Explore the Agenda
Day One
Wednesday, September 09
Day Two
Thursday, September 10
8:00 am One-to-One Partnering Meetings Scheduled
The earlybird catches the worm. Set day two up for success with scheduled 1-2-1 meetings ahead of day two content, or grab a coffee and arrive early to catch key contacts before the day starts.
Day Two Agenda Starts
Novel Payloads & Combinations as the New Value Driver in ADCs
8:30 am Reflecting on the First Attempts with Novel Payloads & What we are Doing Differently Now
- What is the path to success for novel payloads, including how to navigate early assessment of payload platforms?
- What are the challenges when doing something different and how are we decreasing risk when translating preclinical optimism into clinical success?
- Discussing the panellists’ approach to business development. What would a win/win business deal look like that focuses on payloads?
Is Being “Different” Now Mandatory? Modality Differentiation in Autoimmunity
9:00 am What can be Improved Upon for Existing Drugs?
- Discussing approaches to differentiate assets targeting competitive targets
- With clinical data so far, what constitutes a good outcome in autoimmune disease and which approach gets you there?
- Protocol design to define initial target indications, strategizing how to rapidly generate early clinical, proof-of-concept data, and differentiating company assets within competitive landscapes
Navigating Investor Expectations in a Market Favoring Later Clinical Investments
9:30 am Investor Icebreaker Panel Discussion: When Being Selective, where will Investors Invest? What’s Driving Capital in 2026/27?
- How are each of the modality landscapes discussed facilitating successful VC exits and what does that mean for the future of investment in these areas?
- How have changes to the barrier to entry for new innovations fed through into investment?
- What will drive or inhibit future investment in these target modalities?
- How to progress discussions with investors. What is expected and helpful to understand from biotech, from the investor perspective?
10:00 am Investor Introduction Tables: Sit, Connect & Break the Ice: Accelerating Connections
- Starting with a short investor panel introducing investor interests and moving into an organised networking session.
- Mirroring the Pharma Introduction Tables, select the investors that best align with your organisation’s stage and objectives, and join their networking table for 30-minutes. Share business cards or ask a follow-up question from the panel with your target investor to tick off another key connection at the conference.
10:30 am Morning Break & Networking Opportunity
“Why Now” for Platforms: Pairing Targets with Modalities to Maximize Clinical Viability
11:30 am From Platform Potential to Deal Reality: Aligning Modality, Targets & Evidence
- How much impact has AI/multi-modal data had on current approaches to drug discovery and translational drug development?
- How are we are validating new, and assessing novel versus de-risked targets?
- What type of clinical data would lead the field to reassess assumptions on a target?
12:15 pm Lunch & One-to-One Partnering
Grab some lunch ahead of final meetings. Sit down more casually with last minute connections, to take time to deepen relationships already formed throughout the conference.
From Seed to Strategy: Positioning Differentiation for Smart BD Engagement
1:30 pm How Seed Stage Biotech Navigate BD Engagement
- Discussing unique constraints of seed-stage companies when approaching BD engagement
- Maintaining relationships with big pharma and VCs when data is early and limited
- Outlining opportunities for creative deal structures, and when and where they would be appropriate
2:00 pm Finding a Gap: Achieving Good Response Rates in Difficult Tumor Types
- How do established payloads compare in their ability to drive meaningful clinical responses?
- Have historically pursued targets lacked sufficient expression or accessibility to enable effective tumor penetration?
- What role can mechanisms play in increasing efficacy?