Keynote speakers announced for Therapeutic Oligonucleotides 2025

The upcoming Therapeutic Oligonucleotides 2025 conference, hosted by ELRIG, will take place at AstraZeneca’s R&D site in Gothenburg, Sweden, from 14–15 May. This year’s event, focused on ‘drugging the undruggable’, will be led by keynote speakers Professor Rory Johnson, University College Dublin, and Dr Shalini Andersson, Vice President of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics at AstraZeneca.

The conference will bring together leading scientists from academia and industry to explore advances in oligonucleotide-based drug discovery, including antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and small interfering RNA (siRNA). Attendees will discuss target identification, safety and efficacy improvements, and the use of targeted delivery approaches. The program will feature poster presentations, networking sessions, a vendor exhibition, and an AstraZeneca R&D site tour, along with a poster award for early-career researchers.

Professor Rory Johnson specialises in the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in human health and disease. His research integrates bioinformatics and experimental methods, and he has contributed to foundational lncRNA gene annotations through work with the GENCODE consortium. His team has developed CRISPR-Cas and cancer-driver screening approaches to identify oncogenic lncRNAs as potential therapeutic targets. His keynote address will focus on ‘Genomics-powered lncRNA therapeutics for oncology’.

Dr Shalini Andersson leads AstraZeneca’s nucleic acid therapeutics strategy and has extensive experience in drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics, and lead optimisation. She plays a key role in AstraZeneca’s collaborations with Ionis Pharma, Silence Therapeutics, and JCR Pharmaceuticals. Her keynote will explore ‘Developing nucleic acids into therapeutics and enabling expansion of target space using targeted delivery’.

The event aims to build on the success of the inaugural Therapeutic Oligonucleotides meeting by fostering collaboration across disciplines to advance oligonucleotide therapeutics towards clinical application. 

More information online