ELRIG, a not-for-profit, volunteer-led organisation dedicated to the global drug discovery community, has revealed the keynote speakers for its event, Drug Discovery 2025.
ELRIG
Prof Heather Pinkett
Taking place at the ACC in Liverpool, UK from 21–22nd October, the conference will feature presentations from Professor Heather Pinkett (Northwestern University) and Dr Dafydd Owen (Pfizer Medicine Design).
Held under the theme “A Festival of Life Science”, Drug Discovery 2025 is a celebration that aims to unite scientists from industry and academia working toward the same goal: improving human health through more effective drug discovery. The event offers free access to over 150 talks across 14 scientific tracks, covering topics such as advances in robotics and automation, advanced models for drug discovery, hit-finding approaches in neurodegenerative disease therapeutics, chemical biology and omics, translating ideas into therapies, as well as sustainable drug development. ELRIG is also collaborating with organisations including SLAS, the British Pharmacological Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cancer Research Horizons, The Protein Society, SiLA and Alzheimer’s Research UK to bring a broad range of content. To further its international outreach, ELRIG has partnered with VisitBritain to provide the opportunity for global drug discovery researchers to experience the UK life science sector first-hand and contribute their perspectives to the conversation.
The conference will host 200+ exhibitors, a “Breakthrough Zone” for startups, a Tech Theatre, and dedicated events for early-career professionals (ECPs), including “Network Like a Boss” and “Meet & Greet” sessions. Awards will also recognise innovation, rising stars from the ECP community, and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to both ELRIG and the drug discovery field.
Prof Heather Pinkett leads research at Northwestern University into the structure, function, and regulation of membrane proteins with a particular emphasis on ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, proteins that use ATP hydrolysis to transport substrates across cellular membranes. She is also the Director of the NIH Molecular Biophysics Training Program at Northwestern, a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Molecular Biology, and President-Elect of The Protein Society. Prof Pinkett will present “Targeting ABC Transporters: Structural Prediction and Computational Strategies Against AMR” on the first day.
Prof Heather Pinkett, associate professor, Department of Molecular Biosciences at Northwestern University, commented: “I’m excited to engage with scientists from across academia and industry and to deliver the opening keynote at Drug Discovery 2025.”