Our PhDs on the road

Our PhD candidate Yunzhan Ning (Pharmaceutical Sciences) attended the European Conference on Allostery in Drug Discovery in Athens, Greece.

Read more about his experience!

  • Period of stay: 7 to 11 April 2025

 

Report

In April 2025, I had the great opportunity to attend the European Conference on Allostery in Drug Discovery, held in Athens. I’m deeply grateful for the support of the VDS-PhaNuSpo at the University of Vienna, which made it possible for me to participate in this inspiring and academically enriching event.

During the conference, I presented a poster entitled “Allosteric Inhibition of Langerin: Exploring Calcium-Dependent and Calcium-Independent Mechanisms”, which is part of my ongoing doctoral research. Sharing my work with leading experts in the field and receiving direct feedback was an invaluable experience. The discussions that followed my presentation offered new perspectives and helped refine my understanding of allosteric modulation in drug discovery.

The conference featured a wide range of talks on novel approaches in allosteric drug design, including computational techniques, fragment-based discovery, and biophysical methods. These sessions were especially relevant to my research and provided a wealth of insights that will influence my future work. I also had the opportunity to meet several potential collaborators.

Beyond the scientific programme, the conference offered a welcoming and collegial atmosphere that fostered meaningful exchange and networking. I was particularly inspired by the interactions with other young scientists and the broader discussions on the impact of allostery in drug discovery.

I would like to sincerely thank my supervisor Univ.-Prof. Rademacher and the VDS-PhaNuSpo for their continued support, which made it possible for me to take part in this important event. Attending the conference was not only a valuable academic experience but also a motivating step in shaping my future career in pharmaceutical sciences.

a dark haired man with glasses and a blond girl standing in front of the poster

Yunzhan Ning with colaborator

a group picture

Group picture - Yunzhan Ning is on the left

Photo of Athens

Athens