January 2026 Program

Plenary Lecture

Susan Reutzel-Edens
SuRE Pharma Consulting, LLC.
Time: 11:05 a.m.

Inspiring Medicines Design Through Solid-State Chemistry

Drug product design generally begins with identifying, oftentimes through crystallization screening, solid forms in which to isolate and store the drug substance. When performed under different conditions, crystallization can yield different forms (polymorphs, solvates) with different particle sizes and shapes, thus providing an opportunity to engineer drug crystals to desired specifications. To meet the design requirements for a drug product, a solid form must be selected from potentially numerous options discovered through crystallization screening. However, the path to even one commercially-viable form can, in some cases, be lengthy and difficult. Under immense pressure to shorten development timelines and reduce costs, the pharmaceutical industry is keen on right-sizing the time and effort spent on finding suitable solid forms. In this presentation, the use of crystal structure prediction, a computational workflow to calculate crystal structures starting from a molecular diagram, to enhance the effectiveness of experimental solid form screens and achieve molecular-level understanding of structures and their properties is explored. Recent advances in predicting crystal form stability under real-world conditions, which have redefined the state-of-the-art in crystal modeling, are also discussed.

Short Talks

Shir Abrahami Ben Harush
Ph.D. Student, Weizmann Institute of Science
Time: 11:45 a.m.

Ferri-Electric Crystals Designed by Reduction in Symmetry of Enantiopolar Racemates

There is increasing interest in organic functional materials as alternatives to inorganic compounds for sensors and electronic devices, due to their low density, mechanical flexibility, and the ability to tune properties through molecular and crystal design. A key challenge, however, is achieving polar order in organic crystals, which is required for pyroelectric and ferroelectric behavior, as most organic crystals are centrosymmetric and lack macroscopic polarization. Our approach focuses on crystal engineering and symmetry control using enantiopolar racemic crystals, in which the two enantiomers form oppositely oriented polar sublattices with zero net polarization. By replacing one enantiomer with a closely related quasi-enantiomer, this balance is deliberately broken, yielding a polar quasi-racemic crystal (QRC). This small chemical modification converts a centrosymmetric crystal into a polar one and places protons at unstable sites, enabling atomic displacement at low coercive fields. Using this strategy, we designed a de novo ferrielectric QRC of N-acetyl-R-valine/N-acetyl-S-threonine (Fig. ). Despite its modest net polarization, the crystal exhibits a strong pyroelectric response comparable to lithium niobate, with minimal piezoelectric activity.

Dr. Adarsh Nayarassery Narayanan
Postdoctoral Researcher, UTD Dallas
Time: 12:15 p.m.

MIL-100(Fe)—g-C3N4 Heterojunction as Photocatalyst for the Degradation of PFOA

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a persistent perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), poses serious environmental and health challenges due to its exceptional chemical stability and resistance to conventional degradation methods. In this work, we present the synthesis and application of a MIL-100(Fe)/graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) heterojunction composite as an efficient visible-light-driven photocatalyst for PFOA degradation in aqueous systems. The composite was fabricated via a solvothermal in situ growth approach, ensuring strong interfacial contact between MIL-100(Fe) and exfoliated g-C₃N₄ nanosheets. MIL-100(Fe) provides redox-active Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ centers capable of electron transfer, while the heterojunction architecture—configured as type-II or Z-scheme—enhances charge separation and promotes reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, critical for C–F bond cleavage. Under visible-light irradiation, the MIL-100(Fe)/g-C₃N₄ composite achieved 80% PFOA degradation within 5 hours, demonstrating its potential as a robust photocatalytic system for PFAS remediation.