Pre-Conference Workshop Day: Monday, April 14, 2025

8:50 am Check-In & Coffee with Light Breakfast

Workshop A

9:00 am Improving Lipid Libraries & High Throughput Screening Strategies for Improved Analysis of LNP Formulations

  • Bo Ying Chief Executive Officer, Abogen Biosciences
  • Rajesh Krishnan Senior Director, Formulation, Providence Therapeutics

Synopsis

Identifying disease-relevant LNP formulations requires screening and testing many options, which can be time consuming. In this workshop, we’ll explore the opportunities for automation and collaboration to develop vast lipid libraries and high throughput-screening methods to fast-track more LNPs beyond discovery

  • How to efficiently build and develop a large lipid library for high throughput screening
  • How to create partnerships to enable sharing of lipid libraries
  • How to mimic microfluidic mixing on very small scale to do high throughput screening of many LNP formulations
  • How to incorporate AI/ML into HTS to improve understanding of structure-activity relationships

Workshop C

9:00 am De-Risking LNP CMC Development by Incorporating Risk Assessments & DoE Studies to Streamline Translation to GMP Manufacturing

Synopsis

To accelerate LNP translation to GMP manufacturing, integrating process development during the research phase is essential. This workshop will explore strategies to align payload and LNP manufacturing needs, ensuring a smoother drug development process.

  • How to optimize each step of formulation to bridge gap between LNP and drug product development
  • How to incorporate risk assessments earlier in the drug development pipeline to improve success of translation
  • How to implement DoE studies into discovery and early research to understand the impact of each variable on the CMC development
  • What considerations need to be carried out during payload discovery and LNP discovery to enable successful drug product production?

12:00 pm Lunch & Networking

Workshop B

1:00 pm Unlocking the Opportunity to Target Beyond the Liver by Delving into Strategies for Brain, Lung & Bone Marrow Targeting with Cell Specific LNPs

  • Mandana Borna Head, Oligonucleotide Drug Product Development, Biogen
  • Amit Singh Director, Delivery Discovery, RNA NewCo
  • Jieni Xu Head, Delivery Science, Editas Medicine

Synopsis

LNPs are currently optimized for liver delivery, given their attractiveness to the APOE protein. During this workshop, you will delve into novel and innovative conjugations, customized lipids and alternative administration routes to enable delivery to the brain, lungs and bone marrow to treat a huge variation of diseases outside of the liver.

  • Delving into targeting ligands for transporters on the BBB as strategies for brain targeting
  • Deep diving into delivery mechanisms which enable successful targeting of the brain, lung and bone marrow
  • How to improve drug accumulation at the target site and reduce clearance in the liver
  • How to decorate LNPs with antibodies, nanobodies, peptides, proteins and more for enabling targeted extrahepatic delivery

Workshop D

1:00 pm Navigating IP Challenges for Companies Utilizing Lipid Nanoparticle Delivery Systems to Enable Freedom to Operate & Mitigate Infringement Risk

Synopsis

As securing IP and avoiding patent infringements remain key challenges for the LNP community, this workshop will help you tackle these obstacles, strengthen your due diligence strategy, and enhance IP compliance.

  • How to ensure you have high quality patent protection earlier in the drug development pipeline
  • How to strategically identify lipids which are available to use which won’t cause patent infringement
  • Providing an overview of key freedom to operate challenges facing therapeutic developers operating in this space
  • Covering advanced solution-based strategies for de-risking the therapeutic program from an IP perspective

4:00 pm End of Workshop Day