Key Themes:

• Linking Cellular Signaling Pathways and Systems Biology
• Critical Review of Cellular Assays and Technologies. What is Working?
• Allosteric Modulation of GPCRs and Other Targets
• Stem Cell Models for Drug Screening and Target Validation
• Cell-Based Disease Models for Drug Discovery
• High Content Cellular Imaging, Analysis and Screening

Event Overview:
IBC's ACT - Assays and Cellular Targets conference has been completely updated in 2009 to provide the most current information on emerging technologies and strategies to understand and analyze disease biology and the effects of drugs on targets at the cellular level. Functional selectivity of assays and physiologically relevant cell culture environments are becoming much more critical in the quest to link targets to compounds to disease biology in a way that impacts preclinical-clinical decision-making. Which cellular assays, models and technologies are having an impact in moving compounds to the clinic? Which screening paradigms address the complexity of cellular signaling pathways and take a holistic, systems approach to drug discovery? This unique conference will offer an in-depth discussion of which approaches are working today and which are not through case studies presented by published scientists and industry thought leaders who are actually using these tools. On the cutting-edge of current science, this conference will also highlight the latest approaches for allosteric modulation of GPCRs and other targets along with a comprehensive update on how stem cells are being applied for drug screen and target validation. Why have high content approaches not yet delivered? As an answer to this question, the event will also provide the latest updates on novel assays and instrumentation to address the data analysis challenges and other bottlenecks of this emerging approach.

Conference Advisory Board
(as of May 21, 2009)

• Marcie Glicksman, Ph.D., Senior Director Leads Discovery, Laboratory for Drug Discovery, Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center, Partners Center for Drug Discovery, Brigham and Women's Hospital
• Lisa Minor, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical R&D
• Wei Zheng, Ph.D., Group Leader, NIH Chemical Genomics Center