to you. Reserve your place at the roundtable discussions and ensure your whole day delivers the insights you need to hear.

Solutions to your Problems

We’ve partnered with the best solution providers to solve your biggest challenges. Engage in pre-arranged, private meetings to address your specific needs and find a tangible solution.

Industry Researched Topics

We guarantee our agenda is up-to-date and mission critical because its designed by you. We speak to our extended network of senior decision makers to ensure the most important topics are discussed.

Senior Decision Makers

The entire strategy meeting is specifically tailored to the needs and challenges of senior life science professionals. Discover how your peers are dealing with the same challenges as you.

Meet Our Facilitators

Our panel of facilitators play a key role in shaping the agenda for the day. See who will be bringing their expertise to the table at our Medicinal Chemistry strategy meeting.

Byron DeLaBarre

Former Head of Platform Pin Therapeutics

Bertrand Le Bourdonnec

EVP, Head of Drug Discovery & Early Development TuHURA Biosciences

Carolina Alarco

Founder and Principal Bio Strategy Advisors

Claire Elizabeth Smith

Partner SpringTide Ventures

Christina Ansted

Senior Managing Partner RCP Venture Capital

David Sherris

President and CEO Attivare Therapeutics

Diane Joseph-McCarthy

Executive Director, Bioengineering Technology & Entrepreneurship Center Boston University

Dong Xu

Former Associate Director, Analytical Development for TCR-T Cell Therapy Scan Therapeutics

Doug Johnson

Senior Director Biogen

Farnaz Bakhshi

Director, Innovation BrightEdge – American Cancer Society

Giovanna Tedesco

VP of Products Cresset

Hariprasad Vankayalapati

Chief Scientific Officer Bioelexis Therapeutics

Hari is a co-founder, currently serving as Chief Scientific Officer of Biolexis Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage Biopharmaceutical company, discovering and developing novel, first-in-class small molecule targeted therapeutics for cancers, immune-mediated, auto-immune, inflammatory and metabolic diseases. Hari and his colleague Dr. David J. Bearss together developed the empirical-driven MolecuLernTM technology that has empirical/experimental data implemented in ML algorithms, accelerating drug discoveries, and successfully translating novel agents into clinical stage of development. Hari, after his decade of academic career, recently moved back to the pharmaceutical industry. Hari is the key in creating seven clinical agents: MP-470/Amuvatinib, SGI-1776, SGI-110/Guadecitabine, HCI-2577/SP-2577, HCI-2084/TP-0903, ARN-6039/BOS-172767/SLX-0528, ARN-3236/GRN-300 currently in various stages of clinical development. Hari received his Ph.D., and M. Pharm degrees in Medicinal Chemistry from the Institute of Chemical Technology (formerly UDCT) of the University of Mumbai and the University of Karnataka in India. His Postdoctoral training was in University of Sunderland in England and at the University of Arizona Cancer Center under Prof. Laurence H. Hurley. Hari is an author of ~100 plus publications, presentations, and he is an inventor of several issued/published US/WO patents.

Hua Xu

Director, Head of Chemical Biology and Proteomics AstraZeneca

Jeff Norenberg

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer iSeek Biopharma

Lu Gong

Head of Bioinformatics and AI Simcere Pharma

Mallik Putta

Director, Global Head of Oligonucleotide Chemistry and Innovation Novartis

Markus Haeberlein

Executive Vice President, Discovery Science Parabilis Medicines

Markus is currently Executive Vice President, Discovery Science at Parabilis Medicines and holds three decades of experience in Drug Discovery and Early Development spanning many disease areas. Most recently, Markus served as Senior Vice President and Head of Research at Alkermes. During his tenure he helped build a strong research engine focused on exceptional molecular design of small molecules and biologics. An example is the discovery of ALKS 2680 for narcolepsy, a potent agonist for the difficult-to-drug Orexin 2 Receptor. Before Alkermes, Markus was Chief Scientific Officer at Proteostasis Therapeutics, a biotech focused on diseases caused by improper protein degradation, folding and trafficking. Prior to that, Markus spent 15 years at AstraZeneca and held roles of increasing scope and responsibility, including leading AstraZeneca’s Global Chemistry Network where he was responsible for the company’s global chemistry strategy and implementation. A key focus of his strategy was the Predictive Chemistry platform utilizing state-of-the-art computational chemistry methods to improve the design of drug molecules. Markus holds a M.Sc. in Physical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry/Computational Chemistry from the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden

Matt Bursavich

Associate Vice President, Chemical Sciences Eli Lilly

Michal Preminger

Stratetic Advisor Jefferson Life Sciences

Michelle Matzko

Senior Vice President of Clinical Development Ernexa Therapeutics

Neil Kairen

Managing Director Biotech Value Advisors

Nicolas Triballeau, Ph.D

Director, Drug Discovery Chemistry Revvity Signals

Richard Heidebrecht

Vice President of Research and Development Glycologix

Rocky Goldsmith

Chief Innovation Scientist & Co-Founder Congruence Therapeutics

Sean Jesinkey

Chief Business Officer Primera Therapeutics

Sridhar Narayan

Vice President ReviR Therapeutics

Sridhar Narayan is the Head of Chemistry and Program Lead at ReviR Therapeutics, where he is leading the discovery and development of small molecules modulating RNA processing for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. In 2018, he helped launched Satellos Bioscience and served as Head of Drug Discovery and Development. He led the discovery of SAT-3247 a novel stem cell modulator currently in Phase 2 studies for DMD. Previously, Sridhar held scientific leadership positions at Appili Therapeutics, Navitor, AstraZeneca and Eisai, where he led projects from early discovery through IND and early development. He has a track record of moving several compounds into clinical development and his expertise spans rare diseases, oncology, immunology/ inflammation, CNS, and infectious diseases. Sridhar received his PhD from the University of Michigan and carried out postdoctoral research at the Scripps Research Institute. He holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management

Tomasz H. Zastawny, PhD, DSc

Chief Executive Officer Armora Biosciences

Zev Wisotsky

Director, Drug Discovery New Modality Solutions Revvity Signals

First name	Last name	Job title	Company name	Photo URL	Bio Position
Byron	DeLaBarre	Former Head of Platform	Pin Therapeutics	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Byron-DeLaBarre-1.jpg
Bertrand	Le Bourdonnec	EVP, Head of Drug Discovery & Early Development	TuHURA Biosciences	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Bertrand-Le-Bourdonnec-1.jpg	Dr. Le Bourdonnec has over 20 years experience in the Biotech industry. He advanced, throughout his career, a number of projects from Research to Development across various disease areas including pain, GI disorders, infectious diseases, neurodegeneration, and oncology. He’s currently Chief Scientific Officer at HDAX Therapeutics. Prior to HDAX, Dr. Le Bourdonnec served in various R&D leadership roles at small to mid-size Biotechs including Deciphera, Yumanity, Cubist and Adolor. He holds a Chemical Engineering degree and a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Lille (France). Dr. Le Bourdonnec is an inventor on over 90 patents and has published over 30 scientific articles.
Carolina	Alarco	Founder and Principal	Bio Strategy Advisors	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Carolina-Alarco.jpg
Claire	Elizabeth Smith	Partner	SpringTide Ventures	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Claire-Elizabeth-Smith.jpg
Christina	Ansted	Senior Managing Partner	RCP Venture Capital	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Christina-Ansted.jpg
David	Sherris	President and CEO	Attivare Therapeutics	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/David-Sherris-1.jpg	David Sherris, Ph.D., President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Attivare Therapeutics has over 30 years of experience in translational medicine, encompassing basic research, pharmaceutics, and diagnostics. As a successful serial entrepreneur, he has developed biotechnology companies from the ground up, devising corporate strategy, implementing programs, and guiding companies through funding and acquisitions, achieving multiple exits. Dr. Sherris prides himself on being a hands-on CEO, entrepreneur, business development officer, drug developer, and scientist, rather than merely a delegator. He has worked with venture capital, investment banks, and angel investors, advising and raising well over $100 million.
Diane	Joseph-McCarthy	Executive Director, Bioengineering Technology & Entrepreneurship Center	Boston University	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Diane-Joseph-McCarthy.jpg	Diane Joseph-McCarthy is the Executive Director of the Bioengineering Technology & Entrepreneurship Center and Professor of the Practice in Biomedical Engineering at Boston University. Prior to that, she was a senior life science executive with over 20 years of drug discovery, development, and leadership experience. She was SVP of Discovery & Early Development at EnBiotix, a bioengineering company focused on respiratory and rare disease. She was an Associate Director at AstraZeneca, where she led a global team and task forces to transform Infection’s early portfolio. At Wyeth, she held positions of increasing responsibility. Diane received her PhD from MIT and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University/Harvard Medical School.
Dong	Xu	Former Associate Director, Analytical Development for TCR-T Cell Therapy	Scan Therapeutics	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Dong-Xu.jpg
Doug	Johnson	Senior Director	Biogen	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Doug-Johnson.jpg
Farnaz	Bakhshi	Director, Innovation	BrightEdge – American Cancer Society	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Farnaz-Bakhshi-.jpg
Giovanna	Tedesco	VP of Products	Cresset	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Giovanna-Tedesco.jpg
Hariprasad	Vankayalapati	Chief Scientific Officer	Bioelexis Therapeutics	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Hariprasad-Vankayalapati.jpg	Hari is a co-founder, currently serving as Chief Scientific Officer of Biolexis Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage Biopharmaceutical company, discovering and developing novel, first-in-class small molecule targeted therapeutics for cancers, immune-mediated, auto-immune, inflammatory and metabolic diseases. Hari and his colleague Dr. David J. Bearss together developed the empirical-driven MolecuLernTM technology that has empirical/experimental data implemented in ML algorithms, accelerating drug discoveries, and successfully translating novel agents into clinical stage of development. Hari, after his decade of academic career, recently moved back to the pharmaceutical industry. Hari is the key in creating seven clinical agents: MP-470/Amuvatinib, SGI-1776, SGI-110/Guadecitabine, HCI-2577/SP-2577, HCI-2084/TP-0903, ARN-6039/BOS-172767/SLX-0528, ARN-3236/GRN-300 currently in various stages of clinical development. Hari received his Ph.D., and M. Pharm degrees in Medicinal Chemistry from the Institute of Chemical Technology (formerly UDCT) of the University of Mumbai and the University of Karnataka in India. His Postdoctoral training was in University of Sunderland in England and at the University of Arizona Cancer Center under Prof. Laurence H. Hurley. Hari is an author of ~100 plus publications, presentations, and he is an inventor of several issued/published US/WO patents.
Hua	Xu	Director, Head of Chemical Biology and Proteomics	AstraZeneca	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hua-Xu.jpg	Hua Xu received his PhD in Chemistry from Stony Brook University. He joined the chemical biology group at Pfizer in 2013, and later received ACS Young Investigator Award in 2016. While at Pfizer, Hua contributed to many drug discovery projects in several therapy areas, including the JAK3/TEC program that led to the approval of ritlecitinib. Hua moved to AstraZeneca in 2021 and currently leads Chemical Biology and Proteomics group that leverages chemical tools and proteomics technologies to enable target discovery and supports projects across therapy areas.
Jeff	Norenberg	Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer	iSeek Biopharma	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Jeff-Norenberg.jpg	Jeffrey P. Norenberg, PharmD, PhD is Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO of iSeek Biopharma, a U.S.–Australia radiopharmaceutical company developing precision imaging agents and radioligand therapies through highly outsourced, capitalefficient models. With 40 years of experience across academia, biotech, and clinical translation, he has led multiple first-in-human programs and secured over $26 million in non-dilutive and partnered funding. Dr. Norenberg specializes in building integrated discovery-to-clinic pipelines by aligning CROs, manufacturers, and academic sites to accelerate timelines, reduce risk, and create value for investors, collaborators, and patients
Lu	Gong	Head of Bioinformatics and AI	Simcere Pharma	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Lu-Gong.jpg	A seasoned R&D leader with over a decade of experience in bioinformatics, data science, and immuno-oncology, I currently head Bioinformatics & AI at Simcere Boston Innovation Center. My expertise lies in developing AI-driven platforms for target discovery, including a successful suite for ADC target identification that has advanced three projects to the PCC stage. I’m proficient in functional genomics, CRISPR screening, and machine learning, and have developed AI tools for literature analysis and knowledge management. I bridge wet lab and bioinformatics, with a strong background in molecular biology and NGS. I’m passionate about leveraging cutting-edge technologies to accelerate drug discovery.
Mallik	Putta	Director, Global Head of Oligonucleotide Chemistry and Innovation	Novartis	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Mallik-Putta.jpg	Mallik is currently Head of Global Oligonucleotide Chemistry and Innovation at Novartis xRNA Therapeutics and has over 20 years of experience in the discovery and development of oligonucleotide therapeutics. Prior to joining Novartis, Mallik was Head of Guide RNA and mRNA Chemistry at Prime Medicine, where he developed novel candidates for gene editing. Before that, he was Head of Oligonucleotide Chemistry at Korro Bio and, as the company’s first employee, developed its RNA editing platform. Prior to that, Mallik worked at Hybridon (later became Idera Pharmaceuticals) for about 13 years in advancing ASOs, siRNA, and immune modulatory oligonucleotides. Mallik holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry and completed postdoctoral fellowships at Shizuoka University in Japan and at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was introduced to oligonucleotide chemistry.
Markus	Haeberlein	Executive Vice President, Discovery Science	Parabilis Medicines	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Markus-Haeberlein-1.jpg	Markus is currently Executive Vice President, Discovery Science at Parabilis Medicines and holds three decades of experience in Drug Discovery and Early Development spanning many disease areas. Most recently, Markus served as Senior Vice President and Head of Research at Alkermes. During his tenure he helped build a strong research engine focused on exceptional molecular design of small molecules and biologics. An example is the discovery of ALKS 2680 for narcolepsy, a potent agonist for the difficult-to-drug Orexin 2 Receptor. Before Alkermes, Markus was Chief Scientific Officer at Proteostasis Therapeutics, a biotech focused on diseases caused by improper protein degradation, folding and trafficking. Prior to that, Markus spent 15 years at AstraZeneca and held roles of increasing scope and responsibility, including leading AstraZeneca’s Global Chemistry Network where he was responsible for the company’s global chemistry strategy and implementation. A key focus of his strategy was the Predictive Chemistry platform utilizing state-of-the-art computational chemistry methods to improve the design of drug molecules. Markus holds a M.Sc. in Physical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry/Computational Chemistry from the Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
Matt	Bursavich	Associate Vice President, Chemical Sciences	Eli Lilly	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Matt-Bursavich-1.jpg
Michal	Preminger	Stratetic Advisor	Jefferson Life Sciences	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Michal-Preminger.jpg
Michelle	Matzko	Senior Vice President of Clinical Development	Ernexa Therapeutics	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Michelle-Matzkon.jpg
Neil	Kairen	Managing Director	Biotech Value Advisors	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Neil-Kairen.jpg
Nicolas	Triballeau, Ph.D	Director, Drug Discovery Chemistry	Revvity Signals	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Nicolas-Triballeau.jpg	Nicolas Triballeau is the Drug Discovery Chemistry Lead at Revvity Signals. With 17 years of experience in drug discovery, he has not only provided direct project support and led teams but has also played a significant role in establishing scientific standards and ontologies. Nicolas holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering with a specialization in organic chemistry, a Pharm.D. and a Ph.D. in Drug Design from the University of Paris.
Richard	Heidebrecht	Vice President of Research and Development	Glycologix	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Richard-Heidebrecht-scaled.jpg	Rich Heidebrecht is currently the Vice President of Research and Development at Glycologix. He started his career at Pfizer and Merck before making a transition to Biotech via the Broad Institute. Rich has gained expertise in medicinal, process and analytical chemistry and has worked on diverse therapeutic modalities such as small molecules, cell therapies, medical devices, and polymers including oligonucleotides. Over the course of his career, Rich has contributed to 35 patent/patent applications, 16 papers, two clinical programs and one marketed drug. Doctor Heidebrecht completed his undergraduate work at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and his graduate work at Indiana University with David R. Williams. His postdoc with Stephen Martin at the University of Texas at Austin rounded out two natural product synthesis projects – one total, one formal.
Rocky	Goldsmith	Chief Innovation Scientist & Co-Founder	Congruence Therapeutics	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Rocky-Goldsmith.jpg	Rocky Goldsmith is Chief Innovation Scientist and Co-Founder of Congruence Therapeutics, where he guides development of Revenir™, a computational drug discovery platform integrating structure-based design, ensemble-aware modeling, and machine learning to advance pharmacological stabilizers and correctors for protein-misfolding diseases. With over two decades of experience in computational chemistry, molecular biophysics, and predictive modeling, he has worked across pharma, biotech, agrochemical and regulatory R&D. His work emphasizes interpretable machine learning approaches that link model outputs to structure-based medicinal chemistry hypotheses.
Sean	Jesinkey	Chief Business Officer	Primera Therapeutics	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Sean-Jesinkey.jpg	Dr. Sean Robert Jesinkey is a biotech executive with over a decade of experience in rare disease strategy, corporate development, and drug discovery. He has led scientific and business development initiatives across early- and growth-stage biotechnology companies. With a PhD in Drug Discovery, a PharmD and an MBA alongside a previous role as a Fellow at the Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Jesinkey combines scientific depth with financial and strategic expertise. His career spans C-level leadership, biotech equity research, and translational science, guiding programs from pre-IND through Phase I clinical development and shaping highimpact global partnerships.
Sridhar	Narayan	Vice President	ReviR Therapeutics	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Sridhar-Narayan.jpg	Sridhar Narayan is the Head of Chemistry and Program Lead at ReviR Therapeutics, where he is leading the discovery and development of small molecules modulating RNA processing for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. In 2018, he helped launched Satellos Bioscience and served as Head of Drug Discovery and Development. He led the discovery of SAT-3247 a novel stem cell modulator currently in Phase 2 studies for DMD. Previously, Sridhar held scientific leadership positions at Appili Therapeutics, Navitor, AstraZeneca and Eisai, where he led projects from early discovery through IND and early development. He has a track record of moving several compounds into clinical development and his expertise spans rare diseases, oncology, immunology/ inflammation, CNS, and infectious diseases. Sridhar received his PhD from the University of Michigan and carried out postdoctoral research at the Scripps Research Institute. He holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management
Tomasz	H. Zastawny,	Chief Executive Officer	Armora Biosciences	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Tomasz-H.-Zastawny.jpg
Zev	Wisotsky	Director, Drug Discovery New Modality Solutions	Revvity Signals	https://proventainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Zev-Wisotsky.jpg	Zev earned his B.A. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from UC Santa Cruz and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UC Riverside, where he studied taste detection in fruit flies. After transitioning from academia, he joined early-stage startups to help streamline scientific processes. Drawing on deep experience at the intersection of science and technology, Zev now serves as Director, Discovery Biology Solutions at Revvity Signals, where he focuses on tailoring software solutions to meet the evolving needs of the life sciences community.

Byron DeLaBarre, Bertrand Le Bourdonnec, Carolina Alarco, Claire Elizabeth Smith, Christina Ansted, David Sherris, Diane Joseph-McCarthy, Dong Xu, Doug Johnson, Farnaz Bakhshi, Giovanna Tedesco, Hariprasad Vankayalapati, Hua Xu, Jeff Norenberg, Lu Gong, Mallik Putta, Markus Haeberlein, Matt Bursavich, Michal Preminger, Michelle Matzko, Neil Kairen, Nicolas Triballeau, Ph.D, Richard Heidebrecht, Rocky Goldsmith, Sean Jesinkey, Sridhar Narayan, Tomasz H. Zastawny, PhD, DSc, Zev Wisotsky

OUR AGENDA

See Which Topics Are Discussed at the Strategy Meeting

09:00 – 10:00

Roundtable Tracks

AI/ML
AI-Driven Design for Challenging Modalities & “Hard” Targets (e.g. Kinases, Allosteric Sites, Undruggables, Protein Degraders)

-Matt Bursavich
Associate Vice President, Chemical Sciences
Eli Lilly

Design, Synthesis & Emerging Modalities
De-Risking Novel Modalities: Oligonucleotides, LNPs, RNA Therapeutics

-Sean Jesinkey
Chief Business Officer
Primera Therapeutics

Chemical Biology, Targeted Protein Degradation And Undruggables
From Undruggable to Actionable: Chemical Biology Unlocks New Therapeutic Space

-Doug Johnson
Senior Director
Biogen

Target Identification To Lead Optimization
Discovery in RNA & Oligonucleotide Therapeutics

-Sridhar Narayan
Vice President
ReviR Therapeutics

Integrated Drug Discovery
Integrating Novel Modalities Into End to End Drug Discovery Pipelines

-Hua Xu
Director, Head of Chemical Biology and Proteomics
AstraZeneca

Strategic Partnerships In Drug Discovery
Partnering Science and Strategy: Translating Integrated Discovery Pipelines into Value for Investors, Collaborators, and Patients

-Jeff Norenberg
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
iSeek Biopharma

Private Equity & Venture Capital
How Private Equity and Venture Capital Are Shaping the Future of Biotech Investment Strategies Across the Full Drug Discovery and Development Spectrum

-Farnaz Bakhshi
Director, Innovation
BrightEdge – American Cancer Society

11:10 – 12:10

Roundtable Tracks

AI/ML
The Autonomous Chemist: Large Chemical Models and Self-Driving Optimization Loops

CRESSET

Design, Synthesis & Emerging Modalities

SPONSOR

Chemical Biology, Targeted Protein Degradation And Undruggables

SPONSOR

Target Identification To Lead Optimization

SPONSOR

Integrated Drug Discovery
Stop Resorting to Patchwork Software. Build the Data Foundation Your Science Actually Needs.

REVVITY SIGNALS

Strategic Partnerships In Drug Discovery
Federated Learning for AI-Powered Molecular Design: Unlocking Collaborative Intelligence Without Compromising Data Integrity

REVVITY SIGNALS

Private Equity & Venture Capital

SPONSOR

12:15 – 13:15

Roundtable Tracks

AI/ML
From Virtual Screening to Explainable AI: Advancing Hit Identification & Lead Optimization Through Machine Learning, Molecular Dynamics, and Predictive Modeling in Modern Drug Discovery

-Rocky Goldsmith
Chief Innovation Scientist & Co-Founder
Congruence Therapeutics

Design, Synthesis & Emerging Modalities
Oligonucleotide Chemistry at the Frontier: Redefining Drug Design Through Precision Nucleic Acid Engineering

-Mallik Putta
Director, Global Head of Oligonucleotide Chemistry and Innovation
Novartis

Chemical Biology, Targeted Protein Degradation And Undruggables
The Next Generation of Degrader Architectures Reshaping Undruggable Targets in 2026 – Beyond PROTACs 2.0

-Markus Haeberlein
Executive Vice President, Discovery Science
Parabilis Medicines

Target Identification To Lead Optimization
Strategic Deployment of AI in Drug Discovery: Aligning Bioinformatics, Deep Learning, and Translational Insights for High Confidence Lead Selection

-Lu Gong
Head of Bioinformatics and AI
Simcere Pharma

Integrated Drug Discovery
Automated Integrated Platforms Transforming Early Drug Discovery Timelines (Topic TBC)

-Michelle Matzko
Senior Vice President of Clinical Development
Ernexa Therapeutics

Strategic Partnerships In Drug Discovery
Building the Financial Foundation of a Biotech Startup: Angel Investment to Venture Capital

-Richard Heidebrecht
Vice President of Research and Development
Glycologix

Private Equity & Venture Capital
Emerging Modalities, Emerging Markets: Identifying High-Impact Investment Opportunities in Cutting-Edge Biotech

-Claire Elizabeth Smith
Partner
SpringTide Ventures

14:40 – 15:10

AI Operational Excellence in Drug Discovery: Turning Models-as-a-Service into Actionable Science

Nicolas Triballeau, Ph.D, Director, Drug Discovery Chemistry, Revvity Signals

15:10 – 16:10

Roundtable Tracks

AI/ML
Converging Data, Science, and Automation: How Unified Digital Frameworks Accelerate Multi-Modal Drug Discovery

-Byron DeLaBarre
Former Head of Platform
Pin Therapeutics

Design, Synthesis & Emerging Modalities
Engineering Exposure: Leveraging Lipid-Based Systems, Solid Dispersions, and Modified Release Technologies & PreFormulation as a Predictive Tool: Linking Physicochemical Properties to Clinical Performance

-Sudhakar Garad
Global HEAD Formulation-Drug Delivery
Novartis

Chemical Biology, Targeted Protein Degradation And Undruggables
Generative AI for Novel Modalities Targeting Undruggable Proteins

-Govinda Bhisetti
Vice President and Head of Computational Chemistry
Cellarity

Target Identification To Lead Optimization
Optimizing Cross-Department Collaboration: Chemistry, ADME/ DMPK, and Toxicology Teams in Harmony

-Bertrand Le Bourdonnec
EVP, Head of Drug Discovery & Early Development
TuHURA Biosciences

Integrated Drug Discovery
Delivering Measurable Impact with AI in Drug Discovery Pipelines

-Diane Joseph-McCarthy
Executive Director, Bioengineering Technology & Entrepreneurship Center
Boston University

Strategic Partnerships In Drug Discovery
Bridging the Gap Between Venture Capital Expectations and Biotech Innovation in Drug Development

-David Sherris
President and CEO
Attivare Therapeutics

Private Equity & Venture Capital
Building Capital-Efficient Biotech: Leveraging AI & Virtual Models to Replace Infrastructure

-Tomasz H. Zastawny, PhD, DSc
Chief Executive Officer
Armora Biosciences

16:30 – 17:00

Pre-Commercial Readiness as the New Gatekeeper of Capital in Biotech: How early commercial strategy is reshaping valuation, partnership, and financing decisions

Pre-Commercial Readiness as the New Gatekeeper of Capital in Biotech: How early commercial strategy is reshaping valuation, partnership, and financing decisions PRESENTER: Christina Ansted, Senior Managing Partner, RCP Venture Capital PANELIST: Michal Preminger, Stratetic Advisor, Jefferson Life Sciences PANELIST: Carolina Alarco, Founder and Principal, Bio Strategy Advisors PANELIST: Neil Kairen, Managing Director, Biotech Value Advisors

See the full agenda and facilitator line-up Download the strategy meeting brochure for full details

DOWNLOAD THE BROCHURE

Reasons To Attend the Strategy Meeting

Discussions on the advancements in targeted protein degradation and pushing past its boundaries.

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in accelerating the development of new drugs

Discuss approaches to further understand the interactions of undruggable targets and different Protein Degraders such as PROTACs, Molecular Glues, etc

Focusing on advancing interrogative techniques to improve the Drug Delivery System/Discovery: Modified mRNA, Nanoparticle-Mediated siRNA, Antibody-Drug Conjugates, and more

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Le Méridien Boston Cambridge

Le Méridien Cambridge-MIT’s elegant guest rooms and suites offer a place of luxurious sanctuary and unmatched comfort. Explore unique programs inspired by the brand’s European heritage. Born in a glamorous era of travel, Le Méridien believes everyone should explore the world in style.

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Strategy Meeting East Coast USA 2026

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Solutions to your Problems

Industry Researched Topics

Senior Decision Makers

Meet Our Facilitators

Byron DeLaBarre

Bertrand Le Bourdonnec

Carolina Alarco

Claire Elizabeth Smith

Christina Ansted

David Sherris

Diane Joseph-McCarthy

Dong Xu

Doug Johnson

Farnaz Bakhshi

Giovanna Tedesco

Hariprasad Vankayalapati

Hua Xu

Jeff Norenberg

Lu Gong

Mallik Putta

Markus Haeberlein

Matt Bursavich

Michal Preminger

Michelle Matzko

Neil Kairen

Nicolas Triballeau, Ph.D

Richard Heidebrecht

Rocky Goldsmith

Sean Jesinkey

Sridhar Narayan

Tomasz H. Zastawny, PhD, DSc

Zev Wisotsky

OUR AGENDA

See Which Topics Are Discussed at the Strategy Meeting

Breakfast & Registration

Opening Keynote Presentation

Roundtable ( Pharma/Biotech )

Roundtable Tracks

Refreshment Break

NETWORKING / 1-1 MEETINGS

NETWORKING / 1-1 MEETINGS

NETWORKING / 1-1 MEETINGS

Roundtable ( Solutions )

Roundtable Tracks

CRESSET

SPONSOR

SPONSOR

SPONSOR

REVVITY SIGNALS

REVVITY SIGNALS

SPONSOR

Roundtable ( Pharma/Biotech )

Roundtable Tracks

NETWORKING LUNCH

Networking / 1-1 Meetings

Afternoon Keynote Presentation

AI Operational Excellence in Drug Discovery: Turning Models-as-a-Service into Actionable Science

Roundtable ( Pharma/Biotech )

Roundtable Tracks

Afternoon Refreshment Break

Panel Discussion

Pre-Commercial Readiness as the New Gatekeeper of Capital in Biotech: How early commercial strategy is reshaping valuation, partnership, and financing decisions

Drinks & Canapes Reception

Reasons To Attend the Strategy Meeting

Le Meridien Cambridge Boston