The 450-million-year-old horseshoe crab stands at the center of a perfect storm in 2025. As demand for injectable drugs and vaccines skyrocket—from GLP-1 inhibitors to cancer therapies—pharmaceutical companies face a pivotal choice that will determine both the future of drug safety testing and the fate of these ancient marine creatures. This May, the U.S. Pharmacopeia officially recognizes synthetic alternatives as equal to horseshoe crab blood for endotoxin testing—marking a watershed moment for the industry and the endangered horseshoe crab. Join us to discover why industry leaders like Eli Lilly and GSK are racing to adopt recombinant alternatives that prove more reliable, safe, and cost-effective than traditional methods.

The Bristol BioDesign Institute and Science Creates are at the heart of a rapidly growing ecosystem at the intersection of deep tech and synthetic biology. From engineered red blood cells revolutionizing targeted therapeutics to next-gen bacterial sensing for rapid, precise infection detection, the ecosystem is driving critical solutions to address our greatest global health challenges. Join this exclusive session to connect with the pioneers pushing the boundaries of synthetic biology innovation and explore opportunities for collaboration and partnering.

This session explores how pharma companies approach and build effective partnerships with computational drug discovery firms. Industry experts will share insights on best practices for data sharing, strategies for navigating cultural challenges with AI-driven startups, and the role of explainable AI in fostering trust. The discussion will also cover common mistakes AI biotech companies make when approaching pharma and the considerations around using proprietary algorithms versus open-source models to advance drug discovery.

Join us for an in-depth look at how biotechnology leaders are harnessing machine learning and data-driven approaches to engineer novel human therapeutics right now—well beyond the “someday” promises of AI. In this session, experts from pioneering organizations will share real-world insights into using big data and advanced analytics to accelerate everything from target discovery to clinical development. Discover how these teams are unlocking fresh possibilities for personalized treatments, improving success rates, and shaping the future of human health through powerful, actionable applications of ML and AI.