Day 1Monday, 23 March 2026

Location: Room Porto

The biopharma investment landscape is constantly evolving—shaped by scientific breakthroughs, shifting capital flows, and global dynamics. After a period of contraction, where funding tightened and valuations recalibrated, investors and innovators are seeking the next wave of opportunity.

Join this session as experts share an insider's view how leading venture capital firms and strategic investors are positioning themselves for the future. Understand where the market is headed, what types of innovation are attracting the most attention, how both early- and late-stage companies can best align their strategies with investor priorities and how new deal structures, capital efficiency strategies, and ecosystem partnerships are benefitting biotech’s. The discussion will offer practical guidance for companies seeking to secure funding and navigate toward long-term success, in today’s waves of uncertainty.

Location: Room Porto

As the biotech and pharma sectors enter a pivotal year, dealmaking remains the steady anchor amid unpredictable market tides. In this session, analysts and experienced BD executives from pharma and biotech will explore the forces shaping partnering and M&A in 2026, including the financing climate, emerging therapeutic trends, and geopolitical factors influencing cross-border transactions. With early post-JPM signals on the horizon, the discussion will examine how companies can capture momentum, build resilience, and seize the next wave of opportunity. Discover how strategic collaboration and smart capital deployment can guide innovation towards sustainable growth in a shifting global landscape.

Location: Room Porto

The EU Biotech Act represents a landmark piece of legislation aimed at positioning Europe as a global leader in biotech. Structured in two parts, the legislative program seeks to drive competitiveness across multiple sectors. Part I of the EU Biotech Act, published in December 2025, focuses on advancing health innovation. Key initiatives include accelerating clinical trials, extending intellectual property protections, launching a robust investment program, and introducing strategic projects designed to achieve critical mass in applied innovation. Part II, set to be unveiled in 2026, will shift the focus toward revitalizing biomanufacturing across industries, further strengthening Europe’s biotech ecosystem.

This feature session brings the European Commission to the forefront to present the details of Biotech Act Part I. In conversation with EuropaBio, attendees will gain insights into the Act’s transformative potential for Europe’s biotech landscape.

Location: Room Sintra

Powered by leading analyst intelligence and data-driven insights, this session offers a comprehensive exploration of the evolving therapeutic landscape. Dive into emerging trends, market dynamics, and investment opportunities across key therapeutic areas, and uncover how shifting R&D pipelines, regulatory changes, scientific breakthroughs, and technological advancements are transforming the biopharma industry. Gain a forward-looking perspective on the most promising therapeutic areas and high-growth investment opportunities, equipping you with the strategic insights needed to navigate 2026 and beyond.

Location: Room Sintra

Oncology continues to be a cornerstone of therapeutic innovation, with significant progress and emerging patterns reshaping the fight against cancer. This session will explore the latest advancements in oncology, from precision medicine and immunotherapies to novel modalities, combination treatments, and the use of alternative data points for pre-clinical development and clinical trial optimization. Experts will discuss the evolving investment landscape, strategies for navigating regulatory pathways, improving patient access, and fostering collaborations to accelerate innovation and create a brighter future for patients.

Location: Room Sintra

Immunology stands as a cornerstone of therapeutic innovation, influencing nearly every major therapeutic area. This panel will delve into next-generation approaches to immune diseases, spotlighting groundbreaking advancements and emerging trends which are paving the way for the development of more effective and targeted therapies. Examine the latest deals and the dynamic momentum of partnerships between pharma, biotech, and academia, highlighting how strategic collaborations are accelerating innovation and overcoming translational challenges to address pressing challenges and have a transformative impact on global health.

Location: Room Sintra

The rare disease space continues to be a frontier of unmet need and innovation. This session will convene leading voices to explore how scientific precision, strategic partnerships, capital, and novel business models are accelerating drug development. Through real-world insights, panelists will explore the critical role of patient-centric approaches in R&D and the use of real-world evidence, while addressing the complexities of clinical development, commercialization, and building sustainable pipelines in the face of regulatory, reimbursement, and patient access challenges. Discover what makes a rare disease company fundable today and the mindsets shaping the future of rare disease innovation and partnerships.

Location: Exhibit Hall Stage

Long before biotech entered the national spotlight, Pedro de Noronha Pissarra transformed scientific ambition into enterprise, playing a pivotal role in shaping Portugal's biotech ecosystem and establishing Portugal’s place on the global biotech map. His journey, spanning from Lisbon’s laboratories to international boardrooms, reflects resilience, creativity, and a born-global mindset that continues to inspire the next generation of innovators. This fireside chat will explore the origins of Portugal’s biotech ecosystem, offer insights into building a life sciences sector in an emerging market, lessons on taking science beyond borders, and the lasting impact of mentorship and leadership in shaping budding innovators.

Location: Exhibit Hall Stage

Europe’s biotech sector faces an innovation cliff, with fewer clinical starts, tighter capital, and increasing development complexity. Success now depends on smarter strategic decisions from the outset. This session unites Parexel Consulting, leading investors and biotechs to explore how early regulatory strategy, global trial design, and geography-first planning are redefining what makes biotech fundable in Europe. Drawing on research and insights, the panel will address where companies lose time and value, how investors assess development readiness, and how Europe can build a capital-efficient, globally competitive biotech model.

Location: Exhibit Hall Stage

The industry is evolving toward collaborative models that transcend traditional vendor relationships, focusing instead on co-creative partnerships that influence program strategy from early discovery to commercial launch. This session brings together insights from Recipharm, a global leader in contract development and manufacturing, and FairJourney Biologics, a specialist in antibody discovery and development, to explore how biotech companies can strategically approach partnerships across the entire value chain. This discussion will provide valuable perspectives on fostering innovation and driving success through integrated collaboration.

TREOS Bio is a clinical-stage biotech with a mission to change the paradigm of active cancer immunotherapy development.

- Founded by Hungarian/US/Italian scientists; launched in 2017 as UK company, based in London, Budapest and Boston

- Novel perspective on how HLA genes influence immune responses to cancer

- Coherent immuno-clinical correlation reported from three Phase I/II clinical trials in MSS colorectal cancer conducted in partnership with Mayo Clinic (n=44)

- Proprietary data science platform PEPI Technology: "Promiscuous Epitope"—a small protein fragment binding multiple MHC molecules of a person, thereby triggering exceptionally strong immune responses against tumor antigens — far surpassing the effectiveness of “common” epitopes of competitors

- Two product families: PolyPEPI "Off-the-shelf" and PEPI-Panel "Rapidly formulated fully personalized" therapeutic peptide treatments; produced through commercially scalable, highly cost effective processes, without need for tumor biopsy

- First-in-class predictive biomarker candidate identified for the selection of likely responders (Companion Diagnostic using a buccal swab)

- We aim to establish PolyPEPI immunotherapy as the foundation of combination treatments, accessible to patients worldwide addressing virtually all solid tumors

- New funding round to enable first ever randomized test of an Off-The-Shelf Peptide Immunotherapy in Late-Stage MSS Colorectal Cancer Phase 2B trial (n=140) led by Charite Berlin with support from Junshi Biosciences

Rakuten Medical, based in San Diego, CA, is a clinical- and commercial-stage biotech advancing its investigational Alluminox™ photoimmunotherapy platform, a drug–device combination for cancer treatment. Its lead asset, ASP-1929, an EGFR-targeting antibody–dye conjugate, is approved in Japan for unresectable, locally advanced, or recurrent head and neck cancer, with over 800 commercial treatments completed. Outside Japan, ASP-1929 is in a global Phase 3 trial in combination with anti–PD-1 therapy, supported by encouraging ASCO 2024 data showing 25.6-month overall survival (OS), a 22.2% complete response (CR) rate, and a favorable safety profile. In January 2026, the company announced a $100 million oversubscribed Series F to accelerate development toward U.S. regulatory approval.

At Tarian Pharma, We Believe That Real Innovation Cares We envision a future where supportive care in oncology is proactive, science-driven, and patient-centered, enabling individuals to complete their cancer treatment with fewer dermatological side effects and improved survival and increased remission rates. Patients undergoing cancer treatment face more than the disease itself: they face a cascade of dermatological side effects that affect comfort, self-esteem, and the ability to complete treatment. We developed a one and only product: a topical shield designed to actively protect the skin, improve quality of life, and enhance adherence to cancer therapy. It’s not just a product. It’s the guardian of your skin — simple yet essential.

Ymmunobio is a preclinical-stage oncology company advancing a first-in-class ADC treatment solution based on the proprietary tumor specific antigen (TSA) NPTXR, a neo-expressed membrane protein found exclusively on cancer cells. The company’s lead asset, YB-811, an Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC), is designed to selectively target NPTXR-positive tumors with no off-tumor toxicity risk, leveraging third-generation linker-payload chemistry for superior safety and efficacy. Ymmunobio’s tumor marker shows extraordinarily high prevalence (57–98%) in more than a dozen of the most common and lethal cancers, enabling unmatched market breadth. The company holds exclusive global IP and intends to complete human proof-of-concept by 2028.

SonoTarg is on track to change the landscape of cancer treatment with a suite of targeted, low toxicity therapies that treat both primary tumours and metastatic disease. SonoTarg is an oncology biotech spinout company from the Universities of Oxford and Ulster and is based in Northern Ireland. The company has developed a suite of ultrasound-responsive, microbubble-based therapeutics for treating solid tumours with targeted, low dose chemotherapy and sonodynamic therapy (SDT). SonoTarg’s approach has proved highly effective against different solid tumour types, without the adverse effects associated with conventional chemotherapy. The SDT component elicits a powerful, local cytotoxic effect and simultaneously engages the immune system, providing the potential to treat metastatic disease in addition to the target tumour. This ‘abscopal’ effect has been confirmed in vivo and furthermore, preclinical data shows that the efficacy of existing immune checkpoint inhibitors can be augmented when given in combination with the SonoTarg product. SonoTarg is now ready to execute a phase I clinical trial which will generate safety and proof of mechanism data in newly diagnosed, breast cancer patients. SonoTarg is seeking £3.8Mn to enable the completion of this trial by end of 2027.

Oncovita is a cutting-edge biotech company and spin-off from Institut Pasteur, focused on developing life-saving immunovirotherapy treatments for cancer.

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death worldwide. Despite advances in targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), response rates remain low (15-60%) and adverse events high (20-40%).

7 Hills Pharma is a clinical-stage drug development company advancing first-in-class small molecules leveraging a novel mechanism of action, pioneered by 7HP founders, to safely enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapies against aPD-1-resistant solid tumors, with no added toxicities. 7 Hills has been awarded ~$34MM in non-dilutive state and federal grants to support our novel platform technology. The company is currently executing a Phase Ib trial on Alintegimod, our first clinical-stage platform molecule, which has shown early signs of clinical activity, tumor responses, and biomarker improvement. 7 Hills is premarketing a $35MM Series A, aimed to close near the end of 2026, and is parallel is assessing potential developmental partners to advance Alintegimod (7HP349) through a Phase II trial starting in 2027.

Phanes Therapeutics is a clinical stage biotech company focused on immuno-oncology. Currently, the company has three assets in phase 2 clinical trials, including spevatamig, peluntamig and mavrostobart. The most advanced program spevatamig, a first-in-class CLDN18.2/CD47 bispecific antibody being developed for first-line pancreatic cancer (PDAC), has shown initial clinical efficacy.

Both spevatamig and peluntamig are first-in-class bispecific antibodies and have been granted orphan drug designations as well as Fast Track designations by the FDA.

The company has built a strong pipeline by leveraging its proprietary technology platforms: PACbody®, SPECpair® and ATACCbody® to develop novel biologics that address high unmet medical needs in cancer.

BIMINI Biotech is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2019 by Dr. Digvijay Gahtory and Dr. Maurits van den Nieuwboer. Based in Leiden, the Netherlands, BIMINI is supported by a strong syndicate of regional and international investors, including UNIIQ, LUMC's Life Sciences & Health fund (LEH), InnovationQuarter Capital, and US-based Torrey Pines Investment.

BIMINI is developing first-in-class small-molecule therapeutics for oncology and autoimmune diseases by targeting the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP)-a novel and highly differentiated intracellular regulator of actin cytoskeleton dynamics. WASP plays a central role in immune cell activation, migration, and survival, and growing evidence demonstrates its multi-dimensional involvement in hematologic malignancies, solid tumors, and autoimmune pathology.

Leveraging deep expertise in medicinal chemistry, cell biology, and translational drug discovery, BIMINI has built a proprietary portfolio of WASP modulators designed to precisely modulate cytoskeletal signaling in diseased immune cells. The company has demonstrated robust and reproducible preclinical efficacy across disease-relevant models, supported by strong target biology and mechanistic validation.

By addressing a fundamental and previously untapped mechanism in immune-driven disease, BIMINI aims to deliver differentiated therapies for patients with high unmet medical need, including indications where relapse and treatment resistance remain the norm.

APOBEC Discovery is a preclinical stage oncology biotechnology company at the forefront of developing first in class selective small molecule inhibitors of the two key APOBEC enzymes involved in cancer development, spread and treatment resistance. Theses APOBEC enzymes are cytidine deaminases which cause mutations in both DNA and RNA, and whose activity is now recognised as "one of the most significant human carcinogens with prevalence superseding that of smoking and exposure to UV light". Recent publications have shown that these two APOBEC enzymes are responsible for up to 60% of cancer-causing genetic mutations and are found in 80% of cancer types. APOBEC enzymes are also heavily involved in spread to other tissues, and there is a large body of scientific evidence showing they not only cause treatment resistance but treatment with cancer drugs themselves increase the activity of APOBEC enzymes, leading to ongoing resistance mechanisms. The company was founded in 2019 by Prof. James Scott, FMedSci, FRS. who discovered the APOBEC mechanism.

APOBEC Discovery is currently raising capital for a preclinical programme to lead to a regulatory application for first clinical studies.