ELRIG Announces Inaugural US Drug Discovery Conference

• Free-to-attend event takes place at Pfizer in Cambridge, MA from 16–17 June
• Drug Discovery USA 2026 to focus on emerging multifunctional small molecule and biologic approaches to drug difficult targets

Cambridge, UK, 14 April 2026: ELRIG, a not-for-profit, volunteer-led organisation dedicated to the global drug discovery community, today announced the launch of Drug Discovery USA 2026. The inaugural event, taking place at Pfizer in Cambridge, MA from 16–17 June, offers the drug discovery communities in Europe and the US the opportunity to connect and discuss emerging multifunctional small molecules and novel biologic modalities to drug difficult targets.

ELRIG has appointed Prof Aled Edwards (Structural Genomics Consortium), Dr Marija Tadin-Strapps (Pfizer) and Dr Swarna Balasubramanian (AstraZeneca) as conference directors to help bring the bespoke scientific programme together, securing leading speakers from across academia and industry to share their insights. Pfizer and Drug Discovery News (DDN) have also partnered with ELRIG, enabling the organisation to deliver Drug Discovery USA on an open-access basis for optimum accessibility in this new geography.

Recent advances in chemical biology and protein engineering are expanding the boundaries of which proteins can be modulated pharmacologically. The two-day conference programme will cover emerging multifunctional small molecule and biologic approaches that are reshaping early‑stage drug discovery by providing versatile and accessible platforms to modulate challenging targets through mechanisms beyond simple inhibition and discuss how these are opening new avenues for disease intervention and precision medicine.

There will also be a poster award for Early Career Professionals, an exhibition hall with a Breakthrough Zone where start-up companies can showcase their science, and the opportunity to network with the global drug discovery community.