2026 Plenary Keynote Program
Tuesday, May 19
8:30 am Recommended Pre-Conference Workshops and Symposia*
On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, Cambridge Healthtech Institute is pleased to offer six pre-conference Workshops scheduled across two time slots (9:00 am–12:00 pm and 1:15–4:15 pm) and three Symposia from 8:30 am–3:45 pm. All are designed to be instructional, 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 Wednesday–Thursday.
*Separate registration required. Additional details:
4:30 pm Organizer's Remarks
Cindy Crowninshield, Executive Event Director, Cambridge Healthtech Institute
4:35 pm PLENARY KEYNOTE INTRODUCTION: Getting Ready for Effective AI: Starting with FAIR Principles with RCH Solutions & MIGx AG
Speaker to be Announced, RCH Solutions
4:45 pm Presentation to be Announced
6:00 pm Welcome 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.
7:15 pm Close of Day
Wednesday, May 20
6:30 am Bio-IT World’s 5K Rise and Shine Fun Run! (Sponsorship Opportunities Available)
RUN COORDINATORS:
Bridget Kotelly, Senior Conference Director, Cambridge Healthtech Institute
Eileen Murphy, Conference Producer, Cambridge Healthtech Institute
Lace up and join Bio-IT’s Coordinators for the Fun Run on Wednesday, May 20! Sprint, jog, walk, or talk-your-way-through—ALL abilities are welcome. This informal event is all about getting moving together. Full details to come…just don’t forget your sneakers!
7:00 am Registration and Morning Coffee
8:00 am Organizer's Remarks
Allison Proffitt, Editorial Director, Bio-IT World and Clinical Research News
8:05 am Plenary Keynote Introduction
Speaker to be Announced, CLOVERTEX
8:15 am PLENARY KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: The Collaboration Breakthrough: How Federated Learning Is Rewriting the Rules of Drug Discovery
Mohammed AlQuraishi, PhD, Assistant Professor, Systems Biology, Columbia University
Jonathan B. Gilbert, PhD, Senior Director, Ecosystem Growth and Contributor Partnerships, Eli Lilly and Company
Woody Sherman, PhD, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Psivant Therapeutics
The pharmaceutical industry sits on a collective treasure trove of proprietary structural biology data, yet competitive concerns have historically prevented the data sharing necessary to train the most powerful AI models for drug discovery. Federated learning is changing this paradigm, enabling biopharma companies to collaborate on AI model training while keeping sensitive data secure and confidential. This plenary session explores the groundbreaking AI Structural Biology (AISB) Network, where industry leaders are pooling proprietary protein-ligand structure data to collaboratively train OpenFold3, an AI model designed to predict molecular interactions with precision approaching X-ray crystallography. Through the federated computing platform, thousands of experimentally determined protein–small molecule structures remain securely at their original locations while contributing to a shared learning framework that no single organization could achieve alone. This session reveals how federated learning solves the industry's most persistent challenge: unlocking collective intelligence while protecting intellectual property. Attendees will hear directly from consortium leaders about:
- The technical architecture enabling privacy-preserving collaborative AI training across competing organizations
- Real-world implementation of federated learning platforms and computational governance frameworks
- Strategic rationale for industry collaboration: why sharing model training beats going it alone
- Impact and outcomes from early OpenFold3 results in predicting binding affinities and accelerating small molecule discovery
- The future of collaborative AI in biopharma, from structural biology to clinical development
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!
Thursday, May 21
7:00 am Registration Open
7:00 am Connect & Collaborate: Breakfast Networking Roundtables (Sponsorship Opportunities Available)
Kick off the morning with small-group roundtable discussions designed to spark collaboration, share challenges, and exchange insights across the Bio-IT community. Attendees gather around themed tables—spanning data ecosystems, AI adoption, foundational models, intelligent labs, translational infrastructure, and emerging technologies—to compare experiences and explore practical strategies. Each roundtable seats 8–10 participants for focused, peer-driven conversation that accelerates problem-solving, strengthens connections, and surfaces cross-functional perspectives before the plenary keynote. Topics will be announced throughout the year on the Bio-IT World website as part of our 2026 theme rollout, with opportunities for attendees and partners to propose table themes. If you have a topic to suggest or would like to participate as a moderator, contact Cindy Crowninshield at ccrowninshield@healthtech.com.
8:00 am Organizer's Remarks
Cindy Crowninshield, Executive Event Director, Cambridge Healthtech Institute
8:05 am Bio-IT World 2026 Innovative Practices Awards Ceremony (Winners Announced)
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 2026 Innovative Practices Awards, a competition designed to recognize partnerships and projects pushing our industry forward. Winners will be announced in April 2026, recognized during the Thursday, May 21 Plenary Keynote Program, and scheduled to give a podium presentation about their project during the conference. The deadline for entry is March 2, 2026. For more details about the Awards and to submit an application, visit www.bioitworldexpo.com/innovativepractices.
8:20 am Bio-IT World 2026 Emerging Innovator Award—NEW (Winner Announced)
Allison Proffitt, Editorial Director, Bio-IT World and Clinical Research News
The Emerging Innovator Award recognizes one exceptional early-career researcher advancing the future of life sciences through breakthrough work in biomedical data, computational methods, or technology-enabled discovery. The 2026 awardee will deliver a 10-minute plenary keynote at Bio-IT World, highlighting the impact of their research and the forward-looking direction of their work. Nominations are due March 2, 2026, at www.bio-itworldexpo.com.
8:35 am Plenary Keynote Introduction
Scott Weiss, Vice President, Product & Strategy, IDBS
8:45 am PLENARY KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Hopscotching Through Drug Discovery: 15 Years of CADD and the Rise of AI
José Duca, PhD, Global Head Computer-Aided Drug Discovery, Global Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Inc.
9:45 am Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster 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!