Webinar to Explore Lean Derisking Strategies for Advancing Proof of Concepts

Experts from Applied Pharma Innovation to share insights on streamlining preclinical and clinical development

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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A webinar hosted by biospace.com will explore practical strategies for building the robust body of evidence needed to advance early-stage proof of concepts into preclinical and clinical development without excessive overhead. The panel will feature Nobel Laureate Sir Michael Houghton and experts from Applied Pharma Innovation (API) who will share how companies can benefit from lean, integrated teams, cost-effective development pathways, and de-risked timelines.

Why it matters

Transitioning a proof of concept into full clinical development is a complex and costly process. This webinar aims to provide emerging biotechs and scaling companies with insights on how to move their products forward more efficiently and with less risk through strategic derisking approaches.

The details

The webinar will cover topics such as building lean, integrated teams that offer end-to-end support without unnecessary overhead, leveraging Canada's collaborative, innovation-driven ecosystem for cost-effective development pathways, and navigating a stable regulatory environment and advanced infrastructure to de-risk timelines. Speakers will draw on their decades of real-world success and deep scientific expertise to share practical strategies.

  • The webinar will take place on February 24, 2026.

The players

Sir Michael Houghton

Chief Scientific Officer & Director of the Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute at the University of Alberta, and Nobel Laureate in Medicine for his work discovering the hepatitis C virus.

Launa Aspeslet

Chief Translational Officer at Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation (API), an accomplished life science executive with over 20 years of leadership experience in scaling early-stage organizations.

Daniel Trepanier

Executive Scientist, Preclinical Development at API, with over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry across drug discovery, analytical development, preclinical studies, and regulatory submissions.

Daren Ure

Executive Scientist, Discovery & Early Development at API, with over 20 years in the small biotech industry and 35 years of research experience across scientific and health disciplines.

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What’s next

Interested parties can register to watch the webinar on the biospace.com website.

The takeaway

This webinar provides an opportunity for early-stage biotech companies to learn from industry experts on strategic approaches to streamlining the costly and complex process of advancing proof of concepts into clinical development, enabling them to move their products forward more efficiently and with reduced risk.