The new science of de novo protein design combines biology, chemistry, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced modeling to discover tailor-made proteins for therapeutic use.
What opportunities does this new way of designing proteins hold? And how can AI and machine learning drive innovation in protein design for biomedical purposes?
These are some of the questions Pharmadanmark explores together with leading specialists at this autumn’s Life Science Talks: Protein Design – from digital input to clinical practice.
The event takes place on 20 November from 16:00-19:30 at Scandic Copenhagen.
Participation is free – for both Pharmadanmark members and other interested guests. We provide food, snacks, and drinks. The event will be held in English.
Programme
- 16:00 Registration, networking & snacks
- 16:30 Welcome & introduction by Pharmadanmark
- 16:50 Keynote: Prof. Dek Woolfson
Designing Proteins for the Future: Vision & ambitions for the Center of Protein Design in Copenhagen - 17:20 Assoc. Prof. Timothy Jenkins
AI-Driven Protein Engineering and Design of Next-Generation Protein Therapies - 18:00 Break & networking with food
- 18:30 VP Ida Hilden & Scientific Director Jacob Lund
From Candidate to Therapy: Bringing Designed Proteins to Patients - 19:10 Panel discussion incl. Q&A via Mentimeter
Bridging academia & industry - 19:30 Thank yoú for a great event - see you next time
On stage
The day’s program will be moderated by Jan Ardenkjær-Larsen, Professor of Medical Imaging at DTU. With a background from Nycomed (now Takeda), Amersham, and GE Healthcare – and a degree in electrical engineering with a PhD in magnetic resonance – Jan will guide us safely through the professional presentations and perspectives.
Joining him is Kristian Strømgaard, Professor at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen and Founding Director of the Center of Biopharmaceuticals. He is co-founder of Avilex Pharma, trained as a pharmacist, and holds a PhD in medicinal chemistry. Kristian will ensure that the latest trends in biopharma are brought into play – weaving together insights from research, development, and practice.
Professor Dek Woolfson is a pioneer in de novo protein design and synthetic biology. He was recently appointed Professor at the University of Copenhagen, where he serves as the founding Director of the Center for Protein Design (CPD), while maintaining his professorship at the University of Bristol. He is a world-leading scientist in developing and applying computational tools to build proteins from scratch. As Director of the Center of Protein Design he is leading global efforts to utilize designed proteins for diagnostic and therapeutic innovation and sustainable biomaterials.
His contributions have earned him major honors including the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award and election as a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Associate Professor Timothy P. Jenkins is a leading scientist who is at the forefront of AI-driven protein design and discovery. He has demonstrated how deep learning and generative models can create de novo proteins with powerful functions.
As head of the Digital Biotechnology Lab at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and co-founder of AffinityAI, he is building closed-loop AI–laboratory pipelines to transform protein design into therapies, diagnostics, and biotechnological tools shaping the future of AI-driven protein engineering with broad impact.
Ida Hilden, PhD, is Corporate Project Vice President at Novo Nordisk leading a Project Portfolio team in Research & Development that translate protein design into patient therapies. Prior to her CPVP role she was heading Rare Disease Research focusing on unmet medical needs in rare blood and rare endocrine diseases using company biotechnology expertise.
Together with a group of coworkers at Novo Nordisk she has pioneered and led the discovery and development of a bispecific antibody for treatment of patients with hemophilia published in Blood. She is recognized for guiding cross-functional teams from research concept to clinical proof-of-concept.
Jacob Lund is Scientific Director at Novo Nordisk. He holds a PhD in biochemistry and has been instrumental in the design and optimization of novel protein therapeutics, including the bispecific antibody Mim8, now in late-stage clinical development. He has co-authored key studies in Blood and Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, demonstrating the potential of Mim8 and other engineered proteins.
At Novo Nordisk, he works closely with Ida Hilden, leading projects that bridge early discovery with late-stage development.
Sounds interesting?
The next Life Science Talks focuses on protein design. The conference takes place on 20 November, 16:00-19:30 at Scandic Copenhagen.
You can join us on-site or online.