Sunday, February 12, 2012

All sessions will be held at the Princeton Club, New York, NY

2:00pm – 4:00pm

Registration

4:00 –  4:20

Welcome & Opening Remarks:
Challenges and Opportunities in Academic Drug Discovery

Howard Fillit, MD, Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation

4:20 – 4:50

Plenary:
Where is Drug Discovery Going?

Christopher A. Lipinski, PhD, Melior Discovery, Inc.

4:50 – 5:00

Q&A

5:00 – 5:05

Closing Remarks

Howard Fillit, MD, Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation

5:05 – 7:00

Welcoming Reception

Monday, February 13, 2012

8:00 – 8:30

Continental Breakfast & Registration

8:30 – 8:40

Welcome from New York City

Seth W. Pinsky, President, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)

I. Basics of Medicinal Chemistry

Chair: D. Martin Watterson, PhD, Northwestern University

8:40 – 9:00

Overview: Medicinal Chemistry Rules of Thumb, Myths and Realities in CNS Drug Discovery

D. Martin Watterson, PhD, Northwestern University

9:00 – 9:10

Q&A

9:10 – 9:30

Designing Small Molecules with Increased Potential for CNS Penetration

Laura Chico, MS, PhD, Northwestern University

9:30 – 9:40

Q&A

9:40 – 10:00

Synthetic Chemistry Essentials for Biologists

Heather Behanna, PhD, JMP Securities LLC

10:00 – 10:10

Q&A

10:10 – 10:30

Natural Products as Drug Starting Points

Frank E. Koehn, PhD, Pfizer Inc.

10:30 – 10:40

Q&A

10:40 – 11:10

Break

II. Early Phases of Drug Discovery

Chair: Kurt R. Brunden, PhD, University of Pennsylvania  

11:10 – 11:15

Session Overview

Kurt R. Brunden, PhD, University of Pennsylvania

11:15 –  11:35

Basics of High Throughput Screening (HTS)

James Inglese, PhD, National Institute of Health Chemical Genomics Center  

11:35 – 11:45

Q&A

11:45 –  12:05

Compound Optimization after HTS: Beyond Potency

Kurt R. Brunden, PhD, University of Pennsylvania

12:05 – 12:15

Q&A

12:15 –  12:35

Importance of Toxicology

John E. Sagartz, DVM, PhD, DACVP, Seventh Wave Laboratories

12:35 – 12:45

Q&A

12:45 – 1:45

Lunch and Poster Session

III. Pre-Clinical Proof-of-Concept & Development

Chair: Edward G. Spack, PhD, Fast Forward, LLC

1:45 – 1:50

Session Overview

Edward G. Spack, PhD, Fast Forward, LLC

1:50 – 2:10

What Makes a Clinical Candidate?

David Weiner, MD

2:10 – 2:20

Q&A

2:20 – 2:40

Requirements for an IND

Edward G. Spack, PhD, Fast Forward, LLC

2:40 – 2:50

Q&A

2:50 – 3:20

Break

3:20 – 3:40

Optimization and Characterization of Mouse Models of Neurodegeneration

Steve Perrin, PhD, ALS Therapy Development Institute

3:40 – 3:50

Q&A

3:50 – 4:10

Value of Biomarkers in Preclinical Development: Translatable Endpoints

Barry Greenberg, PhD, Toronto Dementia Research Alliance

4:10 – 4:20

Q&A

4:20 – 4:30

Closing Remarks and Announcement of Young Investigator Scholarship Winners

Diana Shineman, PhD, Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation

4:30 – 6:30

Networking Reception and Poster Session

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

8:00 – 8:30

Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 8:35

Welcome & Opening Remarks

Suzana Petanceska, PhD, National Institute on Aging

IV. What’s Druggable – Designing Drugs for CNS Target Classes

Chair: Mark Frasier, PhD, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research  

8:35 –  8:40

Session Overview

Mark Frasier, PhD, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research  

8:40 – 9:00

Protein-Protein Interaction: A Growing Trend Towards Feasibility

Gérard Rossé, PhD, Dart Neuroscience

9:00 – 9:10

Q&A

9:10 - 9:30

Challenges in Targeting Kinases for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Ravi G. Kurumbail, PhD, Pfizer Inc.

9:30 – 9:40

Q&A

9:40 – 10:00

Druggability Considerations for GPCRs and Ion Channels

Shaun R. Stauffer, PhD, Vanderbilt University

10:00 –  10:10

Q&A

10:10 – 10:30

Biologics for Challenging Targets: Unique Challenges and Lessons Learned

Guriq S. Basi, PhD, Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

10:30 – 10:40

Q&A

10:40 – 11:10

Break

V.  Commercialization Strategies:  Developing Science into Products

Chair: Howard Fillit, MD, Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation

11:10 – 11:15

Session Overview

Howard Fillit, MD, Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation

Panel Presentation and Discussion

11:15 –  11:30

Transfer and Intellectual Property Management

Abram Goldfinger, MBA, New York University

11:30 - 11:45

An Early-Stage Venture Capitalist’s View of Neurodegeneration Research Opportunities

Geoffrey W. Smith, Ascent Biomedical Ventures

11:45 – 12:00

Pharmaceutical Companies: Licensing and Sponsored Research Agreements

Susan Rohrer, PhD, Merck Research Laboratories

12:00 – 12:15

Starting Your Own Biotech: Challenges and Pitfalls

Frank M. Longo, MD, PhD, Stanford University & PharmatrophiX

12:15 – 12:30

How Foundations Can Bridge the Gap

Sohini Chowdhury, MA, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

12:30 – 1:00

Open Discussion

1:00 – 1:45

Lunch and Poster Session

VI. Resources and Services For Advancing Drug Discovery

Chair: Suzana Petanceska, PhD, National Institute on Aging

1:45 – 1:50

Session Overview

Suzana Petanceska, PhD, National Institute on Aging

1:50 – 2:10

An Academic Perspective on Drug Discovery Services: Centers & CROs

Marcie Glicksman, PhD, Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center 

2:10 – 2:20

Q&A

2:20 – 2:40

A Drug Discovery Services Perspective on Academic Collaborations

Bruce Molino, PhD, Albany Molecular Research, Inc.

2:40 – 2:50

Q&A

2:50 – 3:10

Preclinical Therapeutics Development for Neurological Disorders: Funding & Resources

Rebecca Farkas, PhD, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and

Suzana Petanceska, PhD, National Institute on Aging

3:10 – 3:20

Q&A

3:20 – 3:30

Closing Remarks

Howard Fillit, MD, Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation