FAST (Centre for Future Affordable Sustainable Therapy Development) is excited to announce on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Health, NWO, ZonMw and RVO the upcoming stakeholder meeting, dedicated to advancing innovative antimicrobial therapy development. This event aims to bring together stakeholders from academia, industry, governmental organizations, research funding organizations and all other relevant bodies and organizations, in hopes of fostering research, development, and production of new antimicrobial agents and enrich the innovation ecosystem for innovative antimicrobial therapies.

We welcome you on Tuesday, January 30th 2024 from 11:30 – 18:00 at the Jaarbeurs Meetup in Utrecht.

Program
The program will include plenary sessions and thematic breakout sessions surrounding several aspects of antimicrobial therapy, such as novel clinical development models and repurposing drugs for antimicrobial use. Importantly, the event marks the launch of a new subsidiary program by NWO-TTW (expected to launch mid-January 2024) to stimulate research and development of novel antimicrobials against bacteria and fungi for human use. The program will offer matchmaking opportunities to prepare the formation of relevant public-private consortia for the research program. The meeting will be held in English.

Preliminary program

11:30 – 12:00   Reception with lunch

12:00 -12:05   Welcome and introduction by chairman Mark Wijsman

12:05 – 13:30   Plenary session

12:05 – 12:15    Setting the stage

• Karla van Rooijen (Director Medicines and Medical Technology, Ministry of Health)

12:15 – 12:30    Antibiotic discovery networks in the Netherlands: past, present and future

• Prof dr. Gilles van Wezel (Leiden University, Netherlands Institute for Ecology)

12:30 – 13:00    Stimulating antimicrobial therapy development

• Dr. Titia Plantiga (NWO)
• Dr. Vincent van Hensbergen (NWO) and Steven Marinus (Ministry of Health)

13:00 – 13:20    Public-private partnership for antimicrobial therapy development

• Dr. Jon de Vlieger (Strategy Director, Lygature)

13:20 – 13:30    Break

13:30 – 14:00   Matchmaking sessions

• New molecules and approaches for the development of antimicrobial therapies
• Mechanisms of action and structure-based design
• New concepts and innovation in therapy development

14:00 – 14:15   Break

14:15 – 15:15   Breakout sessions

Clinical development of antimicrobial agents
Moderated by Dr. Saco de Visser (Chief Science Officer, FAST)
Speakers:

• Thera Max (Head National Clinical Trial Office, CCMO)
• Prof dr. Meta Roestenberg (Leiden University Medical Center)
• Prof dr. Marc Bonten (Chief Executive Officer ECRAID, University Medical Center Utrecht)

Opportunities for repurposing and innovations in existing antimicrobial therapies
Moderated by Prof dr. Dick de Zeeuw (Chairman Drug Repurposing committee ZonMw, UMCG)
Speakers:

• Dr. Edwin Spaans (Principle Consultant, CURARE)
• Dr. Martin de Kort (Senior Scientific Program Manager, EATRIS)
• Dr. Auke van Heel (CEO, Omnicin Therapeutics)

Novel solutions for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of microbial infections
Moderated by Annemiek Verkamman (Managing Director, Hollandbio)
Speakers:

• Dr. Pol Vandenbroucke (VP Global Government Affairs, Shionogi)
• Dr. Remko van Leeuwen (CEO, SurvivX, Beam Alliance)
• Dr. Sophia E. Shanko (CEO, ShanX Medtech)

15:15 – 15:30    Break

15:30 – 17:00    Plenary session: International developments

• Prof dr. Laura Piddock (Scientific Director, GARDP)
• Dr. Damiano de Felice (Director of Development and External Engagement, CARB-X)
  

17:00-18:00      Networking

Registration
Registration is closed.

We hope to welcome you on January 30th.

Together, we can make a profound impact on the future of antimicrobial therapy development.