Leonard Chyall, Improved Pharma, USA

Dr. Leonard “Len” Chyall is an organic chemist and a consultant with Improved Pharma, located in Indiana, USA.  He has extensive expertise with X-Ray powder diffraction as an analytical technique to characterize solid forms of pharmaceutical drug substances and drug products.  Prior to joining Improved Pharma, Len worked for over a decade at SSCI, Inc. and then at Aptuit Consulting as a research chemist, project manager and business leader. He subsequently founded Chyall Pharma, where he continues to provide research and consulting services to the pharmaceutical industry.

He received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Minnesota and was a postdoctoral fellow in the chemistry department at Purdue University.  Len has testified as an expert witness in patent litigation matters concerning XRPD analyses in United States courts and abroad.

Patenting Solid Forms of Psilocybin

Andrew Pitts, Mewburn Ellis LLP, United Kingdom and Germany

Dr. Andrew Pitts is a European and Chartered Patent Attorney working at the Munich office of the British patent firm Mewburn Ellis LLP. He has nearly a decade of experience managing small-molecule patent matters for multinational and medium-sized pharmaceutical companies. His work often includes bringing polymorph patent applications to grant and defending polymorph patents at the EPO.

Andrew has a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Cambridge, where his research focused on C–H functionalisation and natural product synthesis. He also has an MSci (Hons.) degree in medical and biological chemistry from the University of Nottingham, with a year spent working at AstraZeneca in Göteborg, Sweden.

Patenting Polymorphs at the European Patent Office

Abstract Submissions are now closed. If you are interested in submitting a poster presentation abstract, please email Stephanie Jennings (sjennings@icdd.com).

Deadline for the Submission of Abstracts was 13 March 2025.

Sessions
• Intellectual Property Plenary
• Qualitative / Quantitative Analysis, High Throughput XRD Methods
• Structure Solution and Crystal Structure Prediction
• Complex Materials Analysis (non-small molecules, excipients, peptides, nano)
• Instrumentation and Complementary Techniques (XRD, Electron, RAMAN, Solid State NMR, Microwave Rotational Spectroscopy, Sources, Detectors)
• Industrial Application and Machine Learning
• Pharmaceutical Case Studies of PXRD
• Poster Session

Guidelines for Preparing Abstracts
Abstracts will be printed in the Symposium Book of Abstracts and posted on the ICDD website. Abstracts must not exceed one page in length and must include the title, author(s), affiliation(s), and text.

To provide uniformity, we recommend that you download the Abstract Template (Microsoft Word document) and use it to create your abstract. It contains all the necessary formats and styles.

Submission
Abstracts will only be accepted through the online submission process. You will be required to fill out a general information form, and then given a choice to either upload your abstract directly from your computer as a PDF file or email your abstract as an attachment created in Microsoft® Word.

Confirmation
When submitting your abstract online, you will receive an automated e-mail confirmation. If you choose to email your abstract as a Microsoft® Word document, then confirmation of your abstract may take up to one week. If you do not receive confirmation within one week of your submittal, please contact Stephanie Jennings: sjennings@icdd.com; 610-325-9814 ext. 163.

SUBMISSION IS CLOSED

1. Online Registration

Click on the price link below to complete your registration in the ICDD e-store.

Early Registration Discount (by 7 April)
Industry: $1,000
Academic: $700
Student (ID Required): $200

Registration Fee (8 – 24 April)
Industry: $1,200
Academic: $900
Student (ID Required): $300

2. Registration Form

Please fill out the Registration Form and then email or mail the form to ICDD:

Email: sjennings@icdd.com

Mail: ICDD, Conference Services • 12 Campus Blvd., Newtown Square, PA 19073, USA

Please note: Coffee breaks and lunches are included in the registration fee.

Students – See the Students tab for more student opportunities offered at PPXRD-18.
Student Identification is required. When registering through the ICDD eStore, please email Stephanie Jennings, sjennings@icdd.com, with a copy of your student identification.

Cancellation Policy
A 50% refund will be issued, if the cancellation is received by ICDD in writing no later than 1 April 2025 (sjennings@icdd.com). No refunds will be issued for cancellations received after that date; however, with advance notice, you may transfer your registration to a colleague.

Your registration fee could be free!

The International Centre for Diffraction Data is excited to offer the PPXRD-18 Student Participation Grant, reflecting its commitment to advancing education in the scientific community. This grant will assist graduate and undergraduate students in attending the PPXRD-18 symposium, taking place from 6-9 May 2025, at CCDC in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

To be eligible for the grant, students must submit an abstract, for either an oral or poster presentation, as part of the technical program. Recipients will receive waived registration to attend PPXRD-18.

To apply, please complete the application form linked to the right and submit it along with your abstract and a photo for use during the symposium. The application deadline is 26 March 2025.

One Exhibit space at PPXRD-18 available. 

Active exhibit hours will occur during the morning and afternoon coffee and lunch breaks and will be served near the exhibit area. An 80x160cm tabletop exhibit will cost $1,600 USD per table. Limit one table per company. The fee includes two chairs, one power strip, and one free registration (coffee breaks and lunches included) for the exhibit staff member ($1,200 value).

United Kingdom Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)

As of 8 January 2025, anyone who does not need a visa to travel to the UK will need an ETA – an “electronic travel authorisation”. The ETA pre-clears you for entry to the country before travel and will need to be applied for before travel. The cost is a non-refundable £10, and you can apply through the official app listed on the UK government website, or directly online. Read more here.

Local Hotel Accommodations
There are many local hotels in Cambridge, United Kingdom within walking distance of CCDC. A few are listed below.

Attendees are responsible for booking their own travel and accommodations.

ibis Cambridge Central Station – 15-minute walk to CCDC or 10-minute public transport trip
Travelodge Cambridge Central – 15-minute walk to CCDC or 10-minute public transport trip
Travelodge Cambridge Newmarket Road – 25-minute walk to CCDC or 27-minute public transport trip
Premier Inn Cambridge East (Newmarket Road) – 25-minute walk to CCDC or 27-minute public transport trip

Air
London Heathrow Airport – 2 hour 30 minute train to Cambridge Station
London Luton Airport – 1 hour 30 minute train to Cambridge Station
London Stansted Airport  – 30-minute train to Cambridge Station

Train
Cambridge Station is a 10-minute walk from the CCDC. There are direct trains from London which take about one hour; and London Stansted Airport which take about 35 minutes. Most trains from the North and Midlands pass through Peterborough and/or Ely, and both stations have direct connections to Cambridge. Timetable information on trains to Cambridge from anywhere in the UK can be found using the National Rail website.

*Please note that the commuter train to Cambridge is not running on a normal schedule the weekend of 3-5 May, as engineering work is scheduled. The trains are being replaced by buses. Please make arrangements accordingly.

Bus
For more information on bus services and routes around Cambridge see this Timetable.

Dr. Tom Blanton, Chair, International Centre for Diffraction Data, USA

Dr. Simon Bates, Rigaku Americas, USA

Dr. Natalia Dadivanyan, Malvern Panalytical, Germany

Dr. Graciela C.D. de Delgado, University de Los Andes, Venezuela

Dr. Julien Giovannini, AstraZeneca R&D, Sweden

Dr. Fabia Gozzo, Excelsus Structural Solutions (Swiss) AG, Switzerland

Stephanie Jennings, International Centre for Diffraction Data,  USA

Dr. Arnt Kern, Bruker AXS GmbH, Germany

Anisha Patel, GSK, Upper Providence, PA, USA

Dr. Raj Suryanarayanan, University of Minnesota, USA

Dr. Shawn Yin, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, USA

PPXRD Date	Program	Location	Access
PPXRD-17 – 21-24 May 2023	PPXRD-17 Program	ICDD Headquarters, USA	View Presentations or Search Abstracts
PPXRD-16 – 9-12 May 2019	PPXRD-16 Program	Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland	View Presentations or Search Abstracts
PPXRD-15 – 18-20 August 2017	PPXRD-15 Program	Hyderabad, India	View Presentations or Search Abstracts/Presentations
PPXRD-14 – 6-9 June 2016	PPXRD-14 Program	Sanibel Harbour Marriott, Fort Myers, Florida, USA	View Presentations or Search Abstracts/Presentations
PPXRD-13 – 18-21 May 2015	PPXRD-13 Program	Schwarzwald Panorama, Bad Herrenalb, Germany	View Presentations or Search Abstracts/Presentations
PPXRD-12 – 20-24 May 2013	PPXRD-12 Program	Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China	View Presentations or Search Abstracts/Presentations
PPXRD-11 – 15-18 May 2012	PPXRD-11 Program	Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & Spa, Fort Myers, FA, USA	View Presentations or Search Abstracts/Presentations
PPXRD-10 – 16-19 May 2011	PPXRD-10 Program	Lyon, France	View Presentations or Search Abstracts/Presentations
PPXRD-9 – 22–25 February 2010	PPXRD-9 Program	Hilton Head Island, SC, U.S.A.	View Presentations or Search Abstracts/Presentations
PPXRD-8 – 4-7 May 2009	PPXRD-8 Program	Glasgow, Scotland, U.K	Search Abstracts/Presentations
PPXRD-7 – 25-28 February 2008	PPXRD-7 Program	Orlando, FL, USA	Search Abstracts/Presentations
PPXRD-6– 19-22 February 2007	PPXRD-6 Program	Barcelona, Spain	Search Abstracts/Presentations
PPXRD-5 – 14-16 February 2006	PPXRD-5 Program	Somerset, NJ, USA	Search Abstracts/Presentations
PPXRD-4 – 21-24 February 2005	PPXRD-4 Program	Barcelona, Spain	Search Abstracts/Presentations
PPXRD-3 – 23-25 February 2004	PPXRD-3 Program	Hilton Head Island, SC, USA	Search Abstracts/Presentations
PPXRD-2 – 9-12 December 2002	PPXRD-2 Program	Concordville, PA, USA	Search Abstracts/Presentations
PPXRD-1 – 27-29 September 1999	PPXRD-1 Program	Newtown Square, PA, USA	Search Abstracts/Presentations