March 4, 2026
Recap of the CDD European Life Science Community Meeting in Cambridge
On February 25 - 26, 2026, the CDD European Life Science Community gathered in Cambridge, UK, for two days of scientific exchange, practical insight, and meaningful connection.
Bringing together leaders from academia, biotech, pharma, and technology platforms, the meeting reflected the theme of where science meets technology. The programme spanned small molecules, biologics, AI, and translational research, creating a space where chemists, biologists, data scientists and founders could engage directly with one another.
The day featured a series of focused talks covering the full spectrum of modern drug discovery including:
- Prof. Ed Tate (Imperial College London) on targeting protein lipidation across parasitic, viral, and oncology indications.
- Dr. Stephen Penrose (Astellas Engineered Small Molecules) sharing lessons from initiating PROTAC programmes for F2–F3 MASH, including the use of human-relevant 3D liver models.
- Matúš Drexler (IOCB Tech) on scaling ADMET data processing and evolving CDD Vault from ELN to full research infrastructure.
- deepmirror and PharmEnable Therapeutics demonstrating how AI-driven design is being embedded directly into real discovery workflows.
- Domainex presenting their Direct-to-Biology approach to accelerate hit finding.
- NAXIA Discovery advancing innovation in oligonucleotide therapeutics.
- TRIMTECH Therapeutics addressing protein aggregation in neurodegeneration via TRIM21-mediated degradation.
- Avacta Therapeutics showcasing progress with their pre|CISION® platform for targeted therapies.
- Additional insights from Optibrium, Enamine, RxCelerate and others on collaborative design, compound access, and integrated project workflows.
A highlight was Dr. Phil Spence of HotHouse Therapeutics introducing the BotanAI platform, which applies artificial intelligence and synthetic biology approaches to plant biosynthetic pathways to generate novel natural product-inspired therapeutics.
Importantly, the conversation extended beyond Europe. Dr. Leopold Tientcheu, Assistant Professor in Immunology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, highlighted how structured data infrastructure supports tuberculosis drug development efforts in Africa, reinforcing how accessible digital tools can strengthen research in regions heavily impacted by infectious disease.
Across sessions, one theme remained consistent: accelerating drug discovery depends on integrating high-quality data, practical AI tools and collaborative infrastructure.
Following the presentations, discussions continued over coffee, lunch and evening networking. The setting encouraged open dialogue, where founders exchanged hard-won lessons and new partnerships began to take shape.
The Day 2 training sessions provided hands-on engagement and direct feedback with CDD's support team, ensuring the meeting remained grounded in real-world application.
With a strong 140+ attendance and active participation throughout, the CDD Life Science Community Meeting reinforced the value of bringing the life science ecosystem together in person.
CDD looks forward to building on this momentum through future Community Meetings, training sessions, and collaborative initiatives across Europe and beyond.
Stay Connected
We are already planning upcoming in-person events and webinars focused on data-driven discovery, automation, and AI-enabled research. If you would like to stay informed about future Community Meetings or explore any of the topics discussed in Cambridge, we welcome the conversation.
Feel free to reach out to us at info@collaborativedrug.com to start a conversation with the CDD team.
