Editor’s highlights from NextGen Biomed 2026

Written by Emma Hall (Editor)
Antibodies | ADCs Automation Chromatography Conference reports Data processing and interpretation Drug development MS (LC–MS/MS, HRMS, IMS) Oligonucleotides

NextGen Biomed 2026 (24–25 March; London, UK) highlighted the extraordinary innovation thriving within the biomedicine community. The event offered compelling content and discussions spanning the entire value chain, from breakthroughs in antibody engineering to sustainable approaches in TIDES chemistry, reflecting a shared dedication to driving progress in immunotherapy and biologics research and development. Check out some of the key topics covered in our Editor’s highlights below.

Key topics covered at NextGen Biomed 2026

  • Proteins, antibodies & ADCs
  • Peptides and oligonucleotides
  • Immunotherapy & immune-oncology
  • Vaccines

Editor’s highlights

Keynote: From molecules to modalities: engineering future therapeutics

Speaker: Andreas Plückthun, Professor of Biochemistry/Director of the Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich (Germany)

Day one began with a Keynote presentation from Andreas Plückthun, highlighting the transformative role of protein engineering in therapeutic proteins, specific protein recognition within complex modalities, and emerging technologies for developing diagnostic proteins. Andreas began by addressing challenges in protein drug development pipelines, such as the stochastic nature of data for target discovery, and then moved on to compare approaches like phage panning and de novo design. For gene delivery, he explored strategies to enhance precision, including virus-like particles, DARPin scaffolds for cell-specific targeting, and immune shielding. The talk also emphasized emerging opportunities in diagnostics, leveraging AI tools like AlphaGenome to improve protein prediction accuracy, while advocating for combining empirical and computational methods to advance future therapeutics.

Further reading: Navigating the bioanalytical complexities of oligonucleotide therapeutics

Accelerating cell-based potency assays: a strategic journey from discovery to quality control

Speaker: Agnieszka Lewandowska, Associate Director of Analytical Development, Immunocore (Abingdon, UK)

Agnieszka’s presentation focused on accelerating cell-based potency assays through a systematic, risk-based framework, as demonstrated by Immunocore’s ImmTAAI case study. Key challenges of accelerating this assay included capturing complex mechanisms of action, transitioning from research to quality control, managing cell-based variability, and meeting regulatory requirements. By defining analytical target profiles early, conducting structured risk assessments, and leveraging design of experiments, it is possible to optimize assay development efficiently. Agnieszka emphasized starting with clear goals, investing in risk assessment, and planning for multi-site use from the outset.

The latest tools for analyzing protein biotherapeutics by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and capillary electrophoresis (CE)

Speaker: Stephen Lock, Senior Market Development Manager, SCIEX (MA, USA)

Stephen’s talk highlighted SCIEX’s latest advancements in tools for analyzing protein biotherapeutics using LC–MS and CE. Walking us through the BioPhase 8800 system, Stephen showcased the platform’s native fluorescence detection, which offers enhanced sensitivity for impurity profiling by leveraging natural aromatic amino acids, eliminating the need for protein labeling, and providing faster, cleaner data interpretation compared to traditional UV or LIF methods by eliminating interference from background media in the capillary. Moving onto the ZenoTOF 8600 system, Stephen explained how the platform enhances peptide mapping with tunable electron-activated dissociation technology, enabling precise characterization of low-level impurities. These innovations are able to streamline workflows, reduce analysis time, and improve confidence in impurity detection and characterization.

Further reading: eBook: Precision bioanalysis for every molecule

Rapid identity testing of hot targeted alpha therapies by bio-layer interferometry (BLI)

Speaker: Sebastian Wolfgang Draxler, Principal Scientist Analytics, Bayer (Leverkusen, Germany)

Ensuring rigorous quality control is vital in targeted alpha therapies (TAT), both for patient safety and to maintain treatment effectiveness, as alpha particles are capable of damaging both cancer and healthy cells. Given the short-range, high-energy radiation emitted by alpha-emitting radiopharmaceuticals like Actinium-225 (a key component of TAT), quality control processes must confirm that the radioactive isotope stays securely attached to its targeting molecule to reduce the risk of unintended toxicity.

In his talk, Sebastian presented an advancement in rapid identity testing for Actinium-225 drug products using a BLI assay, which enables real-time binding detection with custom antigen-coated biosensors. This offers a faster (<5 minutes), simpler and more precise alternative to ELISA, while addressing critical challenges in TAT, such as radiation compatibility, limited analysis time, and low radioactive waste, as well as meeting regulatory requirements. The biosensors were tested for specificity, precision and stability, demonstrating antigen-specific binding unaffected by alpha radiation, consistent responses across batches, and a 12-month shelf life with negligible activity loss and no increase in non-specific binding. Sebastian concluded the presentation by sharing Bayer’s achievements and next steps for the BLI assay, citing the improved flexibility for short shelf-life products and aims to optimize and streamline training with enhanced compliance at contract manufacturing organizations.

Live-cell mechanistic insights of ADCs

Speaker: Marc Vendrell, Professor of Translational Chemistry, University of Edinburgh (UK)

Fluorescent labels are emerging as versatile mechanistic tools in advanced therapeutics, offering insights into mechanisms of action and enabling precise imaging of subcellular locations and payload release. Mark emphasized the importance of small, smart labels that are conditionally fluorescent under specific conditions, such as pH or enzyme presence, and highlighted the limitations of larger labels like GFP. A case study demonstrated the use of a smart label for ADCs that was conditionally fluorescent to two separate events: acidification and linker cleavage. Mark explained that the key was to optimize fluorophore-to-antibody ratios in ADCs, showing robust fluorescence activation in lysosomes without compromising payload efficacy. Finishing up his talk, Mark gave his insights into where the field is heading: a shift away from intensity-based readings and towards fluorescence lifetime measurements, enabling multiplexed labelling and enhanced location differentiation.

Further watching: ADC payloads to Fc mutations: advancing bioanalysis for novel modalities

View our collection of conference reports to catch up on the discussions.