Explore the Agenda
7:00 am Check In, Coffee & Light Breakfast
7:55 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Unlocking Breakthrough Pain Relief: Advancing Novel Targets & Therapies for Acute & Chronic Pain
8:00 am Rethinking Pain: A Dual-Target Approach Leveraging GABA-A & DHODH Modulation
- Gain insights from Phase 2a clinical data of AP-325 in neuropathic pain and its impact on patient outcomes
- Understand the next steps in clinical development and how this therapy could shape future treatment strategies
- Explore the potential of dual-target mechanisms to deliver more effective, long-term pain relief
8:30 am Development of a First-In-Class Oral KCC2 potentiator for Treating Chronic Pain: Advancing Precision Analgesics for Novel CNS Targets
- Developing a non-opioid, first-in-class mechanism that a central nervous system-specific target to alleviate pain, without the side effects associated with existing analgesics
- KCC2 potentiation is a novel approach to address CNS sensitization-driven pain, and enables precision analgesic approaches in pain populations. KCC2 potentiators have analgesic efficacy and address spinal disinhibition pathology in pain
- Axonis first-in-class oral KCC2 potentiator, AXN-027, is advancing into Phase 1b/2a trials for treating pain
9:00 am Transforming Osteoarthritis Care: LEVI-04 as a Next-Generation Non- Opioid Analgesic
- Mode of action of LEVI-04 as a first-in-class disease-modifying agent for osteoarthritis (OA)
- Safety & efficacy data from a 500-patient Phase 2 clinical study; findings, conclusions and learnings to take forward
- Insights into chronic pain in OA and the role of bone marrow lesions
9:30 am Speed Networking
This informal session provides the perfect opportunity to build meaningful connections with pharma, biotech, and academic KOLs, exchange insights on translational strategies and trial design, and gain exclusive, first-hand perspectives on the latest breakthroughs in pain research.
10:00 am Morning Break & Refreshments
Redefining Pain Management Beyond Opioids: Strategies to Minimize Misuse & Lower Barriers for Non-Opioid Pain Therapeutics to Market
11:00 am Overcoming Access & Adoption Barriers for Novel Non-Opioid Pain Therapies, a Medical Affairs Perspective
- Discuss strategies to shift prescribing away from opioids
- Share evidence generation strategies to pair new developments with real world evidence
- Evaluating health economic studies to prove how this strategy can fit into the market landscape in a way that is cost effective
11:30 am Fireside Chat: Balancing Real-World Realities & Scientific Rigor in Pain Trial Patient Selection
- Patients enter pain trials either after a drug washout period or while continuing their existing pain treatments, which influences baseline measurements.
- Answering how can trails be designed that accurately represent real-world patient populations while preserving scientific rigor
12:00 pm Networking Lunch
Driving the Next Wave of Precision Pain: Discovering Novel Targets for Translational Success
1:00 pm NaV1.7 Targeting Antisense Oligonucleotides: Emerging Modalities for Pain & Pipeline Development
- Utilizing ASOs as a novel way to modulate NaV1.7, which can circumvent the existing issues with small molecule inhibitors (e.g. autonomic side effects)
- Exploring how Quiver’s integrated platform based on all-optical electrophysiology and machine learning has led to identifying novel candidate molecules alongside therapeutic targets
- Demonstrating how Quiver’s platform can enrich the genetic medicine drug candidates with maximized therapeutic index
1:30 pm Novel Target Identification & Translational Strategies in Pain Therapeutics
- Evaluating early-stage strategies for identifying novel pain targets and advancing them toward clinical development
- Discussing the challenges and lessons learned from a terminated program(s)
- Exploring opportunities for scientific dialogue on emerging translational approaches and priority topics in target discovery
2:00 pm Strategies for the Discovery, Validation & Prosecution of New Pain Targets
- Strategies to maximize success in selecting new pain targets are essential to guiding effective therapeutic development
- Validation of new pain targets using human biology to strengthen confidence in translational relevance
- Drug discovery approaches to advancing the development of new pain therapeutics
2:30 pm Afternoon Break & Scientific Poster Session
Want to share your work but not ready for the big stage just yet? The Scientific Poster Session is your prime time to share your work with peers from various backgrounds, all focused on non-opioid pain therapeutics. Gain feedback on how you can accelerate the progression of your drug pipelines and build connections for potential collaborations to take your therapeutic from discovery to market.
Evaluating Selectivity in Pain Drug Development: Balancing Toxicology Risk with Efficacy to Maximise Therapeutic Potential
3:30 pm Next-Generation Pain Relief: Selective Sodium Channel Blockade for Targeted Analgesia
- Selective targeting of sodium channels in nociceptors including NaV 1.7, NaV 1.8 and NaV 1.9
- Understand how this approach differs from conventional pain therapies and the benefits of mechanism-specific targeting
- Explore the potential for localized therapy that minimizes impact on mechanoreceptors and motor neurons
4:00 pm Roundtable: The Barriers Slowing Future Development of Non-Opioid Pain Therapeutics
Join expert-led roundtables to examine the key barriers slowing non-opioid pain therapeutic development and collaborate on actionable solutions to accelerate progress.
Highlights include:
- Making Non–Opioids Price Competitive
- Modern Trials, Placebo, & Regulatory Translation
- Cultural Shift: What Needs to Change