CatSci Presents

Advances in Translational Drug Discovery 2025

BioCity, Nottingham, UK
September 9th 2025

This conference will bring together leaders from academia, industry, and pharma to explore how cutting-edge translational biology, AI- and Direct to Biology (D2B)-driven approaches, and novel therapeutic modalities are reshaping the path from bench to bedside.

Key topics include:

Drug discovery stories – from target validation to the clinic
Translational assays for AI and machine learning discovery programs
The rise of complex synthetic medicines
Developability challenges of “beyond rule of 5” (bRo5) molecules
Targeting the undruggable: The potential of targeted protein degradation
Drug repurposing – new hope for patients

Featured speakers

Kwok Ho Chan, Principal Investigator (GSK)
Jon Large, Scientific Director – Chemical Biology (LifeArc)
Julian Blagg, Executive Vice President, Drug Discovery (Neophore)
Andrew Payne, VP Internal Portfolio (Recursion)
Layla Hosseini-Gerami, Co-Founder (Ignota Labs)
James Longden, Senior Director of Life Sciences (Evolvus)
Sasha Berdichevski, Head of Scientific Innovation & Business Development (Mepsgen)
Bhuvaneish T. Selveraj, Chancellors Fellow/Principal Investigator (University of Edinburgh)
Mauro Perretti (Queen Mary University of London)
Kathy Dodgson, Technical Director of Bioscience (CatSci)

Download the full agenda here

Badge Registration Form

Registration has now closed.

Who Should Attend

This event is designed for professionals driving innovation across the drug discovery pipeline from early target validation through to clinical translation, with a focus on AI integration, novel modalities, and challenging drug targets.

You should attend if you are:

A scientific leader or program head advancing small molecule, bRo5, or targeted protein degradation projects
A translational scientist or assay developer building AI/Machine Learning-driven discovery platforms
A CSO, VP of Discovery, or Head of R&D shaping strategies for complex and emerging therapeutic modalities
A drug repurposing specialist seeking new frameworks to identify and reposition existing compounds
A medicinal chemist, pharmacologist, or bioengineer tackling the undruggable or optimizing beyond-rule-of-5 candidates
A business development or portfolio strategy professional exploring future directions in translational drug discovery

Join us to explore how science, technology, and interdisciplinary collaboration are reshaping the future of drug discovery.