Our Plenary Speakers
Dr. Aleksandra Holownia
Invited Talk: Development of a Scalable Route for ABBV-576 Leveraging Multiple Process Technologies
An exploration of routes suitable for late stage and commercial manufacturing was conducted to address several challenges identified in the enabling route of ABBV-576. Through this endeavor, the synthesis of ABBV-576 was reimagined to provide an innovative route to the API with improved diastereocontrol, overall yield and robustness. The feasibility of the process was successfully demonstrated on pilot plant scale.
Biography
Aleksandra is a Senior Scientist II at AbbVie, where she plays a key role in advancing the company’s research and development pipeline across multiple stages of drug development. She earned her PhD from the University of Toronto, conducting her doctoral research in the laboratory of Professor Andrei Yudin. During her PhD studies, Aleksandra further broadened her expertise as a visiting scholar in Professor Vy Dong’s laboratory at UC Irvine. Since joining AbbVie in 2020, Aleksandra has leveraged her scientific background to make meaningful contributions to projects ranging from discovery support to late-stage development. In addition to her work at AbbVie, Aleksandra serves as a Member-at-Large on the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Executive Committee.
Prof. Steven Bloom
Invited Talk: New Strategies for Peptide Medicinal Chemistry: Accelerating Hit-to-Lead Development
While the use of small organic molecules as therapeutic agents (drugs) goes back to antiquity, the therapeutic use of peptide drugs is a very recent phenomenon. Approximately 60 peptides have been introduced for clinical use in the past 25 years. 85% of these peptides contain at least one non-proteinogenic amino acid—those outside of the naturally encoded and translated amino acids—to confer metabolic stability, receptor potency and/or receptor selectivity to the peptide. Finding the optimal residue involves trial and error, each variant peptide being made as the unique product of a long, tedious, and chemically inefficient Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis (SPPS) procedure. We introduce a radically new approach to greatly accelerate the discovery process. Our approach takes advantage of a naturally encoded ‘pro-amino acid’, dehydroalanine, as a chemical lynchpin. Implanted into ordinary peptides, dehydroalanine can become one of any number of non-proteinogenic residues by reaction with one- or two- electron nucleophiles. Applied in parallel formats, entirely new libraires of peptides that address new therapeutic targets can be made, purified, quantified, and biochemically tested.
Biography
Steve is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. He attended McDaniel College (2006-2010) where he earned his B.A. in chemistry and biochemistry. During this time, Steve completed summer research at the Aberdeen Proving Ground and Edgewood Chemical & Biological Command. He then moved to Johns Hopkins University (2010-2015) to complete doctoral studies with Prof. Thomas Lectka, studying synthetic organofluorine chemistry and catalysis. After graduation, Steve traveled to Princeton University (2015-2018) to complete postdoctoral studies with Prof. David MacMillan as an NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein fellow. In the MacMillan lab, Steve worked in bioorganic chemistry, developing new photocatalytic methods to site-specifically functionalize native peptides and proteins. Steve began his independent career at the University of Kansas in 2018, where his group is currently developing new synthetic chemistries for the strategic diversification of peptides, with a focus on unnatural amino acid incorporation. The Bloom lab uses these methods to pioneer several medicinal chemistry projects in various disease areas, including HIV-1, monogenic obesity, and ischemic stroke.
Dr. Bloom is a recipient of an NIH NIGMS R35 MIRA award and an NIH NIGMS P20 grant. He was also the recipient of a 2021 Thieme Chemistry Journal award, in recognition of his original contributions to chemical catalysis and the creation of new synthetic methods. Finally, Dr. Bloom was the recipient of the 2021 University of Kansas teacher of excellence award for his efforts in undergraduate medicinal chemistry education.
Dr. Marc-Alexandre Jean
Invited Talk: Flow Chemistry – From Basics to Scale-up
Large Scale Synthesis of Chiral Cycloalkyl Derivatives
This talk will present a case study highlighting the development of a manufacturing process designed to synthesize a key intermediate in support of a medicinal chemistry project. Due to the need to produce large quantities of this intermediate to enable compound library diversification, a strategic approach was implemented to optimize production.
The presentation will cover the project’s background, the challenges encountered, and the innovative solutions that were put in place. The adoption of flow chemistry emerged as a particularly attractive option to meet the requirements for safety, efficiency, and process robustness.
Special attention will be given to the optimization and understanding of key parameters, which enabled the development of a safe and efficient flow process tailored to the needs of the research project.
Biography
Marc-Alexandre Jean was born in Brittany, France - a region rich in culture and tradition that sparked his curiosity and passion for scientific discovery from an early age. He began his academic journey in France, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Maine, followed by a Master’s degree from the University of Bordeaux. This education provided him with a strong foundation in organic chemistry and macromolecular chemistry.
Driven by a desire to deepen his expertise, Marc-Alexandre moved to Canada to pursue a Ph.D. in Chemistry at Université Laval in Québec. Under the supervision of Professor John Boukouvalas, his research focused on the total synthesis of natural products, a demanding field that helped him cultivate scientific rigor, creativity, and independence. He earned his doctorate in 2017.
That same year, Marc-Alexandre began his professional career at OmegaChem, now known as Sygnature Discovery, where he joined a medicinal chemistry group. This first industrial experience allowed him to apply his synthetic chemistry skills in the context of drug discovery.
In 2019, he transitioned to the Process Chemistry Department, expanding his expertise to include process development and scale-up. Thanks to his dedication and collaborative spirit, Marc-Alexandre was promoted to Team Leader in 2023, a role in which he strives to guide his colleagues with both scientific excellence and supportive leadership.