This one-day hybrid workshop will introduce participants to the most relevant AI applications across the drug development lifecycle.
Details
- Type Event
- Date
- Time -
- Location University of California Washington Center Hybrid: in-person & virtual attendance
About
Workshop Introduction
Drug development is changing rapidly with the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI). Across the R&D lifecycle, AI is beginning to reshape how organizations identify biological targets, design and optimize molecules, automate laboratory workflows, select patients, model dose and exposure, design and monitor clinical trials, prepare regulatory submissions, and generate post-market evidence. At the same time, AI introduces new expectations for validation, governance, workforce readiness, change management, and responsible implementation.
This one-day hybrid ACDRS workshop will introduce participants to the most relevant AI applications across the drug development lifecycle, with emphasis on practical use cases, scientific and regulatory considerations, and the organizational capabilities required to move from experimentation to scaled impact.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the workshop, attendees should be able to:
- Describe high-value AI applications across discovery, preclinical, translational, clinical, regulatory, and commercial phases.
- Distinguish near-term operational AI use cases from longer-horizon frontier AI opportunities.
Identify key scientific, regulatory, quality, and governance considerations for AI-enabled drug development - Understand how AI may reshape clinical trial design, monitoring, regulatory interactions, evidence generation, and post-market lifecycle strategy.
Program
Workshop will take place in Washington DC and times below are eastern.
| Stage | Topic | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome and Framing for the Day from the Workshop Chair | Charlie T. Gombar, PhD, ACDRS Director; and Brandon W. Higgs, PhD, Chief Data Officer, Diagnostics, Danaher Corporation | |
| Discov. to Transl. | AI Across Drug Development: From Models to Decision-Grade Evidence | Corina J. Shtir, PhD, CTO, Dexwell Inc. |
| Preclinical / Molecular Design | Closing the Design-Build-Test-Learn Loop: AI and Automation Across Pharma and Life Science R&D | Christopher J. Langmead, PhD, Vice President of AI-Driven Molecular Design, Danaher |
| Networking Break | ||
| Transl. | Multimodal AI Imaging Biomarkers: Interpretable Precision Oncology from Clinic to Trial | Nate Braman, PhD, Vice President, AI Research & Development / Co-founder, Picture Health |
| Clin. Pharm. / Early Dev. | AI in Clinical Pharmacology, PK/PD, ADME, and Dose Optimization | Husain Attarwala, PhD, VP Clinical Pharmacology & DMPK, Aera Therapeutics |
| Lunch | ||
| Clinical Dev. | Beyond Designing Molecules: Can AI Learn Enough Biology to Transform Drug Development? | Andreas Huhmer, PhD, Senior Director Scientific Affairs and Alliance Management, Nautilus Biotechnology |
| Regulatory | AI Use for Regulatory Review – A Clinical Reviewer’s Perspective | Glen Huang, MD, Assoc Director of Oncology Innovation, Oncology Center of Excellence, US Food and Drug Administration |
| Networking Break | ||
| Commercial / Lifecycle | The Model Was Never the Moat - AI, Data, and Value Creation in Drug Development: What the Deals Returned, and How to Structure the Next | Matthew Klusas, Managing Director, West Oxford Advisors |
| Govt Affairs / Public Policy | Whose Data Trains the Model? Why Policy, Not Algorithms, Is Redrawing AI in Global Drug Development | Diana Pankevich, PhD, Global Innovation Policy Lead, Pfizer |
| Enterprise Transformation | AI and Digital Transformation in Drug Development: Workforce, Change Management, and Scaled Adoption | John Conway, Founder & Chief Visioneer Officer, 20/15 Visioneers |
| Closing Synthesis and Next Steps | Brandon Higgs |
Registration
- Each year, in addition to its course, ACDRS also presents a workshop that is open to all interested parties.
- The registration fees for this course are shown below.
- The option to attend in-person or virtually via Zoom must be selected at time of registration.
- All registration fees are non-refundable. Registrations may be transferred to another individual if you are unable to attend.
- Program details and schedule are subject to change.
- Enrollment is limited.
- Deadline to register: Tuesday, October 13, 2026 11:59 pm PT
| Registration Category | Registration Fee |
|---|---|
| General Admission | $400.00 |
| Discounted fee for ACDRS alumni (industry) | $250.00 |
| Discounted fee for Govt/Academic/Nonprofit* | $50.00 |
* To be eligible for the limited Government/Academic rate, you must be currently affiliated with a university or government institution and sign up using an email address ending in .edu/.gov/.mil. For nonprofit, please contact [email protected].
For additional details, contact [email protected] .