Agenda for Day 3 - Wednesday 11 November, 2026Wednesday, 11 November 2026

Location: Biomanufacturing Strategy Stage

This fireside chat will feature industry leaders who have successfully co-developed innovative therapies, sharing their experiences, challenges, and the transformative impact of collaboration on innovation. Key discussion points include:

• Co-development models for advancing therapies through strategic partnerships

• Joint ventures as a catalyst for technology innovation in the CDMO landscape

• Strategies to foster open innovation and drive collaborative breakthroughs

• Addressing challenges in collaborative R&D and ensuring alignment across stakeholders

• Case studies highlighting successful co-innovation projects and their outcomes

• A forward-looking perspective on the future of collaborative innovation in CDMO partnerships

Location: Biomanufacturing Strategy Stage

Just-Evotec Biologics has established an integrated development and manufacturing platform that combines intelligent candidate optimization with highly intensified bioprocessing to support rapid advancement of biologics from cell line development through early clinical manufacturing. High cell density culture enables efficient production of low-expressing proteins, while shortened process residence times contribute to consistent product quality. The platform is particularly well suited for increasingly complex biologics, including bispecific and multi-specific antibodies, offering a scalable and accelerated route to early clinical evaluation.

Location: Biomanufacturing Strategy Stage

How can breakthrough innovation become scalable, GMP-ready biomanufacturing? Bringing together biotech, translational research and CDMO perspectives across emerging therapeutic technologies, this panel explores the challenges of process development, scale-up and industrialisation - and the partnerships needed to transform scientific advances into robust, manufacturable and commercially viable products.

Elutiq is developing a proprietary in-bone micro-pharmacy platform, combining regenerative bone grafts with programmable, sustained local drug delivery. Our lead programs target complex bone implant-associated infections, with antibacterial activity demonstrated through 42 days in vitro. Beyond that, our platform offers pharmaceutical partners opportunities to expand the therapeutic potential of existing and novel drug compounds/treatment through targeted, localized delivery, including applications in bone oncology.

aimed analytics is an AI-driven life sciences company that helps biotech, pharmaceutical, and research teams analyze complex biomedical data faster, more efficiently, and reproducibly. Its platform combines agentic AI, deep learning, and automated bioinformatics workflows to transform complex omics data into structured, actionable insights.

Users can upload their data, formulate research questions in natural language, and generate transparent, reusable analytical workflows without extensive programming or specialist bioinformatics expertise. By reducing analysis time, cost, and technical barriers, aimed analytics enables research teams to focus on scientific discovery, drug development, and better data-driven decisions.

BeNature BioLab (BNBL) is a deep-tech drug delivery company founded in 2020 as a spin-off from Kangwon National University, Republic of Korea. BNBL develops and manufactures formulations based on HME-DDS™, its proprietary hot-melt extrusion drug delivery system - a solvent-free, continuous process that improves the solubility, oral bioavailability and stability of poorly water-soluble compounds without organic solvents or residual-solvent risk.

The platform generates two output formats: ECOSPHERE™, a solid porous matrix suitable for tablets, capsules, sticks and powders, and ECOSOLUTION™, a redispersible liquid concentrate for beverages and topical systems. Preclinical pharmacokinetic studies have demonstrated substantial exposure gains for difficult actives, including a 13.6-fold AUC increase for astaxanthin and an 8.75-fold increase for decursinol angelate. A silymarin amorphous solid dispersion is under co-development with a top-tier Korean pharmaceutical partner.

BNBL operates its own GMP and HACCP-certified continuous manufacturing facility with 600 tonnes per year of capacity, allowing partners to move from feasibility screening to clinical and commercial supply within a single organization. The company holds more than 17 granted patents, national New Excellent Technology (NET) certification, and selection under Korea's TIPS and Deep-Tech TIPS programs, including an integrated extrusion-to-FDM pharmaceutical 3D printing pipeline.

BNBL partners with pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, functional food and dermocosmetic companies across Asia, Europe and North America through co-development, licensing and contract manufacturing models. At BIO-Europe, BNBL is seeking formulation co-development agreements, in-licensing partners for its bioavailability-enhanced assets, and regional commercialization partners in Europe.

Diseases of the brain are a direct result of aging, yet none of the drugs used to treat them target the aging process. We are taking a radical approach, as we develop a drug that works by slowing the aging process of the immune system in the brain. We do this by decoding the molecular biology of senescent, or damaged, microglial cells with our Sensus platform to unlock new medicine and critical biomarkers of brain aging. Our initial focus is on neuroinflammation and are actively expanding our approach into age related diseases of immune dysfunction outside the brain.

Cellular senescence is one of the core mechanisms of tissue dysfunction in aging and age-related disease. These "zombie cells" secrete a cocktail of inflammatory signals (SASP) that damages surrounding tissue, spreads the dysfunctional phenotype, and drives disease progression across multiple organ systems. At Bough, we leverage single-cell RNA-sequencing and machine learning to decode the molecular fingerprint of disease specific senescent cell population. We use these techniques predict the unique vulnerabilities of these damaged immune cells. This allows us to identify small molecule senolytics, molecules that remove these damaged cells from the tissue, that specifically target these damaged immune cells, while sparring healthy cells.

We are raising $3.5 Million in pre-seed funding to bring our compound in vivo and expand our platform over the next 18 months.

CellNBetter, Inc., a 2025 KBSI research-institute spin-off in Daejeon, Korea, develops LOCAT™, a one-stop multi-organ automated cell-culture and drug-evaluation platform. Built on 20+ years of biochip and 3D tissue-engineering research, it replaces labor-intensive preclinical testing with validated automation, ready-to-use kits, and data analysis-supporting the shift to NAMs. We seek partners for co-development, CRO integration, European distribution, and NAM regulatory collaboration.

Romulus Therapeutics is a precision immunology company developing next-generation antibody therapeutics designed to selectively eliminate disease-driving immune cell populations rather than broadly suppress inflammatory pathways.

Current biologic therapies have transformed the treatment of autoimmune and allergic diseases but largely rely on cytokine blockade, often requiring chronic treatment without durably resetting the immune system. Romulus is advancing a new therapeutic paradigm based on the immune reset hypothesis: selectively removing the pathogenic immune cells that sustain chronic inflammation to achieve deeper, more durable disease modification.

Our pipeline targets both adaptive and innate immune drivers of disease, with programs focused on pathogenic Th17 cell biology and mast cell-mediated disorders. In parallel, we are expanding our platform to develop targeted immune-modulating antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) that deliver intracellular payloads directly to pathogenic immune cell populations.

Founded by experienced leaders in antibody therapeutics, immunology, and translational drug development, Romulus is building a pipeline of first-in-class precision immunology medicines with the potential to transform the treatment of autoimmune, allergic, and inflammatory diseases.

Concr is a global, UK-headquartered techbio company applying astrophysics-derived Bayesian AI to simulate human cancer biology and drive Model-Informed Drug Development (MIDD). Uniquely engineered to overcome the limitations of traditional "big data" AI by generating predictive patient-level digital twins from sparse and fragmented multi-modal data, Concr delivers precision from early biomarker discovery through to simulated clinical trials and synthetic control arms. Validated in partnership with industry leaders like Roche and Debiopharm and premier clinical centers including The Royal Marsden and NHS Christie, Concr provides drug developers with the biological fidelity needed to de-risk R&D and accelerate effective cancer therapies to market.

SpliceTACs Bio is an academic biotech spin-out in formation developing first-in-class allosteric protein degraders for cancer. Our lead programme targets USP39, a key regulator of spliceosome function and RNA-splicing fidelity, to address biomarker-selected tumours with high unmet medical need, initially hepatocellular carcinoma.

Our proprietary approach combines structure-guided ligand discovery, targeted protein degradation and translational biomarker development. The USP39 programme has demonstrated potent cellular target degradation, mechanistic validation and in-vivo proof of concept, and is currently advancing through lead optimization toward development-candidate selection and IND-enabling studies.

SpliceTACs Bio is being established as a spin-out from Goethe University Frankfurt. The underlying intellectual property is patent-protected, and an exclusive worldwide licence is under negotiation. The company is seeking strategic pharmaceutical partners and a €10–15 million seed financing syndicate to advance its lead programme toward clinical development and expand its allosteric degrader pipeline.

Harmonix is a biotechnology company developing a next-generation delivery platform for genetic medicines targeting the central nervous system (CNS).

Despite remarkable advances in siRNA, mRNA, circular RNA, antisense oligonucleotides and gene-editing technologies, efficient delivery to the brain remains one of the most significant barriers to clinical success. Many promising therapeutic candidates fail to reach their full potential because they cannot be delivered safely, efficiently and selectively to the right cells and tissues.

Harmonix addresses this challenge through a proprietary platform combining focused ultrasound, engineered microbubbles and lipid-based formulations to enable targeted delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics across the blood-brain barrier. Our approach is designed to improve biodistribution, cellular uptake and therapeutic activity while supporting localized treatment and repeat dosing.

The platform is compatible with multiple therapeutic modalities, including siRNA, mRNA, circular RNA, ASOs and gene-editing cargos. Harmonix has already generated multiple proof-of-concept studies, including successful ASO delivery in glioblastoma models, and is currently advancing a new proof-of-concept program with a pharmaceutical partner in a neurodegenerative disease indication.

We believe the next generation of disease-modifying therapies for CNS diseases will depend not only on identifying the right targets, but also on solving the delivery challenge. By enabling precise and non-viral delivery to the brain, Harmonix aims to unlock new therapeutic possibilities, accelerate clinical translation and expand the impact of genetic medicines for patients with high unmet medical needs.

We are particularly interested in partnering opportunities in neurodegeneration, rare neurological diseases and next-generation CNS genetic medicines.

Location: Clinical Strategy Stage

As innovation in neglected diseases like glioblastoma (GBM) and neuroblastoma struggles to attract traditional venture capital, alternative investment models are emerging that prioritize patient impact alongside financial returns. This panel examines how mission-driven investment approaches differ from—and complement—conventional venture models in supporting breakthrough therapies for underserved patient populations.

• Navigate the complex financial barriers impeding clinical development in neglected disease areas and understand their cascading effects on research timelines, patient recruitment, and overall trial success

• Discover how disease-focused investment strategies and foundation-led capital models create sustainable frameworks that balance financial viability with patient impact and extended development timelines

• Examine Switzerland's evolving capital ecosystem and explore how for-profit and philanthropic investment models can work in tandem to advance innovation in underserved therapeutic areas while maintaining quality standards and accelerating clinical progress

Location: Clinical Strategy Stage

• Learn what sponsors should evaluate when choosing a CRO and what CROs need sponsors to know about managing timeline pressures and operational constraints

• Discover practical strategies for establishing transparent communication, setting realistic expectations, ensuring timely payments, and creating collaborative relationships across sponsors, CROs, and sites that ultimately serve patient needs while supporting the infrastructure required to deliver quality care

Location: Biomanufacturing Strategy Stage

• Explores how partnerships between Big Pharma, SMEs, and suppliers can address sustainability challenges across the biopharma value chain.

• Highlights industrial challenges that requires transformative technologies for reducing environmental impact.

• Tackles Scope 3 GHG emissions and the increasing environmental demands on suppliers, offering scalable solutions for deep decarbonization.

• Showcases a proven innovation ecosystem that accelerates technology development from TRL 4 to TRL 9, fostering cross-sectoral collaboration.

• Discusses next-generation partnership models and public-private collaborations.

• Provides actionable insights into sustainable innovation, balancing operational efficiency with environmental responsibility to drive long-term growth

Location: Biomanufacturing Strategy Stage

• Developing strategic alliances with CDMOs and biopharma companies to accelerate growth and innovation.

• Exploring scalable and adaptable models tailored to the needs of emerging companies.

• Securing funding and optimizing resources to support growth and innovation.

• Overcoming regulatory hurdles and aligning with industry standards to ensure compliance and efficiency.

• Driving technological advancements and differentiation through co-development opportunities.

• Case studies of successful strategies leading to breakthrough therapies

Location: Biomanufacturing Strategy Stage

A forward-looking address that synthesizes the conference themes and challenges industry leaders to think boldly about the future. Explore emerging trends, disruptive innovations, and the collaborative mindset needed to shape the next era of biomanufacturing excellence.

• Future-proofing manufacturing capabilities to adapt to evolving market demands, regulatory landscapes, and technological disruptions

• Creating resilient supply chains that ensure business continuity in the face of challenges

• The impact of emerging technologies on biomanufacturing processes and efficiency

• Market consolidation trends and their implications for the biomanufacturing landscape

• Pioneering Access for Patients: building and end-to-end Biosimilar pipeline

• Next-generation models for scaling and optimizing biomanufacturing operations

• Breakthroughs in drug delivery systems and their integration into biomanufacturing workflows

• The role of AI and machine learning in enhancing biomanufacturing precision and decision-making

• Predictions for the future of biomanufacturing, including opportunities for innovation and overcoming challenges

Phaeosynt is a biotechnology startup developing recombinant antibodies for diagnostic applications using diatoms (microalgae) as a sustainable production platform. By harnessing the natural protein expression capabilities of these photosynthetic microorganisms, Phaeosynt provides an animal-free and cost-effective alternative to conventional antibody manufacturing.
The company's technology enables the production of high-quality recombinant antibodies while reducing the environmental footprint associated with traditional production methods. In addition to improving sustainability, Phaeosynt aims to address key challenges in the diagnostics industry, including scalability, batch-to-batch consistency, and supply chain resilience.
By combining advances in green biotechnology with the growing demand for reliable diagnostic reagents, Phaeosynt is building a more sustainable and robust supply chain for immunodiagnostics and other life science applications.

ImmunoKey is a UK biotechnology company developing next-generation CAR-T cell therapies for solid tumours. Its lead programme, IMK001, is being developed for ovarian cancer, where tumour heterogeneity, treatment resistance and limited durability of response remain major clinical challenges.

The company's proprietary CARKey platform uses a multi-antigen, dual-receptor design intended to improve tumour coverage while reducing activation against healthy tissues. One receptor recognises multiple tumour-associated antigens, while a second provides the complementary co-stimulatory signal required for full T-cell activation. This logic-gated architecture is designed to reduce antigen escape and address the safety limitations associated with targeting antigens that may also be expressed at lower levels in normal tissues.

ImmunoKey is also developing complementary technologies designed to improve T-cell persistence and activity within the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment. The modular nature of the platform supports future application across additional solid-tumour indications.

ImmunoKey is led by a team with experience across cell-therapy discovery, intellectual property, GMP manufacturing, regulatory engagement, clinical development, company acquisition and public-market scale-up.

INFLANT is a biotech startup spun out from the Universities of Turin and Pisa, built on more than a decade of research into the NLRP3 inflammasome. The company is developing a new class of oral, gut-restricted small-molecule NLRP3 inhibitors for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a lifelong and debilitating condition affecting nearly 6.8 million people worldwide and projected to reach 10 million cases by 2030.

Current IBD therapies, including corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, biologics and JAK inhibitors, are limited by systemic side effects, infection risk, high costs and loss of response over time. INFLANT's lead program, INF176, is designed to inhibit NLRP3 directly in the intestine, suppressing local inflammation while minimizing systemic exposure and avoiding broad immune suppression.

In established preclinical models of acute and chronic IBD, INF176 has shown robust reductions in intestinal inflammation, prevention of tissue damage and restoration of epithelial barrier integrity, together with a compelling safety profile. Its oral, once-daily and synthetically accessible small-molecule format may also improve adherence and reduce manufacturing and treatment costs compared with biologics.

INFLANT is preparing to nominate its clinical drug candidate representing a key value-inflection point, before advancing into IND-enabling studies. Its long-term vision is to establish a new class of locally acting anti-inflammatory medicines to redefine standard care in IBD, providing a safer, more durable disease control, including for patients who do not respond to anti-TNF therapies, while reducing relapses, surgery rates and healthcare costs.

SWISS Orphan EDC AG is a new, "Breakthrough Beyond IO Oncology Company" based in Switzerland and Houston / Dallas, Texas, USA. We aim to bring better, cutting edge "breakthrough" molecules and technologies faster and better to markets and patients than any other company worldwide. We believe this is possible and our ethical mission (EDCs, ethics driven companies).

The strategy is leading edge innovation to first tackle only the hardest to cure cancer types in MAIN and in RARE cancer indications

Today, at SWISS Orphan EDC AG, we leverage our very strong in vivo animal data in GBM (glioblastoma multiple, brain tumors) where only one chemo-therapy is approved, Temodal, today.

We have impressive data showing strong passage of blood brain barrier (BBB) and impressive efficacy in first models, too. Including high medical need (radiation, surgery, temozolomide) we will target this area (3-4/100.000) and combine it with a group of HCC, hepatological and bile liver cancer types, too. We work with leading OLs and KOLs also in regulatory (Swissmedic, FDA) in GBMs and other RARES, too.

We need 13.3 M CHF to be end-to-end financed in above RARE indications with Phase Ib. In our base-case, we show an EVA of X-factor 8.8 over 5 years with an IRR of 62%. Risks are calculated already and there is a salvage plan should all studies disappoint which we do not see at all. Post Phase Ib, we target "fast track" processes in the US and in Switzerland, and can partner, exit or can offer investors to carry their program forward, ideally with a major pharmaceutical player as a co-financing partner, too. We are always open and fair while focused and delivering. We are EDCs, ethics driven companies.

Founded by Pr. Jean-Philippe Wolf (former Head of Reproductive Biology at AP-HP Cochin Hospital) and Romain Wolf (15+ years in audit & finance at Banque de France), OPTIMOVO combines world-class clinical research with rigorous financial oversight. OPTIMOVO is also supported by a high-caliber network of specialized partners.

The School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) is a globally recognised centre of excellence, ranked 19th in the world for Pharmacy and Pharmacology and 2nd in the UK (Complete University Guide), reflecting its sustained commitment to impactful and high-quality research. Its research is multidisciplinary and translational, spanning the full pipeline from drug discovery and formulation to clinical application, with a core aim of delivering tangible benefits for patients.

Research is organised into five interlinked themes: nanomedicine and biotherapeutics; pharmaceutical materials science and formulation; drug delivery and biomaterials; infection and antimicrobial resistance; and healthcare delivery and medicines optimisation. These themes address major global health challenges, combining expertise in chemistry, materials science, microbiology, and clinical practice to develop innovative therapeutic strategies.

A particular strength of the School is drug delivery and biomaterials, where advanced materials are engineered to interface with biological systems, enabling improved therapeutic delivery, infection resistance, and diagnostic capability. Within this area, the research of Dr Garry Laverty exemplifies the School’s translational ethos, particularly through the development of peptide-based biomaterials and hydrogel drug delivery systems.