2025 Plenary Keynote Program
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2
8:00 am Registration and Morning Coffee
8:00 am Recommended Pre-Conference Workshops and Symposia*
On Tuesday, April 2, 2025, Bio-IT World is pleased to offer four pre-conference Workshops scheduled across two time slots (9:00 am–12:00 pm, 1:15–4:30 pm) as well as three Symposia from 9:00 am–4:30 pm. All are designed to be instructional, and interactive and provide in-depth information on a specific topic. They allow for one-on-one interaction and provide a great way to explain more technical aspects that would otherwise not be covered during the main conference tracks that take place Tuesday–Wednesday.
*Separate registration required. See agenda details on the Symposia page and Workshops page.
4:40 pm Organizer's Remarks
Cindy Crowninshield, Executive Event Director, Cambridge Healthtech Institute
4:45 pm PLENARY KEYNOTE INTRODUCTION: Explainable AI in Drug Discovery
Kshitij Kumar, CEO & Founder, CLOVERTEX
4:55 pm PLENARY KEYNOTE PANEL DISCUSSION: From Bytes to Breakthroughs: Next-Generation AI Driving the Future of Life Sciences and Healthcare
PANEL MODERATOR:
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.
PANELISTS:
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 pm Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing (Sponsorship Opportunity Available)
7:25 pm Close of Day
THURSDAY, APRIL 3
8:00 am Organizer's Remarks
Allison Proffitt, Editorial Director, Bio-IT World and Clinical Research News
8:05 am PLENARY KEYNOTE INTRODUCTION: Build for Now & the Future: 8 Critical Pillars for Your Enterprise AI Strategy
Jesse Cugliotta, Global Industry GTM Lead, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Snowflake, Inc.
8:15 am PLENARY KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Data and Computing Infrastructure for the Life Sciences: Best Practices, Observations, and Lessons Learned
Chris Dwan, Independent Consultant, Dwan, LLC
This talk will provide practical, real-world advice based on Dwan's quarter century of experience designing and implementing high-performance computing and large-scale data systems for health care and the life sciences. Topics will include network architectures, cloud vs. "terrestrial" infrastructure, practical data strategies, information security, quality and compliance from R&D to the clinic, differentiated computing platforms, human and organizational factors, and of course AI.
8:45 am PLENARY KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Generative AI, Aging Research and Robotics as a Platform for Drug Discovery: From Hype to Clinical Efficacy
Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, Founder & CEO, Insilico Medicine
9:15 am Session Q&A
9:30 am Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing (Sponsorship Opportunity Available)
Start your morning with coffee, connections, and cutting-edge research! Enjoy poster presentations, network in the Exhibit Hall, vote for awards, and a chance at a fabulous raffle prize!
FRIDAY, APRIL 4
7:00 am Registration Open
7:00 am Quick Bytes & Networking Breakfast—Lifted Rooftop Restaurant & Bar (Sponsorship Opportunity Available)
Start your morning with ‘Quick Bytes & Networking’! Enjoy a cozy restaurant-style setting, quick bites, and speed networking. Connect, converse, and energize your Bio-IT experience before the plenary keynote!
8:00 am Organizer's Remarks
Cindy Crowninshield, Executive Event Director, Cambridge Healthtech Institute
8:05 am Innovative Practices Awards: Excellence in Technological Innovation
Allison Proffitt, Editorial Director, Bio-IT World and Clinical Research News
The Innovative Practices Awards recognizes and celebrates technology innovation in the life sciences. Bio-IT World is currently accepting entries for the 2025 Innovative Practices Awards, a competition designed to recognize partnerships and projects pushing our industry forward. Winners will be announced in early-March 2025, recognized during the Friday, April 4 Plenary Keynote Program, and scheduled to give a podium presentation about their project during the conference. For more details about the Awards and to submit an application, visit www.bio-itworldexpo.com/innovativepractices.
8:20 am PLENARY KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: The Longitude Prize on ALS: A Groundbreaking Global Prize Harnessing the Power of AI to Drive Treatment for ALS
Tris Dyson, Founder, Challenge Works
Jeff Rothstein, MD, PhD, Professor, Neurology and Neuroscience; Director, Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University
The Longitude Prize series brings together the brightest minds to solve the world's most challenging innovation problems. The Longitude Prize on ALS, launching in June 2025, will bring together computational biologists, neurodegenerative researchers and AI-driven biotech globally to uncover novel therapeutic targets for ALS.
8:35 am PLENARY KEYNOTE INTRODUCTION: Shaping the Next Era of Precision Health with Multiomics and AI-Driven Predictive Insights
Rami Mehio, Vice President, Head of Global Software and Informatics, Illumina, Inc.
8:45 am PLENARY KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Scaling Genomic Medicine: Transforming Newborn Screening through Informatics and Innovation
Robert C. Green, MD, MPH, Professor and Director of Genomes2People Research, Mass General Brigham, Broad Institute, Ariadne Labs and Harvard Medical School
The BabySeq Project has pioneered the integration of genomic sequencing into newborn and childhood screening, uncovering unexpected risk variants and transforming healthcare delivery. This keynote explores the groundbreaking progress in genomic medicine, featuring real-world stories of families impacted by these discoveries. Learn about the informatics challenges and innovative solutions required to scale genomic screening for national and global implementation, reshaping the future of precision medicine.
9:15 am PLENARY KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Unlocking the Power of Machine Learning and Data-at-Scale to Deliver with Speed the Best Therapeutic Candidates
Justin M. Scheer, PhD, Vice President In Silico Discovery & Head, Molecular Computational Team, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine
The challenges of high costs, lengthy timelines, and significant attrition have prompted our industry to integrate AI/ML into all aspects of the business. This presentation highlights J&J's strategic investments in AI/ML technologies to enhance the drug discovery processes, including molecule design and optimization. By investing in these technologies with a modality agnostic approach, J&J aims to tackle the hardest targets in drug discovery, ultimately increasing the success rate of delivering better molecules faster.
9:45 am Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing Competition Winners Announced (Sponsorship Opportunity Available)
Bio-IT is all about connections! Explore booths, award-winning posters, and network with clients, colleagues, and exhibitors. Grab coffee, build relationships, and stay for a chance to win a raffle prize!