NBC








2023 Call for Programming

The NBC Scientific Programming Committee invites proposals for scientific symposia, hot topics, and Rapid Fires to be presented in person in Philadelphia, PA, in April 2023.

All proposals must relate directly to one of the two tracks and their themes as described below.

The submission deadline is 5 pm ET September 22.

Submit Now!

Tracks and Themes

TRACK 1: Advances in Therapeutic Development Across Modalities
 

Track Theme: Recent advances in therapeutic development across modalities, including gene therapy, cell therapy, and innovative therapies based on traditional modalities.  

Theme 1: Recent Advances in Gene Therapy:  

As the field of gene therapy expands in scope beyond orphan disease indications and learnings from ongoing clinical trials become available, the bioanalytical strategy to support this novel modality is developing. Discuss recent advances in this field, including biodistribution, pharmacodynamics, cellular immunogenicity, as well as how these fit into evolving regulatory guidance.  

Theme 2: The Evolution of Cellular Therapy:  

As cellular modalities expand across formats and indications, the technologies and practices for monitoring exposure, immunophenotyping, and clinical endpoints are rapidly advancing. Discuss these evolving strategies as well as considerations around allogeneic versus autologous therapies.

Theme 3: Innovation Based on Traditional Approaches:  

Protein-small molecule hybrid (e.g., ADC), bi- and tri- specifics, oligonucleotides, and vaccine-based therapeutics are experiencing an exciting reemergence in innovation with new clinical findings. Discuss recent advances in biotransformation, PK/PD, and immunogenicity analyses to better assess safety and efficacy.

 

TRACK 2: Turbocharging Innovation in CMC -- Driving Back to Rational Drug Design

Track Theme: Beyond the innovation in drug discovery, pharmaceutical and biotechnology communities are embracing emerging opportunities and advancements in Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) in all stages of the drug development life cycle. This track focuses on the emerging landscape of non-traditional platforms for drug delivery and novel modalities, such as cell and gene therapies. Discuss frontiers of drug and formulation design in biologics development, modern experimental, computational, intelligent analytics, regulatory perspective, and bioengineering.

Theme 1: Innovation Based on Non-Traditional Platforms  

Innovative technologies have been harnessed to integrate cutting-edge resources with scientific expertise in shaping the next wave of medical interventions. Discuss breakthroughs with drug design and analytical tools for novel modalities, innovations in vaccine approaches, enhancing scope and coverage of modalities using AI and machine learning, as well as regulatory guidance and perspective on future innovations in biotechnology. 

Theme 2: Next Generation Gene Therapies  
Gene therapy advancements have revolutionized the treatment paradigm of a handful of rare disorders, from managing to curing the disease. The next wave of novel gene editing modalities will impact other therapeutic areas such as cancer, immune, and infectious diseases. Discuss coping with these advances in terms of improving patient stratification strategy, drug safety, and efficacy.

Theme 3: Explosion of Cell Therapy Beyond CAR-T 

The next wave of cell therapies goes beyond the traditional Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy (CAR-T). Newcomers include universal allogeneic CAR, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and adoptive cell immunotherapy such CAR NK-cells. Discuss key advancements and challenges facing the adoption of these novel cell therapies, especially those related to drug design, safety, and supply chain.

2023 Career Development Track Call for Proposals

Discover Your Why and Strategize Your Career

The AAPS Career Development Committee invites proposals for Career Development sessions to be delivered in person in Philadelphia, PA, in April 2023. Each proposal must relate to one of the themes described below.

Proposals should target early and mid-career scientists.

Experts who work with scientists, especially career coaches, hiring managers, and others from outside of AAPS’ scientist-oriented membership, are encouraged to submit proposals.

The submission deadline is 5pm ET September 22!

Theme 1 -- Discover Your Why: Reflect on yourself and your career so far to answer the questions that will help you shape a purpose-driven life that satisfies you! Topics that may fall under this theme include: Developing self-awareness, and empathy; building an understanding of your personal values; identifying and using your personal strengths and weaknesses; work-life balance; and finding your interests and motivations in order to find your focus. Proposals that explore diversity, equity, and inclusion as it relates to pharmaceutical scientists are also strongly encouraged.

Strategize Your Career: Make a plan to build the successful career that you want to have. Topics that may fall under this theme include: Breaking the glass ceiling; diversifying your career strategy; pushing back on stereotypes that are affecting your career growth; taking feedback and having hard conversations; what hiring managers really want in today’s candidates; the tools and expectations powering today’s job market; developing, using, and giving back to your network; determining how you are perceived and the effect you have on your interactions with your team and supervisor; knowing when and why to job-hop; talking to the public and the media about your science; and what to expect from a mentor, a coach, or a sponsor.

Submit Now!

 

2023 Programming Submission FAQ

Q: What types of programming can I submit?

Scientific Symposium Presentation: A 90-minute session consisting of three themed, 30-minute presentations. A submitter can propose one 30-minute presentation for inclusion in the program, or submit multiple presentations that when combined form a session. The Scientific Programming Committee (SPC) will select and assemble submissions for the program. Depending on the content, a session may be delivered as a panel, debate, or a forum to ensure a topic is thoroughly explored. All speakers are subject to approval by the SPC.

Career Development Session: A 60-minute session that explores a topic directly related the Career Development Track’s themes. Sessions should be appropriate for mid-career and early-career scientists. Creative delivery formats, including skill-building activities and hands-on experiences, are encouraged.

Rapid Fire Presentation: A 10-minute presentation that is followed by 3 minutes of Q&A on the latest scientific topics. New research, insights, and ideas are especially appropriate for this program.

Hot Topic: A 60-minute session that explores the latest science and innovation in a field and discusses its pain points and challenges. Each of the three scientific tracks offers two Hot Topic sessions, which may be delivered as a symposium, discussion panel, roundtable, debate, case study, or other format that engages the topic in depth.

Q: When are programming submissions due?

Proposals for Symposia, Career Development sessions, Hot Topics, and Rapid Fires are due Thursday, September 22, at 5:00 pm ET.

Q: What information do I need to submit with each proposal?

Presentation Title: A submission must have a short, specific presentation title (containing no abbreviations) that indicates the nature of the presentation.

Scientific Tracks: All submissions must align to a specific track. Proposals that do not relate directly to a track will not be considered.

Gap Analysis: What gap in a pharmaceutical scientists' knowledge does this program fill? Why do you believe there is a gap? (max 500 words)

Learning Format and Audience Engagement Details: Does your content lend itself to an interesting delivery? Could this be a panel or debate? How can we best engage the attendee during this session? (max 250 words)

Target Audience: Who will benefit most from attending this session? (max 250 words)

Presentation Description: A brief description of what would be covered in this talk. Additionally, if you are submitting this as one piece of a larger, 2-hour symposium, please note that here and submit each 30-min talk separately. (max 500 words)

Learning Objectives: Complete the sentence, “Upon completion, participant will be able to….” When writing learning objectives. Use action words to begin each objective, such as list, describe, define, demonstrate, conduct, etc.

Three learning objectives are required for Symposia, Hot Topics, Rapid Fires, and Career Development sessions.

Proposed Speaker(s): First Name, Last Name, Email, Affiliation, and Job Title are required fields.

Q: What are the two tracks around which NBC is organized?

  1. Advances in Therapeutic Development Across Modalities
  2. Turbocharging Innovation in CMC --:  Driving Back to Rational Drug Design

Q: How do I withdraw my proposal?

If you have submitted a proposal but would like to withdraw, log into the submission site, click on your session, and select “Edit Session.” You may then use the dropdown to change the submission status to “Withdrawn.” All withdraws must be completed by the submission deadline. Proposals that are not withdrawn will be reviewed.

Q: When will submitters be notified regarding acceptance/rejection?

Submitters will be notified in November 2022. If you submitted a session idea and have not received an accept/reject by that time, contact [email protected].

You do not have to be a member to submit a proposal. Non-members may create accounts without joining in order to submit a proposal.

If you do not have an account with AAPS, click “Create Account” under the New Users tab. Once you create an account, you may be taken to the Communities Page, depending on how you entered the account-creation process. Return to https://www.abstractscorecard.com/cfp/submit/LoginSSO.asp?EventKey=FMOSGXVH and sign in under Existing User with your new username and password to begin your submission.