Biomolecules Webinar | AI-Driven Drug Discovery: Opportunities and Challenges in Molecular Research — 2nd Edition
the chair
12th Biomolecules Webinar
AI-Driven Drug Discovery: Opportunities and Challenges in Molecular Research — 2nd Edition
It is my great pleasure to present our webinar, “AI-Driven Drug Discovery: Opportunities and Challenges in Molecular Research.” In recent years, artificial intelligence has rapidly transformed the landscape of molecular science, opening new avenues for understanding complex biological systems and accelerating the discovery of novel therapeutics. Today’s talks will showcase cutting-edge computational approaches, with a particular focus on AI-guided peptide design and the exploration of generative AI for molecular design. I am delighted to host our distinguished speakers and to engage in what I am sure will be a stimulating and insightful discussion. I would also like to thank all participants for joining us, and I look forward to an interactive session, which will include a Q&A at the end.
Date: 15 October 2026
Time: 15:00 CEST | 9:00 EDT | 21:00 CST Asia
Webinar ID: 885 6811 7297
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Meet Our Chair
Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Italy;Carmen Di Giovanni is a research technologist, expert in molecular modeling and computational approaches for drug discovery, with a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences. She works at the Department of Pharmacy of the University of Naples Federico II, where her research focuses on the design and optimization of novel therapeutic compounds targeting infertility, cancer, metabolic diseases. She has strong expertise in structure- and ligand-based drug design, molecular dynamics simulations, and ADME prediction, integrating computational and experimental strategies to elucidate biomolecular mechanisms and support the development of innovative therapies. She is the author of 39 peer-reviewed publications in leading scientific journals and actively collaborates in multidisciplinary national and international research projects, contributing to advancements at the interface of computational pharmacology and experimental science.
Meet Our Speakers
Prof. Ashkan Golshani
Department of Biology, Carleton University and Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Canada;Designed Biologics Inc. Toronto, Canada;Dr. Ashkan Golshani is a Full Professor and Director of the Systems Biology Group at Carleton University, a Principal Investigator in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa, and co-founder of Designed Biologics Inc., an AI-assisted peptide therapeutics and diagnostics research and development company. His research integrates systems biology, artificial intelligence, and peptide engineering to develop new approaches for studying, diagnosing, and treating human disease. In 2008, he led a team that computationally predicted the first protein interaction map of a cell, and in 2020 his laboratory developed a pioneering series of peptides capable of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2. He has also contributed to the characterization and naming of more than a dozen previously orphan genes. Dr. Golshani’s current work focuses on AI-guided peptide discovery and the translation of computational and systems-level insights into practical therapeutic and diagnostic applications.
Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Italy;Pietro Delre is a researcher at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Italy. His research focuses on AI-driven drug discovery, with particular interest in predictive and generative modeling, molecular docking and molecular dynamics, and the integration of computational approaches with experimental validation. His research interests also extend to RNA therapeutics and nuclear receptor modulation.
