Accelerating Discovery & Development: in vitro and in vivo ADME Optimisation
Capabilities
Date: 25th June, 2025
Location: The Nucleus, Chesterfield Research Park, Cambridge, UK
Overview:
The ADME Optimisation Event at Pharmaron in June 2025 was a premier event dedicated to exploring the latest advancements in absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) processes in drug discovery and development. This event brought together leading experts, researchers, and industry professionals to discuss innovative strategies and technologies that enhance the pharmacokinetic profiles of new therapeutic agents.
ADME Optimisation Event Highlights
Distinguished Speakers
We were delighted to host a lineup of distinguished speakers from Pharmaron, including Katherine Fenner, Pharmaron UK DMPK Lab Lead for in vitro DMPK, and Scott Summerfield, Executive Director of Metabolism at Pharmaron.
Key Topics Covered:
The event covered a range of critical topics, including:
- Innovative approaches to ADME optimisation
- Ways to streamline drug development
- The role of ICH M12 in drug-drug interaction studies
- Predictive models for human pharmacokinetics
- Case studies on successful ADME strategies in drug development
Networking Opportunities
Attendees had ample opportunities to network with peers and experts throughout the day, during poster presentations, and interactive Q&A discussions. These sessions are ideal for fostering collaboration and exchanging ideas among participants.
Our Speakers:
Katherine Fenner spoke about some of the great scientific discussions and networking sessions that occurred during the event:
Presenters left to right: Scott Summerfield, Marie Croft, Simon Teague, Katherine Fenner, Helen Rollison
“It’s truly inspiring to see the spirit of collaboration across the UK DMPK community. Today has been a fantastic day of scientific discussions, with a strong focus on the evolution of DMPK science integrating innovations and best practices for in vitro, in vivo and analytics. We’re looking forward to the future, particularly the impact that complex cell models and organs-on-a-chip will have on our field. The topics being discussed today are not only cutting-edge but also highly educational, providing valuable insights for all attendees.”
Katherine Fenner, in vitro DMPK Laboratory Head
Katherine Fenner is responsible for Pharmaron’s in vitro DMPK provision in UK & Europe. Katherine has over 30 years of experience in DMPK, working previously in several roles, across both discovery and development DMPK for Pfizer and then AstraZeneca, where she directed an international in vitro ADME group. Katherine has published many peer-reviewed publications, including several on drug-drug interactions, recently publishing a Pharm IQ paper, focused on in vitro transporter assessment and implications for Drug Development.
Scott Summerfield, Head of Radiolabelled Metabolism, Bioanalysis and Biotransformation
Scott Summerfield is Head of Radiolabelled Metabolism, Bioanalysis and Biotransformation at Pharmaron UK. He has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, leading Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) teams in support of drug discovery and development for both small and large molecule therapeutics. He graduated with an Honours Degree in Chemistry and PhD in biological Mass Spectrometry, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship in proteomics, and then joined GSK as a DMPK scientist. From there, Scott has published extensively in CNS Drug Discovery and Bioanalysis along with scientific podcasts related to the DMPK sciences.
Helen Rollison, Principal Scientist, In Vitro DMPK
Helen Rollison is a Principal Scientist in the UK In Vitro DMPK group, with responsibility for Drug-Drug Interaction and development-phase assays. Previously, Helen worked at AstraZeneca, where she worked extensively on enzyme and transporter drug-drug interactions through the development of routine and bespoke in vitro assays, data interpretation, and clinical study design. During this time, she was the lead author of an IQ Pharma Working Group manuscript on In Vitro Transporter Assessments. Additionally, she has developed and applied advanced hepatic models such as spheroids and flow systems for the integrated assessment of hepatotoxicity and ADME queries.
Marie Croft, Scientific Director, Radiolabelled Sciences
Following her graduation in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from De Montfort University in 2004, Marie Croft began her career with Xceleron Ltd, gaining hands-on laboratory experience in AMS and LC-AMS analysis. During this time, she conducted research into AMS microdosing, specifically cassette dosing in DDI studies, and the combined use of AMS and PET after microdose administration. She received her PhD in ‘Applications of human microdosing with accelerator mass spectrometry’ from the University of York in 2013.
Marie played a key role in the establishment of the Pharmaron US AMS laboratories and, for the last 8+ years, has worked closely with the integrated Pharmaron clinical study team in the design, review, and execution of AMS-enabled hADME and IVPK studies. Marie continues to work closely with AMS teams in Germantown and China and is now responsible for the set-up and operation of the UK AMS lab, opening at Hoddesdon later in 2025.
Simon Teague, Senior Director and Head of PBPK Modelling and Simulation in Drug Discovery
Simon Teague is Senior Director and Head of PBPK Modelling & Simulation in Drug Discovery at Pharmaron, based in Hoddesdon, UK. He leads the development and implementation of PBPK modelling strategies, supporting client projects from early discovery through to IND submission.
Before joining Pharmaron in 2024, Simon spent two decades at GSK, where he held key roles in discovery DMPK and PBPK modelling. He led strategic initiatives spanning the hit-to-lead phase through to clinical development. Simon brings broad expertise across multiple therapeutic areas and has contributed to numerous projects involving diverse routes of administration, including extensive experience in pulmonary delivery and modelling. His interests include human extrapolation science and dose prediction, with a focus on leveraging modelling and simulation to improve the success rate of drug development.
The Agenda
Tim Smith, Executive Director and Head of Business Development Europe, Radiolabelled Sciences, had this to say about the seminar:
“Events like this are crucial for bringing together like-minded scientists, fostering innovation, and strengthening our community. The posters presented today highlight the incredible work being done and underscore the importance of holding such gatherings. By coming together, we not only celebrate our achievements but also inspire each other to push the boundaries of what’s possible.”
Helen Rollison presents on Embracing ICH M12 and DDI in drug development.
Katherine Fenner: Discovery in vitro ADME – 2025 and Beyond
In this presentation, Katherine reviewed the challenges encountered in the in vitro drug discovery field, as well as how in vitro analysis has evolved with the changing landscape of drug development. She discussed the complexities of analysing diverse modalities and how more complex cell models show potential for answering ADME questions for all drug types in the future.
Scott Summerfield: The 3 M’s of PK (Miniturisation, Microsampling and Met-ID) to support the 3 R’s
In this presentation, Scott discussed the need to strive for better models and methods, pushing for the three Rs (replacement, reduction, and refinement) in pursuit of higher-quality PK data. Scott emphasised the need to do more with less without losing data quality and reducing stress throughout the process by investing in miniaturisation, microsampling, automation and Met-ID techniques.
Helen Rollinson: Embracing ICH M12 – in vitro Drug-Drug Interactions in drug development
Helen gave an overview of the history of DDI, including a review of evolving regulatory guidance. She introduced ICH M12, the goal to harmonise different international regulatory guidance, and what this means for DDI studies. Additionally, the presentation covered both metabolic and transporter DDI assessments, as well as other considerations necessary for successful regulatory submissions.
Marie Croft: Role of AMS in Drug Development: AMS-Enabled Clinical Applications and Advances in AMS Technology
Marie reviewed the history and use of AMS technology in drug development, covering study design, technological advancements, study timings and example case studies. She delved into several example studies, demonstrating the power and use cases for AMS in clinical development.
Simon Teague: Bridging Drug Discovery and Development: The Role of PBPK Modelling in Delivering Effective Medicines
Within his presentation, Simon introduced the use cases and benefits that PBPK and PKPD modelling can provide in drug discovery and development. He explained how an early strategic modelling and simulation application can increase the chances of success for a drug candidate and explores how modelling can assist in understanding distribution, oral absorption, formulation, modified release, and DDI capabilities.
Our Poster Session:
Download our posters, presented at the event:
- A Comparative Approach to Drug Metabolism using Rat Microsomes and Hepatocytes: Metabolic Stability in Drug Metabolism: IVIVE Models
- Accurate Measurement of Plasma Protein Binding for Highly Bound Compounds: Plasma Protein Binding & ICH M12: Assay Advances
- AMS Evolution and Clinical Sample Analysis: Accelerator Mass Spectrometry in Radiolabelled Analysis
- Evaluation of ADMET Predictor as a Tool in Early Drug Discovery: ADMET Predictor: In Silico Screening | Early Drug Discovery
- Human PK Prediction Strategy: Pharmacokinetics and Human PK Prediction Strategy
- In Vivo End-to-End Process Optimisation: In Vivo Efficiency and Data Quality in End-to-End Automation
- Optimising Discovery Metabolite Identification: Metabolite Identification with HµREL Micro Livers
Marie Croft and Elnaz Gozalpour speak with attendees during the poster session.
Did you miss the event?
Don’t worry if you couldn’t make it; you can stay tuned for more in-person events throughout the year where we can connect to have more great conversations. You can also attend our regular webinars. Stay tuned by checking out our Webinar schedule for upcoming live webinars, as well as our on-demand library of past webinars.
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Contact Information:
For any inquiries regarding the event, please contact us at [email protected].