Agenda for Day 1 - Monday 9 November, 2026
Location: Clinical Strategy Stage
If you are new to BIO-Europe, this session is your ultimate guide to unlocking its full potential. Discover the wealth of opportunities available, gain insider tips to navigate the event like a pro and learn how to make meaningful connections that drive success.
Location: Clinical Strategy Stage
Interactive Workshop
Location: Regulatory Strategy Stage
Interactive Workshop
For a company at early or later-stage development considering commercialisation, few decisions carry more lasting impact than how to enter the market: partnering or licensing with an established regional player, building a commercial organization and launching independently, or some combination of the two.
Each path changes the value the company ultimately captures, the capital it must commit, the risk it absorbs, and the organization it becomes.
This panel brings together senior biopharma leaders who chose differing strategic pathways across regions. They will share why each company took the route it did, how the alternatives were weighed against value creation, strategic feasibility, and financial constraints, and how each arrived at the right go-to-market strategy for the region.
Panelists will speak candidly about the lessons they learned, their key success factors, and the things they might have done differently alongside key considerations for companies at an early stage of decisioning.
- Begona Carreno - Chief Business Development Officer, Idorsia
- Carter King - EVP, Business Development, Protagonist Therapeutics
- Pankaj Oza - Managing Partner, Blue Matter Consulting
Location: Biomanufacturing Strategy Stage
Interactive Workshop
For most global biotechs, the hardest part of entering Japan is not regulation — it is finding the right clinical leader. Sponsors typically begin by selecting a CRO, but the decisive first move is identifying the Japanese Principal Investigator best suited to the asset: the physician who understands the disease, can reach the target patients, and is willing to lead a registration-directed program.
This workshop presents a PI-led alternative to the traditional sponsor-and-CRO model. Drawing on a national PI network coordinated through an Osaka hub, we show how asset assessment, Japan-specific evidence-gap analysis, early PMDA consultation, and a registration-directed investigator-initiated trial (IIRDT) can be combined into a single pathway — one that may, for serious diseases with high unmet need, support a conditional approval strategy in Japan.
We will also cover where AI genuinely helps (PI matching, protocol design, patient screening, DCT orchestration) and where it must not: AI assists, the PI decides, and GCP accountability stays with the investigator. Recent Japanese proof points will be shared, including a program in which 11 participating PIs produced 30 grant applications and six secured public grants totalling JPY 315M within three months.
Key takeaways:
1. Why the real entry barrier into Japan is the absence of the right clinical leader — and how Doctor-to-Doctor peer referral identifies that PI
2. How to choose between a Japan-focused IIRDT and an MRCT based on asset characteristics: MRCT is an option, not the default
3. What a conditional approval strategy realistically requires in Japan — including the post-marketing obligations that come with it
4. Where AI and decentralized trial design add speed and patient reach, and the governance boundaries that keep a program PI-driven rather than PI-dependent
- Shinya Yamamoto - General Manager, Deep Intelligent Pharma K.K. (DIP)
Location: Industry Voices Stage
Interactive Workshop
This panel will explore what truly drives success in Business Development and how aspiring BD professionals can build a rewarding and impactful career. Drawing on the experiences of seasoned dealmakers from both the buy-side and sell-side, the discussion will go beyond traditional career advice to examine the skills, experiences, relationships, and mindsets that matter most. From developing scientific, financial, and transactional expertise to building influence, credibility, and a strong professional network, panelists will share practical lessons learned throughout their careers. Attendees will gain actionable insights into navigating the BD profession, accelerating their development, and understanding what really moves the needle in a highly competitive industry.
- Gregor Fachinger - VP, Head of Business Development Oncology bei, Merck KGaA
- Ingo Lehrke - CBO, Tubulis
- Angele Maki - CBO, Ability Biotherapeutics
Location: Ecosystem Innovation Stage
Interactive Workshop
Great corporate communicators shape perceptions, win attention and inspire action. This dynamic, practical session explores how to build a distinctive personal brand, craft stories that stick and turn presentations into powerful tools of persuasion. Participants will learn how to create compelling narratives, simplify complex messages, use anecdotes and visuals for maximum impact, and command attention from the first moment to the last. It will also show how to extend influence beyond the room through video, thought leadership, multichannel visibility and credible third-party endorsement. Delegates will leave with practical techniques to communicate with confidence, strengthen their profile and move people to think, feel and act differently.
- Mary Clark - CEO, Optimum Communications
This interactive workshop is for delegates new to partnering. What can you expect from partnering, and what do others expect from you? Principles around timing, human nature, and partnering etiquette will be applied to the partneringONE process. This session will give you a clear understanding of tactics to generate the best ROI from partnering, at this and future events. There will be plenty of opportunities to ask our partneringONE expert any questions you may have. This session is limited to 40 people. Please reserve your seat by adding the session to your personal agenda. If you can’t attend a session, drop by the partnering help desk with any questions.
Founded in 2014, Innogen is a science-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the research and development of innovative and affordable medicines for metabolic disease patients. Innogen's pipelines with indications in metabolic diseases including diabetes, obesity, MASH. are all independently developed and have global rights. Innogen has laid out global research and development and market sales.
The company's first pipeline product, Efsubaglutide Alfa, was approved by the NMPA in January, 2025. It is the first humanized long-acting GLP-1 drug that originated from China, which will benefit more diabetes patients. Other indications for Efsubaglutide Alfa such as obesity and MASH are also under development to address the large unmet therapeutic needs in these disease areas.
Innogen R&D team is composed of scientists and clinicians with countless years of experience in innovative drug discovery and development. Dr. Qinghua Wang, the company's founder, chairman of the board and inventor of Efsubaglutide Alfa, is the distinguished professor of Fudan University, and project manager for Major National Science and Technology Projects for New Drug Development under the National 13th Five-Year Plans. Dr. Wang was a tenured professor at the University of Toronto and a standing committee member of the world-leading Banting Best Diabetes Center.
Innogen's technology and production capacity of genetically engineered recombinant protein biopharmaceuticals is in line with international standards which enabled continuous drug discovery and development.
In August 2025, Innogen stock was listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HK.02591).
- QINGHUA WANG - Founder & CEO, Guangzhou Innogen Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd.
Divamics Inc. is an AI-driven drug discovery company that integrates molecular dynamics with physics-based force fields to accelerate innovation. We are dedicated to pioneering R&D to create innovative medicines that address unmet medical needs, supported by two core platforms: the Molecular Dynamics Platform and the BioTrajectory Database Platform, designed to help researchers identify novel leads and PCCs with higher efficiency.
- John Zheng - CEO, Divamics Inc.
Haixi Pharmaceticals Co., Ltd is a HKEX-listed innovate pharmaceutical company. Founded in 2012, the company is headquartered in China with fully integrated activities in R&D, manufacturing, sales and marketing. Several products of the company are top-2 leaders in the Chinese market, generating profitable revenue. The company has a strong R&D pipeline of first-in-class innovative products in different stages of clinical development, e.g., HX9428 an orally bioavailable SM in Phase II trials for nAMD in both China and US, C019199 a SM in Phase III trial for recurrent osteosarcoma. The company is looking for partnership through out-licensing exChina rights of these assets as well as in-licensing China distribution rights of approved products (esp in areas of ophthalmology and oncology).
- Ming Zhang - President, R&D and Global Affairs, Hong Kong Haixi Pharmaceuticals Ltd
EMICRO Biomedicine is a biotech company focused on the R & D, production, and commercialization of First in Class innovative drugs for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and oncology. Since its inception in 2016, the company has been committed to addressing unmet clinical needs through solid research and relentless innovation. EMICRO has established a balanced and diversified pipeline that strategically combines candidates targeting validated pathways with those against novel targets. This pipeline features a gradient development strategy spanning clinical and preclinical-stage indications, with concurrent coverage in both autoimmune diseases and oncology.
The company employs nearly 60 professionals, over 60% of whom hold PhD or Master's degrees. We have assembled a fully integrated team spanning drug discovery, preclinical research, formulation development, clinical operations, and regulatory affairs. Our core R&D and management team members possess extensive, long-term experience and a proven track record of distinguished achievements in their respective fields. EMICRO operates a comprehensive laboratory facility exceeding 4,000 square meters, integrating multiple functional modules and equipped with over 200 state-of-the-art instruments. This infrastructure fully supports the entire workflow from initial drug discovery to pilot-scale production.
- Zhen Pang - CBO, Henan EMICRO Biomedicine Co., Ltd.
Location: The Big Picture Stage
- Claire Macht - Director, European Portfolio, Life Sciences Partnering and Investment, Informa
Location: The Big Picture Stage
- Claire Macht - Director, European Portfolio, Life Sciences Partnering and Investment, Informa
- Mona Neubaur - Deputy Premier and Minister, Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine Westphalia
- Elizabeth Civils - VP, Membership, Biotechnology Innovation Organization
Location: The Big Picture Stage
Biotechnology is entering a defining period of reset.
Scientific capability has never advanced faster, yet the systems that sustain innovation are being challenged from every direction: shifting capital markets, geopolitical competition, pressure on research institutions, declining public trust, and the emergence of new platform-driven models that are redefining how biotech companies are built and scaled.
At the center of the discussion is a critical question: what will the next biotech model look like, and who will shape it?
The conversation will examine:
Whether the traditional biotech model can still sustain breakthrough innovation
The rise of platform-based company creation and its growing influence on global biotech
Why long-term scientific risk is increasingly difficult to finance in short-term markets
How AI, computation, and engineering are transforming the innovation ecosystem
Whether Europe and the U.S. risk losing leadership as talent, capital, and innovation shift globally
Why rebuilding trust with patients, policymakers, and society may become as important as scientific discovery itself
This is not a retrospective discussion about the state of the market. It is a strategic debate about the future architecture of the biotech industry from how innovation is funded and scaled to how leadership, trust, and competitiveness will be defined in the next era of biotechnology.
Expect a candid, provocative, and forward-looking conversation between two of the industry’s most influential thinkers as they stress test the assumptions that have defined biotech for decades and debate what comes next.
- Jeremy Levin - Executive Chairman, Ovid Therapeutics Inc
- Edwin Moses - Chairman, Greywolf Therapeutics, NanoSyrinx, LabGenius, and Avantium NV
Location: The Big Picture Stage
The economics of pharma’s R&D model are under increasing strain. Rising costs, timelines and competition – felt across the entire industry – are offset by the outsized successes of the few winners. This plenary takes a data-led view of pharma productivity, from developing new medicines, making them available to patients, and delivering a sustainable return on investment. Over the last five years, R&D budgets are coming under increasing pressure, which raises the importance of external innovation. This has direct implications for investment, corporate strategy, and relationships with regulators. And as AI embeds into pharma’s workflows and decision-making processes, it remains unclear how far it will shift underlying productivity. Leaders from pharma, investment, and regulation will offer their views on the current state of play and how organizations should position themselves to be among the few that consistently turn scientific progress into real patient impact.
- Daniel Chancellor - VP, Thought Leadership, Norstella
- Hakan Goker - Managing Director, M Ventures
- Geraldine Ng - VP Rare Disease & Cell Therapy Business Development, Corporate Development, Novo Nordisk
- Kiran Reddy - Senior Managing Director, Blackstone Life Sciences
- Steffen Thirstrup - CMO, European Medicines Agency
Location: The Big Picture Stage
Europe possesses world-class science, but continues to lose talent, capital, and value to more competitive ecosystems abroad. What can be done to change this?
This panel will bring together senior investors and members of the newly created European Life Sciences Coalition (ELSC), alongside biotech CEOs, around a shared goal: to found, fund, scale and retain Europe’s next generation of Life Sciences champions
The session will open with a brief introduction to the ELSC and its objectives, followed by a call to action inviting participants to support an Open Letter to European leaders by adding their organisation’s logo
Panellists will explore how to strengthen European biotech as an integrated ecosystem built around innovation, company creation, and well-functioning capital markets
Moving beyond a diagnosis of the challenges, the discussion will focus on concrete, data-driven solutions around three objectives: mobilising institutional capital into European Life Sciences; accelerating the regulatory pathway from science to patients; and building deeper, more integrated European public capital markets for growth companies
The interactive session will examine the full investment “food chain”, from company creation and venture funding through scale-up and public markets, and the policy reforms needed to keep innovation, talent, and capital in Europe, including through the EU Biotech Act
- Melanie Senior - Healthcare Writer & Analyst, Nature portfolio; Evaluate
- Regina Hodits - Managing Director, Angelini Ventures
- Olivier Litzka - Partner, Andera Partners
- Ingo Lehrke - CBO, Tubulis
- Arjen Lemmen - VP of Corporate Development & Strategy, Argenx
Location: Business of Biotech Stage
As the biotech and pharma sectors enter a pivotal year marked by rapid scientific breakthroughs, evolving regulatory landscapes, and shifting economic pressures, dealmaking remains the steady anchor amid unpredictable market tides. This session unravels the forces shaping the future of biopharma partnerships and M&A in 2026, including the financing climate, emerging therapeutic trends, and geopolitical factors influencing cross-border transactions. Analysts and experienced BD executives from pharma and biotech will dive into real-world case studies spanning transformative M&As, innovative licensing agreements, and cross-border collaborations that highlight strategies for navigating valuation challenges, harnessing AI-driven innovation, and addressing unmet medical needs. The panel will debunk myths surrounding strategic collaborations, such as overreliance on traditional deal structures or underestimating cultural alignment in partnerships, while examining how companies can capture momentum, build resilience, and seize the next wave of opportunity. From leveraging venture debt to bridge funding gaps to optimizing alliance management for long-term success, this session equips pharmaceutical executives, investors, and innovators with actionable insights on how strategic collaboration and smart capital deployment can guide innovation towards sustainable growth in a dynamic global landscape.
- Paul Holmes - EU Commercialisation Lead, Syneos Health
- Fraser Hall - President, Head of Intercontinental Region, Biogen
- Peter Louwagie - SVP Corporate Development, Genmab
- Philippe Lopes-Fernandes - EVP, CBO, Ipsen
- Miki Nakamori - Executive Director, Head of Scouting & Transaction, Primary Focus Genetic Regulation/Blindness & Regeneration, Astellas
- Stephen Pitt - Global Head of Search & Evaluation, CSL Behring
Location: Business of Biotech Stage
The biotech IPO class of 2025 and 2026 has been nothing short of transformative, ushering in a wave of innovation and ambition. But what happens after the confetti settles and the headlines fade? In this compelling panel, hear directly from the trailblazers who took their companies public and are now navigating the next chapter of their journey. From overcoming market hurdles to scaling breakthroughs, these leaders will share the untold stories of resilience, vision, and the bold steps they’re taking to shape the future of biotech. Step into their world and discover what’s next for the companies rewriting the rules of the industry.
- Joachim Eeckhout - Editorial Director, European Biotechnology Magazine
- Mathieu Pieronne - Director, Andera Life Sciences
- Marten Steen - Managing Partner, HealthCap
- Paul van der Horst - CBO, Agomab
Location: Business of Biotech Stage
Explore the art of deal-making through the lens of recent successes.
- Andreas Zaby - Innovation Manager, SPRIND GmbH
- Christoph Broja - Partner, EQT Life Sciences
- Ingo Lehrke - CBO, Tubulis
Location: Business of Biotech Stage
Over the past decade, accelerated development timelines have gone from being a competitive advantage to becoming an industry expectation. Today, reaching the clinic faster can influence everything from fundraising and partnering opportunities to portfolio strategy and company valuation. Yet speed alone is rarely the goal.
For biotech leaders, the real challenge is understanding where acceleration creates value, where it can introduce unnecessary risk or unwanted consequences, and how early decisions can shape a program long after IND. As molecules become more complex and capital remains constrained, companies are under increasing pressure to move quickly while still preserving future flexibility and scalability.
In this fireside chat, industry leaders will explore how the role of speed in biotech is evolving. From investor expectations and key value inflection points to manufacturability, development strategy and long-term growth, the discussion will examine how companies can turn faster development into lasting strategic advantage.
- Raymond Donninger - Senior Director of Commercial Development, Lonza
Location: Business of Biotech Stage
Early-stage investment is the lifeblood of biotech innovation, powering groundbreaking ideas and transformative discoveries. This panel brings together seasoned investors, industry leaders, and ambitious entrepreneurs to explore the current state of early-stage funding in biotech. From emerging investment strategies to the evolving priorities of venture capital, gain a deeper understanding of how startups are securing the resources they need to thrive. Hear firsthand accounts of challenges, opportunities, and the critical factors shaping the future of biotech funding. Whether you’re building, investing, or simply curious, this session offers a front-row seat to the forces driving biotech’s next wave of growth.
- Orsolya Symmons - Programme Manager for Health & Biotechnology, European Innovation Council
- Lovisa Backemar - Partner, Eir Ventures
- Rabab Nasrallah - Partner, Earlybird Venture Capital
- Karl Naegler - Partner, Sofinnova Partners
- Achim Plum - Managing Director, HTGF
- Bonnie van Wilgenburg - Venture Partner, Bioqube Ventures
Location: Therapeutic Insights Stage
Powered by leading analyst intelligence and data-driven insights, this session offers a comprehensive exploration of the evolving therapeutic landscape. Dive into emerging trends, market dynamics, and investment opportunities across key therapeutic areas, and uncover how shifting R&D pipelines, regulatory changes, scientific breakthroughs, and technological advancements are transforming the biopharma industry. Gain a forward-looking perspective on the most promising therapeutic areas and high-growth investment opportunities, equipping you with the strategic insights needed to navigate 2026 and beyond.
- Michel de Baar - Venture Partner, Thuja Capital
- Mary Jane Hinrichs - SVP, Head of Early Development, Ipsen
- Giovanni Mariggi - Partner, Medixci
- Sara Mallatt - Director of Healthcare Research, AlphaSense
Location: Therapeutic Insights Stage
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are transforming cancer treatment by delivering targeted therapy with precision, and as clinical data matures, they are attracting significant investment and partnership activity across the oncology landscape. This session examines the latest evidence on efficacy and safety, explores what the data reveals about how ADCs are reshaping treatment strategies across tumour types, and discusses which platforms and targets are capturing attention from investors and partners. With deal flow accelerating and new opportunities emerging, the session provides strategic considerations for evaluating partnerships and investments in this high-value oncology segment.
- Sophie Hughes - Senior Analyst, Seroba
- Chris Brown - Executive Director, Business Development Transaction, GSK
- Jose Mesa - Partner, Columbus Venture Partners
- Christian Rohlff - CEO, Oxford BioTherapeutics
- Valerie Vanhooren - Co-Founder & CEO, Ona Therapeutics
Location: Therapeutic Insights Stage
Oncology remains the largest and most competitive area of biotech innovation, but the path to success is becoming increasingly complex. Emerging modalities such as radioligand therapies, next-generation immunotherapies, cell therapies and precision-targeted approaches are generating significant excitement, yet investors and pharmaceutical companies are becoming more selective in how they evaluate risk, differentiation and commercial potential.
This panel brings together biotech innovators, pharma leaders and investors to discuss which oncology platforms are attracting the strongest scientific, partnering and investment interest, what makes a company stand out in a crowded landscape, and how capital, partnerships and clinical strategy can accelerate value creation. The discussion will explore where the next major opportunities in oncology may emerge and what will separate future winners from the rest of the field.
Are radioligands becoming the next oncology platform?
Can immunotherapy continue to generate venture-scale returns?
Is precision medicine becoming too fragmented?
What separates fundable oncology companies from unfundable?
- Linda Pullan - Business Development Consultant, Founder, Pullan Consulting
- Anja Bitterwolf - Director, Global Business Development and Licensing, Debiopharm
- Lene Gerlach - Co-founder and Chair, Women in Life Science Denmark (WiLD)
- Alan Rigby - CEO, Epitopea
Location: Therapeutic Insights Stage
Cell and gene therapies are redefining treatment possibilities across multiple diseases, and despite market challenges, they continue to command substantial investment and strategic interest. This session provides essential insights into the current landscape, highlights key developments across platforms and indications, and examines what recent clinical and commercial data reveal about the sector's trajectory. With deal dynamics evolving and new modalities emerging, the session explores funding trends, partnership strategies, and what key stakeholders need to know to navigate opportunities in this transformative field.
- Kirsten Brockers - Former VP, Head Legal EMEA, Novartis Gene Therapies and AveXis
- Michelle Chen - President & CEO, Form Bio
- Lucia Faccio - CEO, Genespire and Partner, Sofinnova Partners
- Ralf Huss - Managing Director, BioM Biotech Cluster Development
- Caroline Man Xu - Co-Founder & CEO, VeonGen
Location: Ecosystem Innovation Stage
The traditional boundaries of drug discovery are dissolving. Increasingly, pharmaceutical companies are opening their compound libraries, data, and expertise to the global research community through open innovation platforms. Initiatives such as opnMe from Boehringer Ingelheim are reshaping how early scientific ideas move from academia and biotech into the pharmaceutical pipeline. In this Ecosystem Innovation session at BIO-Europe, leaders from pharma, biotech, and venture capital will explore how open collaboration models are accelerating discovery, de-risking early research, and creating new pathways for partnership. From accessing pharma compounds to co-developing breakthrough therapies, the panel will examine how these platforms are changing the rules of engagement across the life sciences ecosystem. Join this conversation to understand what open innovation means for the next generation of biotech founders, academic innovators, and investors—and how collaboration across sectors is shaping the future of drug discovery.
- Stephen Rapundalo - President & CEO, Michigan Biosciences Industry Association
- Khatereh Ahmadi - Venture Partner, XGEN Venture
- Martin Svorc - Director, Neurology & Immunology, Business Development & AI Strategy and Enablement Lead, Merck KGaA
- Markus Koester - Director Open Science & opnMe, Boehringer Ingelheim
Location: Ecosystem Innovation Stage
Canada is home to a dynamic life sciences ecosystem, combining world-class research, innovative companies, strong healthcare institutions, and growing biomanufacturing capabilities. This panel will provide an overview of Canada’s life sciences sector and feature selected Canadian companies that are developing cutting-edge technologies and solutions to address global healthcare challenges. Join us to learn about innovation trends, partnership opportunities, and the strengths that make Canada a leading life sciences hub.
- Silke Ditgen - Trade Commissioner, Global Affairs Canada
- Wendy Hurlburt - President & CEO, Life Sciences BC
- Catherine Lunardi - CEO, GENAIZ
- Karen von Zitzewitz - Head of Business Development, Sustained Therapeutics
- Kevin Sullivan - CEO, 3DBioFibR
- Nick Kadysh - CEO, Restora Neuroscience
Location: Ecosystem Innovation Stage
Despite remarkable advances in biomedical research, many promising discoveries never reach patients. Translating scientific innovation into therapies, diagnostics, and successful ventures remains one of the greatest challenges in healthcare innovation.
This fireside chat brings together Stefanie Dimmeler, spokesperson of the German Centers for Health Research (DZG), and a Heiko Lickert, founder of Viacure GmbH, who has successfully navigated the path from academic discovery to company creation. Together, they will share insights from Germany’s coordinated research model and discuss how collaborative networks can help accelerate translation, foster entrepreneurship, and create opportunities for industry partnership.
Drawing on real-world experiences, the conversation will explore the factors that enable successful translation, the barriers that continue to impede progress, and the lessons learned from building bridges between academia, healthcare, investors, and industry. The speakers will also reflect on how research ecosystems can evolve to better support innovation and deliver tangible impact for patients.
Offering both strategic and entrepreneurial perspectives, the session will provide valuable insights for biotech companies, investors, researchers, and partnering professionals interested in turning scientific excellence into real-world healthcare solutions.
- Ursula Turcke - COO and Managing Director, FGK Clinical Research
- Stefanie Dimmeler - Chair, German Centers for Health Research (DZG)
- Heiko Lickert - CSO, Viacure GmbH
Location: Ecosystem Innovation Stage
Through their EMEA Advance Biotech Grant Program, Merck recognize standout emerging biotech companies and helps them navigate their path to commercialization. Delivered as a dynamic competition, five selected biotech companies will have the opportunity to pitch their breakthroughs to Merck's Grant representatives and the overall BIO-Europe audience.
Finalists:
Conveyxo
Procavea Biotech
Luna Therapeutics
Nagene
Navira Bio
- Adam Robertson - Customer Applications Consultant (Emerging Biotech) – UK/Ireland/Nordics, Merck
- Christine Bizet - Director, Business Development Emerging Biotech and Excipients EMEA, Merck
- Inigo De La Fuente - Emerging Biotech Consultant, South, Merck
- Alexandre Laly - Customer Application Consultant - Emerging Biotech, Merck
- Arban Zahiti - Customer Application Consultant - Emerging Biotech, Merck
- Rui A. Sousa - CEO & Chairman, Stemmatters
- Frederic Tonglet - CEO, Conveyxo
- Tom Edwardson - Founder & CSO, Procavea Biotech
- Richard Day - Founder and CSO, Luna Therapeutics
- Natascha Missbach - CEO & Co-Founder, Nagene
- Karl Brune - Co-Founder, CEO & Director, Navira Bio
Location: Ecosystem Innovation Stage
Around the world, governments, investors, and industry leaders are racing to build the next great biotech hubs. From Boston and Basel to emerging ecosystems across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, success depends on more than funding alone. Talent, infrastructure, translational science, and access to global pharma partners all play critical roles. Following a spotlight on emerging regional innovators, this panel at BIO-Europe brings together ecosystem builders from venture capital and pharma to research institutes and policy leaders to explore what it really takes to build a thriving life sciences cluster. What ingredients attract breakthrough startups? How can regions compete for talent and capital? And how can global collaboration ensure that innovation ecosystems remain connected rather than siloed? Join this discussion to understand how the next generation of biotech hubs will emerge and what it means for investors, startups, and partners worldwide.
- Jo Shorthouse - Director, 59 North Communications
- Tanja Bloser - Director, Future Health & Life Sciences Unit, Gateway Startup Factory NRW
- Imran Nasrullah - Director of External Innovation, CSL Behring
- Joao Ribas - Partner, Novo Holdings
- Ester Sklarsky - Principal, Sound Bioventures
- Michael Hubner - Director, Search & Evaluation EMEA, Johnson & Johnson Innovation
Location: Seated Lunch Area
Led by subject matter experts sharing the latest thinking, Community Conversations, delivered through a dynamic roundtable format, provide a unique opportunity to gain cutting-edge insights while fostering meaningful peer exchanges, sharing best practices, and expanding your professional network.
Choose between:
Crafting Your Regulatory Strategy to Align with Evolving Regulatory Frameworks
Regulatory pathways are evolving rapidly, with greater emphasis on early engagement, adaptive approaches and evidence generation across the product lifecycle. Companies that understand how to align regulatory, clinical, manufacturing and commercial strategies early will be better positioned to accelerate development, reduce risk and maximise the value of innovation. Explore how emerging regulatory frameworks are changing the route to approval, how companies can use early scientific advice and collaborative approaches to shape development strategies, and what lessons can be learned from examples of successful regulatory navigation.
Led by: Raun Kupiec, Founder & Principal, R Kupiec Consulting
From Clinical Development to Commercial Success: Integrating Global Market Access into Trial Strategy
Examine how aligning endpoints with payer needs across diverse markets can enhance trial outcomes. Consider strategies for selecting sites that balance speed, cost, and market positioning while addressing geopolitical risks in global trials. How can organisations build robust infrastructure in emerging markets to ensure seamless integration of global market access into their trial strategies?
Led by: Mark Reid, Founder & Managing Director, Graythan Regulatory Services
Future-Proofing Your Biomanufacturing Strategy: Integrating Manufacturing From Day One
Consider how embedding manufacturing considerations early can accelerate commercialisation and challenge traditional downstream approaches. What strategies can organisations adopt to build scalable, competitive therapies right from the start and stay ahead in an evolving biomanufacturing landscape?
Led by: Dan Stanton, Trade Media Relations Expert, Sartorius and Stuart Tindal, Principal Platform Manager, Sartorius
Commercialisation and Global Launch: How Do You Build a Global Commercial Success?
Commercial success no longer depends on winning the US market alone. As biotech companies increasingly prepare for launches across multiple regions, the companies that succeed globally are those that build commercial strategy early, understand local market dynamics and create the right capabilities beyond their home market. Explore what companies should do differently when preparing for international launches, how early commercial planning should begin, and the common mistakes that can limit success. Examine the strategies that have enabled biotech companies to successfully build global franchises and maximise the value of their innovations worldwide.
Led by: Dave Thomas, Senior Advisor, Venture Valuation
Attracting and Retaining Top Talent in European Biotech
If this keeps you awake at night and as a founder, entrepreneur, C-suite officer or HR professional – let’s discuss: strategies for building a competitive workforce to lead on a global scale while addressing skill gaps through targeted training initiatives. How can fostering diversity drive innovation, and what approaches can organisations adopt to retain top talent by offering career growth opportunities and workplace flexibility? How can this become part of your success story from start-up to scale up and exit or long-term growth?
Led by: Tony Jones, CEO of One Nucleus and Oliver Schacht, Managing Director, Life Science Nord
New Models for Biotech Partnerships: Adapting to Complexity and Capital Constraints
How are partnering strategies changing in a world of constrained capital, global competition, and increasing scientific complexity? Discover how early licensing agreements can share risks and accelerate innovation, while co-development models combine resources and expertise. Explore the potential of venture creation to drive new opportunities and examine how pharma-biotech collaborations and academic partnerships can address complex scientific challenges.
Executing your Deal: The Power of Alliance Management
Signing your deal is just the start. True value lies in how, and how quickly, partnerships advance your mutual project or product. Let’s discuss key traits of your high-performing collaborations, strategies for alignment, fostering collaboration, planning ahead, managing conflicts…., and explore how Alliance Management adapts to the additional complexity of digital-data-driven collaborations.
Led by: Anthony and Adrien Hörning, Partners, Strategic Transactions Advisory AG
- Raun Kupiec - Founder & Principal, R Kupiec Consulting
- Mark Reid - Founder & Managing Director, Graythan Regulatory
- Dan Stanton - Editorial Expert, Sartorius
- Stuart Tindal - Principal Platform Manager, Sartorius
- Dave Thomas - Senior Advisor, Venture Valuation
- Tony Jones - CEO, One Nucleus
- Oliver Schacht - Managing Director, Life Science Nord
- Anthony Horning - Partner, Strategic Transactions Advisory AG
- Adrien Horning - Partner, Strategic Transactions Advisory AG
Location: Seated Lunch Area
The roundtable Community Conversations will repeat in two blocks to allow attendees to move between sessions
Choose between:
Crafting Your Regulatory Strategy to Align with Evolving Regulatory Frameworks
Regulatory pathways are evolving rapidly, with greater emphasis on early engagement, adaptive approaches and evidence generation across the product lifecycle. Companies that understand how to align regulatory, clinical, manufacturing and commercial strategies early will be better positioned to accelerate development, reduce risk and maximise the value of innovation. Explore how emerging regulatory frameworks are changing the route to approval, how companies can use early scientific advice and collaborative approaches to shape development strategies, and what lessons can be learned from examples of successful regulatory navigation.
Led by: Raun Kupiec, Founder & Principal, R Kupiec Consulting
From Clinical Development to Commercial Success: Integrating Global Market Access into Trial Strategy
Examine how aligning endpoints with payer needs across diverse markets can enhance trial outcomes. Consider strategies for selecting sites that balance speed, cost, and market positioning while addressing geopolitical risks in global trials. How can organisations build robust infrastructure in emerging markets to ensure seamless integration of global market access into their trial strategies?
Led by: Mark Reid, Founder & Managing Director, Graythan Regulatory Services
Future-Proofing Your Biomanufacturing Strategy: Integrating Manufacturing From Day One
Consider how embedding manufacturing considerations early can accelerate commercialisation and challenge traditional downstream approaches. What strategies can organisations adopt to build scalable, competitive therapies right from the start and stay ahead in an evolving biomanufacturing landscape?
Led by: Dan Stanton, Trade Media Relations Expert, Sartorius and Stuart Tindal, Principal Platform Manager, Sartorius
Commercialisation and Global Launch: How Do You Build a Global Commercial Success?
Commercial success no longer depends on winning the US market alone. As biotech companies increasingly prepare for launches across multiple regions, the companies that succeed globally are those that build commercial strategy early, understand local market dynamics and create the right capabilities beyond their home market. Explore what companies should do differently when preparing for international launches, how early commercial planning should begin, and the common mistakes that can limit success. Examine the strategies that have enabled biotech companies to successfully build global franchises and maximise the value of their innovations worldwide.
Led by: Dave Thomas, Senior Advisor, Venture Valuation
Attracting and Retaining Top Talent in European Biotech
If this keeps you awake at night and as a founder, entrepreneur, C-suite officer or HR professional – let’s discuss: strategies for building a competitive workforce to lead on a global scale while addressing skill gaps through targeted training initiatives. How can fostering diversity drive innovation, and what approaches can organisations adopt to retain top talent by offering career growth opportunities and workplace flexibility? How can this become part of your success story from start-up to scale up and exit or long-term growth?
Led by: Tony Jones, CEO of One Nucleus and Oliver Schacht, Managing Director, Life Science Nord
New Models for Biotech Partnerships: Adapting to Complexity and Capital Constraints
How are partnering strategies changing in a world of constrained capital, global competition, and increasing scientific complexity? Discover how early licensing agreements can share risks and accelerate innovation, while co-development models combine resources and expertise. Explore the potential of venture creation to drive new opportunities and examine how pharma-biotech collaborations and academic partnerships can address complex scientific challenges.
Executing your Deal: The Power of Alliance Management
Signing your deal is just the start. True value lies in how, and how quickly, partnerships advance your mutual project or product. Let’s discuss key traits of your high-performing collaborations, strategies for alignment, fostering collaboration, planning ahead, managing conflicts…., and explore how Alliance Management adapts to the additional complexity of digital-data-driven collaborations.
Led by: Anthony and Adrien Hörning, Partners, Strategic Transactions Advisory AG
- Raun Kupiec - Founder & Principal, R Kupiec Consulting
- Mark Reid - Founder & Managing Director, Graythan Regulatory
- Dan Stanton - Editorial Expert, Sartorius
- Stuart Tindal - Principal Platform Manager, Sartorius
- Dave Thomas - Senior Advisor, Venture Valuation
- Tony Jones - CEO, One Nucleus
- Oliver Schacht - Managing Director, Life Science Nord
- Anthony Horning - Partner, Strategic Transactions Advisory AG
- Adrien Horning - Partner, Strategic Transactions Advisory AG
Blue Earth Therapeutics is a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company advancing the next generation of targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies with the aim of transforming the treatment of cancer.
Our mission is to develop radiopharmaceutical therapies that result in improved patient outcomes by delivering high radiation doses to tumours, without compromising on normal organ safety.
Founded in 2021 as a subsidiary of Bracco Imaging, the company was then partly spun out with Series A financing in 2024. Blue Earth Therapeutics unites a UK/US-based team with deep expertise across radiopharmaceutical development, oncology, and operations. Our leadership has proven track records in bringing innovative radiopharmaceuticals from concept to clinic.
With a strong foundation of proven leadership, scientific innovation, and strategic partnerships, Blue Earth Therapeutics is shaping the future of precision radiopharmaceutical therapies. Our initial focus is on prostate cancer, where we are advancing a pipeline of PSMA-targeted radiohybrid assets. Blue Earth Therapeutics operates through a reliable supply chain, leveraging a trusted network of external partners to ensure consistent manufacturing.
- David Gauden - CEO, Blue Earth Therapeutics
Bold Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel metallotherapeutic cancer therapies to address high unmet medical needs. The company's lead asset, BOLD-100, is a first-in-class ruthenium-based metallotherapeutic small molecule currently in Phase 2 clinical trials for advanced gastrointestinal cancers. BOLD-100 selectively targets GRP78, a key regulator of the Unfolded Protein Response leading to cellular apoptosis. In Phase 2 studies, BOLD-100 combined with standard of care FOLFOX therapy has demonstrated exceptional efficacy alongside an excellent safety profile in heavily pretreated GI cancer patients. Crucially, clinical data reveal a significant secondary attribute: marked protection against oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy. This dual product profile-improved progression free survival and overall survival paired with neuroprotection leads to improved clinical benefit while preserving patient quality of life. Bold Therapeutics is led by a management team with decades of collective experience in biopharmaceutical leadership, clinical trial execution, and regulatory strategy. As BOLD-100 advances toward pivotal trials, Bold Therapeutics is actively seeking global licensing, co-development, and investment partners to accelerate development and unlock the full commercial value of this first-in-class platform.
- Jim Pankovich - EVP, Clinical Development, Bold Therapeutics Inc.
Ymmunobio is a preclinical-stage oncology company advancing a first-in-class ADC treatment solution based on the proprietary tumor specific antigen (TSA) NPTXR, a neo-expressed membrane protein found exclusively on cancer cells. The company's lead asset, YB-811, a dual payload Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC), is designed to selectively target NPTXR-positive tumors with no off-tumor toxicity risk, leveraging third-generation linker-payload chemistry for superior safety and efficacy.
Ymmunobio's tumor marker shows extraordinarily high prevalence (57-98%) in more than a dozen of the most common and lethal cancers, enabling unmatched market breadth. The company holds exclusive global IP and intends to complete human proof-of-concept by 2028.
- Peter Schiemann - CEO, Ymmunobio AG
FoRx Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company that develops next-generation small molecule therapeutics targeting DNA Replication Stress pathways for anti-cancer therapy. The company is based in Basel, Switzerland, and structured as a lean organization with 10 employees and an integrated network of external partners.
FoRx's pipeline comprises differentiated, best-in-class as well as novel, first-in-class programs for oncology indications. The company's lead program is a highly potent and selective PARG inhibitor, FORX-428. Preclinically, the compound has shown strong evidence for best-in-class potential, having demonstrated excellent tolerability and greatly superior anti-tumor efficacy in multiple in vivo tumor models vs. competition. In the clinic, FORX-428 is being evaluated in an open-label study, initially taking place in the United States, to assess safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, as well as preliminary efficacy in patients with advanced solid tumors who have exhausted standard-of-care options. An initial data readout from the clinical trial is expected by the end of 2026.
FoRx Therapeutics has raised a total of CHF 70M so far and is backed by a syndicate of investors that include EQT Life Sciences, Novartis Venture Fund, Pfizer Ventures, and M Ventures.
- Tarig Bashir - CEO, FoRx Therapeutics AG
Greenwich LifeSciences (Nasdaq: GLSI) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on its Phase III clinical trial, Flamingo-01 (NCT05232916), which is evaluating GLSI-100, an immunotherapy to prevent breast cancer recurrences. GP2 is a 9 amino acid transmembrane peptide of the HER2/neu protein, a cell surface receptor protein that is expressed in a variety of common cancers, including expression in 75% of breast cancers at low (1+), intermediate (2+), and high (3+ or over-expressor) levels. The combination of GP2 + GM-CSF is called GLSI-100. Flamingo-01 has opened up to 160 sites in the US and Europe. Flamingo-01 is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of GLSI-100 in HER2/neu positive patients with residual disease or high-risk pathologic complete response at surgery and who have completed both neoadjuvant and postoperative adjuvant trastuzumab based treatment. In the double-blinded arms of the Phase III trial, approximately 500 HLA-A*02 patients are planned to be randomized to GLSI-100 or placebo, and up to 250 patients of other HLA types are planned to be treated with GLSI-100 in a third arm. More than 1,300 patients have been screened with a current screen rate of approximately 800 patients per year. The 250 patient non-HLA-A*02 arm is now fully enrolled, where all patients received GLSI-100 and immune response data from this arm has been recently presented at AACR and ASCO in 2026.
- Snehal Patel - CEO, Greenwich LifeSciences
MEDiC Life Sciences is a clinical stage company leveraging millions of artificial biomarker combinations to advance novel cancer precision medicines with matched synthetic lethal biomarkers. We can rely on a growing proprietary data source of more than 1000 genome-wide CRISPR screens leveraging 3D cancer models and are advancing our lead asset, SLS-01, into a Phase 1B clinical trial in Q4 2026.
To drive continued growth of our pipeline, we are launching the BEACON project, a collaboration with multiple biopharma companies to explore a "second life" for de-prioritized assets. By testing these assets across a large-scale library of biomarker combinations, we aim to identify novel clinical development strategies. We are actively pursuing in-licensing opportunities and NewCo formation.
- Kyuho Han - CEO and Founder, MEDiC Life Sciences
Pin Therapeutics is a clinical stage TPD (Targeted Protein Degradation) company dedicated to developing novel E3 ligases and molecular glue degraders for the treatment of solid tumors and hematologic cancers. Our lead program, PIN-5018, a first-in-class CK1α-selective molecular glue degrader, is currently in a Phase 1a clinical study in Korea and is being developed for adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), and colorectal cancer (CRC).
We have also established PinMARS™, a proprietary E3 ligase platform built on Ligase 2, a novel E3 ligase with extremely low expression and activity in heme and immune lineage cells - distinct from commonly used ligases such as CRBN or VHL. By leveraging this heme/immune-sparing property, we aim to differentiate both our target-selection and indication strategy from conventional CRBN/VHL-based approaches. Using Ligase 2, we are currently advancing the development of an oral pan-Kras degrader as well as Ligase 2 MGD in oncology and CNS.
- Hyunsun Jo - Founder & CEO, Pin Therapeutics
Txinno Bioscience is a clinical-stage biotech company headquartered in Korea, specializing in small molecules and targeted protein degraders for cancer treatment. Txinno has recently received IND approval for a Phase 2 clinical trial of TXN10128 in Korea and advanced 2nd program, TXN12923, to the preclinical stage.
- Sean Ham - BD Team Leader, Txinno Bioscience Inc.
Progeneer is a biotechnology company developing next-generation immunotherapies and cancer vaccines based on its proprietary TLR7/8 agonist platform, ProLNG.
ProLNG is a platform technology designed to induce potent and durable anti-tumor immune responses while improving safety and controllability. The platform has broad applicability across multiple cancer indications and therapeutic modalities.
The company's lead pipeline, ProV-001, is a personalized cancer vaccine that combines patient-specific tumor antigens with ProLNG and is being developed to prevent recurrence and induce long-term immunity in patients with B-cell lymphoma.
Progeneer has established a global intellectual property portfolio and is actively pursuing collaborations and business development opportunities with domestic and international pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to develop innovative immunotherapies for hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Through these efforts, the company aims to advance the global commercialization of next-generation cancer vaccine platforms and transform the paradigm of cancer treatment.
- Chul Kim - CEO, Progeneer
CAGE Bio is advancing novel therapies for localized treatment of immunological skin diseases. Powered by the proprietary ionic liquid platform, CAGE Bio is advancing small and large molecules including oliognucleotides that are delivered non-invasively into the skin for maximum effect site bioavailability.
- Nitin Joshi - CEO, CAGE Bio Inc.
Asgard Therapeutics is a privately held biotech company pioneering in vivo direct cell reprogramming for cancer immunotherapy. The company builds on ground-breaking and proprietary reprogramming technologies to develop gene therapy products designed to recreate therapeutic immune cells in vivo, setting in motion efficient and personalized immune responses. Asgard advances in vivo direct reprogramming as a next-generation cell therapy, overcoming the traditional challenges of the cell therapy field.
Asgard Therapeutics has attracted leading investors, securing €30 million in Series A funding in 2024, following a €6 million Seed round in 2021. Its lead program, AT-108 in IND-enabling phase, is a first-in-class, off-the-shelf personalized gene therapy that directly reprograms tumor cells into a rare subset of dendritic cells.
Key proof-of-concept data on AT-108, in ex vivo (primary patient samples) and in vivo solid tumor models, were published in the peer-reviewed journal Science in 2024, demonstrating robust anti-tumor immunity in both "hot" and "cold" tumors, including monotherapy and in combination with ICB, with long-term tumor-free survival. AT-108 demonstrated a clean safety profile in a non-GLP tox study recently completed.
Asgard is seeking to raise a EUR 75M Series B to bring AT-108 towards clinical PoC.
- Cristiana Pires - Co-founder and CEO, Asgard Therapeutics
Mustbio is a biotechnology company developing first-in-class and best-in-class tumor-selective immuno-cytokines to advance cancer immunotherapy. Our mission is to harness the power of the immune system by overcoming the limitations of conventional cytokine therapies, including narrow therapeutic windows, systemic toxicity, and limited efficacy in immunologically "cold" tumors.
Founded by experts in biologics and drug development, Mustbio is committed to delivering transformative immuno-oncology therapies for unmet medical needs.
Our proprietary STARKINE™ platform enables structure-guided cytokine engineering and computational optimization to enhance receptor selectivity, potency, and safety. By selectively activating immune cells within the tumor microenvironment while minimizing systemic exposure, STARKINE™ aims to maximize anti-tumor efficacy and improve the therapeutic index of cytokine therapies.
STARKINE™ can be applied across multiple cytokines, including IL-2 and IL-21 variants, and combined with various tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) and antibody formats to generate differentiated immunocytokines. Our BICSTA™ multispecific antibody platform further enables flexible targeting strategies for next-generation biologics.
Mustbio is advancing a pipeline of innovative immuno-oncology programs. MB4, a lead program, is a tumor-targeted aPD-1/aVEGF/IL-2v immunocytokine. In October 2025, Mustbio entered a co-development and licensing agreement with Celltrion to accelerate global development of MB4, highlighting the potential of our proprietary platforms.
Mustbio continues to expand its next-generation immunocytokine pipeline by integrating engineered cytokines with diverse targets and antibody modalities, creating new opportunities in oncology.
- Jun-Eui Park - Head of BD & Strategy, Mustbio
A clinical-stage oncology company focused on targeting GPR65 as a genetically-validated immunotherapy approach in cancer.
We are pioneering the only approach to address the fundamental causal biology of the immunologically-hostile tumor microenvironment (TME)
- Paul Higham - CEO, Pathios Therapeutics Limited
Vasthera is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small-molecule therapeutics for rare and chronic diseases with high unmet needs. Our proprietary Redoxizyme™ platform generates protein oxidation modulators (POMs) designed to restore dysregulated redox signaling across multiple diseases. By targeting a central mechanism underlying oxidative stress, our approach aims to enable disease-modifying outcomes beyond symptomatic control. Our lead program VTB-10 is an oral therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), currently in Phase 1. With a scalable pipeline extending into neurodegeneration and oncology, Vasthera is seeking global strategic partners for out-licensing and co-development to accelerate these therapies to market.
- Sang Won Kang - CEO, Vasthera Co., Ltd.
SanBio Co., Ltd. is a regenerative medicine company with roots in the United States and Japan, dedicated to addressing high unmet medical needs in neurological disorders. Founded on leading stem cell research and focused on restoring function lost to injury and disease, SanBio aims to become a global leader in regenerative medicine through scientific innovation, clinical development, and commercialization. The Company is committed to developing therapies that can provide meaningful benefits to patients suffering from chronic central nervous system (CNS) disorders.
SanBio has built a development platform focused primarily on neurological diseases, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury, and other conditions with limited treatment options. The Company is also exploring opportunities in ophthalmology, including dry age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.
A key element of SanBio's strategy is to establish a commercial foundation in Japan and leverage that experience to expand globally. Following regulatory and commercial progress in Japan, the Company intends to broaden its development efforts internationally, strengthen its pipeline, expand indications, and establish global manufacturing and supply capabilities.
SanBio is actively seeking strategic partnerships to accelerate global development, commercialization, manufacturing, and indication expansion opportunities. The Company welcomes engagement with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, investors, and academic collaborators who share the vision of advancing regenerative medicine and bringing transformative therapies to patients worldwide.
- Keita Mori - President, SanBio Company Limited
Stand Up Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company in Seoul, Korea, developing in vivo gene therapies for degenerative disease. The company's aim is to return damaged or dysfunctional cells to their pre-disease state, with a particular emphasis on sporadic disease, which accounts for 70-92% of neurodegenerative cases.
Cell Resetting Technology (CRT) resets dysfunctional cells to a healthy state by restoring the identity they originally held, reactivating their native master regulators through DNA demethylation rather than reverting them toward pluripotency. Cell Resetting Technology (CRT) resets dysfunctional cells to a healthy state by restoring the identity they originally held, reactivating their native master regulators through DNA demethylation. Direct Lineage Reprogramming (DLR) converts resident cells directly into a desired cell type in situ. Neither platform passes through a pluripotent intermediate, and both are delivered in vivo as AAV vectors, requiring no ex vivo manufacturing or cell transplantation. Two programs are in development: STUP-001 in chronic spinal cord injury, currently in a Phase 1/2a trial in Korea (NCT06922890), and STUP-002 in Parkinson's disease.
The company has 14 employees, 7 of them PhDs. It has been awarded six national R&D grants worth USD 13.8 million, including most recently a USD 6.5 million award in 2026 to develop cell resetting technology for anti/reverse aging and has raised a total of USD 10 million in equity. Its technology is covered by patents filed or granted in Korea, the US, Europe, Japan, and China. Stand Up Therapeutics welcomes licensing, research collaboration, co-development, and acquisition discussions.
- Junsang Yoo - Founder & Chief Researcher, Stand Up Therapeutics Inc.
Surginex is a Seoul-based biotech developing next-generation ionizable lipids and organ-targeted lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for RNA and gene therapy. Founded in 2020 and a JLABS Korea portfolio company, Surginex built its pipeline on two proprietary ionizable lipids, RX-167 for therapeutics and RX-171 for vaccines, each protected by composition-of-matter and formulation patents filed in Korea, the United States, Europe, Japan and China, with freedom-to-operate secured.
RX-167 is engineered for repeat intravenous dosing, a limitation of most approved LNPs. In preclinical studies against MC3 and SM-102, RX-167 produced no ALT or AST elevation across three repeat doses up to 0.5 mg/kg, normal liver and lung histology at high dose, and no anti-PEG IgG induction on repeat administration in non-human primates. NHP repeat-dose toxicology and GMP-grade manufacturing are complete. RX-171, optimized for immunization, elicited neutralizing antibody and antigen-specific IgG responses comparable or superior to SM-102 in mice, with a more controlled cytokine profile.
RX-316, the company's spleen-targeting LNP, reaches a spleen-to-liver distribution ratio of 13.2, well above the ratio of 3 generally cited as the in vivo CAR-T threshold. Pairing CAR mRNA with antibody conjugation to direct delivery to defined immune cell subsets, the in vivo CAR-T program targets NHP proof of concept by the end of 2026. Orchestra, the company's dual-modality RNA platform, delivers mRNA and siRNA simultaneously in a single LNP, combining protein expression and target gene silencing in one dose.
Surginex is led by CEO Say-June Kim, M.D., Ph.D., professor of hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery at The Catholic University of Korea; Vice CEO and CSO Hyukjin Lee, Ph.D., professor at Seoul National University and a former Langer Lab postdoctoral fellow at MIT; and COO Seung-Min Yang, Ph.D., previously Head of R&D at Dong-A ST. Surginex is seeking licensing and co-development partnerships.
- Seung-Min Yang - Vice-President, Surginex
Huonslab Co, Ltd., a subsidiary of Huons Global (KOSDAQ:084110), is a biotechnology company specializing in biologics and innovative drug delivery technologies. Founded in 2018, the company has developed HyDIFFUZE™, its proprietary recombinant human hyaluronidase (rHuPH20) platform, designed to enable the conversion of intravenous biologics into rapid subcutaneous formulations. Through scientific innovation and strategic global partnerships, Huonslab Co, Ltd. aims to improve patient convenience while expanding the accessibility of biologic therapies.
Huonslab Highlights
- Huonslab Co, Ltd.
- CEO: Sung-Tae Yoon
- Founded: 2018 [Parent: Huons Global (KOSDAQ: 084110)]
- Focus: Biologics R&D & Drug Delivery Technologies
- Key Technology: HyDIFFUZE™ (rHuPH20)
- Patents: Method for producing human hyaluronidase PH20 (2024), Pharmaceutical formulation without serum albumin of HYDIZYME™ (2025), a low-dose stand-alone rHuPH20, Pharmaceutical formulation for subcutaneous injection comprising Infliximab and hyaluronidase (2026), Formulation for subcutaneous injection comprising antibody-drug conjugate and hyaluronidase (2026)
- Byung Ha Lee - CBO, Huonslab
NovoArc is developing a next-generation platform for extrahepatic RNA delivery, enabling targeted delivery of nucleic acids to immune cell-rich tissues beyond the liver and laying the foundation for in vivo immune cell engineering.
The platform is built on proprietary, semi-synthetic archaeal tetraether lipids and a unique lipid engineering capability that enables the rational design and optimization of tissue-targeted lipid nanoparticles with tailored delivery properties. NovoArc has established an integrated manufacturing platform spanning fermentation, lipid extraction, and LNP formulation. Production has been successfully scaled to 1,000 L, with GMP manufacturing expected to become operational in early 2027.
Preclinical studies have demonstrated enhanced endosomal escape, improved bioavailability and stability, preferential spleen accumulation with selected formulations, and a favorable safety profile without observable toxicity. In addition, NovoArc's proprietary lipids exhibit intrinsic stealth properties that support prolonged circulation and may enable repeat dosing without the need for PEGylation. Together, these characteristics provide the foundation for next-generation RNA therapeutics and in vivo cell engineering applications.
NovoArc is seeking strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for lipid supply, LNP formulation, platform evaluation, co-development, and licensing of next-generation RNA therapeutics across oncology, immunology, respiratory, gene editing, and other therapeutic areas. In parallel, the company is actively raising its Series A financing round to accelerate the development of its extrahepatic RNA delivery and in vivo cell engineering platform.
- Tanja Krainz - Head of Strategy & Business Development, NovoArc GmbH
Our mission is to define a new era for macrocycle drugs and make great contributions to medicine. We are bringing together a world-class team to make this possible.
Our broad pipeline is initially focused on delivering oral macrocycle candidates against targets validated by blockbuster biologic drugs in I&I and Cardiometabolic. The goal is to provide oral alternatives that provide meaningful value to healthcare and will enable the treatment of many more patients. In addition, we are exploring a broader variety of therapeutic areas with attractive target classes, including both intra- and extracellular targets.
Orbis has raised a total of USD 120 M from leading investors NEA, Forbion, Novo Holdings, EIFO, Cormorant and Eli Lilly Ventures.
- Morten Graugaard - CEO, Orbis Medicines ApS
Drug development still relies heavily on molecular expression data and experimental models that cannot fully represent the complexity of real human tissue. As a result, promising targets and therapies may fail because they cannot reach the intended cells, differentiate tumors from normal tissues, or overcome the surrounding microenvironment.
Portrai is a spatial biology and AI-powered TechBio company addressing this gap by transforming real human tissue data into better drug development decisions.
The company has built a proprietary spatial atlas comprising more than 100 million cell-level data points from human solid tumors. Portrai analyzes not only which targets are expressed, but also where they are located, which cells surround them, how they interact, and whether a therapeutic can effectively reach and act on them.
By combining proprietary tissue data with AI and spatial pharmacology, Portrai helps pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies reduce uncertainty across target discovery, indication and patient selection, modality optimization, biomarker development, safety assessment, and therapeutic asset evaluation. Its platform supports ADCs, radiopharmaceuticals, bispecific antibodies, and other targeted therapies.
Portrai works with partners through collaborative discovery programs, asset evaluation, platform partnerships, and proprietary therapeutic opportunities. By grounding decisions in real patient biology, Portrai enables partners to prioritize stronger targets, select better development strategies, and identify potential risks earlier.
Portrai is building the human tissue intelligence foundation for the next generation of drug development and Biology AI.
- Yong Kim - VP of BD&Stratey, Portrai, Inc.
YATREX is a Luxembourg biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class therapeutics for ischemic stroke and reperfusion injury. The company's proprietary portfolio comprises YATRX-111, a novel ASIC1-targeting neuroprotective peptide, YATRX-203, an injectable formulation programme designed to improve neuroprotection in acute stroke, and YATRX-305, a differentiated small molecule programme targeting the same biological pathway. Together, these programmes provide multiple therapeutic approaches against a clinically validated mechanism implicated in neuronal injury following cerebral ischemia.
The portfolio is enabled by FRDT (Functional Residual Decomposition and Translation), YATREX's proprietary drug discovery framework for systematically translating functional biological recognition into novel therapeutic candidates. FRDT supports the discovery, optimisation and expansion of mechanism-driven therapeutic programmes while strengthening intellectual property generation across multiple modalities.
YATREX is currently advancing lead optimisation, pharmacokinetic and in vivo efficacy studies through international CRO collaborations and is actively seeking pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners for co-development, licensing and strategic collaborations.
- Yahya Salem - CEO & Founder, YATREX
3billion is a global leader in AI-powered rare disease diagnostics, with a CAP/CLIA-accredited laboratory and proprietary AI variant interpretation system (GEBRA™). We deliver highly accurate genetic testing (3B-EXOME and 3B-GENOME) for rare disease patients, analyzing millions of variants with 99.4% accuracy in under 5 minutes. To date, we have supported over 100,000 patients across 70+ countries and 790+ institutions, creating one of the world's largest proprietary datasets combining genomic and real-world phenotypic data.
Leveraging this unique data foundation, we have established a dedicated AI Drug Discovery unit powered by our proprietary MIN-T (Molecules Inventing Network for Targets) platform.
By combining world-class rare disease diagnostics with AI-enabled drug discovery, 3billion is progressing toward an end-to-end solution that moves patients from accurate diagnosis to effective treatments.
- Pavel Printsev - Chief Business Development Officer, 3billion
Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is a Japanbased researchdriven pharmaceutical company and a member of the Roche Group. Chugai is committed to creating innovative medicines that address unmet medical needs by leveraging its strong capabilities across multiple modalities, including antibody engineering, macrocyclic peptide and small molecule drug discovery, as well as translational science. The company has a broad research and development portfolio spanning multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology, immunology, neuroscience, hematology, and ophthalmology. Chugai advances science-based innovation with a strong focus on patient-centric value creation.
- Yutaka Matsuda - Global Head of Search and Evaluation, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
ATB Antivirals Oy is a Finland-based biotechnology company developing novel, proprietary antiviral therapies designed to target the underlying viral biology rather than only managing the symptoms or complications of infection. Headquartered in Turku, Finland, the company builds on decades of academic research and expertise in antiviral drug discovery, translational science, and therapeutic development.
ATB’s lead program is a novel topical anti-HPV therapy designed to target HPV-infected cells and address the underlying viral drivers of disease. The initial clinical indication is genital warts, a common and recurrent HPV-related condition for which current treatments primarily remove visible lesions but do not directly target the viral factors responsible for disease persistence and recurrence. Beyond genital warts, the program has potential for expansion into cervical and other genital precancerous lesions, creating a broader therapeutic opportunity across HPV-associated diseases. Given the substantial burden of HPV-related disease in women, the program also addresses important unmet needs in women’s health.
In parallel, ATB is developing a proprietary triple-action nasal spray for the prevention of respiratory viral infections. The program is being developed as a broad preventive approach with potential relevance for seasonal respiratory infections, emerging viral threats, and future pandemic preparedness.
ATB is advancing its pipeline through preclinical and translational development toward first-in-human clinical studies. The company’s strategy is to generate clinical proof-of-concept, validate the therapeutic potential of its proprietary technologies, and build value through focused development. ATB is actively seeking global pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners, investors, and strategic collaborators to support clinical development, licensing, co-development, and future commercialization of its antiviral programs.
- Preethy Paul - CEO, ATB Antivirals Ltd
CARBio Therapeutics is a bio-venture company established in 2021 through investment from angel investors, including six doctors. Infrastructure has been completed through the establishment of in-house full facilities and equipment, including the Super Cy-CAR platform, LMO facilities, and specialized researchers.
Preclinical trials for CLDN18.2-targeted, humanized CD19-targeted, and GPC3-targeted Cy CAR-T cells as treatments for gastric, pancreatic, hematological, autoimmune diseases and liver cancers have been completed. Furthermore, the company has generated achievements such as manufacturing 100 types of novel CAR vectors and various cancer cell lines through the synthesis of novel gene sequences, securing one trademark, filing two patent applications, publishing two international papers, and presenting at international conferences more than 10 times. - We are pursuing partnerships and attracting investment for clinical trials scheduled for 2026 to utilize funds for the development of an in vivo CAR-X platform and for the global clinical entry of lenti-viral vectors and LNP polymer delivery systems for in vivo CAR-T cells development utilizing the Super & Sustained Tri-cistronic Cy-CAR platform.
Our company holds a substantial global leadership position in the development of next-generation in vivo CAR-T cells, an area of interest for global pharmaceutical companies, based on patents for CLDN18.2, humanized CD19, and GPC3-targeted Cy-CAR-T cell platform technologies, know-how regarding various gene combinations, source technologies for delivery systems, and novel delivery technologies.
We plan to embark on the development of technology for global in vivo CAR-T cells commercialization by securing one-pot-based DSFAC formation technology utilizing nanoparticle-based solvent diffusion and polymer precipitation.
- Heonju Lee - CEO and Founder, CARBio Therapeutics
Location: The Big Picture Stage
AI promises faster, cheaper, more scalable R&D. But beyond AI-powered discovery, is it helping address the development bottleneck? More ideas, more targets and more clinic-optimized molecules could mean more drugs, but only with smart selection and streamlined clinical data generation. This panel will cover:
- How AI is – and isn’t - changing clinical trials in pharma
- Whether AI is disrupting the R&D eco-system (biotech vs pharma)
- Where are the value hotspots for investors?
- Will AI replace some scientists?
- Melanie Senior - Healthcare Writer & Analyst, Nature portfolio; Evaluate
- David Dellamonica - VP, Head of AI to Transform Care, AstraZeneca
- Piotr Surma - CEO, Ingenix
- Simon Turner - Partner, Sofinnova Partners
