Steffen Bernard
Principal Scientist Vividion Therapeutics
Steffen Bernard is Associate Director and Structural Biology Lead at Vividion Therapeutics, where he leads structural biology efforts to support the discovery and development of innovative therapeutics. Over the past seven years at Vividion, he has progressed through roles of increasing responsibility from Scientist to Associate Director, contributing to multidisciplinary drug discovery programs. Prior to Vividion, Steffen conducted structural and chemical biology research at Celgene and completed his postdoctoral training at Scripps Research, where he studied viral glycoprotein interactions with antibodies and therapeutics. His expertise spans protein expression, crystallography, biophysical characterization, and structure-guided drug discovery.
Seminars
Structural biology is generating multiple layers of information across cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography, HDX, SAXS, SPR and biochemical assays, but these datasets are often handled separately, making it difficult to build a complete picture of protein-ligand interactions and confidently guide drug discovery decisions. This technical workshop will explore how to bring together complementary structural and experimental datasets to generate more actionable insights by:
- Integrating complementary structural biology techniques to understand how cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography, HDX and SAXS can be combined to capture protein plasticity, conformational dynamics and protein-ligand interactions
- Connecting structural, biophysical and biochemical readouts to reconcile discrepancies between indirect binding assays and direct structural observations, and improve confidence when prioritizing binders and validating mechanisms
- Building multi-modal data workflows for SBDD to break down data silos, connect experimental and computational insights, and translate complex datasets into more confident decisions across hit identification, validation and molecular optimization
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
