10th RSC-BMCS / SCI GPCRs in Medicinal Chemistry
Event
10th RSC-BMCS / SCI Symposium on GPCRs in Medicinal Chemistry
Dates
Wednesday 30th September, 2026 – Friday 2nd October, 2026
Place
Evotec Campus Levi-Montalcini, Verona, Italy
Important links and downloads
Social Media – #GPCRs2026
Please click here to submit an abstract
Please click here to register
Please click here to download the first announcement
Please click here to download the second announcement
Synopsis
The key role of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in human disease underpins their importance to modern medicine. We are pleased to hold this 10th meeting in the series on GPCR drug discovery, which combines cutting edge medicinal chemistry with innovative structural biology and novel drug design approaches.
The meeting will consist of
• Case studies in GPCR drug discovery and development
• Structural biology advances and impact on drug design
Registration
Please click here to register.
Early Bird Registration Fees (until 31st July 2026)
**Student Member: £250
**Student Non Member: £370
*Member: £620
Non-Member: £865
Standard Registration Fees (from 1st August 2026)
**Student Member: £300
**Student Non Member: £425
*Member: £730
Non-Member: £970
*Member is a paid up member of the RSC or SCI.
**Student rates apply to undergraduate and postgraduate students only.
Abstracts
Abstract submission is now closed.
Want to become a member?
To join the RSC and qualify for discounted registration fees at all RSC, please click here.
Bursaries
The RSC-BMCS and SCI are offering a small number of bursaries to attend the meeting. Applications are open to PhD and post-doctoral applicants studying at academic institutions or non-profit institutions. Preference will be given to members of the RSC-BMCS and SCI. Bursary applications are also invited from RSC, SCI or EFMC members who are of working age, but currently unemployed and from those who may have difficulty in funding their attendance. The bursary application deadline is Friday 10th July.
Bursary applications are now closed.
Exhibition/Sponsorship
Exhibition Package (£1,500) includes:
-Stand space – table and chairs
-Access to electricity and wi-fi
– Logo inclusion in pdf of delegate handbook and rolling slides and conference website
-Exhibitors promotional page in the pdf delegate handbook
-One stand personnel with access to technical sessions and poster sessions
– Attendance at the Wednesday evening social event
– Attendance at the Thursday evening winery tour and dinner
We are also seeking sponsorship from organisations. Minimum suggested sponsorship is £500. Sponsors receive:
– Logo in delegate handbook
– Logo in the rolling slides
– Web-linked logo on the event web page
Please click here to book an exhibitor/sponsor package.
Venue and Travel
Detailed travel information may be found in this Venue Guide.
Please click here to view our hotel recommendations.
Programme
Wednesday 30th September
| 08:30 | Registration and Refreshments |
|---|---|
| Session Chair: Adrian Hall, UCB | |
| 09:20 - 09:35 | Welcome and Opening Remarks: Adrian Hall and Maria Pilla |
| 09:35 - 10:25 | Keynote Christa Muller (University of Bonn) Medicinal Chemistry of MAS-related G Protein-coupled Receptors X (MRGPRX) |
| 10:25 - 10:55 | TBC |
| 10:55 - 11:25 | Refreshments, exhibition and posters |
| 11:25 - 11:55 | Rudolf Ganzoni (ETH Zurich) Single-Position Scaffold Modifications Tune Cannabinoid Receptor Activity by Targeting the Toggle Switch |
| 11:55 - 12:25 | Ekaterina Ratkova (AstraZeneca) Discovery of GLP-1R Small Molecule Agonists: From Balanced to Biased |
| 12:25- 14:00 | Lunch, Exhibition, Evotec Site Tour and Posters |
| Session Chair: Andrew Williams, RSC BMCS | |
| 14:00 - 14:30 | David Gloriam (University of Copenhagen) Trends in GPCR Drug Discovery |
| 14:30 - 14:50 | Listiana Oktavia (University of Oxford) Discovery of a Novel Oxidised Medium-Chain Fatty Acid Chemotype as a Potent GPR84 Agonist |
| 14:50 - 15:20 | Hui Lei (Structure Therapeutics) |
| 15:20 - 15:50 | Refreshments, exhibition and posters |
| Session Chair: Angela Russell, University of Oxford | |
| 15:50 - 16:20 | Gyula Beke (Gedeon Richter) The Discovery of RGH-706, a Highly Efficacious MCH1 Receptor Antagonist, for the Treatment of Obesity and Insatiable Hunger |
| 16:20 - 17:00 | FO1: Harry Kabodha (Columbia University) - HYALINE: Geometric Deep Learning for Accurate Prediction of G Protein Coupled Receptor Activation States from Structure |
| FO2: Pegi Pavletic (University of Rijeka) - Five Years, Four Pharmacophoric Modifications: Unlocking the Therapeutic Potential of Dopamine D4 Receptor Ligands in Glioblastoma | |
| FO3: Eszter Szánti-Pintér (Czech Academy of Sciences) - Real-time mapping of cholesterol binding sites on the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor using steroid-based Tide Quencher 1 probes | |
| FO4: Sarah Collinson (University of Nottingham) - Development of fluorescent ligands for the atypical chemokine receptor 3 | |
| FO5: Tim Pelczyk (Leipzig University) - Identification and Structure-Activity Relationship of a Novel Non-Peptide Neuropeptide Y Y4R Agonist | |
| FO6: Matthew Horwitz (Eurofins Discovery) - Expediting GPCR Drug Discovery: Dual Strategy Combining Spectral Shift Screening and Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics for A2AR | |
| FO7: Hanna Baltrukevich (Marburg University) - Challenges of targeting conserved allosteric pocket of class B GPCRs with large scale virtual screening | |
| FO8: Gabriel Mendoza-Rojas (Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf) - A co-evolved peptide-GPCR system senses host entry to drive fungal infection | |
| FO9: Sema Alzubaidi (University of Nottingham) - Novel fluorescent ligands for the angiotensin II receptors | |
| FO10: Rowan Ives (University of Oxford) - Mammalian Cell-Derived Fatty Acid Biosynthesis Derailment Products are Endogenous Agonists at the Orphan Receptor GPR84 | |
| FO11: Florian van der Ent (AstraZeneca) - Explaining the signalling profiles of small molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists with atomistic simulations | |
| 17:00 - 18:30 | Poster session with drinks reception |
Thursday 1st October
| 09:00 | Registration |
|---|---|
| Session Chair: Mike Prime, Recursion | |
| 09:30 – 10:20 | Keynote György Kerseru (RCNS Hungary) The Structure of the Dopamine D3 Receptor Bound to Cariprazine Reveals Principles for Partial Agonists with Designed Pharmacology |
| 10:20 - 10:50 | Aurélien Rizk (InterAx) GPCR Signaling Models for Mechanism-Driven Drug Discovery and insights from GLP-1R |
| 10:50 - 11:20 | Refreshments, exhibition and posters |
| 11:20 - 11:50 | Anne Valade (UCB) Glovadalen (UCB0022): Discovery and Structural understanding of D1 Receptor Positive Allosteric Modulation |
| 11:50 - 12:20 | Agostino Cianciulli (Evotec) GPR39 Antagonism: A New Paradigm for the Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction and Coronary No Reflow |
| 12:20 - 13:40 | Lunch, exhibition, Evotec Site Tour and posters |
| Session Chair: Dan Jones, Nxera | |
| 13:40 - 14:10 | Kevin Filipski (Pfizer) PF-07976016, a small-molecule GIPR antagonist clinical candidate as a treatment for obesity |
| 14:10 - 14:40 | Dorien De Vlieger (Confo Therapeutics) Discovery of a Selective Somatostatin receptor 5 (SSTR5) Antibody-based Agonist for the Treatment of Conditions of Hyperinsulinemia |
| 14:40 - 15:10 | Sylvaine Cren (Idorsia Pharmaceuticals) Discovery and progression of first-in-class, potent, selective and orally bioavailable CXCR7 antagonist ACT-1004-1239 for the treatment of inflammatory and demyelinating diseases |
| 15:10 - 15:40 | Refreshments, exhibition and posters |
| 15:40 - 16:10 | Alexander Ulrich (Nuvisan) Discovery, biophysical, and structural characterization of a new family of positive allosteric modulators for MRGPRX1 |
| 16:10 - 17:00 | Keynote Lotte Bjerre Knudsen (formerly Novo Nordisk) GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: The Clinical Impact and the Learning Cycle back to Drug Discovery |
| 17:00 | Coaches depart for Vineyard tour and dinner |
Friday 2nd October
| 09:00 | Registration |
|---|---|
| Session Chair: Susanna Cremonesi, Evotec | |
| 09:30 - 10:00 | Lisa McArthur (Sygnature Discovery) Decoding 5‑HT2A Pharmacology: Integrating Structural Biology, Cell-Based Assays and Signalling |
| 10:00 - 10:30 | Sofia Karlström (Atrogi AB) Discovery and development of GRK2-biased β2−adrenergic receptor modulators and their use in disease |
| 10:30 - 10:35 | Poster prize-giving |
| 10:35 - 11:05 | Refreshments, exhibition and posters |
| 11:05 - 11:55 | Keynote Lauren Slosky (University of Minnesota) |
| 11:55 - 12:25 | Daniele Andreotti (Receptor.AI) AI-guided lead optimisation of dual binding CD36/GPR120 fatty-acid agonists |
| 12:25 - 13:20 | Lunch, exhibition and posters |
| Session Chair: Caroline Low, Isomorphic Labs | |
| 13:20 - 13:50 | Robert Cheng (LeadXPro) An Integrated Crystallographic, Biophysical and Computational Pipeline for Fragment Screening of Membrane Proteins in Lipid Cubic Phase |
| 13:50 - 14:20 | Valeria Pingitore (CAS, A division of the American Chemical Society) From Targets to Therapies: GPCR-targeted Drug Discovery Trends Revealed by CAS Data |
| 14:20 | Closing Remarks, Caroline Low |
| 14:25 | Close |
| 14:30 | Coaches depart |
Exhibitors
Sponsors
Organising Committee
Adrian Hall, UCB (Co-chair)
Caroline Low, Isomorphic Labs (Co-chair)
Daniel Jones, Nxera Pharma (Treasurer)
Andrew Williams, RSC BMCS
Fraser Cunningham, Recursion
Susanna Cremonesi, Evotec
Angela Russell, University of Oxford
Secretariat Contact and Further Information
Hg3 Conferences Ltd
+44 (0)1423 529333
E-mail
