Provisional Timetable
(Subject to change: The conference may finish slightly earlier or later than the advertised time)
Event type: Virtual/in-person hybrid
Presentation language: English
Venue: The Jarvis Doctorow Hall, St Edmund Hall, Queen’s Lane, Oxford, UK
Time zone: All times mentioned refer to British Standard Time (BST)
Password and links: Registered conference delegates will be sent joining information and conference access links a few days before the conference.
World Time Converter: https://greenwichmeantime.com and https://www.worldtimebuddy.com
NB: Due to the hybrid nature of the agenda and the wide geographical locations of our speakers, it may not have always been possible to group together related presentations.
Day 1: Wednesday 16th April 2025
1000: Registration, networking and welcome coffee
1055: Welcome and housekeeping
Session 1: Chemistry, synthesis and modifications-I
1100: Professor Thomas Carell
Chair for Organic Chemistry, Department for Chemistry, Institute for Chemical Epigenetics (ICE-M), LMU München, Munich, Germany
Chemistry of RNA Therapeutics
1120: Professor Afaf El-Sagheer
Senior Lecturer of Nucleic Acid Chemistry, Chemistry Department, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Chemical modifications of mRNA
1140: Professor Julián Valero Moreno
Assistant Professor, Aarhus University, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Interdisciplinary Nanoscience center (iNANO), Aarhus, Region Midtjylland, Denmark
Expanding RNA Chemical Diversity: Co-transcriptional Incorporation of Modified Nucleotides for Enhanced Targeting
1200: Dr Jing Li
Postdoctoral Scientist, Kath-Schorr Laboratory, Department for Chemistry, University of Köln, Köln, Germany
Chemical modifications for improved RNA therapeutics
1220: Dr Nina Was (V)
Staff Scientist, Silence Therapeutics GmbH, Berlin, Germany
siRNA phosphorodithioate modifications reduce stereocomplexity, ease analysis, and can improve in vivo potency
Agilent-sponsored technology presentation
1240: Dr Robert Wills
Product Specialist, Molecular Spectroscopy, Agilent Technologies UK, Cheshire, UK
Biomolecule Analysis Using Advanced UV-Vis Spectroscopy
1300: Lunch and networking
Chemistry, synthesis and modifications-II
1400: Dr Debashis Dhara
Postdoctoral Scientist, Tom Brown Group, Nucleic Acids Research, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Synthesis and Studies on Densely Functionalised Charge Neutral LNA-Phosphothiotriester Oligonucleotides
1420: Dr Nazarii Sabat
CNRS Research Scientist, Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry, Laboratory for Bioorganic Chemistry of Nucleic Acids, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS Paris, France
Next-generation chemoenzymatic synthesis of chemically modified oligonucleotides
Selection, delivery and application
1440: Dr David Peeler
Postdoctoral Scientist, Laboratories of Professors Dame Molly Stevens & Robin Shattock, Department of Materials, Bioengineering, and Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, UK
Targeted STING agonism intersects with self-amplifying RNA immunogenicity through formulation-specific innate intermediates
1500: Dr Brandon Wilbanks
Postdoctoral Scientist, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN, USA
DNA oligonucleotides that modulate biological activity of model neurons
1520: Refreshment break, networking, posters and exhibition
1650: Professor Simon Richardson & Ms Natalie Younes
Reader of Drug Delivery and Membrane Trafficking, Exogenix laboratory, Faculty of Engineering and Science, Greenwich University, Kent, UK
Cell specific rate limits associated with using attenuated anthrax toxin as a cytosolic delivery system
1610: Dr Aadarash Zia
Scientist – Drug Delivery, Medicines Discovery Catapult, Mereside, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK
NUVEC® Silica Nanoparticles as Efficient Non-Viral Intracellular Delivery System for Nucleic acids
1630: Professor Stefan Vogel
Associate Professor in Nanobioscience, Nucleic Acid Center, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
From DNA-Programmed Biomembrane Fusion to Oligonucleotide Delivery
1650: Dr Edward Curtis
Group Leader, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic
Development and application of deoxyribozyme sensors
1710: Dr Sylvain Ladame & Mr Marc Soler
Reader in Biosensor Development & Senior Tutor for Research, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
Improving early diagnosis and patient stratification in primary care through minimally invasive sampling and detection of nucleic acid biomarkers in bodily fluids
1730: Close
1915: Networking dinner (on a ‘pay-as-you-eat’ basis – further information will be sent by email)
Day 2: Thursday 17th April 2025
Aptamer selection and application
0930: Professor Philip Johnson
Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
From SELEX to Sensor
0950: Professor Bruce Sullenger
Joseph and Dorothy Beard Professor, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
Developing Potent and Reversible Anticoagulants, Not Sourced from Large Animals, Using Aptamer-Antidote Pairs to Create Cleaner and More Sustainable Acute Care Medicines
1010: Dr Miguel Aller Pellitero
Assistant Professor, Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
Understanding the impact of temperature on electrochemical, aptamer-based sensors
1030: Refreshment break, networking, posters and exhibition
1050: Miss Caroline Doherty
Graduate Research Student, Medical Scientist Training Program, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA
In vivo selection of anti-glioblastoma DNA aptamers for targeted toxin delivery using orthotopic patient-derived xenograft models
1110: Mr Minh-Dat Nguyen
Graduate Research Student, Département de chimie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
SELEX to Sensors: A Step-by-Step Guide for Translating Aptamer
Chemistry, synthesis and modifications-III
1130: Dr Enrico Cadoni
Postdoctoral Scientist, Organic and Biomimetic Chemistry Research Group, Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S4, 9000 Gent, Belgium
Tetraplexed Nucleic Acids Structures as Templating platform for proximity-enhanced photochemical reactions
1150: Dr Mawethu P Bilibana
Department of Chemistry, School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Mmabatho, South Africa
Rational Design of DNA Oligo-Nanomaterial Conjugation for Enhanced Target Binding: Insights from DFT and EIS for MC-LR specific binding
1210: Mr Henri Barry
Graduate Research Student, ARNA, INSERM, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
Impact of the chemical modifications of antisense oligonucleotides on their interaction with the target
1230: Miss Disha Kashyap
Graduate Research Student, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK
Going nuclear: Improved antisense oligonucleotide activity through conjugation with a nuclear importer
1250: Discussion and close
