Next PhysChem Forum: coming soon!!!
PCF2026 – hold the date!
Another exciting PhysChem forum event is
on the horizon! Johnson & Johnson has kindly agreed to host the PCF2026 event in Antwerp and Beerse
(Belgium)
on 13th and 14th October 2026.
We will meet in Antwerp on Tuesday 13th October, with registration opening at 14.00h, followed by the afternoon scientific session and the gala dinner. On the morning of Wednesday 14 October, a shuttle bus will depart from the hotel (to be confirmed) and take us to the Johnson & Johnson main campus in Beerse, where we will enjoy the second day of the PhysChem Forum 2026.
This year’s theme is Delivery by Design: PhysChem Innovation and Predictive Analytics for New
Modalities.
More details will be shared shortly, but for now, please save the dates in your diary.
Accomodation
Delegates are responsible for arranging their own accommodation. We have negociated preferential room rates for those wishing to book accommodation at the designated conference hotel, the Radisson Blu Antwerp City Centre. Press here to get more info about how to reach the hotel. There are rooms available with a preferred discount. Please use the promotion code: PHYSCHEM. The discount is valid for a double room with one person, contact the hotel if you would like to bring a guest. It will also apply to the nights either side of the conference should attendees wish to arrive early or depart late. Please note that after Sunday 13th September this promotion code will no longer be valid.
Registration
Registration instructions will be available shortly.
Programme
Tuesday 13th October, Radisson Blue Hotel
Tuesday 13th October, Radisson Blue Hotel
| Session 1 - Chair: Stephane Rodde (Novartis, Switzerland) | |
| Time | Session |
| 14:00-15:30 | Registration |
| 15:30-15:40 | Welcome and introduction to PCF2026 |
| 15:40-16:20 | Learning the hard way: DMPK for bifunctional molecules Andy Pike (AstraZeneca, United Kingdom) |
| 16:20-17:00 | Designing PROTACs for Intracellular Exposure: the Role of Permeability and Physicochemical Properties Emma Inganäs (University of Gothenburg, Sweden) |
| 17:00-17:30 | Tea/coffe break |
| 17:30-18:30 | Keynote – TBD TBD |
| 18:30-19:30 | Social break |
| 19:30-22:00 | Symposium dinner |
Wednesday 14th October, J&J Beerse, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse (Google map link).
| Session 1- Magdalena Kierkowicz (UCB, United Kingdom) | |
| Time | Session |
| 08:30-09:00 | Late registration and poster set-up |
| 09:00-09:10 | J&J Site Welcome |
| 09:10-09:20 | Welcome from the PhysChem Forum Committee |
| 09:20-10:00 | Protacs - findings from rat intestinal perfusion and pharmacokinetic studies, demonstrating the permeability advantage achieved through the formation of amorphous nanoparticles for two PROTAC drugs Janis Niessen (Uppsala University, Sweden) |
| 10:00-10:40 | Vehicles for PROTACs in preclinical in vivo studies - not a simple task Meike Harms (Merck, XX) |
| 10:40-11:10 | Tea/coffee break and poster viewing |
| Session 2- Sigrid Stokbroekx (J&J, Belgium) | |
| Time | Session |
| 11:10-11:50 | Fast AI supported prediction of pKa values for both small and big molecules such as PROTACs Susanne Winiwarter (AstraZeneca, Sweden) |
| 11:50-12:10 | Flash poster presentations (2 mins each) |
| 12:10-13:40 | Lunch and poster viewing |
| Session 3 - Chair: Sonia Espinosa (Almirall, Spain) | |
| Time | Session |
| 13:40-14:20 | TBD TBD |
| 14:20-15:00 | Adapting foundation models to physchem applications and to newer modalities - opportunities and challenges Hugo Ceulemans (J&J, Belgium) |
| 15:00-15:40 | Poster prize award followed by tea/coffee break and poster viewing / Group picture (photo session) |
| Session 4 - Chair: Björn Wagner (Roche, Switzerland) | |
| Time | Session |
| 15:40-16:20 | Biopharmaceutical Characterisation of New Modalities Zahari Vinarov (University of Sofia, Bulgaria) |
| 16:20-17:00 | Unlocking the secrets of peptide oral absorption and success stories Katie Amssoms (J&J, Belgium) |
| 17:00-17:10 | Wrap-up and depart |
Posters
The poster session is limited to 30 posters, please indicate if you are interested in bringing one when registering. Maximum dimensions A0, or 118 x 84 cm. Deadline for registering posters is 29th September. Portrait is preferred but landscape can be accommodated.
Travel
Antwerp can be easily reached by plane. To get to the city center, the taxi ride takes about 15-20 minutes and costs around 20-30€. Alternatively, you can take bus number 51, 52, or 53 from the stop “Deurne Luchthaven” located just outside the terminal to Antwerp Central Station (travel time: 15–20 minutes, cost 2.50€).
The figure shows instructions to reach the conference hotel, the Radisson Blue Hotel in Antwerp:
Transport between Antwerp and the Johnson & Johnson Beerse site (14th October): please indicate in the registration form whether you will travel using your own transport or the J&J-arranged bus transfer. This information is required so we can arrange the correct number of buses.
Supporters and sponsors
The PhysChem Forum is very grateful to our host Johnson & Johnson and our sponsors for helping us run PCF2026 as a free-to-attend event.

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About the PhysChem Forum
We organise regular free-to-attend
meetings with a focus on PhysChem in drug development. Our goal is to generate
an environment for informed debate and discussion in a non-commercial setting
with excellent networking opportunities. We are supported by many
"BigPharma" and smaller pharmaceutical development companies through
the input of the PhysChem organising committee. To join our exciting
meetings please sign up to our e-mail list by dropping an e-mail to "mailshot@physchem.org.uk".
