Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s 17th Annual
Optimisation & Developability
Enhancing Biologics Properties for Clinical Success
17 November 2026
The Optimisation & Developability conference focuses on building robust, patient-ready biologics by integrating high-throughput biophysics, AI-guided design, and smart risk assessment from hit to BLA. Sessions will explore candidate prioritisation, optimisation of potency and mechanism of action, and de-risking next-generation modalities such as multispecifics and ADCs. Case studies will illustrate how to balance stability, manufacturability, and safety while constructing an end-to-end developability roadmap that supports faster, more confident decision-making.
Coverage will include, but is not limited to:
DEVELOPABILITY FOR NEXT-GENERATION MODALITIES: MULTISPECIFICS, ADCs & BEYOND
- Balancing potency vs stability vs developability
- Sequence-level strategies to reduce aggregation, self-association and high viscosity
- Identifying and fixing chemical liabilities (deamidation, oxidation, isomerisation hotspots)
- Improving solubility and high concentration behavior for subcutaneous delivery
- Developability considerations and structure-based models for ADCs and multispecific formats
- Building an integrated developability to CMC roadmap for antibodies, multispecifics and conjugates, from hit-to-lead through BLA
HIGH-THROUGHPUT SCREENING, AI-GUIDED CANDIDATE PRIORITISATION AND EARLY FORMULATION ASSESSMENT
- Automated biophysical screening platforms: DLS, DSF, SEC-MALS, and SPR
- High throughput MS for early PTM and chemical liability surveillance: native MS, HDX-MS and intact mass
- AI-guided sequence and scaffold optimisation for stability, specificity, reduce polyreactivity and improved developability profiles
- Bayesian optimisation for candidate prioritisation
- Integrating physics-based methods and deep-learning approaches
- Early-stage formulation assessment with predictive stability analysis
OPTIMISING FOR FUNCTION: POTENCY, SPECIFICITY, AND MOA
- Affinity maturation strategies
- Improving specificity and reducing off-target binding without losing potency
- Tuning agonism versus antagonism
OPTIMISING SAFETY AND MINIMISING IMMUNOGENICITY RISK
- Minimising nonspecific binding and polyreactivity
- Fc-related safety liabilities (off-target effector functions, off-tumor binding) and mitigation
- Linking in vitro immunogenicity and off-target data to clinical risk assessment
The deadline for priority consideration is 9 April 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: