Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s 2nd Annual
Peptide Therapeutics: Emerging Modalities & Development
January 20-21, 2027
Peptide therapeutics are rapidly evolving beyond traditional modalities as advances in engineering, recombinant expression, computational design, and delivery technologies enable the development of entirely new classes of therapeutic peptides. Cambridge Healthtech Institute's 2nd Annual Peptide Therapeutics: Emerging Modalities & Development conference brings together scientists focused on the development of emerging peptide modalities, including extracellular targeting peptides, intracellular delivery systems, miniproteins, GLP-1-derived scaffolds, half-life extended peptides, and multifunctional engineered peptide constructs. The program emphasizes technologies enabling therapeutic advancement, including AI-guided design, display and screening platforms, expression optimization, structural characterization, stability engineering, formulation, and manufacturability strategies that support the progression of next-generation peptide therapeutics toward clinical development.
Coverage will include, but is not limited to:
LEAD IDENTIFICATION AND SELECTION
- AI/ML-based design and prediction (binding affinity, structural stability, protease resistance)
- Natural product-inspired peptide mining (plants, venom, microbiome)
- RNA sequencing and ribosome profiling to discover novel microproteins
- Screening platforms: phage/yeast/mRNA display, DELs, high-throughput binding assays
PROTEIN ENGINEERING AND OPTIMIZATION
- Scaffold selection and optimization (knottins, DARPins, avimers, helix–loop–helix miniproteins)
- Directed evolution
- Helical stabilization, cyclization, or stapling to improve drug-like properties
- Sequence trimming to reduce size while maintaining activity
BIOLOGICAL EXPRESSION SYSTEMS
- Recombinant production (E. coli, yeast, or mammalian systems)
- Secreted vs. intracellular expression
- Challenges in yield, solubility, and correct folding
- Codon optimization, fusion partners, and expression vectors
CHARACTERIZATION AND EARLY PREFORMULATION
- Stability testing (thermal, proteolytic, oxidative)
- Aggregation and solubility assessment
- Early formulation screening for pH, buffer, and excipients
- Biophysical methods: CD, DSC, DLS, NMR, LC-MS
- Computational formulation prediction tools
DEVELOPABILITY AND DRUGABILITY ASSESSMENTS
- In silico screening of ADME/tox properties
- Immunogenicity risk prediction
- Predicting manufacturability: aggregation propensity, hydrophobicity, PTMs
- Early PK/PD modeling for candidate prioritization
CASE STUDIES AND EMERGING MODALITIES
- Miniproteins as cytokine mimics or antagonists
- Cell-penetrating peptides and BBB-crossing miniproteins
- Targeted delivery using peptide conjugates
The deadline for priority consideration is June 26, 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: