Wednesday, May 1

4:00 p.m.

Registration

6:00 p.m.

Welcome Reception

7:00 p.m.

Welcome Dinner

Thursday, May 2

7:00 a.m.

Breakfast & Registration

8:00 a.m.

rEVOLUTION Symposium Welcome

8:10 a.m.

Three Body Problem – Navigating the Ever-Increasing Complexity and Opportunity of Biopharma R&D
An action packed, hard-hitting, in-depth discussion focusing on solving the problem of world peace, climate change, the state of politics, and other key topics that are on the minds of our heroes who head R&D at major Pharma institutions.

Moderator:
Keith Gottesdiener, M.D., Prime Medicine

Panelists:
Jane Grogan, Ph.D., Biogen
Fiona Marshall, Ph.D., Novartis, Biomedical Research
Robert Plenge, M.D., Ph.D., Bristol Myers Squibb
Andy Plump, M.D., Ph.D., Takeda

9:40 a.m.

Networking Break

10:15 a.m.

Emerging Technologies – Are We Reaching a Tipping Point?
The focus of the panel discussion will be on other, emerging technologies, tested in biotech, which have made significant advances in recent years and may be approaching the tipping point, where they are considered mainstream. These include (but are not limited to) radiopharmaceuticals, RNA interference, and gene editing. The panel will discuss the extent to which these technologies have matured; the obstacles that must be overcome before they can be considered mainstream, from a clinical, technical, and regulatory perspective; and the other, non-technical considerations that will inform the widespread adoption and application of these technologies.

Moderator:
Doug Williams, Ph.D., Sana Biotechnology

Panelists:
Raymond Deshaies, Ph.D., Amgen
David Liu, Ph.D., Broad Institute
Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., FDA
Lori Lyons-Williams, Abdera Therapeutics

11:45 a.m.

Break

12:00 p.m.

Lunch & Fireside Chat
A conversation with Rick Pazdur, FDA. Moderated by Steve Usdin, BioCentury.

1:45 p.m.

Break

2:00 p.m.

Surfing the Tidal Wave: The Present and Future of Obesity Therapy
Obesity and associated co-morbidities are the primary drivers of both direct and indirect health care costs in the US.  It was only a few years ago that Novo and Lilly first reported >10% weight loss in people with obesity with semaglutide and tirzepatide, respectively.  These were breakthroughs in the treatment of obesity, which was previously a graveyard of failed clinical and commercial assets. Since then, outcomes trials have begun to demonstrate the benefits of weight loss, and there has been rapid progress in advancing the next generation of injectables, and oral therapies.  Lilly and Novo are currently the #1 and #2 pharma companies based on market cap.

Nearly all approved therapeutics and those currently in development utilize GLP-1 as the foundational mechanism, yet history has taught us that multiple mechanisms are typically required to meet unmet needs in large, diverse primary care markets.  Moreover, despite the remarkable efficacy of these agents, they have several limitations, including tolerability, convenience, quality of weight loss, adherence, cost, and ability to scale.

Increasing investment by pharma, biotech and the venture community will be required to identify new opportunities to meet the unmet need.  This panel, which includes leading experts in metabolism from pharma and biotech, will discuss the strengths and limitations of current therapeutics, emerging areas of research and development, and opportunities for new investment.

Moderator:
Nancy Thornberry, Kallyope

Panelists:
Rachel Batterham, O.B.E., M.B.B.S., Ph.D., F.R.C.P., Eli Lilly and Company
Karin Conde-Knape, Ph.D., Novo Nordisk
Kevin Grove, Ph.D., Helicore
Philip Larsen, Ph.D., M.D., Six Peaks Bio
Mark Pruzanski, M.A., M.D., formerly Versanis

3:30 p.m.

Break

6:15 p.m.

Walk (0.2mi) to Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

6:30 p.m.

Networking Reception

7:30 p.m.

Dinner and Programming

Market Update
David Ke, Managing Director, Investment Banking, J.P. Morgan

Keynote Discussion
A conversation with Nobel Laureates Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D. & Dave MacMillian, Ph.D.
Moderated by Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Ph.D., Xaira

9:30 p.m.

Dessert Reception & Networking

Friday, May 3

7:00 a.m.

Breakfast & Registration

8:00 a.m.

Welcome Back

8:10 a.m.

AI in Drug Development: Not If, but How
While the biopharma industry has lagged other sectors, such as retail and equity trading, in adoption of AI, it’s now poised for revolutionary levels of change. Large volumes of increasingly well-curated data, systems that allow data to flow in compliant manners, and advanced analytics, including the recent revolutions in predictive and generative AI, are all rapidly converging. However, much of the attention is focused on AI in drug discovery, and less to the significant advances in drug development, where near-term opportunities abound. Numerous critical challenges now appear addressable, that can lead to both material improvements in overall probability of success as well as improvements in efficiency.

The applications of AI in drug development span uses in patient-finding, the definition of the appropriate patient (approaches to precision medicine), site selection and de-selection, patient recruitment, remote clinical trials, harnessing real world data to construct external control arms in large clinical trials that provide rich relevance data, drug manufacturing, post-approval commitments and safety monitoring, and much more.

This panel will discuss advances including how biopharmaceutical companies are currently deploying such approaches in clinical development, or should be.  The panel will discuss when such approaches are likely to drive value for programs, organizations and patients and in which problems such approaches are likely to have impactful solutions. 

Moderator:
Mathai Mammen, M.D., Ph.D., FogPharma

Panelists:
Nicolle Gatto, Ph.D., M.P.H., Aetion
Najat Khan, Ph.D., Johnson & Johnson
Eric Schadt, Ph.D., Pathos
Anas El Turabi, Ph.D., McKinsey & Company

9:40 a.m.

Networking Break

10:15 a.m.

Precision Medicine: When and How Do Other Fields Match Oncology’s Success?
This panel will review the challenges and opportunities with precision medicine in neurologic, cardio-metabolic, and immune-mediated diseases. With the goal of having targeted therapies that address genetic drivers and causal biology, the panelists will discuss new approaches and advances in polygenic diseases, complex chronic diseases, and patient populations that are non-responsive or refractory to therapies.

Moderator:
Pablo Cagnoni, M.D., Incyte

Panelists:
Azad Bonni, M.D., Ph.D., Roche
Sek Kathiresan, M.D., Verve
Dhaval Patel, M.D., Ph.D., UCB

11:45 a.m.

Break

12:00 p.m.

Closing Luncheon & Keynote Speakers
Anna Palmer, Founder & CEO of Punchbowl News, Former Co-Author of POLITICO Playbook
& Jake Sherman, Founder of Punchbowl News, Former Co-Author of POLITICO Playbook

1:30 p.m.

Departure

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE: ARE), an S&P 500^® company, is a best-in-class, mission-driven life science REIT making a positive and lasting impact on the world. As the pioneer of the life science real estate niche since our founding in 1994, Alexandria is the preeminent and longest-tenured owner, operator, and developer of collaborative life science mega campuses in the nation’s top life science clusters, including Greater Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle. Alexandria also provides strategic capital to transformative life science companies through our venture capital platform, Alexandria Venture Investments. Since the platform’s inception, it has actively invested in impactful companies catalyzing the next generation of groundbreaking therapeutic platforms with immense potential to address a wide array of diseases, and ultimately fulfill Alexandria’s mission to advance human health by curing disease and improving nutrition.

Specialized in the life science industry, Catalyst Advisors is a global executive recruitment and leadership advisory firm focused on building transformational boardrooms and executive leadership teams.  We guide our clients through their maturation journeys and serve as trusted advisors at critical junctures in their mission to advance affordable, innovative diagnostics and therapeutics with the potential to change patients’ lives.

We are the global leader in commercial real estate services and investments. With services, insights and data that span every dimension of the industry, we create solutions for clients of every size, in every sector and across every geography. Learn more at CBRE.com.

As your life sciences business grows, you need richer, more complex solutions and services, as well as access to world-class thinkers. J.P. Morgan will be here to guide you through your options for longer term growth, acquisition or exit. From biotech to pharmaceuticals, medical devices to diagnostics – as you make history, we’ll be with you every step of the way.

McKinsey is a global management consulting firm committed to helping organizations accelerate sustainable and inclusive growth. We work with clients across the private, public, and social sectors to solve complex problems and create positive change for all their stakeholders. We combine bold strategies and transformative technologies to help organizations innovate more sustainably, achieve lasting gains in performance, and build workforces that will thrive for this generation and the next.

Scientist.com is a privately held San Diego-based company on a mission to make it faster and cheaper to discover new medicines. At its heart is an AI-powered marketplace that helps drug researchers use innovative technologies to rapidly translate their ideas into actionable data. Through Scientist.com, scientists communicate directly with research experts at over 4,000 global laboratories to design and execute complex research experiments.

Syngene International Ltd. is an integrated research, development, and manufacturing services company serving the global pharmaceutical, biotechnology, nutrition, animal health, consumer goods, and specialty chemical sectors. Syngene’s more than 6000 scientists offer both skills and the capacity to deliver great science, robust data security, and world class manufacturing, at speed, to improve time-to-market and lower the cost of innovation. With a combination of dedicated research facilities for Amgen, Baxter, and Bristol-Myers Squibb as well as 2.2Mn sq. ft of specialist discovery, development and manufacturing facilities, Syngene works with biotech companies pursuing leading-edge science as well as multinationals, including GSK, Zoetis and Merck KGaA. For more details, visit www.syngeneintl.com.

Founded in 2002, 5AM Ventures is a leading venture capital firm focused on building next-generation life science companies. With offices in San Francisco and Boston, 5AM takes a hands-on approach to investing and company building, often going beyond traditional board roles to leverage our diverse team of scientists, clinicians, drug developers and executives throughout a company’s life. With over $2.0 billion raised since inception, 5AM has invested globally in 100 public and private companies. For more information, please visit www.5amventures.com.

BioCentury helps C-level biotech executives and investors make business-critical decisions by providing independent deep-dive analysis, high-quality data, and business intelligence on a global scale. We report on and dissect trends before others, helping you to better position your company for change and to capitalize on that change before your competition. No matter where you are in the drug development process—from idea to patient—we help you answer critical questions, decipher strategic trends, objectively evaluate product and business strategies, and assess competitive, financial, and policy risks. For more information, please visit BioCentury.com.

Versant Ventures is a leading healthcare venture capital firm committed to helping exceptional entrepreneurs build the next generation of great companies. The firm’s emphasis is on biotechnology companies that are discovering and developing novel therapeutics. With $5.4 billion under management and offices in the U.S., Canada and Europe, Versant has built a team with deep investment, operating and R&D expertise that enables a hands-on approach to company building. Since the firm’s founding in 1999, more than 95 Versant companies have achieved successful acquisitions or IPOs. For more information, please visit www.versantventures.com.

Wilson Sonsini’s legacy of life sciences industry leadership  dates back to the formative years of the biotech and medical device sectors, when bold new companies first started to develop important life changing and life saving products and solutions. Since then, the firm has earned its leadership position in the life sciences sector through our representation of innovative companies in the biotechnology, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals sectors, as well as our 40-plus-year history of working closely with the scientists and entrepreneurs who started and grew the companies into thriving businesses. We also have an equally long history of representing sophisticated investors and funding sources that finance entities across the life sciences industry. Today, the firm’s life sciences practice–one of the largest in the U.S.–is anchored by a multi-disciplinary team of more than 275 professionals, including attorneys, patent agents, and scientific advisors. A substantial number of our practitioners have advanced degrees in biology, chemistry, engineering, or other scientific fields. Similarly, a large number of our professionals have experience working in laboratory, medical, or research facilities. The team also includes attorneys who have served as in-house legal counsel for major life sciences companies, or have held senior positions at U.S. federal agencies, including the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).