Before the First Molecule: Making Better Target and Modality Decisions

Dr. Alessandro Carugo joined IRBM S.p.A. as Director of Oncology in January 2022. Prior to IRBM, he was with the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, where he worked since 2013. During his tenure at MDACC, Alessandro led a team of drug hunters to identify novel oncology targets, innovative drug discovery platforms and multiple therapeutic agents that are currently in clinical development for rare and neglected tumors. Application of these platforms at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, enabled the rapid identification of several novel patient-centric targets for neglected tumor indications (PILOT platform), the accurate validation of numerous promising hits and leads in selected compendia of next-gen cancer models (EVO platform), and a deeper assessment of efficacy for compounds of interest and pre-clinical candidates in patient-mimicking animal models (SOMATIC platform). Alessandro has several years of cancer research experience in renowned Pharma and Academic organizations, such as Nerviano Medical Sciences S.R.L. and the European Institute of Oncology, where he contributed to the discovery of disruptive therapeutic solutions in precision Oncology. He holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Oncology from the European School of Molecular Medicine (SEMM), and a M.S. (Hons) in Medical Biotechnology from the University of Milan-Bicocca in Italy. Alessandro is the author of more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific publications, invited reviewer for high-impact journals and speaker at national and international meetings.

Lauren got her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University in Biomedical Engineering, and went on to the University of Pittsburgh for her PhD.  She joined AstraZeneca in the UK as a postdoc and progressed through a series of positions including Associate Principal Scientist and Project Leader during her time with AstraZeneca in Sweden.  Lauren joined UCB in 2017 and became Head of U.S. Research in Patient Solutions in 2025. Since joining the company, she has held several leadership roles across research, including leading global teams and critical projects, overseeing the integration of Element Genomics following its acquisition, and building new biology focus areas to strengthen UCB’s innovation engine. She now also leads the digital strategy for Patient Solutions, helping position UCB’s research and early development organizations for long-term success in an increasingly data- and technology-driven environment.

In her current role, Lauren is responsible for leading all groups within U.S. Research across four research sites, including neuromuscular biology, in vitro pharmacology, data science and bioinformatics, protein sciences, structural biology, translational biology, macrocycles, the gene therapy vector core, genomics, and research operations. She drives a portfolio of drug discovery programs while shaping a long-term vision for UCB’s geographic research footprint in the United States. As a member of the research and early development leadership team, Lauren contributes to the development and sustainability of UCB’s internal portfolio strategy, including organic and inorganic growth opportunities and asset maximization. She also helps guide strategic investments in platform capabilities and plays a central role in evolving the organization and its talent to deliver long-term growth in a rapidly changing external environment.

Dr. Gopi Shanker is the Chief Scientific Officer of Beam Therapeutics. Dr. Shanker has over 25 years of broad drug discovery experience and has contributed to the development of several medicines. He has a strong background across multiple therapeutic areas as well as multiple drug modalities and is passionate about reducing human suffering through the development of effective medicines. 

Dr. Shanker holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, a M.Sc in Biotechnology from Madurai Kamaraj University, India, and a B.Sc in Microbiology from Osmania University, India. Dr. Shanker’s early career in drug development spans successful biotech and pharma organizations like Regeneron, Amgen and Novartis. During his tenure at Novartis, he held multiple key leadership roles including Head of Neuroscience Disease Area, Head of Psychiatry and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, and Head, Ion Channels and Receptors. He served as the Chief Scientific Officer at Tevard Biosciences before joining Beam therapeutics in 2023.