SAPA-NE 2025 AI in Drug Discovery Workshop: Protein De Novo Design

Accelerate your discovery pipeline with an afternoon focused on state-of-the-art protein de novo design. Hear from leaders shaping the field, swap ideas with peers, and leave with practical strategies you can bring back to the lab.

Why attend

• Learn how cheminformatics, physics-based modeling, and machine learning come together for therapeutic peptide design

• See an industry case study from BioMap

• Explore emerging thinking on end-to-end AI foundations for large molecules

• Get your questions answered in a live panel discussion

• Build your network during our dedicated networking session

Featured speakers

• Kristine Deibler, PhD – Head of Molecular AI, Novo Nordisk

• Per Jr. Greisen – President & Head of Protein Design, BioMap

• Yves Fomekong Nanfack – Executive Director & Head of End-to-End AI Foundations, Large Molecules Research Platform, Sanofi

• Panelist: Yao Zhang – Executive Director, Oncology Tech Strategy, GSK (more panelists to be confirmed)

Agenda (1:00–5:15 pm)

• 1:00 - 1:05 pm Opening Remark from SAPA-NE President and Local Host

• 1:05 - 1:40 pm Topic: Practical integration of cheminformatics, physics- and ML-based computational methods for therapeutic peptide design  — Kristine Deibler, PhD - Head of Molecular AI, Novo Nordisk 

• 1:40 - 2:25 pm Topic: BioMap Case Study — Per Jr. Greisen, PhD - President & Head of Protein Design, BioMap

• 2:25 - 3:00 pm Topic: TBD Yves Fomekong Nanfack, PhD — Executive Director - Head of End-to-End AI Foundations, Large Molecules Research Platform, Sanofi

• 3:00 - 3:15 pm 15 min Break

• 3:15 - 3:50 pm Topic: TBD David W. Shen, PhD — Founder and CEO, Propeller Bio

• 3:50 - 4:25 pm Panel discussion; Q&A Panelists: Yao Zhang,PhD — Executive Director, Oncology Tech Strategy, GSK; more panelists to be confirmed.

• 4:25 - 5:10 pm Networking 
  

Kristine Deibler, PhD - Head of Molecular AI, Novo Nordisk

Kris is the Head of Molecular AI in Computational Drug Design at Novo Nordisk. She is leading a global team focused on AI and structure-based drug design for synthetic modalities.  Her team is actively developing and applying new approaches to drug discovery through advances in combining experimental data, computational tools and ML to develop novel therapeutics. She is leading internal cross-functional initiatives to optimize the data foundations for drug design within Novo Nordisk. Kris holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Northwestern University and she further pursued a postdoctoral position with David Baker where she entered into the field of computational molecular design.

Per Jr. Greisen, PhD - President & Head of Protein Design, BioMap

Per is a seasoned executive and scientific leader with extensive experience in computational protein design and drug discovery, currently serving as President and Head of Protein Design at BioMap in the San Francisco Bay Area. In this role, [he/she/they] lead a team of scientists and engineers, leveraging data-driven approaches to guide research and development in protein modeling and design. Per is responsible for developing and implementing strategic plans to achieve business objectives in both U.S. and global markets, establishing partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies, and overseeing U.S. operations to foster a culture of scientific innovation and compliance.

Previously, Per held multiple leadership positions at Novo Nordisk, including Vice President for Computational Drug Design and Director roles, where  he spearheaded computational biology initiatives, managed cross-functional teams, and contributed to intellectual property and therapeutic development. Per also served as a Guest Researcher at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, focusing on de novo protein design and optimization.

Earlier in his career, Per was Director of Computational Biology at enEvolv, building and managing computational groups specializing in machine learning, high-performance computing, and protein/DNA data analysis. His academic background includes a Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Washington, where he specialized in computational protein modeling and design using Rosetta.

Per possesses deep expertise in computational drug design, machine learning, strategic leadership, and cross-functional collaboration, with a strong track record of innovation in therapeutic modalities and protein engineering.

Yves Fomekong Nanfack, PhD — Executive Director - Head of End-to-End AI Foundations, Large Molecules Research Platform, Sanofi

Dr. Yves Fomekong Nanfack is Head of End-to-End AI Foundations for Large Molecules Research at Sanofi, where he leads strategic AI and digital initiatives to transform biologics drug discovery. He is the pioneer of the Biologics-AI Moonshot (BioAIM), an enterprise platform designed to industrialize AI across the discovery pipeline—building end-to-end capabilities that span data capture, model development, deployment, and scientist access. Previously, he was Head of Structural and Digital Drug Discovery at EMD Serono, where he directed computational scientists and structural biologists to drive innovation in both large- and small-molecule research. His work integrated advanced data analytics, AI/ML, and predictive modeling to accelerate discovery and enable multiple clinical candidates. Dr. Fomekong Nanfack holds a Master’s in Computer Science from the University of Geneva and a PhD in Computational Biology from the University of Amsterdam.

David W. Shen, PhD — Founder and CEO, Propeller Bio

Dr. David W. Shen is a leading expert in antibody and therapeutic protein development, with a proven track record of advancing drug pipelines from discovery to clinical proof-of-concept. As Founder and CEO of Proteologix, he led the company’s breakthrough work in bispecific antibody therapeutics for immunology and inflammation (I&I) including autoimmune, culminating in its $850 million acquisition by Johnson & Johnson in 2024.

Previously, Dr. Shen held executive roles at NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Merck, and Amgen. Throughout his career, he played a key role in advancing several antibody drug candidates from research to clinical development and regulatory approval, including evolucumab (anti-PCSK9), romosozumab, (anti-sclerostin) and denosumab (anti-RANKL).

Innovatively blending his scientific and industrial vision, he has discovered new technologies, holding 20 patents or applications and more than 20 peer-reviewed publications. In February 2025, he embarked on his newest venture as Founder and CEO of Propeller Bio.