ESMEC 2026 – PROGRAMME

“The Rise of RNA in Modern Medicinal Chemistry – New Targets, New Modalities, New Opportunities”

SUNDAY, JULY 5

15.00 – 18.30 Registration, Putting up of Posters

19.00-19.45 Opening Lecture
Ingo V. HARTUNG – Merck (DE)
“Designing Impactful Drugs”

20.00-22.00 Welcome Buffet

MONDAY, JULY 6

09.00 – 09.20 Opening of ESMEC 2026
Giorgio CALCAGNINI – Rector of the University of Urbino Carlo Bo
Luc VAN HIJFTE – President of the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Stefano ALCARO – President of the Medicinal Chemistry Division of the Italian Chemical Society
Gabriele COSTANTINO – Director of the European School of Medicinal Chemistry

1^st session: INTRODUCTION TO OLIGONUCLEOTIDE-BASED COMPOUNDS
Co-chair: Antimo GIOIELLO – University of Perugia (IT), Marco Lucio LOLLI – University of Torino (IT)

09.20 – 09.35 Introduction to the Session

09.35 – 10.20 Mattia BERNETTI – University of Urbino Carlo Bo (IT)
“RNA Structures: from Function to Molecular Design”

10.20 – 11.00 Paolo BRUNO – Chiesi (IT)
“Nucleic Acid Therapeutics”

11.00 – 11.30 Coffee Break

11.30 – 12.15 Lucia FERRAZZANO – University of Bologna (IT)
“From Green Metrics to Practice: Integrating Sustainability Across Iterative Oligonucleotide and PNA Synthesis”

12.15 – 13.00 Montserrat TERRAZAS MARTINEZ – University of Barcelona (ES)
“Hitting multiple targets: Controlled and selective multi-targeting oligonucleotide approaches for cancer treatment”

13.00 – 15.00 Lunch

15.00 – 16.00 Workshop “Landing chemical space travellers to the bench: how to select the final hit series – a collaborative lead identification simulation”: set up

16.00 – 17.00 Poster Session 1

17.00 – 18.00 Workshop: Brainstorming

19.45 Dinner

21.00 Walking tour of the historic center of Urbino, UNESCO heritage site

TUESDAY, JULY 7

2^nd session: session: RNA THERAPEUTIC MODALITIES
Co-chair: Laura CARZANIGA – Chiesi (IT), Enza LACIVITA – University of Bari Aldo Moro (IT)

09.00 – 09.15 Introduction to the Session

09.15 – 10.00 Modesto OROZCO – University of Barcelona (ES)
“What can theoretical methods do in therapeutic nucleic acids design?”

10.00 – 10.45 Ketaki DESHMUKH – Novo Nordisk (US)
“Lipid Nanoparticles: Introduction to Applications”

10.45 – 11.15 Coffee Break

11.15 – 12.00 Chiara DE SANTI – Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (IE)
“RNA with a twist: microRNAs and circular RNAs as drug molecules”

12.00 – 12.45 Marlen C. LAUFFER – University of Oxford (UK)
“Antisense oligonucleotides as therapeutics for common and rare disease”

12.45 – 14.30 Lunch

Chair: Stephanie FEDERICO – University of Trieste (IT)

14.30 – 15.15 Fernando PASTOR – University of Navarre (ES)
“The Therapeutic Aptamer Toolbox”

15.15 – 16.00 Iain LINGARD – Evotec (IT)
“Oligonucleotide vs Small Molecule Therapeutics – How RNA based modalities are changing the drug discovery processes in Pharma and Biotech”

16.00 – 17.00 Poster Session 2

17.00 – 18.00 Workshop: Brainstorming

19.45 Dinner

21.00 Guided tour of the Ducal Palace

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8

3^rd session: SMALL MOLECULES TARGETING RNA STRUCTURES
Co-chair: Sandro COSCONATI – University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (IT), Giovanni BOTTEGONI – University of Urbino Carlo Bo (IT)

09.00 – 09.15 Introduction to the Session

09.15 – 10.00 Christian KERSTEN – Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (DE)
“Structure-Based RNA-Ligand Design – Chances & Challenges”

10.00 – 10.45 Maria DUCA – Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS (FR)
“Small molecules targeting non-coding RNAs: scope and applications”

10.45 – 11.15 Coffee Break

11.15 – 12.00 Wim VELEMA – Radboud University (NL)
“Bacterial RNA targeting”

12.00 – 12.45 Peng WU – TU Dortmund University (DE)
“RNA post-transcriptional modulations via small molecules targeting RNAs and RNA-binding proteins”

12.45 – 14.30 Lunch

14.30 – 17.00 Workshop: team presentation on the results

17.00 – 18.00 Assemblea della sezione Giovani della Divisione di Chimica Farmaceutica della SCI

20.30 Social Dinner

THURSDAY, JULY 9

Chairperson: Beatriz DE PASCUAL-TERESA – University CEU San Pablo, Madrid (ES)

09.00 – 10.00 Fabio BERTOZZI – Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa (IT)
Market watch: new drug approval in 2025 and synthetic strategies

10.00 – 10.30 Coffee Break

10.30 – 10.45 Michele MARI – University of Urbino Carlo Bo (IT)
EFMC-YSN: join the young scientists network!

10.45 – 12.45 Chairperson: Giovanni BOTTEGONI – University of Urbino Carlo Bo (IT)
Selected oral lectures by participants

12.45 – 13.15 Director of ESMEC 
Awards of selected posters
Concluding remarks

13.15 Lunch and leaving