Event overview
THERAPEUTIC OLIGONUCLEOTIDES 2025 – DRUGGING THE UNDRUGGABLES
The second ELRIG meeting on Therapeutic Oligonucleotides, scheduled for May 14-15, 2025, will be hosted at the AstraZeneca R&D site in Gothenburg. This dynamic event aims to build upon the success of the inaugural Therapeutic Oligonucleotides meeting and the well-regarded Advances in Cell-Based Assays in Drug Discovery. Esteemed scientists from academia, industry, and the vendor community will convene to explore the discovery, validation, and targeting of drug candidates using antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and siRNA. Our ambition is to establish an open-access meeting that fosters an inspiring environment for networking, encouraging collaboration between biologists and chemists across diverse research areas.
Oligonucleotide-based drugs, including ASOs and siRNAs, are already significantly impacting patients’ lives. The conference will delve into the nature of drug targets amenable to modulation by oligonucleotides, while comparing the advantages and limitations of these modalities with other drug types. Recent advancements in broadening their application, including innovative approaches to ensure their safety and efficacy, as well as the use of targeted delivery to reach disease-relevant tissues, will be covered. Success stories in bringing therapeutic oligonucleotides to the clinic will also be shared. The scientific sessions over two days will cover the following key areas detailed in the track information below.
DAY 1 – WED 14 MAY
TRACK 1
Track Chairs: David Gilot – AstraZeneca
Track Title: TARGET IDENTIFICATION AND VALIDATION
A successful therapeutic oligonucleotide project begins with identifying the right target and subsequently validating the biological hypothesis. In this track, we will explore how to tackle previously inaccessible targets and non-coding regions of the genome, enabled by recent advances in omics and computational biology (AI and machine learning).
TRACK 2
Track Chairs: Hilary Brooks – Evotec
Track Title: SAFETY AND EFFICACY ADVANCEMENTS
This track explores how new fundamental mechanistic insights can improve clinical safety and efficacy. We will see how a basic understanding of RNA interference mechanisms and off-target activity can enable improved design tools. We will discuss progress in oligonucleotide pharmacokinetics and immunogenicity.
DAY 2 – THURS 15 MAY
TRACK 4
Track chairs: Pär Matsson – University of Gothenburg & Ulrik Lytt Rahbek – Novo Nordisk
Track Title: EXPANDING CELL- AND TISSUE TARGETING
Delivering therapeutic oligonucleotides to tissues beyond the liver poses a significant challenge. This track will explore recent advancements in chemistry that enable the specific targeting of individual cell types or tissues. We will focus on innovative strategies for reaching extrahepatic tissues and subcellular delivery mechanisms such as endosomal escape
TRACK 4
Track Chairs: Anna Granqvist – Ribocure Pharmaceuticals & Linda Sundström – AstraZeneca
Track Title: TOWARDS CLINICAL SUCCESS
This session will bring together all aspects from the previous tracks and feature recent success stories of drugging previously undruggable targets. Academic and industrial perspectives on moving therapeutic oligonucleotides into the clinic and to patients will be shared, including various clinical challenges and regulatory perspectives.
Therapeutic Oligonucleotides 2025 Conference Directors:
Fredrik Edfeldt, AstraZeneca
David Gilot, AstraZeneca
Linda Sundström, AstraZeneca
Karl-Johan Leuchowius, AstraZeneca
Ulrik Lytt Rahbek, Novo Nordisk
Pär Matsson
Saman Honarnejad, Evotec
TBC
Posters
Discover numerous posters and innovative research from across the drug discovery community, aligned to our track themes. Hear from our Flash Poster Presenters and find out who has won the coveted Early Career Professional Poster Award!
AstraZeneca Site Tour
Book your Amazing Journey AstraZeneca Site Tour on the registration form.
On this guided tour you get to learn a little about AstraZenecas’s history, how they work with sustainability, how their scientists are working to find new medicines and what happens to the old medicines. You also get to hear the sound of a heart attack, and see how different diseases affect different parts of the world.
Day 1 – WED 14 MAY
TRACK 1
TARGET IDENTIFICATION AND VALIDATION
A successful therapeutic oligonucleotide project begins with identifying the right target and subsequently validating the biological hypothesis. In this track, we will explore how to tackle previously inaccessible targets and non-coding regions of the genome, enabled by recent advances in omics and computational biology (AI and machine learning).
TRACK CHAIR: David Gilot – AstraZeneca
TRACK 2
SAFETY AND EFFICACY ADVANCEMENTS
This track explores how new fundamental mechanistic insights can improve clinical safety and efficacy. We will see how a basic understanding of RNA interference mechanisms and off-target activity can enable improved design tools. We will discuss progress in oligonucleotide pharmacokinetics and immunogenicity.
TRACK CHAIR: Hilary Brooks – Evotec
Day 2 – THURS 15 MAY
TRACK 3
EXPANDING CELL- AND TISSUE TARGETING
Delivering therapeutic oligonucleotides to tissues beyond the liver poses a significant challenge. This track will explore recent advancements in chemistry that enable the specific targeting of individual cell types or tissues. We will focus on innovative strategies for reaching extrahepatic tissues and subcellular delivery mechanisms such as endosomal escape
TRACK CHAIRS: Pär Matsson – University of Gothenburg & Ulrik Lytt Rahbek – Novo Nordisk
TRACK 4
TOWARDS CLINICAL SUCCESS
This session will bring together all aspects from the previous tracks and feature recent success stories of drugging previously undruggable targets. Academic and industrial perspectives on moving therapeutic oligonucleotides into the clinic and to patients will be shared, including various clinical challenges and regulatory perspectives.
TRACK CHAIRS: Anna Granqvist – Ribocure Pharmaceuticals & Linda Sundström – AstraZeneca
POSTERS
Thank you for agreeing to share your poster with us at Therapeutic Oligos 2025. Your contribution is greatly appreciated by ELRIG and all the attendees of the event. The next stage is to upload your title and abstract, the poster panel will review your poster for general display and you will receive an email advising if you have been successful.
Please note – only one poster can be submitted per delegate, we only need your title and abstract, you do not need to upload your PDF and only Early Career Posters will be considered for a flash presentation at this event.
Deadlines –
- to be considered for a flash poster presentation – your title and abstract need to be uploaded by 13.04.25
- to be considered for general display – your title and abstract need to by uploaded by 27.04.25
We have limited space at site and late entries will not be accepted.
If you have any questions regarding your submission, please contact events@elrig.org
During the event:
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.
Flash Poster presentations:
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 to last no more than 5 minutes. 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.
AWARDS
Award info coming soon
ECP POSTER AWARD
A Poster Prize will be awarded for Best Early Career Professional Poster. Find out more about how to submit your poster
The posters will be judged during Therapeutic Oligos 2025 (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.
Social Media
Download our useful social media images to share that you’ll be attending Therapeutic Oligos 2025 with your network.
ACCOMMODATION
Info coming soon
VENUE
AstraZeneca
Information coming soon
DELEGATE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are ELRIG events really FREE to attend? Yes ELRIG events are 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 Therapeutic Oligos 2025? Registration is not yet open, but please check back regularly.
How do I change / cancel my registration? When you first made your registration, you were asked to create a password : this password + your e-mail address will allow you to re-enter the system at any time, and update or cancel your 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? 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.
Can I register on arrival? Yes you can. We would prefer that register before the event but if you have not, you can register at the ELRIG registration desk.
How do I cancel my registration if I cannot come? A link for cancellations will be available soon, please check back
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