CONFERENCE REPORT
«Dutch Peptide Symposium 2025»
Nijmegen, Netherlands , 6 June 2025.
The Dutch Peptide Symposium was successfully held at Radboud University in Nijmegen on June 6, 2025. Despite logistical challenges posed by a national train strike, the symposium attracted over 140 participants from all over Europe, showcasing the resilience and enthusiasm within the peptide research community.
Organized by Kevin Neumann, Dennis Löwik, and Mathijs Mabesoone, the symposium aimed for scientific exchange and collaboration among researchers from both academia and industry. The event featured a line-up of invited international speakers, covering diverse topics in peptide chemistry ranging from synthesis and biochemistry to materials science and the origins of life.
Keynote lectures highlighted cutting-edge research, with Dave Adams (University of Glasgow) discussing functionalized dipeptides for adaptive supramolecular materials, and Beat Fierz (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) presenting insights into chromatin structure regulation. Franziska Thomas (Universität Heidelberg) presented innovative miniprotein design strategies, and Moran Frenkel-Pinter (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) explored peptide assembly implications for the origins of life.
The symposium also featured industry presentations by Stefan Riedl (Iris Biotech) on innovative tools in peptide synthesis, and Mariana Damian (Biotage) on high-throughput synthetic platforms for accelerating drug discovery. Research presented during the symposium addressed contemporary challenges and innovations, including potent dual-mode SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors, selective peptide ubiquitination methods, synthetic macrocycle screening technologies, and novel photocatalytic approaches for amino acid modification.
The event was sponsored by Enzytag, Biosynth, BioSPX, ChemBioChem, Iris Biotech, and Biotage and ChemBioChem. The latter sponsored the poster awards, that allowed junior researchers to highlight their research through a vibrant poster session.
Participants enjoyed cakes traditionally provided by Sjonni from 4MedChem, adding a festive atmosphere during networking and community building. The symposium provided ample to have meaningful discussion and look for collaborations.
In conclusion, the Dutch Peptide Symposium successfully brought together leading experts and young scientists, promoting significant exchanges of knowledge and collaborative opportunities. The event has again shown to be a key platform for peptide research innovation in the Netherlands and we are looking forward to the next edition of the Dutch Peptide Symposium.
