Cambridge Healthtech Institute Training Seminars offer real-life case studies, problems encountered and solutions applied, along with extensive coverage of the academic theory and background. Each Training Seminar offers a mix of formal lecture and interactive discussions and activities to maximize the learning experience. These Training Seminars are led by experienced instructors who will focus on content applicable to your current research and provide important guidance for those new to their fields.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17: 8:00 AM - 7:10 PM –
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18: 8:00 AM - 2:45 PM*

TS1: Targeting GPCRs for Drug Discovery - Detailed Agenda
North Star
This training seminar is designed for medicinal chemists, biologists and scientists concentrating on discovering and developing drugs against G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs). The challenge the seminar addresses is how to predict therapeutic activity – because drug candidate profiles seen in in vitro test systems often do not adequately reflect in vivo responses due to the drug candidates’ interaction with variable ambient physiology. More specifically, this seminar describes the pharmacological procedures needed to convert ‘descriptive data’ (what we see) to ‘predictive data’ (what will be seen) through universal pharmacological scales such as affinity, efficacy, cooperativity parameters, offset rates, etc. The desired outcome is to more fully define ligand properties to reduce attrition in late-stage drug development. Three major classes of GPCR ligands will be discussed: (1) agonists (with special reference to biased signaling), (2) antagonists (with inverse agonists) and (3) allosteric modulators (characterization of NAMs, PAMs). I will illustrate how concepts introduced over the past 15 years have considerably expanded and revitalized the possibilities for GPCRs as therapeutic targets.

Instructor: Terry Kenakin, PhD, Professor, Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18: 12:20 - 6:30 PM –
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19: 7:30 AM - 4:10 PM*

TS3: Introduction to Small Molecule Drug Discovery and Development - Detailed Agenda

North Star
This lecture-based interactive seminar focuses on strategies for identifying drug discovery targets, discovering and characterizing small molecule hits, and developing structure-activity relationships to advance hits through lead optimization, preclinical development, and clinical evaluation. Participants will learn the stages and processes required to advance programs from idea to clinic, through examples and case studies. This seminar is intended for scientists in either academia or industry who would like to become more familiar with small molecule drug discovery and development.

Instructor: H. James Harwood Jr., PhD, Founder and CEO, Delphi BioMedical Consultants, LLC

TS4: Practical Phenotypic Screening - Detailed Agenda

Parliament
Phenotypic drug discovery is experiencing a renaissance in the pharmaceutical industry, based on its successful track record in delivering first-in-class medicines. This approach offers the promise of delivering both novel targets and chemical matter modulating a disease phenotype of interest. Although phenotypic screening may appear at first sight to be similar to target-based screening, there are some significant differences between the two approaches. These need to be properly considered and addressed to ensure the greatest likelihood of success for phenotypic drug discovery programs. This training seminar will cover a range of relevant topics with a goal of providing practical information to help prosecute such programs more effectively from assay design all the way to clinical trials.

Instructor: Fabien Vincent, PhD, Associate Research Fellow, Discovery Sciences, Pfizer, Inc.

*Training Seminar attendees have access to Plenary Keynote Program, Interactive Breakout Discussions, and Exhibit Hall Refreshment Breaks during these times.

What is a Training Seminar?

Each CHI Training Seminar offers 1.5 days of instruction with start and stop times for each day shown above and on the Event-at-a-Glance published in the onsite Program & Event Guide. Training Seminars will include morning and afternoon refreshment breaks, as applicable, and lunch will be provided to all registered attendees on the full day of the class.

Each person registered specifically for the Training Seminar will be provided with a hard copy handbook for the seminar in which they are registered. A limited number of additional handbooks will be available for other delegates who wish to attend the seminar, but after these have been distributed, no additional books will be available.

Though CHI encourages track hopping between conference programs, we ask that Training Seminars not be disturbed once they have begun. In the interest of maintaining the highest quality learning environment for Training Seminar attendees, and because seminars are conducted differently than conference programming, we ask that attendees commit to attending the entire program, and not engage in track hopping, as to not disturb the hands-on style instruction being offered to the other participants.