Athens, Greece, 12th April 2025 – The European Conference on Allostery in Drug Discovery held on April 9–11, 2025 at the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, brought together leading scientists, early-career researchers, and industry experts to explore the latest advancements in allosteric modulation and its applications in drug discovery. Organized by the ALLODD (Allostery in Drug Discovery) Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network, the event marked a significant milestone in collaborative efforts to harness protein allostery for therapeutic innovation. ​

​The conference featured cutting-edge research presentations on allosteric modulation, drug discovery, and therapeutic interventions from a distinguished lineup of speakers, including Prof. Jean-Pierre Changeux (Institut Pasteur), who delivered the opening plenary lecture on the concept of allosteric interactions and their relevance to brain function and pathology. Other notable speakers with cutting-edge research presentations on allosteric modulation, drug discovery, and therapeutic interventions included Professors and Researchers from the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Novo Nordisk, and Merck KGaA, among others. The conference, extending over three days, was designed in three sessions, which aligned with the three strategic objectives of ALLODD:
·       Session 1: Towards a global understanding of allostery
·       Session 2: Identification of allosteric pockets and ligands
·       Session 3: Understanding allosteric response

These sessions covered a range of topics, from computational approaches to identify allosteric sites to experimental strategies for validating allosteric modulators. Participants included 60 students, researchers, and industry professionals from 3 continents and 12 countries, reporting advances on allosteric drug discovery from around the world.

The Early-stage researchers (ESRs) from the ALLODD network presented their latest findings, contributing to vibrant discussions and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations. The conference also featured interactive discussions designed to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange, as well as opportunities to network with experts from academia, industry, and healthcare sectors, further enriching the experience for participants and encouraging future joint efforts in the field of allosteric drug discovery. It should also be noted that 25% of the presentations were contributed by industry professionals.

Finally, a poster session provided a platform for emerging scientists to showcase their work and engage with experts in the field.

The opening lecture of Prof. Jean-Pierre Changeux and the ESR presentations are available on the ALLODD YouTube channel (11 videos).

The full Book of Abstracts, the programme, and additional details about the European Conference on Allostery in Drug Discovery are available at the official ALLODD website.  

For more information about ALLODD and future events, visit: www.allodd-itn.eu.

In his talk, Prof. Changeux provided a historical perspective on allosteric regulation, tracing its development from early biochemical discoveries to its present role in drug design. He explored key milestones, including the identification of allosteric proteins, the development of the MWC model of allostery, and how conformational changes drive protein function. The lecture also addressed modern applications of allosteric modulation, including its impact on pharmacology, neurobiology, and precision medicine.
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Attendees engaged in discussions on the evolution of allosteric mechanisms, the role of symmetry in biological regulation, and emerging computational and experimental approaches for studying allostery. The session set the stage for a dynamic program, bringing together leading experts and young researchers to advance the understanding of allosteric drug discovery.

The full lecture is now available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/e8fMw-XrksE

For more details about the Janeiro-na-Madeira Winter Summer School 2025, visit: https://jnm-2025.mozellosite.com/
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For more information about ALLODD and future events, visit: www.allodd-itn.eu.

Urbino, 18th June 2024 – Last week, within the framework of the 3rd Networking and Training event of the Innovative Training Network ALLODD - Allostery in Drug Discovery, the internationally acclaimed neuroscientist Jean-Pierre Changeux was awarded the Seal of the University of Urbino Urbino, Italy). "Professor Changeux," said Rector Giorgio Calcagnini during the reading of the award's motivations, "is renowned worldwide for his exceptional scientific achievements and his leadership in the field of neuroscience. His thesis initiated over forty years of groundbreaking research aimed at unveiling the structure and function of neurotransmission. His work has provided deep insights into brain chemistry and the brain-mind relationship."
 
"It is a great honor to receive the Seal of the University of Urbino," Changeux remarked, "which for me symbolizes the bond between the research conducted in the Italian academia, the Collège de France, and the many Italian scientists who have worked in my laboratory. It is the first time," he joked before beginning his lecture titled The Allosteric Modulation of Receptors: Toward a New Pharmacology, "that I speak while wearing a gown, but this is an exceptional occasion."
 
After earning his doctorate in 1964 from the Pasteur Institute under the mentorship of Jacques Monod and François Jacob, and spending time at the University of California and Columbia University, Changeux returned to France to assist Professor Monod in the Chair of Molecular Biology. In 1972, he became the Director of the Molecular Neurobiology Unit at the Pasteur Institute. Until 2006, he held the Chair of Cellular Communications at the Collège de France, where he is currently an emeritus professor, as well as at the Pasteur Institute. He is also the honorary president of the neuroscience department at the Pasteur Institute and, since 2006, a member of the International Faculty at the Kavli Institute for Brain & Mind.
 
Author and co-author of numerous scientific papers, his contributions have garnered numerous international awards, including the Balzan Prize for Cognitive Sciences (2001), the Lewis Thomas Prize for Writing about Science (2004), the Biotechnology Study Center Award from New York University (2006), and the Albert Einstein World Award of Science (2018). Since 2010, he has been a foreign member of the Italian Academia dei Lincei. In the same year, he received the Grand Cross of the Ordre de la Légion d'Honneur, France's highest distinction.
 
The Seal of the University of Urbino, impressed in 1588, symbolizes the University's Renaissance traditions and has recently been bestowed upon distinguished figures from politics, science, literature, and civil service.
 
For more information:
 
Prof. Jean-Pierre Changeux
https://research.pasteur.fr/en/member/jean-pierre-changeux/
 
ALLODD
Coordinated by Dr. Zoe Cournia (BRFAA, Greece) and funded under the MSCA-ITN - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN) scheme, ALLOstery in Drug Discovery – ALLODD, is a collaboration between 13 academic and industrial organizations with the aim of training a new generation of scientists to exploit the concept of allostery in drug design, putting together a whole array of technologies to identify and characterize allosteric modulators of protein function that will be applied to therapeutically relevant systems.
https://www.allodd-itn.eu/
 
Related Media
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZuSdZj_IPI

Athens, 15th June 2023 – The ALLODD consortium hosted the "Allosteric Drug Design: Where Academia Meets Pharma" conference in Strasbourg on May 22-23, 2023, as part of its broader awareness event and symposium on allostery in drug discovery held on May 22-26, 2023. The event was organized by Professor Marco Cecchini (University of Strasbourg), Dr. Stefan Becker and Dr. Lars Toleikis (Merck Healthcare KGAA) and was hosted by Professor Marco Cecchini at the Institut de Science et d'Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS). This conference provided a platform for leading academic researchers and industry professionals, including participants from Novartis, Roche, and Merck, to share advancements in allosteric drug discovery.

The conference provided a comprehensive overview of the latest research and applications in allosteric drug discovery. Discussions highlighted the evolution of allosteric pharmacology, cutting-edge computational and experimental approaches for targeting allosteric sites, and the importance of collaboration between academia and industry. The speakers highlighted diverse approaches, including structure-based design of GPCR ligands, strategies for targeting pathogenic proteins with allosteric modulators, and molecular design techniques for addressing conformational ensembles. Additional talks focused on integrative structural biology methods for studying ion channels and the role of advanced computational techniques in bridging experimental and theoretical research. These presentations collectively demonstrated how academia and industry can collaborate to drive innovation in targeting allosteric sites.

This 2-day conference featured presentations and discussions addressing key areas in the field:

• Historical Development of Allosteric Pharmacology: Prof. Jean-Pierre Changeux (Institut Pasteur) opened the conference with a keynote on the evolution of allosteric concepts and their role in pharmacology.
• Computational and Experimental Integration: Researchers presented cutting-edge approaches for identifying and targeting allosteric sites, combining structural biology, molecular simulations, and advanced drug design techniques.
• Collaboration Between Academia and Industry: Sessions emphasized the importance of partnerships in bridging computational and experimental tools to enhance drug discovery pipelines.

Participants engaged in in-depth discussions about current challenges and future opportunities in leveraging allostery for pharmaceutical innovation. The event facilitated networking among researchers, fostering collaborations between academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies.

To extend the conference’s impact, recordings of the presentations are available on the ALLODD YouTube channel. These materials provide an opportunity for continued learning and are accessible here: ALLODD YouTube Playlist.

Day 3 of the symposium focused on progress reports by Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) in the ALLODD network, highlighting their ongoing projects and findings in the field of allostery. Days 4 and 5 offered hands-on tutorials in machine learning and molecular dynamics, as well as soft-skills workshops on research communication and grant writing, facilitated by SciCo and other experts.

The ALLODD consortium thanks all speakers, participants, and organizers for their contributions to the success of the conference. Supported by the Horizon 2020 program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 956314, ALLODD remains dedicated to advancing research in allostery and fostering collaborations that drive innovation in drug discovery.
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For more information about ALLODD and future events, visit: www.allodd-itn.eu.