2025 ARCHIVES
Tuesday, April 1
5:00 pmRegistration Open
Wednesday, April 2
8:00 amRegistration and Morning Coffee
Advancing RNA R&D: Leveraging Automation, AI/ML, and Modern Data Management
Sebastian Schlicker, Head, Biologics Business Operations, Genedata AG
Putting the IT in New Modalities at AstraZeneca
Y. Morris Chen, PhD, Director, Cell Therapy IT, R&D IT, AstraZeneca
The speaker will discuss how AstraZeneca R&D IT addresses the rapid evolution and challenges of cell therapy research and development, including key considerations and short-term and long-term strategic foci.
Harnessing Data Management and Querying for Advancements in AAV Research and in vivo Studies
Shijun Yu, Senior Scientist, Roche
Recently, Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) entities with associated properties and genealogy, as well as assay results are seamlessly integrated to our data warehouse BDS, facilitating the data management and querying in D360 platform. It enhances the accuracy and efficiency of the AAV research and development processes, and accelerates advancements in cell and gene therapy. In addition, we successfully integrated in vivo studies, complementing the existing in vitro data in D360 platform to enable more informed decision- making for drug discovery projects, establishing the integrated platform for Roche R&D project portfolio across various modalities (i.e., small molecule, oligo, biologics, cell and gene therapy).
Launching into the Future: Sanofi’s Biologics AI Moonshot Program—Advancing AI Strategy and Innovation for Biologics
Yves Fomekong Nanfack, PhD, Executive Director & Head, End-to-End AI Foundations, Large Molecules Research Platform, Sanofi
Sanofi recently launched the BioAIM program to push forward on our ambition to transform biologics drug discovery. This talk will discuss the landscape of opportunities for ML and AI in all aspects of antibody generation to design and engineering of advanced modalities, our approach, examples of novel methods developed, and early results.
How to Standardize Data Science Ways of Working to Unlock Your Data Science Teams' Creativity
Eric Ma, PhD, Principal Data Scientist, Moderna, Inc.
As data science teams grow, balancing consistency with creative innovation becomes crucial. Drawing from my experience building data science teams at Moderna, I'll share how thoughtfully designed workflows enhance creativity by providing stable foundations. We'll explore practical strategies for standardizing project initialization and delivery patterns while preserving scientists' freedom to solve problems their way, using modern tools like pixi and uv to make good practices the path of least resistance.
10:55 amNetworking Coffee Break
Exploring Cutting-Edge AI and Machine Learning Innovations in Biologics Drug Discovery
Monica Wang, PhD, Head of Biologics and Novel Modality Discovery Capabilities and Products, Scientific Informatics, Takeda
This presentation will explore AI/ML advancements in biologics and novel modalities drug discovery. It will review the past 25 years of drug discovery, discuss AI-ready ecosystems, and address the challenges and future outlook of AI/ML applications in this field.
Empower Gilead Biologics Innovation with AI/ML through Informatics Ecosystem Transformation
Epic Ding, Senior Manager, Research Informatics, Gilead
Ying Huang, Director of Data Science, Gilead
Gilead Research Informatics and Research Data Science have been partnering with PTx to revolutionize the large molecule informatics ecosystem which is built on top of existing data infrastructure. Vendor systems and internally developed applications are integrated as a cohesive, scalable ecosystem to support the next decade's biologics innovation. We will highlight AI/ML applications that leverage data integration and transformation to accelerate candidate selection and facilitate molecule engineering.
12:05 pmTransition to Lunch
12:15 pmLuncheon Presentation (Sponsorship Opportunity Available) or Enjoy Lunch on Your Own
1:15 pmSession Break
Chairperson's Remarks
Building Cell Therapy Multi-Modal Molecular Imaging Ecosystem
Andras Fancsik, MD, PhD, Specialist Leader, Life Sciences, Deloitte Consulting
Jenny Wei, PhD, Senior Director, R&D Informatics and Technology, Kite Pharma
As Kite Pharma advances cell therapy to solid tumors and autoimmune diseases, advanced imaging technologies are invested in CAR T discovery. Kite Pharma is collaborating with NVIDIA and Deloitte to explore accelerated streaming of multi-terabyte images to cloud with optimized storage, automated cell segmentation analysis on MONAI with foundation models, integration within image modalities and among diverse modalities (clinical, genomics, and imaging), and GenAI-augmented image meta-data indexing and exploration.
Med.ai-CAR T: An Integrated CAR T Data and Analytic Platform for R&D
Lina Yang, PhD, Principal Scientist, Data Science and Digital Health, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine
As an R&D organization, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Data Science & Digital Health is collaborating with the oncology teams to develop an integrated solution for advanced analysis across modalities and scales in CAR T research. Access to multimodality data will enable the utilization of advanced AI/ML technology to enhance our understanding of manufacturability, efficacy, and safety in cell therapy products.
From Request to Results: Automating Lab Workflows with Predictive Resource Scheduling
Luis Lebolo, PhD, Director of Software Engineering, Generate Biomedicines
Discover how we transformed lab operations by developing an in-house workflow management and predictive scheduling system. Our solution automates the end-to-end process from request to results, integrating tightly with our data platform, informatics tools, and automation. By tracking progress, supporting task handoffs, and optimizing resource allocation, we enhanced efficiency and visibility across the lab. Learn how predictive resource scheduling answers critical questions about timing and workload management.
2:50 pmNetworking Refreshment Break
Tamerlan Saidov, PhD, Digital Strategy Consultant, Zifo Technologies, Inc.
Digital innovation in in silico modeling is transforming drug development by enabling faster, safer, and cost-effective decision-making. This talk explores how predictive modeling enhances R&D, focusing on cardiac safety and drug interaction assessments. We will introduce Zifo's experience in developing a modeling tool that can assess cardiac safety and drug interactions using IC50 data to predict associated risks in the discovery and early development phases.
Guiding Data-Informed Decisions with Genedata Profiler’s End-to-End Data Platform
Hareesh Chandrupatla, Director, Data Science Platforms Director, Revolution Medicines
Revolution Medicine is dedicated to transforming treatment paradigms for previously undruggable RAS-addicted cancers. To empower researchers in extracting maximum value from preclinical and clinical data, the company has implemented Genedata Profiler, an integrated data solution. Genedata Profiler offers rich metadata cataloging and data management capabilities, as well as scalable, automated workflows for multi-source data ingestion, and its transformation into analysis-ready datasets. With an intuitive user interface and comprehensive visualization tools, the platform equips scientists and clinical decision-makers with a self-service exploratory ecosystem for hypothesis testing and insight generation, enabling informed decisions regarding their precision medicines in development.
Digital in Biotherapeutics at AbbVie: A Ten-Year Retrospective Shaping Our Future Vision
Sukru Kaymakcalan, Director, R&D Information Research, AbbVie, Inc.
Digital transformation, the accelerating pace of scientific and technological advancement as well as increasingly sophisticated analytics and computational methods are putting intense pressure on delivering digital solutions in biotherapeutics research and development. We'll discuss AbbVie's work in this space over the last decade to share lessons learned, discuss challenges and opportunities, and share our vision of a digitally enabled and data-driven biotherapeutics organization to meet the challenges of tomorrow's biopharma landscape.
Digital Infrastructure for Decentralized R&D in the Life Sciences
Charles Demurjian, Lead Data Specialist, BioMicro Center at MIT
Douaa Mugahid, PhD, Data Officer, Hi-IMPAcTB Consortium, Harvard School of Public Health
The explosion of multiomics in the life sciences is catalyzing a shift towards digital biology at unprecedented speed. In the world of digital biology, not only do we need interdisciplinary research teams of wet and dry lab researchers working closely together, but also the infrastructure to support their collaboration. This session will discuss efforts being made to support decentralized digital biology inspired by learnings from the international NIH-funded consortium, Hi-IMPAcTB.
4:30 pmRefreshment Break & Transition to Plenary Keynote
Organizer's Remarks
Cindy Crowninshield, Executive Event Director, Cambridge Healthtech Institute
Kshitij Kumar, CEO & Founder, CLOVERTEX
From Bytes to Breakthroughs: Next-Generation AI Driving the Future of Life Sciences and Healthcare
Abbie Celniker, PhD, Partner, Third Rock Ventures LLC
Next-Generation AI has the potential to revolutionize life sciences by delivering unprecedented insights, automation, and efficiency. But what will those industry transformations look like? This keynote panel convenes leaders from biopharma, healthcare, and emerging tech who are applying AI—generative models and beyond—to accelerate drug discovery, diagnostics, and patient care. Panelists will share real-world case studies, discuss overcoming both technical and organizational challenges, and explore how AI is evolving from predictive tools to autonomous, decision-making systems. Look beyond the hype to uncover where AI is making a tangible impact today and where the next frontiers of innovation lie.
Tala Fakhouri, PhD, MPH, Associate Director for Data Science and AI Policy, FDA (participating virtually)
Per Greisen, PhD, President, BioMap
Sofia Guerra, Vice President, Bessemer Venture Partners
Subha Madhavan, PhD, Vice President and Head, AI/ML, Quantitative and Digital Sciences, Pfizer Inc.
Sonya Makhni, MD, Medical Director, Mayo Clinic Platform
6:10 pmWelcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing (Sponsorship Opportunity Available)
The Bio-IT Kickoff Reception is a reunion—reconnect with friends, explore cutting-edge research, and celebrate innovation! Enjoy poster presentations, networking, and vote for the Best of Show and Poster awards.
7:25 pmClose of Day
Conference Tracks