Discovery Bites 2026Structural Biology in the Age of AI:
The Power of NMR Experimental Data for Smarter Drug Discovery
Get the highlights and slidesThis event has taken place. Registration is closed. The highlights from the talk and the slides will be available soon.
AI-driven drug discovery is only as powerful as the data behind it. This talk explores how NMR reveals unique molecular insights that remain inaccessible to other techniques.
A working lunch focused on structural biology, bringing together a small group of invited attendees for discussion and networking during Biotech Week Boston.
WhenTuesday, September 22
12 pm to 4 pm
12 pm to 4 pm
WhereNaumburg Room, Harvard Art Museums
32 Quincy Street, Cambridge
32 Quincy Street, Cambridge
WhoA select group of scientists and decision-makers involved in biomedical research
SpeakerAlessandro Piai, PhD MBA
Head of Structural Biology, IRBM
Head of Structural Biology, IRBM
Overview
In the age of AI, unique experimental data will be what makes the difference in novel predictions.
As AI and structure prediction tools continue to reshape drug discovery, NMR remains a uniquely powerful technique for revealing critical insights, providing a window into molecular behavior that no other method can match.
A working lunch for science and conversation, held during Biotech Week Boston.
Who is in the room
This room is built for
- +Research leaders with accountability for go/no-go decisions on lead and candidate series
- +Structural biologists and biophysicists prioritizing limited instrument time
- +CSOs, founders, and R&D executives determining whether structural work is mission-critical
Registration for this event is closed.
The speaker
Alessandro Piai, PhD MBA
Head of Structural Biology, IRBM
Alessandro leads the Structural Biology Unit at IRBM, where his team applies NMR spectroscopy to some of drug discovery’s most challenging targets.
Before joining IRBM, he trained at Harvard Medical School, one reason we felt Cambridge was the ideal setting for this conversation, and at the Center for Magnetic Resonance at the University of Florence, where he specialized in biomolecular NMR.
He spoke for around 45 minutes before opening the floor for questions. In fact, the conversation that followed is what we were really optimizing for.
The afternoon
12:00 pmArrival and lunch
1:00 pmPresentation
1:45 pmQ&A
2:00 pmNetworking
The origins
The inaugural Discovery Bites was held at MassBio in Boston in 2023. Licia Tomei, our former Director of Display Technology, explored display technologies for peptide and antibody discovery, offering a candid view of the advantages and limitations of phage display. Around 25 attendees took part in the discussion.The ideas and connections forged in that room are why Discovery Bites is still going today.
The venue
Photo: © President and Fellow of Harvard College; Caitlin Cunningham Photography.
A working lunch, held inside a museum.
Science and art are forever intertwined. What better setting than the Harvard Art Museums as a backdrop for fresh perspectives on your area of expertise.
Lunch and the seminar will take place in the Naumburg Room on the museum’s second floor. After the networking session, guests are welcome to explore the museum galleries at their leisure.
AddressNaumburg Room, Harvard Art Museums
32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Highlights and slides
Get the highlights and slides
Discovery Bites 2026 took place on September 22 at the Harvard Art Museums. Registration is now closed. The recorded highlights of the talk and the slides will be available shortly. Leave your details and we will send them to you as soon as they are ready.
Highlights video and slides, code DB26001
Who you choose as a discovery partner is one of the highest-stakes decisions a programme faces. This lunch is not about that decision. It is about a narrower one, made earlier, that quietly shapes it.
This event has taken place. Highlights and slides coming soon.Get the highlights