Life sciences, and drug discovery in particular, has seen an explosion of novel ways to manipulate and modulate biological systems. These systems have become increasingly complex including multiple cell types, physical environments, changing conditions and multi-dimensional readouts. These advances are creating the need for new solutions to automate the use of such biological systems at scale.  This track aims to present the latest innovations in laboratory automation and their application to life sciences, diagnostic and drug discovery.

This track will discuss sustainable practices in drug discovery, focusing on advanced cell and in silico models. These models have the potential to reduce reliance on animal testing, enhancing sustainability and delivering human-specific data for better translational success. By encouraging cross-disciplinary dialogue, the session aims to advance actionable solutions for a more sustainable future in drug research.

The impact of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease is getting more prominent as the public health cost increases due to the aging population. Despite the recent approval of disease modifying biologics, the discovery of new therapeutics against neurodegenerative diseases remains challenging. This session focuses on various strategies to identify and validate hits from screening campaigns against targets associated with neurodegenerative pathogenesis and methods to elucidate their mechanism of action. Additionally, the session will look into the breadth of biological models used in screening campaigns, the variety of modalities being investigated and the application of automation and high-throughput screening concepts.

Small molecule discovery and translation continues to underpin the development of innovative new medicines for patient benefit, and is driven by an array of innovative technologies and workflows. Recent progress in the fields of chemical biology and ‘omics speaks to significant ongoing opportunities in an increasingly diverse small molecule landscape. We draw together the strategies in these fields, highlight experience and lessons learned in development and application, and provide insights on areas for future consideration by contemporary drug discoverers.

The “What’s new in Protein Sciences in Drug Discovery” track is organised with The Protein Society.  This interactive track will comprise two sessions that focus on the application of emerging areas of Protein Science to address challenges in modern drug discovery. The first session will cover AI / ML methods for protein design and novel target discovery. The second session will build on the first session and cover novel biophysical and chemical characterisation techniques to elucidate protein function in disease and facilitate therapeutic approaches.

Robotics and automation tools to span the drug discovery cycle – from sample handling, and workflow automation to data handling and analysis. With keynote talks followed by panel discussions to answer all your questions. In partnership with SiLa.

Cancer research is undergoing a transformative era, driven by groundbreaking advancements in molecular biology, genetic engineering, and therapeutic technologies. These innovations are expanding the boundaries of drug discovery and enabling the development of highly targeted and effective cancer treatments. This track will showcase the latest cutting-edge approaches in oncology, highlighting their potential to transform patient treatment and improve outcomes for all cancer patients.

Explore the cutting-edge efforts made towards the unique sustainability challenges facing biotech and pharma industries today. This track will highlight how organizations are evolving their research through innovative practices to prioritize environmental and societal needs, while ensuring advancements in healthcare that also protect our planet. Learn more from the ELRIG Sustainability working group and the panel discussion on challenges and opportunities in sustainability.”

The ‘Festival of Life Science’ track has been curated by the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Biological and Medicinal Chemistry Sector, the subject group for members interested in biologically active molecules, and RSC Medicinal Chemistry, the UK’s leading drug discovery journal. As in previous years, our track will feature the drug discovery process from early-stage emerging technologies to clinical candidate selection. We have an exciting lineup of UK and international experts, and among the hot topics covered are high-throughput lead discovery, protein degradation as a drug modality, and lead optimisation of natural products.

Drug discovery and development remains an expensive process, beset with many failures.  Drug repurposing also has its challenges.  It is therefore important to develop or refine novel methodologies and technologies to improve success rates in drug discovery and drug repurposing.  We live in an age where this is now possible.  This track will focus on technologies such as genomics, proteomics and AI, and how they are being employed for drug discovery and drug repurposing, with the talks being given by world-leading researchers from different professional backgrounds.

Recent developments in large scale technologies, from whole organisms to single cell, generate an ever-greater need for the exploitation of artificial intelligence and machine learning methods, to fully analyze, visualize and explain these ever-growing data sets. The insights have the potential to identify new targets, new biomarkers and shed a new light on disease mechanisms, leading to better therapies for patients. In this track you will hear about the latest innovations in artificial intelligence and their applications to solve drug discovery challenges.

Successful poster applications have been notified via email with their poster display number.  View the Drug Discovery 2025 Poster List

Your poster should be displayed for the duration of the full 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 during the late afternoon networking session on Day 1, and in the lunch refreshment break on Day 2.  You will be expected 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.

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.

This is an opportunity to showcase your poster in a Flash presentation to the ELRIG community, if your poster is chosen you will need to prepare a PowerPoint presentation, the team will be in touch to provide further information on timings and number of slides to prepare. The scientific judging panel will review the posters submitted for Flash poster presentations and if successful you will receive confirmation from the ELRIG Team two weeks prior to the event.

Due to high demand and limited capacity, delegate applications will now be reviewed before confirming a place.

More and more often, spaces go unused when people register and don’t attend. By reviewing your registrations, we’re ensuring that those committed to attending get the opportunity.

The ELRIG team will be in touch within 10 working days once you’ve completed your registration. We recommend applying with your institute or academic email address to ensure your registration is approved as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your support in helping us create valuable, well-attended events for the drug discovery community!

Yes ELRIG events are FREE to attend.

We are a not-for-profit organisation hosting events for the drug discovery community. We believe that access to high quality science should be accessible to all. Find out more here.

We’re grateful for the support from our exhibitors who help us cover the costs of our events from sponsorship and stand sales. If you come to our events, please take the time to visit our exhibition and meet our exhibitors.

Or if you’re interested in exhibiting at an event, check out our sponsorship page.

As a non-profit organisation, we aim to reduce food waste, and your cancellation helps support our sustainability efforts.

If your circumstances change and you can no longer attend, please cancel your ticket. Your confirmation email includes a link to the cancellation site.

Please save your ticket to your smart device or print a copy. Upon arrival at the venue visit the ELRIG registration and scan the QR Code. Your badge will be automatically printed. If you forget or lose your QR Code you can enter your email address to print your badge.

Refreshments will be provided, please bring your own reusable cups to help us reduce plastic waste at our events.

Our attendee app is available for all of our events. It contains a variety of useful information, including networking information, agendas, exhibitor searches, messaging and notifications.

Information on accessing the app will be sent to you 2 weeks before the event!

Download the app for iPhone here

Download the app for androids here