Panel Discussion: Extending SBDD Beyond Conventional Small Molecules to Unlock Actionable Structural Insights for Degraders, Biologics & Complex Therapeutics

4:30 pm - Wednesday 3rd February 2027

Structure-based drug design has traditionally been strongest when applied to well-defined protein-ligand interactions, but the emergence of protein degraders, biologics, and other complex modalities is challenging researchers to rethink how structural information should be interpreted and applied. Join structural biologists, medicinal chemists, protein engineers, and drug discovery leaders as they discuss how SBDD can evolve beyond traditional small molecules by:

Determining where traditional SBDD principles apply to targeted protein degradation, exploring how structural information can inform molecular glue and PROTAC design while recognising that observed interactions may not always reflect functional behaviour
Using structural information to improve biologic design, discussing how structures can inform not only binding affinity but also protein expression, stability, developability, and molecular engineering
Adapting structural workflows for complex therapeutic modalities, exploring how advances in cryo-EM and other structural approaches can generate actionable insights into increasingly complex biological interactions and mechanisms of action