CNS Therapeutics Xchange - San Francisco - 2026

Target Discovery

Linking dose to disease relevant biomarkers to clinical benefit

09:05 – 10:05
- Target Discovery
Anindya Bhattacharya, Vice President, Head of Neuroscience - Switch Therapeutics
Target Discovery

Bridging omics discoveries with functional target validation in the brain

11:20 – 12:20
- Target Discovery
Target Discovery

Poster Presentation: Addressing disease heterogeneity in neurodegenerative and psychiatric target discovery

15:05 – 15:35
- Target Discovery
Target Discovery

Validation strategies for novel CNS targets: From molecular mechanism to therapeutic candidate

15:45 – 16:45
- Target Discovery
Xinmin Simon Xie, Founder & CEO - AfaSci Research Laboratories
Registration

08:00 – 08:30
- Target Discovery
- Biomarkers
- Blood Brain Barrier
- Preclinical Models
- Clinical Development
Opening Address & Keynote Presentation:

08:30 – 09:00
- Target Discovery
- Biomarkers
- Blood Brain Barrier
- Preclinical Models
- Clinical Development
1-2-1 Meetings / Networking Break

10:40 – 11:10
- Target Discovery
- Biomarkers
- Blood Brain Barrier
- Preclinical Models
- Clinical Development
1-2-1 Meetings / Networking Break

10:10 – 10:40
- Target Discovery
- Biomarkers
- Blood Brain Barrier
- Preclinical Models
- Clinical Development
Morning Refreshments

11:10 – 11:20
- Target Discovery
- Biomarkers
- Blood Brain Barrier
- Preclinical Models
- Clinical Development
Networking Lunch

12:20 – 13:20
- Target Discovery
- Biomarkers
- Blood Brain Barrier
- Preclinical Models
- Clinical Development
Spotlight Presentation:

13:25 – 13:55
- Target Discovery
- Biomarkers
- Blood Brain Barrier
- Preclinical Models
- Clinical Development
1-2-1 Meetings / Networking Break

14:30 – 15:00
- Target Discovery
- Biomarkers
- Blood Brain Barrier
- Preclinical Models
- Clinical Development
1-2-1 Meetings / Networking Break

14:00 – 14:30
- Target Discovery
- Biomarkers
- Blood Brain Barrier
- Preclinical Models
- Clinical Development
Evening Drinks Reception

16:45 – 17:45
- Target Discovery
- Biomarkers
- Blood Brain Barrier
- Preclinical Models
- Clinical Development
Afternoon Refreshments

15:35 – 15:45
- Target Discovery
- Biomarkers
- Blood Brain Barrier
- Preclinical Models
- Clinical Development
Biomarkers

Disease heterogeneity as a barrier to reliable biomarker development in CNS therapeutics

09:05 – 10:05
- Biomarkers
Ruchi Gupta, Head of Biomarker Development & Operations - Alector
Biomarkers

Ensuring reproducibility in CNS biomarkers: Overcoming the standardization and validation gap

11:20 – 12:20
- Biomarkers
Biomarkers

Detecting the undetectable: Tackling low abundance and sensitivity challenges in CNS biomarker measurement

15:45 – 16:45
- Biomarkers
Archana Belle, Vice President, Translational Research, Genetic Medicine - Encoded Therapetuics
Blood Brain Barrier

The emerging receptor and transporter target landscape for drug delivery across the BBB — lessons learned and translational status

09:05 – 10:05
- Blood Brain Barrier
Robert Thorne, Denali Fellow - Denali Therapeutics
Blood Brain Barrier

Optimizing CNS penetration while minimizing systemic toxicity

11:20 – 12:20
- Blood Brain Barrier
Blood Brain Barrier

Poster Presentation: Evaluating the translational impact of nanotechnology and advanced carriers

15:05 – 15:35
- Blood Brain Barrier
Blood Brain Barrier

Targeting delivery of gene therapies for CNS indications

15:45 – 16:45
- Blood Brain Barrier
Dana Foss, CEO & Co-founder - Editpep
Preclinical Models

Why over-reliance on rare genetic mutation models is misleading sporadic CNS drug discovery

09:05 – 10:05
- Preclinical Models
Tony Huang, President & Chief Executive Officer - NeuCyte
Preclinical Models

Capturing human neural circuitry complexity in disease modeling

11:20 – 12:20
- Preclinical Models
Preclinical Models

Poster Presentation: Tackling species differences to improve neurobiological model accuracy

15:05 – 15:35
- Preclinical Models
Preclinical Models

Overcoming the translational gap between preclinical CNS models and human outcomes

15:45 – 16:45
- Preclinical Models
Susanna Rosi, VP of Discovery Science & Founding Principal Investigator, - Altos Labs
Clinical Development

Poster Presentation: Tackling species differences to improve neurobiological model accuracy

15:05 – 15:35
- Clinical Development
Clinical Development

Why CNS clinical trials fail: Addressing the high attrition rates in neurological drug development

09:05 – 10:05
- Clinical Development
Mario Saltarelli, Chief Executive Officer - GABA Therapeutics
Clinical Development

Defining meaningful clinical endpoints for CNS disorders: Beyond traditional rating scales

11:20 – 12:20
- Clinical Development
Clinical Development

Managing the placebo effect: A persistent challenge in CNS clinical trial design

15:45 – 16:45
- Clinical Development