Explore the Agenda

7:30 am Check-In, Coffee & Light Breakfast

8:20 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

Evaluating Emerging DDR Targets to Overcome Translational Barriers & Drive Smarter Development Decisions

8:30 am Panel: Examining Why Promising DDR Targets Fail to Strengthen Future Development Strategies

Vice President - Clinical Development, Merck KGaA
Professor - Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic
Principal Scientist, Roche
Director of the Center for DNA Damage and Repair, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Senior Director & Portfolio Section Head, Quantitative Pharmacology, EMD Serono

• Highlighting the key reasons DDR programs stall, including weak mechanistic rationale, limited biomarker support, and poor patient stratification

• Presenting real-world case studies from biotech and academia on programs that failed to translate, and the lessons learned

• Exploring how early decisions around target selection, dosing, and trial design impact clinical success

• Identifying practical strategies to improve target validation, including functional assays, predictive biomarkers, and more robust preclinical models

9:15 am Exploring “Hot” PARP Inhibitors to Overcome Resistance and Improve Patient Response

Professor and Vice-Chair for Research of Radiology; SAB Co-Chair, Trevar, University of Pennsylvania

• Uncovering the rationale for “hot” PARP inhibitors to address resistance seen with conventional agents

• Examining resistance mechanisms and the role of biomarkers like PET imaging in guiding treatment

• Outlining combination strategies to boost efficacy while managing toxicity challenges

9:45 am Expanding Beyond PARP to Unlock Novel Hydrolase Pathways for DDR Drug Discovery

EP Abraham Professor of Chemical Pathology, University of Oxford

• Illustrating the complexity of PARP-dependent pathways and highlighting underexplored hydrolases, regulators, and effectors with therapeutic potential

• Showcasing emerging early-stage discovery programs targeting alternative hydrolases as biomarkers and drug targets

• Encouraging broader exploration of DDR biology to avoid “PARP tunnel vision” and inspire innovation in next-generation DDR therapies

10:15 am Speed Networking

A prime opportunity to engage in person with fellow experts and forge valuable connections as new companies enter and established players expand their presence within the DDR inhibitor space. Designed to maximize your interaction with thought leaders, share insights, and spark discussions at this uniquely focused summit tailored for scientists and drug development professionals.

10:45 am Morning Break & Networking

Targeting Foundational DDR Mechanisms to Improve Specificity, Overcome Resistance & Enable Durable Clinical Responses

11:00 am Targeting Polθ’s Dual Domains to Guide Candidate Selection & Strategic Partnering

Project Leader, Evotec

• See how Breakpoint Therapeutics is guiding candidate selection by comparing helicase vs. polymerase inhibition to inform domain targeting

• Presenting Breakpoint’s candidate molecule and second-generation compound with updated preclinical efficacy and safety data

• Contextualizing Breakpoint’s program within the broader Polθ landscape to highlight differentiation and partnering potential

11:30 am Targeting Ku-DNA Binding to Improve Specificity, Reduce Toxicity & Advance Next-Generation DDR Therapeutics

Chief Operating Officer & Vice President - Research, Nerx BioSciences Inc.

• Introducing Ku as the first responder to DNA double-strand breaks and a novel DDR target distinct from kinase inhibitors

• See how Nerx BioSciences are disrupting Ku-DNA interactions to block DNA-PK activity with greater specificity and reduced toxicity

• Demonstrating how this upstream approach could deliver safer and more effective DDR therapies compared to traditional kinase inhibition

12:00 pm Expanding the DDR Target Landscape: Therapeutic Potential of BRCA1-Mediated Pathways

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Beat Therapeutics

• See how Beat Therapeutics is targeting BRCA1-mediated pathways with a first-in-class small molecule

• Highlighting BRCA1-BARD1 disruption, which impacts downstream repair pathways and presents synergistic potential with standard-of-care therapies

• Investigating the therapeutic potential of BRCA1 inhibition to restore sensitivity in resistant cancers

12:30 pm Networking Lunch

Advancing Next-Gen Modalities & Radiosensitization Strategies to Overcome Resistance & Achieve Durable Tumor Control

1:45 pm Validating DNA-PK Inhibition as a Radiosensitizer to Overcome Past Challenges & Advance into the Clinic

Chief Executive Officer, Wayshine Biopharm

• Reviewing lessons learned from past DNA-PK inhibitor programs and how improved potency, PK, and selectivity address prior limitations

• See how Wayshine Pharma is advancing WN-C001 to enhance radiotherapy efficacy with a favorable safety profile

• Highlighting translational insights and the development path toward clinical validation of DNA-PK inhibition as a radio-sensitization strategy

2:15 pm Disrupting DDR Signaling by Targeting Leptin-Dependent NRP-1/ OBR with NOV2 to Overcome Resistance & Induce Chromosomal Instability

Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Theranovir

• See how Theranovir are developed NOV2, a monoclonal antibody targeting the Leptin-dependent NRP-1/OBR complex involved in DDR signaling and nuclear translocation

• Sharing preclinical data demonstrating NOV2’s ability to induce chromosomal instability, including centromere disruption and telomere shortening

• Exploring NOV2’s potential to overcome resistance and relapse, and its future use in combination with PARP inhibitors

2:45 pm Harnessing Dual-Payload ADC Design to Enhance Efficacy, Minimize Toxicity, & Overcome Resistance

CEO & Co-Founder, CrossBridge Bio

• See how CrossBridge Bio is designing dual-payload ADCs to address key clinical questions on efficacy, durability, and safety

• Presenting preclinical evidence that demonstrates how proprietary dual-payload ADCs act synergistically to delay or prevent resistance in tumor models, including activity in resistant settings

• Revealing non-human primate data highlighting an improved therapeutic index and lack of overlapping toxicities compared to single-payload ADCs

3:15 pm Afternoon Break & Scientific Poster Session

This is an informal session to connect with your peers in a relaxed atmosphere to continue forging new and beneficial relationships. With an audience of preclinical, translational, and clinical scientists eager to hear the latest advancements in DDRi therapeutic development, you will have the opportunity to display a poster presenting your own work and innovations.

Investigating DDR Combination Strategies in Preclinical Models to Advance Mechanism-Driven Therapeutic Innovation

3:45 pm Integrating Oncolytic Viruses with DDR Inhibitors to Drive Progress in Glioblastoma Therapy

Professor of Neurosciences, Harvard Medical School

• Highlighting oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) combinations with DDR inhibitors that synergize in treating glioblastoma

• Using patient-derived human and mouse glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs) as representative preclinical models to assess therapy

• Targeting cancer stem cells with DNA-PK inhibitors and oHSV

4:15 pm Combining Brain-Penetrant CHK1 & PRMT5 Inhibitors to Enhance Efficacy & Optimize Pharmacodynamics in Preclinical Models

Associate Director, PharmaEngine, Inc

• See the rationale behind PharmaEngine’s combination of CHK1 and PRMT5 inhibitors with preclinical examples

• Understanding alternation of pharmacodynamic markers of CHK1 and PRMT5 post corresponding inhibitor treatments

• Discovering combinations of CHK1 or PRMT5 inhibitors to standard of cares (SoCs) in corresponding indications

4:45 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks

5:00 pm End of Conference Day One