Drug Discovery 2024
Connecting Minds, Transforming Science, Empowering the Community.
Free-to-attend!

Date
2-3 October 2024
Location
ExCeL, London
Day(s)
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Event Overview
Europe’s largest conference for the drug discovery community returns to London, with scientific tracks covering not only therapeutic themes such as mechanisms of ageing and cell & gene therapy, but also more practical aspects of drug discovery encompassing advances in assay design, applications in high content imaging, target identification and disease modelling. This year’s Scientific Content Partners are the Cell & Gene Therapy Catapult, the Royal Society of Chemistry, SBi2 and SLAS, all of whom are providing science tracks prepared by their community members. And in the middle of all this science there is the exhibition hall, which is a great opportunity to meet over two hundred drug discovery suppliers and to learn about all the latest products and services you can use in your research.
Whether you’re involved in early drug discovery research or translating your promising therapy to the clinic, you’ll be sure to discover something that can help you at this year’s event.
ELRIG aims to remove as many barriers to conference attendance as possible, so all events are free to attend and with a prayer room, family room and quiet room available, ensuring our promise of inclusivity is at the heart of all our events.
Track Information
Day 1 – Wednesday 2nd October
Auditorium 1
Advances in Assay Development and Screening – supported by SLAS
Track Chairs: Saman Honarnejad (Pivot Park) and Amy Brook (Charles River)
Auditorium 2
Translating ideas into Therapies
Track Chairs: Hitesh Sanganee (AstraZeneca) and Laura Fletcher (Deep Science Ventures)
Auditorium 3
Therapeutic Discovery for Healthy Ageing
Track Chairs: Janet Brownlees (MSD) and Linda Partridge (UCL)
Auditorium 4
Small molecules beyond Rule of 5 – Modalities, Developments and Learnings
Track Chairs: Jon Large (LifeArc) and Mark Frigerio (Bicycle Tx)
Tech Theatre
Raising the Bar: Mainstreaming sustainability and ethical research practices in drug discovery
Track Chairs: Kelly Gray (AstraZeneca) and James Connelly (My Green Lab)
Day 2 – Thursday 3rd October
Auditorium 1
Impacts of Biomolecular Imaging and Informatics in Drug Discovery – supported by SBi2
Track Chairs: Richard Kasprowicz (GSK) and Ceri Wiggins (AstraZeneca)
Auditorium 2
Target Discovery and Disease Modelling
Track Chairs: Davide Gianni (AZ) and Rebecca Harris (Cancer Research Horizons)
Auditorium 3
Innovation in Cell and Gene Therapy Development and Manufacturing – supported by the Cell & Gene Therapy Catapult
Track Chairs: James Kusena (MicrofluidX Ltd) and Lee Dunham (C&G Catapult)
Auditorium 4
Chemistry in Drug Discovery: Innovation, Collaboration and Inspiration – supported by RSC
Track Chairs: A. Ganesan (Uni of East Anglia), Mary Wheldon (Uni of Dundee), Martin Swarbrick (Ryvu Therapeutics) & Katie Lim (RSC)
Tech Theatre
Robotics, Automation, Data and AI: Driving Innovations and Key Applications in Drug Discovery
Track Chairs: Patrick Courtney (SiLA), Burkhard Schaefer (Splashlake) & Lorna Suckling (GSK)
Science Committee
Conference Directors

Katie Chapman
Tessellate BIO

Andy Merritt
LifeArc

Alex Alderton
AstraZeneca

Laura Eghobamien
Black Medical Scientific Network
Speakers

Ijeoma Uchegbu
Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience,
UCL

Marcus Schindler
Executive Vice President for Research and Early Development and CSO, Novo Nordisk
at AstraZeneca and Head of Research at (OSI) Prosidion. He also worked in various leadership roles at Boehringer Ingelheim, after having started his career with Glaxo Wellcome/GSK. Prof Schindler holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and is Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Gothenburg. His keynote presentation will focus on therapeutic approaches for metabolic disorders, such as obesity and diabetes.
Activities






Agenda
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Exhibitors
Whether you’re looking to see who is exhibiting at ELRIG’s Drug Discovery 2024 or would look to become an exhibitor you can find lots of useful information below.
Posters
If you have any questions about posters please email us at events@elrig.org – Thank you
How to submit a poster
PLEASE NOTE: We have limited capacity for posters on site and they will be accepted on a first come first served basis, when capacity is reached a holding list will be opened and you will be notified if spaces become available.
Poster deadlines
Poster acceptance
During the event
Poster sessions will take place for 30-minute in the networking session at the end of Day 1 and for 30 mins during the lunchbreak on Day 2. You will be expended to be at your poster during these times to answer questions from delegates.
A Poster Prize will be awarded for Best Early Career Professional Poster, the posters will be judged (you will not need to be at your poster during judging) and the prize awarded during the opening session on day 2 of the event. (Thurs 3 Oct)
During registration you will be asked if you identify as an ECP – An Early Career Professional (ECP) can be a student in higher education undertaking an undergraduate or postgraduate degree (including PhD), or within 5 years of finishing higher education and starting their career in life sciences and drug discovery. These ECPs are critical contributors to ELRIG, bringing new science, fresh ideas and energy to every event.
The prize is a glass trophy and £250, which can be accepted, donated to your lab or donated to a charity of your choice.
All posters will need to be collected at the end of the event and removed from site; any posters left at the end of the event will be disposed of.
Flash Poster presentations
Venue & Accommodation
ExCeL
One Western Gateway
London
E16 1XL
Plan your journey in advance.
Book your accommodation with ELRIG’s Registration & Accommodation Partner MICE Concierge Ltd.
ELRIG is only able to provide suggestions on how delegates may travel to or places they may stay at, to attend its events. However, ELRIG cannot recommend nor endorse any of the travel choices nor hotels that attendees make and is not liable for any of the services that its delegates procure.
Awards
Kirsty Smitten Award
This award will recognise impact achieved by an Early Career Professional within the Life Science community. This award (formerly the ECP Impact Award) is named in honour of Kirsty Smitten, who’s pioneering work on antimicrobial compounds won her many accolades and awards, including the ECP Impact Award in 2021. Kirsty co-founded MetalloBio in Sheffield with a passion to combat antimicrobial resistance. Kirsty sadly died of a rare form of heart cancer in October 2023. She was a strong proponent of self-improvement, and was keen to inspire others to seize opportunities for personal growth.
Early Career Professional applicants can demonstrate impact through the following ways:
- Through the delivery of impactful science, contributing to early, pre-clinical drug discovery
- By their science or technology development work
- Through their leadership or facilitation of collaborations within the drug-discovery space
- Through other philanthropic and volunteering contributions
Winners will present their work as a standalone talk at ELRIG’s flagship Drug Discovery 2024 conference, and will receive £500 to be used for their personal development.
To be eligible, the recipient must be an Early Career Professional (ECP) – they can be a student in higher education undertaking an undergraduate or postgraduate degree (including PhD), or within 5 years of finishing higher education and starting their career in life sciences and drug discovery. These ECPs are critical contributors to ELRIG, bringing new science, fresh ideas and energy to every event.
To apply, ECPs may apply directly or be nominated by a colleague, as ELRIG invites the wider community to propose ECP colleagues that have made noteworthy impact. In each case, application requires submission of the following:
1-page, 300-word synopsis of the ECPs contribution and impact on early drug discovery, using the application form below and send a brief 2-page resume to sanj.kumar@elrig.org.
Forms need to be submitted by the closing deadline – Monday 2nd September 2024. The winner will be notified before the event.
Innovation Award
Once you have completed your application and payment for registration to join the ELRIG Breakthrough Zone, you are eligible to apply for the ELRIG Innovation Award. Please email sarah.lupton@elrig.org for more information on how to apply.
AWARD PRIZE INCLUDES:
- Opportunity to give a 10-minute pitch following keynote presentation at Drug Discovery 2024, reaching over 1000 delegates
- Your registration fee refunded
- Access to ELRIG media partners to share news of your award win and innovation.
DETAILS TO NOTE:
The deadline to apply for the ELRIG Innovation Award is 13th September, registration for the Breakthrough Zone must be completed prior to this date.
The ELRIG Innovation Award winner will be notified by 23d September, in order to give time to prepare the 10-minute pitch to be shared at the conference. (2-3 October 2024 at ExCeL London)
Any questions please email sarah.lupton@elrig.org
ECP Poster Award
The posters will be judged during Drug Discovery 2024 (you will not need to be at your poster during judging) and the prize awarded during the opening session on day 2 of the event. (Thurs 3 Oct)
POSTER DEADLINES:
To be considered for an oral flash poster presentation in the Exhibition space please have your title & abstract submitted by 2nd September. The deadline for all posters for general display abstract & title 15th September.
POSTER ACCEPTANCE:
The author will be held responsible for false statements, the scientific judging panel will ensure the poster is relevant to the event content. Successful poster applications will be notified via email and the poster display number will be given approximately two weeks before the event.
DURING THE EVENT:
A board will be available with your poster number and Velcro strips to affix your poster (your poster must be A0 portrait).
Poster sessions will take place for 30-minute in the networking session at the end of Day 1 and for 30 mins during the lunchbreak on Day 2. You will be expended to be at your poster during these times to answer questions from delegates.
A Poster Prize will be awarded for Best Early Career Professional Poster, the posters will be judged (you will not need to be at your poster during judging) and the prize awarded during the opening session on day 2 of the event. (Thurs 3 Oct)
During registration you will be asked if you identify as an ECP – An Early Career Professional (ECP) can be a student in higher education undertaking an undergraduate or postgraduate degree (including PhD), or within 5 years of finishing higher education and starting their career in life sciences and drug discovery.
These ECPs are critical contributors to ELRIG, bringing new science, fresh ideas and energy to every event.
The prize is a glass trophy and £250, which can be accepted, donated to your lab or donated to a charity of your choice.
All posters will need to be collected at the end of the event and removed from site; any posters left at the end of the event will be disposed of.
Sponsorship Opportunites
We have several sponsorship opportunities available to our vendors that can provide a wide range of new and exciting benefits for your organisation. We are also happy to discuss a tailored package to suit your budget. Contact us on info@elrig.org.
FAQs
Are ELRIG events really FREE to attend?
We are a Not-for-Profit organisation and put on these events to help our industry grow and prosper. Our organisation is made up of volunteers, and a small team of part-time staff.
We cover the cost of each event from sponsorship and stand sales. If you come to one of our conferences, please take time visit the exhibition and speak to our vendors.
How do I register to attend Drug Discovery 2024?
How do I change / cancel my registration?
If you cannot remember your password, follow the link to reset your password on the registration page.
Delegates: What do I need to bring with me?
Can I register on arrival?
How do I cancel my registration if I cannot come?
Scientific Content Partners






Industry Partners



Drug Discovery 2023 Highlights
