Discovery on Target (DOT) 2019

If you’re among one of the many business development teams within the pharma or biotech industries, and frequently attend conferences, workshops and seminars, there’s a good chance that you’ve visited the city of Boston. With well over 200 conferences held annually in Boston, it’s considered one of the best locations for the gathering of scientific communities all under one roof. One of the biggest conferences on the list that you should be attending is Discovery on Target (DOT) 2019, the industry’s leading event on novel drug targets and technologies. 

The 17th Annual Discovery on Target (DOT) will bring together over 1,300 drug discovery professionals in Boston on September 16th - 19th, 2019 at the Westin Copley Place Hotel & Convention Venue. This event highlights advances in current and emerging targets and technologies, as well as target validation strategies for the discovery and development of novel therapeutic agents, ranging from small molecules to biologics. Attendees can customize their experience at the event by choosing from 14 conference programs, plus focused training seminars, comprehensive short courses, moderated roundtables and networking functions to meet their own research needs and those of their organizations.

For such large scale events as DOT 2019, it can quickly become overwhelming for a team of company attendees, particularly if limited in size. With so much potential ground to cover, making the most of your time and investment is key, so we’ve put a few tips together for planning out your time in Boston:

Know the area and activities

DOT 2019 is organized by Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI), a renowned life science network of events for leading researchers and business experts from top pharmaceutical, biotech and academic organizations. CHI is always on the cutting edge of technology, and  additions to this conference for 2019 include new programming dedicated to PROTACs and their applications, drugs and targets in fibrosis, novel immuno-oncology targets, RNA as an emerging target for small molecule drugs, along with expanded coverage of protein engineering and novel biotherapeutics.   

This event has so many different activities it will be difficult to keep track of everything without the proper planning before the conference. The main focus of DOT 2019 are the 15 conference programs, plus training seminars, short courses, roundtables discussions and networking functions. Your team will have the ability to choose of the programs, or tracks, and tailor your experience around a particular area of research, such as Target Identification and Validation, or GPCR-Based Drug Discovery. For an overview of the conference activities and features, be sure to check the DOT 2019 website for the current agenda. Alternatively, you can also download a PDF version of the agenda by filling out this form on their website.  

There are multiple levels of packages available that you and your team can choose when registering, including the premium package with 2 short courses and 2 conferences/training seminars. The standard package includes 2 conferences/training seminars but excludes the short courses. There is also a single conference package that includes only 1 conference/training seminar, and is a good option for teams focused on just one area of research. Attendees will also receive a hard-copy handbook of the seminars chosen during registration. If you’re interested in attending and want to know more about the programs, check out the DOT 2019 programs for more details. The CHI event organizer encourages attendees to gain further exposure by presenting their work and viewing the countless research topics in the poster section of the venue. Check out the current list of poster titles here for more information.   

There are a ton of features that you will have access to during the 4-day event, including:

• Over 1,300 drug discovery technology and business attendees 

• Over 100 poster presentations 

• Over 80 exhibiting and sponsoring companies 

• Emerging “hot” targets and technologies for the discovery of novel therapeutics

• Expanded coverage of biologics

• Customizable experience allowing “track-hopping” between concurrent programs
  

Identify the right companies to meet

There will be dozens of ways to interact and engage with companies at DOT 2019. In addition to visiting exhibit booths and catching meetings, you will be able to attend multiple instructional functions through the various programs, seminars, short courses, and poster sessions. Another great way to prepare for the exhibition hall is to explore the exhibitor list and interactive floorplan. Afterwards you will have access to a huge amount of new educational information across 15 tracks covering essentially all of the current areas of research regarding novel targets and technologies.

One of the best ways to identify the right companies to meet during DOT 2019 will actually happen before you arrive in Boston! After registering your team and obtaining the event code, you will gain access to the DOT Networking App, powered by Brella, which allows you to quickly find and connect with attendees who have similar interests and goals, and pre-schedule meetings before the event. Please visit the 1-on-1 Networking App webpage for more information.

Find out who’s going

September 16th will kick off the conference with open registration, followed by the introductory panel of pre-conference short courses. Tuesday, September 17th will begin with the first sessions of programs/tracks and end with one training seminar. Wednesday, September 18th will be the most active day of the conference beginning with the next sessions of the programs/tracks and the plenary keynote program around noon, followed by more program sessions along with 3 training seminars. Wednesday will then wrap up with 3 dinner short courses as well. On the final day, Thursday, September 19th, there will be the remaining sessions of the programs, as well as two more training seminars. Overall, this conference will be a very intensive learning experience, and you will have the chance to break from the educational part and explore the exhibits, posters and meet one-on-one with attendees and companies, so it’s super important to plan out this event ahead of time.  

Besides the official 2019 agenda and downloadable brochure, you can also check out the agenda at a glance. The agenda at a glance PDF is a very good overview of what programs, short courses, training seminars and speaker sessions will be on each particular day of the conference, so be sure to check that link out if you’re interested in attending. Another good way to determine if your team should visit the show is by reviewing the full attendee list of companies, and you will have the ability to find out what companies are currently going to be attending and exhibiting at DOT 2019. 

Footwear and attire  

This point is really worth mentioning, and since exploring the DOT venue can be such a lengthy task, please make sure to wear your most comfortable footwear and attire in order to stay cool during the activities and programs! You’ll want to be at peak endurance during this 4-day event, so be sure to drink plenty of water, and don’t miss out on any important exhibits, sessions, and most of all, meetings!

Meet up with Zymewire

While we may not be attending DOT 2019 this year, we’d still like to hear from you! Let us know about your experiences, and how your company preps for events to maximize ROI. If you would like to learn more about how teams at service providers around the world are getting more face to face meetings with the right prospects, reach out for a demo today!