Nidhi Malhotra
Director, Immunology Drug Discovery Merck & Co
Nidhi Malhotra is a drug discovery scientist with over 18 years of experience in immunology, specialising in type-2/allergic and autoimmune disorders, mucosal immunity, Treg/Th17 biology, T-cell development and immuno-oncology. They have authored multiple high-impact publications in Nature Immunology, Immunity and Science Immunology, and hold IP on NK-cell–engaging bispecific antibodies. With more than eight years of leadership experience, they lead cross-functional discovery teams across small molecules, peptides and antibody modalities, driven by a belief that learning is a constant.
Seminars
This workshop will delve into the move beyond symptom control toward diseasemodifying therapies, earlier intervention, and precision targeting of responder subgroups. Discuss defining patient endotypes, handling variability, anticipating nonresponders, and designing trials capable of proving superiority in crowded spaces like AD, psoriasis, HS, and CSU. Participants will examine early-diagnosis challenges, biomarker-guided recruitment, and emerging combinations/bispecifics.
What attendees will gain: practical strategies to redesign clinical programs for long-term remission and subpopulation-specific efficacy.
- How do we identify meaningful patient subpopulations using proteomics/genomics for trial eligibility?
- What evidence is required to justify early use of advanced therapies in diseases like HS or psoriasis?
- How can we design trials to push beyond plateaus in efficacy?
- How do misdiagnosis and diagnostic delay hinder early-intervention strategies?
- What endpoints best capture disease-modifying potential?
