The annual BIO convention has returned, bringing thousands of life sciences companies worldwide to the annual networking event that could spark collaborations and deals.
After two years of online programming, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization annual conference has returned to the San Diego Convention Center, bringing thousands of life sciences companies from across the globe to the annual networking event that could spark collaborations and deals that might just change the future of the industry.
The annual BIO convention reconvenes in person as a spotlight has shone brightly on a biopharma industry that pivoted to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, thrusting new approaches to treating infectious disease to the forefront of the public’s consciousness with the success of mRNA-based vaccines. One of the panel discussions this week will focus on the future of mRNA-based programs beyond the SARS-CoV-2 virus and explore its potential in other indications, including rare genetic diseases, cancer, immunoinflammatory conditions and even cardiovascular disease.
Over the course of the four-day event, there will be approximately 100 different panel discussions that will hone in on multiple areas of importance to the industry, including new targets for therapeutics, patient advocacy issues and concerns, how public policy will impact the life sciences industry, the digital health space and the exploration of next-generation biotherapeutics. Diversity in the industry has become a hot-button topic, and one of the panels will explore best practices for building an inclusive company.
As gene therapy continues to become more and more of a reality, particularly in light of bluebird bio‘s recent wins with a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee, one BIO panel focuses on this approach to offering potential cures for diseases or arresting the progression of rare genetic conditions.
With COVID-19 still fresh in the minds of the industry and the rest of the world, a panel of experts at BIO intends to look back at the lessons learned from the pandemic and what can be done to halt viral threats before they reach the pandemic stage. Throughout the convention, the BIO team is providing a running update on some highlights of the day’s events through its blog.
The BIO convention provides ample opportunities for companies to network and seek potential collaborations. For example, North Carolina-based 9 Meters Biopharma announced its intentions to network and secure partners to support the development and potential commercialization of its advanced development stage assets, vurolenatide for short bowel syndrome and larazotide for celiac disease.
There are also fireside chats conducted by industry leaders in a more intimate manner that will explore new modalities to disease mitigation, a company’s approach to certain diseases and other industry concerns. One of the fireside chat programs focuses on using real-world efficacy data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and how that impacts the regulatory landscape.
While multiple panel discussions are slated for the event, the NIH Innovation Zone is a new feature of the conference. This space showcases nearly 30 NIH-funded small businesses and their cutting-edge work.
The zone also includes the Innovation Stage, an interactive forum that will highlight some of the work being conducted in partnership with the National Institutes of Health. Conference attendees who visit the zone will hear from “leading global innovators, regional economic development groups, the brightest biotech start-ups and more,” BIO said in an announcement last week.
Ahead of the convention, multiple companies announced their participation in the annual conference, with some, such as Salarius Pharmaceuticals, highlighting presentations the company will make. Texas-based Salarius announced plans to provide updates on its two lead programs, the targeted protein degrader SP-3164 and seclidemstat, a protein inhibitor.
Seclidemstat is being assessed in a Phase I/II study trial for relapsed/refractory Ewing sarcoma and other sarcomas that share similar biology to Ewing sarcoma. SP-3164, a next-generation targeted protein degrader, is being investigated as a potential treatment for hematological cancers and solid tumors.
Pittsburgh-based BlueSphere Bio plans to share a corporate overview of the company at BIO. In a brief announcement Monday, the company noted its presentation will highlight the latest data that supports the clinical development of the company’s adoptive TCR T-cell therapies and novel high-throughput TCXpress and NEOXpress platforms, which are designed to target some of the most challenging cancers.
