Peptone convenes Advisory Board meeting with pharmaceutical and biomedical research experts in London
Peptone brought its scientific advisors together in London to review findings, guide its small molecule programs, and assess new intrinsically disordered protein targets
LONDON, June 26, 2025. Peptone convened its first-half Advisory Board meeting in London, bringing together pharmaceutical and biomedical research experts to discuss findings and provide strategic guidance for the company’s small molecule programs targeting intrinsically disordered proteins, or IDPs. The group also assessed new IDP targets for potential therapeutic intervention.
“We are at an inflection point for AI and tech to deliver developable chemical matter against high-value, difficult-to-drug targets. The shared expertise of our advisors is instrumental to Peptone’s ability to highlight priorities, identify opportunities, and leverage our capabilities,” said founder Dr. Kamil Tamiola. “We strongly believe that structural insights will pave the way to first-in-class drugs.”
A structural view of disordered proteins
Conventional structure-based drug design relies on a fixed protein structure, yet many important disease-causing proteins lack one. Peptone starts by studying the structural dynamics of IDPs through a bespoke, physics-based approach. The resulting insights are intended to support the rapid identification of diverse chemical matter against biologically validated targets that affect IDP function.
Prof. Rahul Aggarwal, Peptone Scientific Advisor for Clinical Oncology, highlighted the need for more effective treatments for new and refractory prostate cancer patients. He said that clinical guidance can help shape Peptone’s pipeline as the company investigates IDPs across a broad therapeutic landscape.
Peptone’s scientific advisors
The company’s ongoing scientific advisors include:
- Dr. Peter Kiener, Non-Executive Director and Chair of Peptone’s Scientific Advisory Board; Venture Partner, ICG Life Science Team
- Prof. Rahul Aggarwal, Advisor for Clinical Oncology; Associate Director for Clinical Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Prof. Andrea Alimonti, Scientific Advisor for Clinical Oncology; Director, Institute of Oncology Research, Bellinzona
- Prof. Johann de Bono, Scientific Advisor for Clinical Oncology; Regius Professor of Cancer Research, Head of the Division of Clinical Studies, and Director of the Drug Development Unit at The Institute of Cancer Research, London
- Prof. Kresten Lindorff-Larsen, Scientific Advisor for Protein Biophysics; Professor of Computational Protein Biophysics, University of Copenhagen
- Prof. Marc Mansour, Scientific Advisor for Clinical Oncology; Honorary Consultant Hematologist, University College London Cancer Institute
- Dr. Jonathan Phillips, Scientific Advisor for Experimental Biophysics; Senior Research Fellow in Protein Choreography, Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter
- Dr. Milind Deshpande, Scientific Advisor for Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery; Venture Partner, RA Capital, and President and CEO, Nayan Therapeutics
- Prof. Gerard Evan, Scientific Advisor for Oncology Research; Principal Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute and Professor of Cancer Biology at King’s College London
- Dr. Christopher Roberts, Scientific Advisor for Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery; Acting President, Reactive Biosciences
- Dr. Robert Stein, Advisor; Venture Partner, Samsara BioCapital
- Dr. Clive Wood, Advisor; Venture Partner, OrbiMed
- Dr. David Blakey, Advisor; Chief Scientific Officer, FasT Biopharma