10-11 November 2026
Vienna, Austria
Smithers has accumulated more than four decades of expertise in organising global events and curating enlightening and informative conferences that offer valuable networking prospects. E&L Europe is dedicated to the science, testing and regulatory landscape of extractables and leachables in pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The event is attended by CEO's, senior principal scientists, researchers, presidents, chemistry directors, lecturers, R&D managers and pharmacologists to name a few.
Next taking place on 10-11 November 2026 in Vienna, Austria, the event brings together global experts from across the E&L supply chain to share the latest scientific insights, regulatory developments, analytical methods and real-world case studies.
As extractables and leachables continue to play a critical role in drug safety, packaging compatibility and regulatory compliance, the conference provides a platform for professionals to explore best practices in E&L testing, risk assessment and materials characterisation.
Tickets are currently available at our Early Bird rate of €1,499 + VAT (full price €1,749 + VAT). This price is only available until Friday 7th August 2026 so secure your spot now to save €250.
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Philippe Verlinde, Ph.D. Ir. Senior Scientist - Study Director Dr. Verlinde received his Ph.D. from the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at the University of Leuven (Belgium) in 2009. He worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Leuven (Bioscience Engineering), conducting research in the field of food technology and analytics.
From 2010 to 2013 he joined the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre as a scientific support officer and was involved in several research projects in the field of method standardization (CEN, ISO), proficiency testing and regulatory aspects of environmental pollutants and food safety. Due to his background he has gained a strong expertise in analytical chemistry, especially in the field of structural elucidation techniques (NMR, MS), method development and validation, trace analysis by chromatography (GC & LC) hyphenated to mass spectrometry (small molecules). In 2013 he joined Toxikon Europe as an analytical expert and study director at the Pharma Department, focusing on impurity identification projects.
Since 2016 he is acting as a senior scientist in the R&D team at Nelson Labs Europe and is involved in automation projects and the development of state-of-the art analytical services related to extractables and leachables studies for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.
Dr Nazli Ozdemir is Founder and Director of Gulsine Ltd, a London-based computational materials and digital analytics company specialising in materials ageing, degradation prediction, and regulatory validation. She leads development of the A2P2-AI platform for predictive polymer degradation modelling and is a UK partner in the Innovate UK Eureka REFLOW project on polymer recycling and lifecycle assessment.
Dr. Alina Martirosyan is experienced in non-clinical evaluation of medical devices and pharmaceuticals, and is a Biocompatibility subject matter expert at B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany). As part of the biological risk assessment of medical devices she is planning, coordinating and managing the biocompatibility studies, performs toxicological evaluation and risk assessment of chemical constituents, dealing with notified bodies and national agencies. She holds a PhD degree in Biochemistry, is a European Registered Toxicologist (ERT), Delegate of American Board of Toxicology (DABT), and is acting as an expert in ISO/TC 194 for the ‘Biological and clinical evaluation of medical devices’.
Dr. Samuel Kikandi is Deputy Director-Principal Engineer at Sanofi leading the company's multi-site Extractables/Leachables (E/L) and Material Science programs. He has over 16+ years of pharmaceutical industry experience and serves as the primary expert on Single Use Systems and pharmaceutical packaging as applied to the associated polymer chemistries and E/L qualifications. He continues to shape industry standards and guidelines through involvement in multiple forums including ELSIE and BioPhorum. Dr. Kikandi has authored peer-reviewed publications in his field and holds a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the State University of New York at Binghamton, NY, USA.
Julia Vincenz is an MSAT Specialist at VTU Engineering, where she has worked since September 2018. She holds an MSc in Biopharmaceutical Quality Management and brings over 10 years of GMP experience, with expertise in process and cleaning validation. For more than six years, Julia has specialized in extractables and leachables (E&L) topics, supporting the development and compliance of pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.
Minh Khoa Ta holds a strong academic background in computational chemistry, with published research focusing on molecular modelling and data driven approaches to chemical systems. Currently, he is working in the Extractables & Leachables (E&L) group at Resolian, UK. Minh Khoa remains strongly interested in applying computational and in silico methods to solve practical challenges in industry. His aim is to bridge fundamental computational chemistry with real world E&L and materials related problems, contributing to more efficient and predictive risk assessment strategies.
GBA Pharma operates from two GMP-certified, FDA-inspected labs in southern Germany, specializing in pharmaceutical, biotherapeutic, and medical device analysis. With 170+ experts and decades of experience, GBA provides quality control, method development, raw material testing, stability studies, microbiological analysis, and regulatory support—ensuring compliance and quality throughout the product lifecycle for global clients.
In our qualified laboratory the relevant expert knowledge is available and we guarantee that your E&L study is thoroughly planned, the appropriate methods are competently chosen and the experimental phase is carried out by experienced and well-trained staff. Our Customers outsource each step to GBA and our senior regulatory affairs experts along with our highly experienced and qualified E&L experts team support at each step:
i) Planning and Risk Assessment
ii) Extractables Study
iii) Toxicological Assessment
iv) Leachables Study
Make use of GBA’s services and experience in case of the complete qualification of a packaging material, the identification of leachables, the response to a letter of deficiency, and many more.
Carsten Worsøe is a research scientist in an analytical development department at Novo Nordisk. In over 18 years at Novo Nordisk, his main responsibility has been to develop analytical methods for L&E test procedures of new packaging/container closure systems under development. Within Novo Nordisk Carsten has been one of the main actors to bring relevant people in packaging materials, toxicology, formulation, regulatory and analytical together to perform risk assessments and strategies for L&E testing in development projects.
Dr. Stults is Principal at C & M Technical Consulting, LLC, working with various local and global companies to advance the development of parenteral and inhalation products. Her primary area of focus is on device and packaging materials analysis and characterization for purposes of selection, qualification and control. She holds a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from Michigan State University and a Masters in Management from Aquinas College. Prior positions include: Senior Fellow at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Assistant Research Professor at San Francisco State University and Quality Associate at a Johnson & Johnson owned company. She was co-editor of the Leachables and Extractables Handbook (Wiley 2012) and has been a member of the Board of Directors for two consortia: Extractables and Leachables Safety Information Exchange (ELSIE) and International Pharmaceutical Aerosol Consortium on Regulation and Science (IPAC-RS). She has been actively involved in the ELSIE Pilot Protocol Study and database development. She previously led IPAC-RS working groups to develop Materials Baseline Requirements for OINDP, a Leachables and Extractables Development Paradigm and a Chemical Risk Evaluation tool and has continued involvement as an IPAC-RS Science Advisor participating in global outreach and materials related initiatives. Dr. Stults is currently a USP Packaging and Distribution Expert Committee member contributing to development and revision of materials-related chapters.
Michael manages Smithers' Extractables and Leachables (E&L) and Chemical Analysis team in the UK. He has been working with E&L for over 15 years both for Biopharmaceuticals and Pharmaceuticals, and joined Smithers in 2009.
Michael has uses his expertise to solve the challenges of the assessment of E&Ls for Single Use System suppliers and users (bags, tubing, filters, connectors etc.) and final Container Closure Systems (pMDIs, stoppers, vials, pre-filled syringes, cartridges etc.). Michael’s team supports a diverse range of clients and industries requiring the support of analytical experts working within a cGMP and ISO17025:2017 environment.
Prior to joining Smithers, Michael worked in the validation department for one of the largest Single Use System suppliers and previous to that at a petrochemical organisation.
Michael has a BSc in Chemistry, and is a Member of the Royal society of Chemistry (MRSC).
Thomas Egert is a research scientist at Boehringer Ingelheim, Germany. Dedicated to analytical chemistry for 20+ years, his current role includes responsibility for materials selection and E&L qualification as well as analytical troubleshooting during packaging development.
Thomas is an active member of the Extractables and Leachables Safety Information Exchange Consortium (ELSIE) and the PQRI Parenteral and Ophthalmic Drug Product (PODP) – E&L Working Group. While contributing to several industry seminars in the field of pharmaceutical packaging, his special interest is devoted to predictive physico-chemical models for mass transfer from primary contact materials into pharmaceuticals.
Prior to joining Boehringer Ingelheim, Thomas held various positions in the field of organic trace analysis at an analytical service provider. Thomas holds a diploma in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in bio- and pharmaceutical analysis.
Born: 10.09.1981 in Piekary Śląskie, Poland
Alicja is currently employed at the Octapharma where she is responsible for material qualification at corporate level including chemical safety assessment of polymerc processing, packaging, and administration materials and the planning and supervision of extractables and leachables studies.
Prior to joining Octapharma, Alicja had a tenured position as a researcher at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) where she investigated various possibilities to increase sustainability in the food processing industry. Alicja has compelled broad experience in material and polymer science and technology at the Institute for Composite Materials (IVW) in Kaiserslautern as well as at the Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) and at the Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal and Nuclear Safety (IEK-6) at the Research Centre in Jülich, Germany.
Headquartered in Lachen, Switzerland, Octapharma is one of the largest human protein manufacturers in the world, developing and producing human proteins from human plasma and human cell lines. As a family-owned company, Octapharma believes in investing to make a difference in people’s lives and has been doing so since 1983; because it’s in our blood. Octapharma owns five state-of-the-art production facilities in Austria, France, Germany, Mexico and Sweden. For more information visit www.octapharma.com.
