David Brown
Senior Director Structural Biology and Biophysics Vertex Pharmaceuticals
A founding speaker at the Structure-Based Drug Design Summit, David has been shaping the field of rational drug design across every iteration of the event. Currently Senior Director at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Professor at the University of Kent, he leads structural biology and biophysics initiatives to guide drug discovery programs. With a career spanning Pfizer, Servier, and advisory roles for large-scale synchrotron facilities, David has applied NMR, X-ray crystallography, mass spectrometry, and computational modeling to advance therapeutics across multiple disease areas, including antivirals, cardiovascular, and tissue repair.
Seminars
- Explore why complex, dynamic, and previously inaccessible targets have challenged traditional drug discovery approaches
- Discover how advances in structural biology, biophysics, computational chemistry, and AI are expanding the druggable proteome
- Understand how molecular glues, degraders, and other emerging modalities reshaping discovery portfolios are and required capabilities
- Identify which technologies are driving value today versus those likely to transform discovery over the next decade
- Learn how leading organisations are combining experimental and computational approaches to pursue challenging targets with greater confidence
Close out Day One with an open, peer-led discussion exploring the breakthroughs, bottlenecks, and opportunities shaping the future of rational drug design. Exchange perspectives with fellow experts, challenge assumptions, and uncover actionable ideas that can help accelerate smarter, faster, and more confident drug discovery.
- Debate the relative impact of AI, structural biology, biophysics, medicinal chemistry, and computational modelling on accelerating discovery success
- Share lessons learned from integrating experimental and computational approaches to improve confidence in drug design decisions
- Identify the biggest barriers preventing organizations from fully realising the value of next-generation drug discovery technologies
- Discuss which capabilities, platforms, and skillsets teams should prioritise to stay competitive over the next five years
