Progress in Antibiotic Discovery and Development (E2)
June 21-24, 2027  | Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Whistler, BC, Canada
Cesar de la Fuente, James J. Collins and Ewa Szczurek
Scholarship Deadline: Feb. 24, 2027 | Abstract Deadline: Jun. 1, 2027 | Early Registration Deadline: Apr. 23, 2027
* Session Chair † Invited but not yet accepted | Program current as of August 26, 2026 1 AM | For the most up-to-date details, visit https://www.keystonesymposia.org
Monday, June 21, 2027
4:00–8:00 PM Registration Macdonald Foyer
6:00–8:00 PM Welcome Mixer Macdonald Foyer
Tuesday, June 22, 2027
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast Macdonald CDEF
8:00–8:10 AM Welcome Remarsk Macdonald B
8:10–9:00 AM Keynote Address Macdonald B
  Roy Kishony, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
The Future of Antibiotic Resistance
 
9:00–11:00 AM Translating Antibiotics into the Clinic: Obstacles and Opportunities Macdonald B
  Man-Wah Tan, Genentech, Inc.
Novel Inhibitors against Gram-negative Pathogens
 
  Speaker to be Announced
 
  David Payne, GlaxoSmithKline
Antibiotic Discovery and Development at GSK
 
9:30–9:50 AM Coffee Break Macdonald Foyer
11:10–11:40 AM Panel Discussion 1: Q&A with Drs. Tan and Payne Macdonald B
11:40–1:00 PM Poster Setup Macdonald CDEF
11:40–2:30 PM On Own for Lunch
1:00–10:00 PM Poster Viewing Macdonald CDEF
2:30–4:30 PM Symposia Spotlight 1: Late-breaking research presentations selected from abstract submissions Macdonald B
  Short Talks Chosen from Abstracts
 
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available Macdonald Foyer
5:00–6:45 PM Antibiotics AI: Computational & AI-Enabled Antibiotic Discovery Macdonald B
  James J. Collins, Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard
AI Approaches for Antibiotic Discovery
 
  Cesar de la Fuente, University of Pennsylvania
Accelerating Antibiotic Discovery Using AI
 
  Ewa Szczurek, Helmholtz Munich
Controllable Generative AI for Antimicrobial Peptides Discovery
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
6:55–7:25 PM Panel Discussion 2: Q&A with Drs. Collins, de la Fuente and Szczurek Macdonald B
7:25–8:25 PM Social Hour with Dinner Macdonald CDEF
7:30–10:00 PM Poster Session 1 Macdonald CDEF
Wednesday, June 23, 2027
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast Macdonald CDEF
8:00–11:00 AM Natural-Product Biosynthesis and Engineering Macdonald B
  Gerry D. Wright, McMaster University
New Natural Product Antibiotics
 
  Allison Lopatkin, University of Rochester
Predictive Biology: Understanding and Reversing the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
9:00–9:20 AM Coffee Break Macdonald Foyer
11:10–12:10 PM Roundtable Discussion: The Next Generation of Antibiotic Hunters (inspiring new people into the field) Macdonald B
  Paul E. Turner, Yale University
 
12:10–1:00 PM Poster Setup Macdonald CDEF
12:10–3:00 PM On Own for Lunch
1:00–10:00 PM Poster Viewing Macdonald CDEF
3:00–4:30 PM Career Roundtable (Joint) Macdonald A
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available Macdonald Foyer
5:00–7:00 PM Antibiotic Discovery and Host Immunity Macdonald B
  Yifat Merbl, Weizmann Institute of Science
Proteasome-Derived Defense Peptides (PDDPs): An Untapped Source of Antimicrobial Agents
 
  Olga Shevchuk, University Hospital Essen
Production of Encrypted Antibiotics in Human Kidney Infections
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
7:00–8:00 PM Social Hour with Dinner Macdonald CDEF
7:30–10:00 PM Poster Session 2 Macdonald CDEF
Thursday, June 24, 2027
7:00–8:00 AM Breakfast Macdonald CDEF
8:00–11:00 AM Frontiers in Non-Traditional Antimicrobials: Phages, Vaccines, Peptides & Beyond Macdonald B
  Paul E. Turner, Yale University
Phage Therapy to Combat Infections by Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Pathogens
 
  Rino Rappuoli, Fondazione Biotecnopolo di Siena
Vaccines against AMR
 
  Renee Fleeman, University of Central Florida
Peptide Dual Targeting of Membrane and Ribosomes disrupts biofilm formation and prevents in vivo dissemination
 
  Short Talk(s) Chosen from Abstracts
 
9:00–9:20 AM Coffee Break Macdonald Foyer
11:00–2:30 PM On Own for Lunch
2:30–4:30 PM Symposia Spotlight 2: Late-breaking research presentations selected from abstract submissions Macdonald B
  Short Talks Chosen from Abstracts
 
4:30–5:00 PM Coffee Available Macdonald Foyer
5:00–6:30 PM Alternative Approaches to Antibiotics Macdonald B
  Manuela Raffatellu, University of California, San Diego
Harnessing Iron Acquisition Machinery to Target Pathogens
 
  Victor Torres †, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Novel Approaches Against Staphylococcus Aureus Infections
 
  Jörg Vogel, University of Würzburg
The Promises and Challenges of Programmable RNA Antibiotics
 
6:30–7:30 PM Machine Learning and Antimicrobial Peptides Macdonald B
  Jiangning Song, Monash University
Machine Learning for Antimicrobial Peptide Design and Discovery
 
  Daniela Kalafatovic, University of Rijeka
Self-Assembling Peptide Design with Generative AI
 
7:30–7:45 PM Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions (Organizers) Macdonald B
7:45–8:45 PM Social Hour with Dinner Macdonald CDEF
8:00–11:00 PM Cash Bar
8:00–11:00 PM Entertainment
Friday, June 25, 2027
12:00–11:59 PM Departure