The 1st International Online Conference by "Antibodies"
The 1st International Online Conference by "Antibodies"
Therapeutic Antibodies: New Trends in Discovery, Developability and Characterization
Part of the International Online Conference on Antibodies series
Event's Timezone: Central European Summer Time
15 July 2025
11 August 2025
9 October 2025
Antibody Discovery, Antibody Engineering, Antibody Function, Antibody Therapeutics, Antibody Diagnostics, Humoral Immunity
IOCAB 2025 is open for submissions.
You can submit your abstract here. Register for FREE to IOCAB 2025, which will take place on 13-14 October 2025!
Please register here by 9 October 2025.
Welcome from the Chair
We are pleased to announce the 1st International Online Conference by Antibodies – Therapeutic Antibodies: New Trends in Discovery, Developability and Characterization, which will be held online on 13-14 October 2025 and promoted by the open access MDPI journal Antibodies (ISSN 2073-4468).
Discovered more than hundred years ago, antibodies have emerged as the most versatile and therapeutically effective class of biological drugs that we currently have. Since the approval of the first therapeutic antibody, muromonab-CD3, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1986, and also the subsequent approval of the first recombinant humanized antibody, trastuzumab, in 1998, the number of monoclonal (or recombinant) antibodies (mAbs) in clinical use has grown exponentially, currently accounting for more than half of the top ten drugs according to global sales.
However, apart from this impressive success, many questions remain with regard to biomedical drug discovery and biopharmaceutical development, while new modalities and mechanisms of action have come into focus.
The journal Antibodies was launched 10 years ago to promote both fundamental research on this class of immunoglobulin (Ig) proteins and their application for human therapy, diagnostics and beyond. Antibodies has flourished since then, thanks to the continued support of many gifted Authors and our dedicated Editorial Board Members. Now the time has come to disseminate and discuss the latest insights in this field in regard to the broader scientific community with our inaugural electronic conference on antibodies.
We invite researchers from academia as well as the biopharmaceutical and biotech industry to contribute original findings, novel ideas, scientific concepts, as well as new technologies and experiences to deal with the molecular mechanisms of antibody activity, including novel multivalent or multispecific formats and drug conjugates, their discovery, manufacturing, in vitro characterization, and pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties in laboratory animals up to early clinical development.
Topics of the conference will be:
- Antibody Discovery and Engineering;
- Antibody-based Therapeutics;
- Antibody-based Diagnostics;
- Humoral Immunity;
- Computational Antibody Engineering.
This conference will be organized as an online event in order to enable participation from all over the world, with no restrictions related to travel effort and expenditure. Furthermore, active participation and attendance in this online conference are free of charge. We extend our warmest welcome to you as Participants or Attendees of this virtual conference. We hope you can share this enthusiasm and help us to make this first Antibodies online conference a success.
With kind regards,
Professor Arne Skerra
School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Germany
Event Chair
School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Emil-Erlenmeyer-Forum 5, 85354 Freising (Weihenstephan), Germany
Following chemical studies at TU Darmstadt, Prof. Skerra obtained a doctorate at the Gene Centre of Munich’s Ludwig Maximilians University in 1989 and completed his lecturer qualification in biochemistry at the University of Frankfurt am Main in 1995. Before his appointment as full professor at TUM, he was professor of protein chemistry at TU Darmstadt from 1994 to 1998. Prof. Skerra is founder of Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PIRS) and XL-protein GmbH. In 2008, he was elected to the National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech). Prof. Skerra engages research in the field of protein engineering and design. The focus of his work is on the construction of artificial binding proteins and enzymes with novel, tailored functions, in particular for applications in medical and industrial biotechnology. Rational and combinatorial research approaches are pursued in tandem with protein biochemical and spectroscopic methods as well as protein crystallographic analyses. Several technologies from his laboratory have entered commercialization: Strep-tag®, Anticalin® proteins and PASylation®.
Keynote Speakers
Session 2. Antibody-based Therapeutics
Stefan Dübel is Full Professor of Biotechnology and Director of the corresponding department at the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany. He also heads the technology transfer office "Center for Molecular Engineering" at iTUBSmbH and works as a consultant for biotech/pharmaceutical companies and US/EU government institutions. His research topics are Antibody Engineering, Phage Display, Animal-Free Antibody Generation, Anti-Cancer-Antibodies, Intrabodies, in vitro Evolution, Synthetic Biology, Biosensors, Hyperphage, SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies.
Clemens Schöpf-Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
Session 1. Antibody Discovery and Engineering
Harald Kolmar is full professor of Biochemistry at the Technische Universität Darmstadt. His current scientific interests mainly focus on protein engineering and design, nanobiotechnology, antibody engineering, chemical biology and development of tailor-made peptides and miniproteins for applications in diagnostics and therapy. His research interests are Peptides, Protein Engineering, Biochemistry, Protein Expression, Biotechnology, Proteins and Recombinant Fusion Proteins.
Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Zurich, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
Session 2. Antibody-based Therapeutics
Dr. Christian Klein is Distinguished Scientist and Department Head Cancer Immunotherapy Discovery at the Roche Innovation Center Zurich, specialized in the discovery, validation and preclinical development of antibody-based cancer immunotherapies and bispecific antibodies. During his 16 years at Roche he has made major contributions to the development and approval of obinutuzumab, the preclinical development of currently nine clinical stage bispecific antibodies/antibody fusion proteins, and the development of Roche’s proprietary bispecific antibody platforms e.g. the CrossMAb technology and immunocytokine and T-cell bispecific antibody platforms. 2017 he completed his habilitation in biochemistry at the Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich and acts as external lecturer there.
Session 3. Antibody-based Diagnostics
I obtained a MSc degree in Molecular Biology in 1997 and a PhD degree in Applied Biological Sciences in 2004, both at the Free University Brussels, working on cancer genetics and investigating the interaction between cancer cells and tumor-infiltrating macrophages. After my PhD, in 2004-2005, I joined a team at the USA National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland to study ovarian cancer genetics. I returned to the Free University Brussels to fulfill a number of postdoc positions, at first continuing my research on cancer genetics and the interplay between cancer cells and their microenvironment. During these studies I got acquainted with antibody engineering and became skilled in the art of nanobody technology. From 2007 on I started to apply nanobodies as tracers for molecular imaging. Currently I'm a full professor heading a team at the Free University Brussels applying nanobodies as vehicles for imaging and therapy in the fields of oncology, inflammation and cardiovascular diseases.
Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
S5. Computational Antibody Engineering
Sai Reddy is an Associate Professor of Systems and Synthetic Immunology at ETH Zurich in the Department of Biosystems Science & Engineering (D-BSSE, Basel, Switzerland). He is the principal investigator of the Laboratory for Systems and Synthetic Immunology. Systems immunology uses quantitative measurements, computational biology and machine learning to describe and understand the complexity of the immune system. His group has developed a number of methods in systems immunology to greater understand adaptive immunity, in particular with a focus on antibody repertoire sequencing and analysis. Synthetic immunology is based on using methods in molecular and cellular engineering to control immune cell function and behavior. His group has established methods to reprogram immune cells for applications in directed evolution and cellular immunotherapy, with an emphasis on engineering the immunogenome.
S5. Computational Antibody Engineering
Dr Pietro Sormanni is a group leader supported by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. His research focuses on the development of innovative data-driven technologies of rational antibody design, to obtain antibodies against targets that have been challenging to access using conventional approaches, and to improve or predict biophysical properties crucial for the successful development of antibody therapeutics. In his work he has established numerous collaborations and industrial partnerships, whose outcomes are beginning to demonstrate that computational approaches can be applied alongside established procedures to streamline antibody development, and to offer time- and cost-effective novel alternatives. Prior to taking up this post, Pietro held a postdoctoral Borysiewicz Biomedical Sciences Fellowship from the University of Cambridge, obtained a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge, and an MSc in Theoretical Physics from the University of Milan.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, USA
S1. Antibody Discovery & Engineering
Shohei Koide, Ph.D. is a synthetic protein scientist. His research integrates mechanistic biochemistry and directed evolution to create highly functional but still simple proteins. He is the inventor of the FN3 Monobody technology, and has made important contribution to synthetic antibody technologies. He has pioneered many applications of synthetic binding proteins to biology, chemistry and medicine. Previously he was Professor at University of Chicago and at University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He is an elected fellow of the AAAS and the National Academy of Inventors. He is a co-founder of Aethon Therapeutics.
Institute of Pharmacology of Natural Products & Clinical Pharmacology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
S4. Humoral Immunity
Dr. Christoph Schmidt is a private lecturer and head of a working group at the Institute for Naturopathy and Clinical Pharmacology at the University Hospital of Ulm. He is a qualified pharmacist and studied pharmacy at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. He received his doctorate from the University of Edinburgh (Edinburgh, UK) in 2009 for his work on protein biochemistry and structural biology, which dealt with complement regulators. Before coming to the University of Ulm, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, USA) on complement mechanisms and research into new methods of complement inhibition. He is continuing to expand these research areas, which increasingly include protein engineering, in Ulm. Dr. Schmidt is an active member of the German Pharmaceutical Society (DPHG), the International Complement Society (ICS) and an elected board member of the pan-European scientific association European Complement Network (ECN).
Invited Speakers
Thomas Böldicke currently works at the Structural and Functional Protein Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research. Thomas does research in Biotechnology and Cell Biology. Their current project is 'Antibody Engineering and functional inhibition of intracellular antigens'. His research interests are Biotechnology, Monoclonal Antibodies, Molecular Cloning, Genetic Engineering, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology and Immunoassay.
Department of Neurology, Greifswald University Medicine, Greifswald, Germany
I received my MD from the University of Bari in 2009. There I practiced as a physician in the Neurophysiopathology Unit and did biomedical research, with a particular focus on multiple sclerosis. In 2012 I joined the Brain Language Lab and started my Ph.D. in Neuroscience of Language. My research deals with clinical, physiological and molecular aspects of brain (dis)function ranging across neuroepidemiology, neuropharmacology, immunology, and - more recently - neurophysiology and cognitive neuroscience. Current research interests: syntactic and semantic processing in auditory language perception, aphasia and language impairments and electroencephalography (EEG) and event related potentials (ERPs).
Event Committee
Department of Microbiology & Immunology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Texas, USA
Registration
Instructions for Authors
Important Deadlines
- Deadline for abstract submission: 15 July 2025.
- Announcement of oral and poster abstract results: 11 August 2025. You will be notified of the acceptance of an oral/poster presentation in a separate email.
Certificates of Participation are available in your logged-in area of Sciforum.net, under “My Certificates” after the conference.
1. The abstract structure should include the introduction, methods, results, and conclusions sections of about 200–300 words in length.
2. All abstracts should be submitted and presented in clear, publication-ready English with accurate grammar and spelling.
3. You may submit multiple abstracts. However, only one abstract will be selected for oral presentation.
Detailed Requirements:
1. The submitting author must ensure that all co-authors are aware of the contents of the abstract.
2. Please select only one presenter for each submission. If you would like to change the presenter after submission, please email us accordingly.
Note: We only accept live presentations.
The slot for the oral presentation is 15 mins. We advise that your presentation lasts for a maximum of 12 mins, leaving at least 3 mins for the Q&A session. Authors are encouraged to prepare a presentation in PowerPoint or similar software, to be displayed online along with the abstract. Slides, if available, will be displayed directly on the website using the proprietary slide viewer at Sciforum.net. Slides can be prepared in exactly the same way as for any traditional conference where research results are presented. Slides should be converted to PDF format prior to submission so that they can be converted for online display.
- Poster should include the title, authors, contact details and main research findings, as well as tables, figures and graphs where necessary.
- File format: PDF (.pdf).
- Size in pixel: 1080 width x 1536 height–portrait orientation.
- Size in cm: 38,1 width x 54,2 height–portrait orientation.
- Font size: ≥16.Examples of successful submissions can be viewed here at the following links: (1), (2), (3).
You can use our free template to create your poster. The poster template can be downloaded HERE.
Authors who wish to present a poster are invited to send it to the conference email at iocab2025@mdpi.com. All posters will be permanently exhibited online in the Poster Gallery.
It is the author's responsibility to identify and declare any personal circumstances or interests that may be perceived as inappropriately influencing the representation or interpretation of clinical research. If there is no conflict, please state "The authors declare no conflicts of interest." This should be conveyed in a separate "Conflict of Interest" statement preceding the "Acknowledgments" and "References" sections at the end of the manuscript. Any financial support for the study must be fully disclosed in the "Acknowledgments" section.
MDPI, the publisher of the Sciforum.net platform, is an open access publisher. We believe authors should retain the copyright to their scholarly works. Hence, by submitting an abstract to this conference, you retain the copyright to the work, but you grant MDPI the non-exclusive right to publish this abstract online on the Sciforum.net platform. This means you can easily submit your full paper (with the abstract) to any scientific journal at a later stage and transfer the copyright to its publisher if required.
Publication Opportunities
Participants in this conference are cordially invited to contribute a full manuscript to the conference's Special Issue (will be announced soon), published in Antibodies (ISSN 2073-4468, Impact Factor 3.0). Please note that no other discounts are applicable. All submitted papers will undergo MDPI’s standard peer-review procedure. The abstracts should be cited and noted on the first page of the paper.
All accepted abstracts will be published in the conference report of The 1st International Online Conference on Antibodies in journal Medical Sciences Forum (ISSN: 2673-9992); if you wish to publish an extended proceeding paper (4-8 pages), please submit it to the same journal after the conference. There will be no additional fees.
Proceedings submission deadline: 24 November 2025.
Manuscripts for the proceedings issue must be formatted as follows:
Title;
Full author names;
Affiliations (including full postal address) and authors' e-mail addresses;
Abstract;
Keywords;
Introduction;
Methods;
Results and Discussion;
Conclusions;
Acknowledgements;
References.
IOCAB 2025 Proceeding Paper Template
Event Awards
The Awards
Number of Awards Available: 6
The Best Poster Awards are given to the submission judged to make the most significant and interesting poster for the conference.
Sponsors and Partners
For information regarding sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, please click here.
Organizers
Media Partners
Conference Secretariat
Ms. Amy Xie
Ms. Theodora Felegean
Email: iocab2025@mdpi.com
For inquiries regarding submissions and sponsorship opportunities, please feel free to contact us.
