image: The Aging Research and Drug Discovery (ARDD) Meeting is thrilled to announce that Morten Meldal, Nobel Laureate and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen, and Michael Levitt, Nobel Laureate and Professor of Structural Biology at Stanford University will join the lineup of distinguished speakers for the 12th Aging Research & Drug Discovery Meeting (ARDD2025), the World's Largest Conference on Aging Research in the biopharmaceutical industry that will transpire on August 25 - August 29, 2025 on-site at the Ceremonial Hall, University of Copenhagen, and online.
Credit: Aging Research and Drug Discovery
The Aging Research and Drug Discovery (ARDD) Meeting is thrilled to announce that Morten Meldal, Nobel Laureate and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen, and Michael Levitt, Nobel Laureate and Professor of Structural Biology at Stanford University will join the lineup of distinguished speakers for the 12th Aging Research & Drug Discovery Meeting (ARDD2025), the World's Largest Conference on Aging Research in the biopharmaceutical industry that will transpire on August 25 - August 29, 2025 on-site at the Ceremonial Hall, University of Copenhagen, and online.
Prof. Morten Meldal received the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, along with Barry Sharpless and Carolyn Bertozzi, for their groundbreaking development of Click Chemistry and Bioorthogonal Chemistry. Throughout Meldal’s career, his research has had innovative influences on methods in peptide and combinatorial chemistry. His involvement in method development of solid-phase and combinatorial peptide synthesis, as well as development of the CuAAc Click reaction, have become mainstream methods for application in bioorganic and organic synthesis.
Prof. Michael Levitt was awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing accurate computer models of chemical reactions that were able to use features of both classical physics and quantum mechanics. Born in South Africa in 1947, Prof. Levitt vacationed in London in 1963 and decided to stay, earning a BSc in physics at King's College, London. After a pre-doctoral year with Shneior Lifson and Arieh Warshel at the Weizmann Institute in Israel, he returned to England in 1968 to pursue a PhD at the Cambridge Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB). In 1972, he went back to Israel to collaborate with Warshel on multi-scale modeling, focusing on coarse-grained models for folding simulations and hybrid models combining classical and quantum mechanics. He returned to LMB in 1974 for three years, then spent two years with Francis Crick at the Salk Institute and seven years at the Weizmann Institute before joining the Structural Biology department at Stanford in 1987. His research interests span RNA and DNA modeling, protein folding, protein classification and geometry, X-ray refinement, antibody modeling, side-chain geometry, normal modes, solution molecular dynamics, mass spectrometry, and the crystallographic phase problem.
“We are extremely honored to host Professors Meldal and Levitt at ARDD2025. Their Nobel prize winning discoveries have been instrumental for drug development and molecular design in part through modelling of proteins and molecules, and in part through the ability to easily create new molecules. It is therefore a great pleasure that they are joining our conference.” said Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, MD, Ph.D., University of Copenhagen.
“We are really excited for ARDD2025, especially with Nobel Laureates Morten Meldal and Michael Levitt joining us. Their groundbreaking contributions have had a lasting impact on drug discovery, and having them at the conference is sure to make it an unforgettable experience.” said Daniela Bakula, Ph.D., University of Copenhagen.
“For 12 years, the Aging Research and Drug Discovery (ARDD) forum grew in size and in quality. It became the world’s main platform for academia-pharma-startup-investor partnership and dialogue. In 2025, the conference will feature the Nobel laureates, pharmaceutical industry executives and healthcare delivery leaders. ARDD is a unique platform for advancing longevity biotechnology around the world.” said Alex Zhavoronkov, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine.
“At ARDD we strive to highlight the cutting-edge research and clinical applications in a new discipline of healthy longevity medicine. Having Nobel laureates join and speak at the ARDD conference underscores the critical importance of grounding longevity science and medicine in evidence-based, scientifically rigorous approaches.” said Prof.Dr.Evelyne Bischof, the organizer of the Longevity Medicine Days.
The ARDD has grown to become the largest and most important conference in longevity biotechnology. Each year, ARDD brings together a unique mix of academic luminaries, biotech innovators, investors, top pharmaceutical executives, physicians, and related health care professionals to discuss the latest advancements in aging research and the event provides unique opportunities to connect with brilliant minds, fostering collaboration and showcasing groundbreaking research in the field.
Aging research has become a great platform for advancing drug discovery with blockbuster potential, with pharmaceutical leaders like Novartis, Biogen, and Eli Lilly actively supporting this transformative field. ARDD has established itself as the go-to venue where scientists and pharma companies collaborate, share insights, and launch aging-focused research initiatives. In 2024, industry leaders such as Eli Lilly, Novartis, Regeneron, Biogen, and Lundbeck presented their latest research at ARDD, highlighting the meeting's pivotal role in advancing healthspan and longevity science. Be part of ARDD 2025 and contribute to shaping the future of medicine.
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About Aging Research for Drug Discovery Conference
At ARDD, leaders in the aging, longevity, and drug discovery field will describe the latest progress in the molecular, cellular and organismal basis of aging and the search for interventions. Furthermore, the meeting will include opinion leaders in AI to discuss the latest advances of this technology in the biopharmaceutical sector and how this can be applied to interventions. Notably, this year we will have a special day called Longevity Medicine Day, specifically for physicians where the leading-edge knowledge of clinical interventions for healthy longevity will be described. ARRD intends to bridge clinical, academic and commercial research and foster collaborations that will result in practical solutions to one of humanity's most challenging problems: aging. Our quest to extend the healthy lifespan of everyone on the planet.