Produced by C&EN Webinars

Advancing CNS Drug Development: Integrated Strategies Across Discovery, DMPK, and Non-Clinical Safety

DATE

September 16, 2026

TIME

08:00 a.m. PT | 11:00 a.m. ET | 4:00 p.m. UK

Overview

Central nervous system (CNS) drug development remains one of the most challenging areas in biopharmaceutical research, with historically high rates of clinical attrition often driven by limitations in target validation, brain exposure, delivery strategies, safety assessment, and translational predictability.

As CNS research expands toward increasingly complex targets and emerging therapeutic modalities, integrated preclinical strategies have become essential for informing candidate selection and development decisions.

This webinar will feature perspectives from experts in CNS discovery, translational pharmacology, DMPK, and non-clinical safety assessment. Attendees will learn how these approaches can support target validation, characterize brain exposure and distribution, and strengthen translational understanding from early discovery through IND-enabling studies.

Key Learning Objectives:

Understand current approaches to CNS target validation and translational pharmacology.
Learn strategies for evaluating brain exposure, blood-brain barrier penetration, and translational PK/PD relationships.
Explore key considerations in the non-clinical safety assessment of CNS therapeutics and emerging modalities.
Understand how integrated preclinical data can inform candidate selection and development decisions.

Who Should Attend:

Neuroscientists and CNS drug discovery researchers
Translational scientists and pharmacologists
DMPK, ADME, and PK/PD scientists
Toxicologists, safety pharmacologists, and non-clinical development scientists
Preclinical and translational program leaders involved in CNS therapeutic development

Sponsored by:

Speakers

Mengnan Tian, Ph.D.
Senior Director, Head of In Vitro Neuropharmacology,
WuXi AppTec

Ying Zhou
Study Director of DMPK,
WuXi AppTec

Rui Wu, MD, MSc, ERT.
Director and Study Director of Safety Pharmacology,
WuXi AppTec

Sara Kobilka
Contributing Editor,
ACS Media Group

Registration

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What stage of development is your current or upcoming CNS program in?*

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BBB penetration and brain exposure evaluation

Translational pharmacology and reliable disease models

DMPK and PK/PD translational predictability

Non-clinical safety assessment & toxicology

Delivery strategies for emerging modalities

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