Provisional Agenda
(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
Day 1: Wednesday 25 March 2026
0930: Registration and welcome coffee
1025: Welcome and housekeeping
1030: Professor Tom Brown (Keynote)
Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Recent developments in therapeutic oligonucleotides and mRNA
1100: Lifetime Achievement Award presentation
Session 1: Professor Marcus Wilhelmsson
1130: Professor Andrew Kellett
Professor of Inorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
Expanding the DNA damaging potential of artificial metallo-nucleases with click chemistry
1200: Professor Dr Günter Mayer
Professor of Chemistry, University of Bonn, Life & Medical Sciences Institute (LIMES), Chemical Biology, Bonn, Germany
Click SELEX is a versatile method for identifying nucleobase-modified aptamers that bind to a range of targets both in vitro and in vivo
1230: Dr Brionna McGorman
Senior Research Scientist, School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland
Click Chemistry-based Metalled Triplex-Forming Oligonucleotides
1250: Lunch and networking
Session 2: Professor Andrew Kellett
1350: Professor Marcus Wilhelmsson
Professor and Head of Division, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
Studying RNA biology and therapeutics using fluorescent base analogues
1420: Professor Afaf El-Sagheer
Assistant Professor of Nucleic Acid Chemistry, Chemistry Department, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Combined Neutral Backbones and Dendrons for Therapeutic Oligonucleotides Delivery
Session 3: Professor Dr Günter Mayer
1450: Professor Philip Johnson
Professor of Chemistry, Dept Chemistry, York University, Keele St, Toronto, ON, Canada
Distinguishing Specific from Non-Specific Binding of Small Molecules by DNA Aptamers Using Biophysical Methods
1520: Refreshments, networking and exhibition
1550: Dr Olivier de Jong
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Science, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Netherlands
Aptamer-Based Loading and Release Strategies for Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated CRISPR-Cas9 Delivery
1620: Ms Micaela Sequeira
Graduate Research Student, School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
DNA Aptamer-Based Biosensors for Salivary Detection of Heart Failure Biomarkers
1640: Miss Caroline Doherty
MD-PhD Graduate Research Student, Mayo Clinic, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Rochester, MN, USA
In vivo selection of anti-glioblastoma DNA aptamers for targeted intracellular toxin delivery using orthotopic patient-derived xenograft models
1700: Dr Sylvain Ladame (V)
Reader in Biosensor Development & Senior Tutor for Research, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
TBA
1730: Close
1900: Networking dinner (further information to be sent by email)
Day 2: Thursday 26 March 2026
Session 4: Professor Philip Johnson
0930: Dr Jennifer Frommer
Group Leader, Paediatrics Department, Old Road Campus, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
Exploring Architecture in Antisense Oligonucleotide Design
1000: Dr Edward Curtis
Group Leader, IOCB Prague, Department of Biology, Prague, Czechia
Exploring the sequence space of a fluorescent deoxyribozyme using structured libraries, selection and machine learning
1030: Dr Harold Fellermann
Senior Computational Scientist, Nanovery Ltd, The Biopshere, Draymans Way, Newcastle Helix, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Accurate quantification of antisense oligonucleotides and small interfering RNA with a simple, ready-to-use, two-step protocol
1100: Refreshments, networking and exhibition
Session 5: Dr Olivier de Jong
1130: Dr Antonio Garcia-Guerra
Postdoctoral Scientist, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Programmable miRNA-sensing guide RNAs for tissue-specific CRISPR activity in vivo
1150: Miss Yunyue Wang
Graduate Research Student, University of Cambridge, MRC Toxicology Unit, Tennis Ct Rd, Cambridge, UK
Determination of off-targeting by anti-sense oligonucleotide by an unbiased high-throughput assay
1210: Mr Barney Hill
Graduate Research Student, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Accurately modelling RNase H-mediated antisense oligonucleotide efficacy and toxicity
1230: Discussion and close
