Event preview of TIDES Europe 2026
Nucleic Acid Insights 2026; 3(7)
DOI: 10.18609/nai.2026.068
As oligonucleotide and peptide therapeutics move from established modalities toward broader clinical and commercial reach, Nucleic Acid Insights turns its attention to TIDES Europe 2026, taking place at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center, 3–5 November 2026. Convening more than 900 attendees and over 115 speakers from Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, and beyond, the meeting spans oligonucleotide and peptide CMC; mRNA therapeutics and genome editing; macromolecular drug delivery; and the path from discovery to clinical development. New for 2026 are keynotes from GLP-1 leaders, workshops on CMC scale-up and cost optimization, emerging European biotech presentations, and a post-event Obesity Science & Innovation symposium on 6 November. This preview highlights the key sessions, speakers, and themes shaping the meeting.
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New concepts in nucleic acid chemistry and oligonucleotide manufacturing
On the oligonucleotide track, Claudia Höbartner (Professor of Organic Chemistry, University of Würzburg) will deliver a keynote on new concepts in nucleic acid chemistry and their applications for therapeutics development. Turning to supply, Nour Eddine Fahmi (Director of Chemistry, Eli Lilly and Company) will examine how next-generation platforms and manufacturing strategy can make high-volume oligonucleotide production a reality. Delivery remains a central constraint, and Afaf El-Sagheer (Assistant Professor, University of Southampton) will present work on neutral backbones and dendrons for enhanced oligonucleotide delivery. Her session will describe how charge-neutral chemistries such as oxyamide, sulfamate, and sulfamide, combined with phosphorothioate and locked nucleic acid modifications, can improve gymnotic (naked) cellular uptake while conferring high resistance to enzymatic degradation and strong affinity for complementary RNA.
Next-generation GLP-1 therapeutics and peptide manufacturing at scale
The peptide program is anchored in metabolic disease. Jacob Challand Kofoed (Scientific Director of Peptide Research, Novo Nordisk) will trace the scientific and technological path of GLP-1 therapies from first-generation peptides such as liraglutide to long-acting analogues including semaglutide, with a focus on extending dosing intervals and enabling oral peptide delivery. Michael Kopach (Associate Vice President of Synthetic Molecule Design and Development, Eli Lilly and Company) will present the CMC story behind retatrutide, a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, GLP-1, and glucagon receptor agonist evaluated across the Phase 3 TRIUMPH program and the TRANSCEND-T2D program in type 2 diabetes. His keynote will detail the convergent liquid-phase peptide synthesis platform and an ICH Q11-grounded starting material framework underpinning commercial-scale supply. Complementing these accounts, Federico Di Chiaro (Senior CMC Project Manager, Zealand Pharma) will describe end-to-end process development for dapiglutide, where manufacturing optimization raised overall yield from approximately 20% to more than 60%.
TIDES Europe 2026 offers developers a cross-disciplinary view of how oligonucleotide and peptide therapeutics are progressing from discovery toward scalable, commercially viable production, spanning chemistry, delivery, manufacturing, and CMC.
As a reader of Nucleic Acid Insights, you’re entitled to a 10% discount on delegate tickets, using the code NAI10. You can find out more about TIDES Europe 2026 here.
Additionally, to find out what other nucleic acid events are upcoming, you can find our online Events Calendar here.