Organelle Pharmacology: A new frontier for drug discovery

This symposium will bring together leading researchers to explore the burgeoning field of organelle-specific drug discovery. While traditional drug development has focused on targeting proteins and pathways at the cellular level, this event will highlight a paradigm shift toward treating diseases by precisely targeting the dysfunction of specific organelles.

Key themes to be covered include:

The organelle-disease connection: Speakers will discuss how dysfunction in organelles, their interactions at membrane contact sites and autophagic processes, contribute to major diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, inflammation and metabolic conditions.
Emerging techniques for studying drug effects on organelles: The meeting will showcase cutting-edge technologies that are enabling a new era of organelle research including subcellular fluorescent techniques, cryo-electron microscopy and organelle electrophysiology.
Novel therapeutic strategies: Speakers will present new drug discovery approaches in which small molecules have been developed to target organellar processes whose dysregulation leads to disease.
By fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange, the meeting aims to accelerate the translation of organelle research into innovative, targeted therapies that can transform the treatment of currently intractable diseases. It will provide a platform for scientists to share breakthroughs, discuss challenges, and collectively shape the future of organelle-based medicine.

Learning outcomes:
1.   To better understand the roles of cellular organelles in health and disease
2.   To understand the current state of the art in identifying and studying organellar drug targets
3.   To appreciate the challenges of drug targeting to intracellular sites
4.   To translate our new understanding to the development of novel therapeutics

Day 1 – Wednesday 15 April
09:45 – 10:15	Registration and Refreshments
10:15 – 10:30	Welcome and Introduction: Antony Galione (Oxford, UK)

Session 1	Organelles and Disease (Chair : Margarida Ruas, Oxford UK)
10:30 – 11:00	Frances Platt (Oxford), UK
11:00 – 11:30	Andrea Ballabio (Naples, Italy)
11:30 – 11:45	Oral Communication 1
11:45 – 12:00	Oral Communication 2
12:00 – 12:30	Emily Eden (UCL, UK)
12:30 – 13:00	Nuno Raimondo (Penn State, USA)
13:00 – 14:00	Lunch and Poster Viewing

Session 2	Emerging techniques for studying drug effects on organelles (Chair: Sandip Patel UCL, UK)
14:00 – 14:30	Teresa Alonso (Valladolid, Spain)
14:30 – 15:00	Markus Rapedius (Nanion, Munich, Germany)
15:00 – 15:15	Oral Communication 3
15:15 – 15:30	Oral Communication 4
15:30 – 15:50	Partner Session
15:50 – 16:20	Refreshment Break
16:20 – 16:50	Anthony Morgan (Oxford, UK)
16:50 – 17:05	Oral Communication 5
17:05 – 17:20	Oral Communication 6
17:20 – 17:50	Katharina Duerr (Oxford, UK)
17:50 – 17:55	Closing Remarks

Conference Close

Day 2 – Thursday 16 April
08:45 – 09:10	Registration and refreshments
09:10 – 09:15	Welcome to day 2

Session 3	Drugging organelle targets (Chair: Grant Churchill Oxford ,UK)
09:15 – 09:45	Cristina Mammucari (Padua, Italy)
09:45 – 10:15	Christian Grimm (Munich, Germany)
10:15 – 10:30	Oral Communication 7
10:30 – 10:45	Oral Communication 8
10:45 – 11:05	Partner Session
11:05 – 11:35	Refreshment Break
11:35 – 12:05	Marc Freichel (Heidelburg, Germany)
12:05 – 12:20	Oral Communication 9
12:20 – 12:35	Oral Communication 10
12:35 – 13:05	Jonathan Marchant (Wisconsin, USA)
13:05 – 13:30	Closing remarks and Prizes

Conference Close

Details about our speakers will be available soon.

Tickets

Early Bird ECR Non-Member Ticket	Non-Member Ticket (Early Bird)	£120.00
Early Bird Full Member, Fellow Member & Honorary Fellow Member Ticket	Member Ticket (Early Bird)	£155.00
Early Bird Non-Member Ticket	Non-Member Ticket (Early Bird)	£295.00
Early Bird Undergraduate Member, Retired Fellow Member, Retired Full Member & Early Career Member Ticket	Member Ticket (Early Bird)	£60.00