Ilaria Ferlenghi
Associate Director of Research & Senior Scientific Leader GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines
As a Senior R&D leader, I have successfully navigated the dynamic landscape of Vaccine Research and Development. My track record demonstrates strategic planning, execution, and the introduction of innovative approaches and novel concepts to support business goals. My expertise lies at the intersection of Structural Biology and AI/ML, where I’ve driven breakthroughs that advance vaccine discovery and development. Excellent organizational, coordination and interpersonal skills. Proactive self-starter.
Seminars
As structural biology capabilities expand, drug discovery teams face a more complex challenge: not just generating structures, but deciding which structural and biophysical methods to deploy, when, and for what decision impact.
This interactive workshop moves beyond technique comparison to explore how X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, cryo-ET, NMR, HDX-MS, native MS, SPR, ITC, and computational modelling integrate into coherent, decision-driving workflows.
Participants will examine how teams balance resolution, cost, speed, and interpretability
while ensuring structural outputs meaningfully inform molecule design, modality selection, and candidate advancement.
Workshop Highlights:
- Explore real-world case studies to learn how other teams integrate structural, biophysical, and computational data streams to manage conformational heterogeneity, validate binding hypotheses, and ensure experimental outputs are fit-for-purpose within discovery programs
- Exploring how X-ray, cryo-EM, NMR, HDX-MS, native MS, SPR/ITC and modelling outputs can be combined into a cohesive workflow that strengthens confidence in binding mode, mechanism, and optimization strategy
- Understanding the value proposition of different discovery teams and how they can best support each other to drive efficiency in discovery workflows
- Sharing a case-study on the development of an AI/ML tool that pairs structural similarity and functional features to identify novel vaccine targets
- Understanding how structure-based epitope mapping is revolutionizing the design of antibodies by identifying key binding sites on complex antigens, leading to higher affinity and specificity in vaccine development
- Exploring how high-resolution structural data can be applied to design vaccines with enhanced stability, reduced immunogenicity, and improved pharmacokinetic properties
