Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s 20th Annual
Targeting Protein-Protein Interactions
Medicinal Chemistry Progress against Difficult-to-Drug Targets
April 21-22, 2027
CHI’s Targeting Protein-Protein Interactions conference highlights small molecule compounds making therapeutic progress against protein-protein or protein-nucleic acid complexes. Such protein-protein interactions (PPIs) when mutated or improperly regulated, contribute to many conditions in cancer, autoimmunity, and neurodegeneration—and have traditionally been difficult to target with small molecule agents. While the meeting's focus will be on promising small molecules targeting intracellular PPIs, where the cell-permeability "superpower" of small molecules lies, difficult-to-drug membrane protein targets will also be covered. The PPI conference also highlights applications and case studies of biophysical methods, fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD), and other medicinal chemistry tools driving progress against PPIs. The companion Small Molecule Discovery Technologies conference in the first half of Drug Discovery Chemistry covers similar tools but with more focus on the methodological innovations enabling PPI tractability.
Coverage will likely include:
- Origin stories of small molecules targeting PPI contributors to neurodegeneration, autoimmunity, inflammation, and cancer, that are in or close to clinical development
- Case studies of promising PPI-targeted small molecule compounds from FBDD campaigns
- Stabilizers or Glues (non-degrading) of disease-relevant PPIs
- Targeting transcriptions factors, complexes or protein-DNA interactions with small molecules
- Structure-based drug design (SBD) and rational drug design case studies for difficult membrane protein targets (GPCRs, Ion Channels)
- CryoEM applications to complex membrane protein-targeted drug discovery
The deadline for priority consideration is October 5, 2026.
All proposals are subject to review by session chairpersons and/or the Scientific Advisory Committee to ensure the overall quality of the conference program. Additionally, as per Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s policy, a select number of vendors and consultants who provide products and services will be offered opportunities for podium presentation slots based on a variety of Corporate Sponsorships.
Opportunities for Participation:
- To submit a podium presentation, please click here.
- To become a sponsor, click here.
- To present a poster, click here.