Agenda

Friday, October 23, 2026

8:15 am - 9:00 am

Registration and Breakfast

9:00 am - 9:10 am

Welcome Remarks

Chris Wilhelmsen | Senior Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry, Alkermes

Brian Aquila | Vice President, Head of Research, Alkermes

Dr. Danny Thach | Academic Chair Morning Session, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

9:10 am - 10:30 am

Graduate Student/Postdoc Talks (4 x 20 min)

A Coiled-Coil Peptide Zipper to Create Antibody–Drug Conjugates

Dr. Alina Ringaci | Grinstaff Group, Boston University

C-Polysaccharides via Stereoselective Radical Ring-Opening Polymerization of Minimally Protected Monosaccharides

Dr. Ming Zhang | Niu Group, Boston College

Studies Towards the Oligosaccharide of Pyridapeptide E

Maxwell Sykes | Bennett Group, Tufts University

Iron-catalyzed highly stereoselective glycosylation methods in rapid synthesis of heparan sulfate oligosaccharides and Fondaparinux

Zixiang Jiang | Xu Group, Brandeis University

10:30 am - 11:15 am

Coffee Break and Poster Session #1

11:15 am - 12:15 pm

Academic Keynote

TBD

12:15 pm - 1:30 pm

Networking Lunch

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

Graduate Student/Postdoc Talks (3 x 20 min)

Site-Selective Insertion of Amino Acids into Amide Bonds Enabled by N-Nitrosation

Alexander Mueller | Elkin Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Optimization of pyrazolopyridine derivatives as inhibitors of Trypanosoma brucei

Vinou Val | Ferrins Group, Northeastern University

Charting a Sequence–Function Atlas of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 at Amino Acid Resolution

Julia Morriss | Liau Group, Harvard University

2:30 pm - 3:15 pm

Coffee Break and Poster Session #2

3:15 pm - 3:55 pm

Graduate Student/Postdoc Talks (2 x 20 min)

TBD

3:55 pm - 4:55 pm

Industrial Keynote

Discovery of Alixorexton: An Orexin 2 Receptor Agonist in Development for Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence

Dr. Ingo Mügge | Alkermes Fellow, Head of Modeling and Informatics, Alkermes

4:55 pm - 5:00 pm

Closing Remarks

5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Networking Reception