The 2024 BioPacific Conference, alternatively recognized as the 25th Annual Conference of the Chinese American Bio/Pharmaceutical Society (CABS), took place on September 28th, 2024, at the South San Francisco Conference Center in California.
This exceptional gathering featured a notable lineup of speakers, panelists, and moderators, enjoyed generous support from 48 sponsors, and drew the participation of over 500 attendees. The remarkable success of this event owes its existence to the invaluable contributions and active engagement of our esteemed speakers, sponsors, attendees, members of the organizing committee, and dedicated volunteers.
The theme of the Conference was "Global Biopharma Innovations in the Age of AI & Big Data". The conference comprised 3 keynote addresses, a speech for the K. Fong Award, 4 scientific presentations, 3 dynamic panel discussions, and an interactive breakout workshop session, all led by prominent figures from both the industry and academia.
The conference commenced with an opening speech by Kay Tong, MD, PhD, President-Elect of CABS, and Chair of the Organizing Committee, who offered a warm welcome and an overview of the conference agenda. Jessica Sun, MD, PhD, President of CABS, delivered the State of the Society address, spotlighting the society's activities, growth, and achievements over the past year.
Opening Session: Biopharma Innovations in a Global Change of AI and Big Data
Session Chair: Liping Meng, PhD, CABS STC Co-Chair, Gilead Sciences
CABS 2024 Biopacific Conference kicked off with the opening section focus on Biopharma Innovations in a Global Change of AI and Big Data. The first presentation was delivered by Dr. Sabine Kapasi. Dr. Kapasi is an OB-GYN specialist with a fellowship in infertility. She has extensive international experience in health data and policy, working with organizations like the WHO and the UN, and advising on health tech and insurance policies across various countries, including contributions to programs in India (ABHA and PMJAY) and the U.S. (Obamacare).
Dr. Kapasi’s presentation emphasized the transformative potential of digital health and big data in the biopharma industry, particularly with the rise of wearable devices and AI. It stressed the importance of data-driven approaches across the entire biopharma value chain, from drug discovery to personalized medicine. However, challenges such as data quality, privacy, and regional disparities need to be addressed. The presentation concluded with a strong focus on the Global South, calling for more inclusive strategies to integrate data from these regions to enhance global health equity. Collaboration between key stakeholders is essential for maximizing the benefits of these innovations.
The keynote speech entitled “Digital Transformation in Biopharma Manufacturing" by Dr. Stacey Ma, Executive Vice President of Pharmaceutical Development and Manufacturing at Gilead Sciences, highlighted Gilead's significant growth and its ongoing transformation in the industry. Gilead, a major player in biopharma, has over 35 years of experience and a robust portfolio of FDA-approved drugs. In the last four years, Gilead’s pipeline has expanded by 81%, with six new products approved with ten indications, including seven in oncology.
A major focus of the presentation was the advent of AI in biopharma, which is poised to disrupt various industries. The presenter identified three critical pillars for fulfilling AI’s promise in biopharma: data, computing power, and models. These components are essential for utilizing AI in drug development, which requires massive amounts of bio-data ("mega sizing") and democratized access to quantum computing over the next two decades.
One notable AI application discussed was Bayesian optimization (BayesOpt), an active learning algorithm developed by Gilead’s Product Development and Manufacturing (PDM) teams. It has significantly enhanced development efficiency. Another innovative example is the concept of a self-driving lab, where automation and AI streamline development processes.
While the potential benefits of AI in biopharma—especially in drug discovery, development, and manufacturing—are promising, the presenter also emphasized the challenges. These include risks of bias, inaccuracy, and the importance of understanding how to apply data effectively. Furthermore, successful digital transformation will depend on effective organizational change management and a clear understanding of how to leverage AI within the industry.
2024 CABS K. Fong Award in Life Sciences
Dr. Kenneth Fong presented the 2024 CABS K. Fong Award to Dr. Zachary Sweeney, Operating Partner at Versant Ventures and Professor at UCSF Quantitative Biosciences Institute.
The presentation focused on advancing drug discovery by leveraging human genetic, proteomic, and metabolomic data to develop new candidate medicines. The current challenge in treating common diseases lies in the poorly defined molecular mechanisms behind their pathways, often resulting in the failure of potential therapies in clinical development. Recent advancements in human genetic data and disease modeling offer a unique opportunity for researchers to systematically identify novel drugs targeting these disease pathways. The discussion highlighted the importance of translating genetic insights into concrete disease mechanisms, particularly for inflammatory diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and neuropsychiatric conditions.
Key emphasis was placed on utilizing dysregulated protein signaling networks and the integration of functional genomic and proteomic technologies to enhance drug discovery. Additionally, the role of machine learning and computational methods was explored as a means to streamline and improve the efficacy of the drug development process. Overall, the talk underscored the promise of a more data-driven approach in creating targeted therapies for complex diseases.
Session 1: Data Driving Discovery to Drug, A Journey from Bench to Bedside
Session Chair: Shicheng Guo, PhD, CABS O2 Co-Chair, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals
To make allogeneic "off-the-shelf" cell therapies clinically viable and avoid immune rejection without the need for long-term immunosuppression (IS), it is essential for the transplanted cells to evade the host immune system. This characteristic, known as being “hypoimmune,” enables the cells to bypass the body’s immune defenses. Overcoming the allogeneic immune response requires addressing both the adaptive and innate immune systems. Through genetic engineering, we demonstrated in preclinical models using various cell types that it is possible to protect allogeneic transplants from rejection by making them hypoimmune.
Dr. Sonja Schrepfer and Sana Biotechnology has pioneered a hypoimmune (HIP) technology aimed at overcoming immune rejection, as illustrated in their strategy. By using genetic engineering, specifically HLA class I/II knockout and CD47 overexpression, they create cells capable of evading immune detection. This approach eliminates the need for immunosuppression and offers scalable, "off-the-shelf" therapies for various diseases.
Sana's technology will launch four clinical programs in 2024 targeting diseases such as NHL, CLL, autoimmune conditions, and type 1 diabetes. These therapies offer numerous advantages, including no immune rejection, easier manufacturing, and a reduced need for complex banking systems. This breakthrough could revolutionize cell-based therapies, bringing them to patients worldwide.
The presentation by Han Lim, Chief Business Officer at DeepCure, at the CABS 2024 BioPacific Conference highlighted the innovative integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic chemical synthesis in small molecule drug discovery. DeepCure, collaborating with prominent industry leaders such as Generate Biomedicines and Relay Therapeutics, is pioneering the development of first- or best-in-class oral therapies targeting severe inflammatory and autoimmune diseases like asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and hidradenitis suppurativa. Han Lim emphasized the transformative potential of combining AI with fully automated, multi-step chemical synthesis to enhance the drug discovery process. The approach promises more rapid, consistent, and cost-effective production of novel small molecules by expanding the relevant chemical space and minimizing bias in synthesis.
Key to DeepCure’s strategy is the use of AI to design custom compound libraries that are not limited by conventional chemical libraries, which tend to be biased towards simpler compounds. The presentation detailed a case study where DeepCure's AI-driven approach identified effective inhibitors for WEE1, a protein implicated in cancer cell growth, which were not found in commercial libraries. This success underscored the limitations of traditional methods and the significant advantages of AI-guided custom synthesis. Moreover, the company is developing an automated synthesis platform capable of producing highly complex and diverse compounds quickly and efficiently. This platform is designed to keep pace with AI innovations, ensuring that synthesis is not a bottleneck in drug discovery. DeepCure's vision for the future includes further expanding AI and automation capabilities in drug discovery, aiming for a seamless integration that continuously improves from iterative learning cycles of design, synthesis, and testing. The team, led by experienced leaders and innovators, is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the search for new treatments for challenging targets.
The presentation by Dr. Khaled Sarsour, VP of Data Science Real World Evidence and Insights at Johnson & Johnson, at the 2024 Chinese Biosciences Association Conference, focused on the potential of integrating synthetic data into clinical development and evidence generation. Dr. Sarsour highlighted the critical role of data science, particularly the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), in advancing medical research and improving patient outcomes.
Dr. Sarsour emphasized the importance of high-quality, relevant data, which he defined as "Fit for Purpose Real-World Data (RWD)." This involves ensuring data accuracy, completeness, and transparency, which are essential for effective modeling and simulations that support the development of new medical treatments.
The presentation outlined how Johnson & Johnson's team combines expertise in computer science, quantitative sciences like epidemiology and statistics, and specialized domain knowledge to enhance research methodologies. Dr. Sarsour discussed the shift towards using synthetic data as a solution to overcome limitations related to health system data and patient privacy requirements. He explained how synthetic data could be used to augment traditional clinical trial models, particularly by improving the design and analysis phases to control biases such as selection, information, and confounding biases.
One significant focus was on the conceptual framework for integrating causal inference with machine learning to create robust predictive models. Dr. Sarsour detailed how these models are developed to ensure they are representative and unbiased, emphasizing the need for continual validation against real-world conditions to ensure their reliability and effectiveness.
Lastly, the presentation explored the future of drug development, suggesting that the integration of synthetic data could revolutionize how clinical trials are conducted by providing a more flexible, efficient, and ethical approach to testing new therapies. Dr. Sarsour concluded with a vision for a hybrid control model in clinical trials that leverages both real and synthetic data to accelerate the development of medical interventions and enhance patient care outcomes.
Wei Huang’s presentation at the CMC Considerations for Manufacturing and Control of Antibody-Drug Conjugates conference provided a detailed overview of the development process and quality control strategies for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), emphasizing their therapeutic potential in oncology.
The presentation began with an outline of the ADC development pathway, highlighting the essential steps from target selection and antibody generation to the optimization of the linker-payload, which is crucial for the therapeutic efficacy and safety of ADCs. Wei Huang stressed the importance of selecting an optimal antibody and designing an effective linker-payload to achieve a successful ADC candidate.
A significant portion of the presentation focused on the Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) considerations for ADCs. Wei Huang discussed the application of the Quality by Design (QbD) approach to establish robust manufacturing processes. This involves understanding and controlling various attributes such as the drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR), pharmacokinetics, and safety through comprehensive quality attribute assessments and control strategies.
The presentation also detailed specific manufacturing control strategies, including material control, process control, and manufacturing environment considerations. For instance, strategies to mitigate aggregate formation and manage impurities were discussed, underscoring the complexity of ADC manufacturing. Wei Huang elaborated on the equipment and facility design tailored for ADC production, highlighting the need for specialized infrastructure to handle potent bioactive agents safely. The presentation concluded with an overview of Aton’s full capabilities in ADC development, showcasing their technology platforms and analytical methods that support the scale-up and production of these complex molecules.
Overall, Wei Huang’s presentation provided a comprehensive insight into the strategic and technical challenges involved in ADC manufacturing, emphasizing the critical role of integrated CQC approaches to ensure the production of safe and effective therapeutic agents.
Lunch & Learn Session: Partnership to Enable Global Innovations
Session Chair: Pengan Liu, Proteologix/J&J
The 2024 Lunch & Learn session featured a series of insightful presentations, starting with Dr. Yujiao Zhang, BD Manager at Kactus, who discussed the engineering of complex antigens and their critical role in therapeutic development. Following this, Peter Pedersen, President of Haier Biomedical, emphasized the importance of sustainability in the biomedical industry, showcasing how green innovation can drive both environmental responsibility and market leadership.
Building on the theme of innovation, Gina Shami, Business Development Director at Mispro, introduced the growing trend of coworking vivarium labs, highlighting their potential to enhance flexibility and access for preclinical research. This theme of adaptation and growth was echoed by Angela Wang, China Commercial Director at Novotech, who provided a strategic look at the evolving biotech landscape, focusing on funding, talent acquisition, and clinical trial innovations. Next, Dr. Liyu Wu, Senior Director of Business Development at Pharmaron, offered an insightful overview of Pharmaron's potential in empowering drug discovery and development from multiple perspectives.
Finally, Yifu Liu, Executive Director at JJLake, concluded the session by exploring how biotech entrepreneurs can leverage global resources and cross-border collaborations to accelerate innovation and business growth.
Session 2: Accelerating Drug Development with Impactful Data
Session Chair: Alex Yang, PhD, CABS AMC member, Vir Biotechnology
Dr. Hong Wang, Vice President, Safety Assessment at Genentech killed off this section by given the keynote speech titled: Accelerating Drug Development using Novel Predictive and Translational Safety Approaches. In this talk, Dr. Wang discussed the needs of novel approaches and opportunities to accelerate drug development and enhance success rate, including lab-in-loop, computational approaches, and in vitro models as well as fit-for-purpose in vitro NAMs.
Following that, she introduced a case example: Building predictive model to identify molecules with high Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) risk using multiple in vitro parameters and computational approach. In this case study, researchers from Genentech applied matrix novel approaches (eg. NAMs, innovative study designs) and AI/ML to accelerate drug development. These approaches offer great promise to reduce time and cost of drug discovery and development, enabling faster entry for new therapeutics; enhance safety predictive accuracy, leading to safety medicines to patients; reduce and replace animal use. The success of these novel approaches calls for collaboration across industry and health authorities to accelerate model development/validation and generate large data set for AI/ML.
Following the keynote speech, Dr. Wei Dong, Vice President, Head of Drug Safety at Denali, led the interactive panel discussion section. Four panelists joined the discussion: Dr. Han Ma (SVP Chief Officer Safety at BeiGene), Mr. Issa Kildani (founder and Principal Consultant, Ambrosia Ventures), Stephanie Sharron (Partner at Morrison and Foerster) and Dr. Kedan Lin (Senior Vice President at Harbour Biomed).
Following the quick self-introduction, Dr. Dong and the panelists discussed and shared their thoughts around a number of topics. The critical data in their area of business and new ways to collect and use data. The panelists also shared successful examples of the use of technology and AI to support drug development. In addition, they discussed the good frameworks to use of AI.
Session 3: Biopharma Discovery and Application with AI/ML and Big Data
Session Chair: Yan Wang, PhD, CABS STC Co-Chair
Section III discusses Biopharma Discovery and Application with AI/ML and Big Data. This section included the talk from Dr. Don Kirkpatrick and the panel discussion which was led by Mark Wesson.
Dr. Don Kirkpatrick is the keynote speaker. He is currently the Senior Vice President of Xaira Therapeutics, overseeing elements of the technology platform to advance drug discovery for difficult drug targets. Don gave a great talk on mass spectrometry proteomics technology's impact on basic biology and drug discovery. Rigorous quantitative methods can now report abundance measures for tens of thousands of levels and features across the proteome, spanning the global proteome and post-translational modifications. These methods report on the state of the proteome not just under basal conditions but also upon disease-relevant chemical and genetic perturbations and drug treatments. Recent advances in speed and sensitivity have extended the reach of these technologies into some of the most difficult, disease-relevant model systems, enabling fine-grained mechanistic exploration of cellular responses to perturbation. These detailed mechanisms of temporal and dose-dependent responses complement results emerging on a massive scale from sequencing-based functional genomics technologies. The talk focused on the past, present, and future application of MS proteomics technologies to drug discovery.
The day's second panel discussion in this section is about "An Entrepreneur's Journey: From Discovery to Patent to Application for AI/ML." Mark Wesson (MPF, FACHE) led the panel discussion. The panelists were Christopher Gloria, a partner in Morrison & Foerster's Patent Group; Alan Cheng, senior director at Merck; Samir Shah, Chief Medical Officer of Qure.ai; and Liza Lichtinger, founder & Managing director at Future Design Life. This diverse panelist group covered the topic well.
The Second Panel in the conference focused on lessons and strategies entrepreneurs should consider in the current climate of AI and Big Data. Mark Wesson, MHP, FACHE, HealthTech Innovator, and CABS Executive Committee member opened the second panel as moderator to highlight the different aspects for entrepreneurs to consider. This included exit strategies through partnerships, patent considerations and opportunities for entrepreneurs to partner with large pharmaceuticals with strategic market values for AI.
Dr. Alan Cheng, PhD, Senior Director, at Merek and Company stated large pharmaceutical strategies have a mixture of in-house and partner with startups as well as academic institutions, since it is not their core business to do built in house AI/ML technologies and the use of algorithms.
Dr. Samir Shah, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Queensland.Ai stated that Merck is their partner and is an example of partnering with large pharmaceuticals and startups is AI as startups are agile and can move quickly.
Christopher Gloria, JD, a patent lawyer at Morrison and Foerster, highlighted the key to protecting the AI technology used in startups to ensure the continued “Freedom to Operate” with the tool used in development. This also ensures true asset value protection.
Liza Lichtinger also stressed the importance of the lack of protection in IP and assets if the focus was just on publication without patent protection.
Dr. Samir Shah reminded the audience that entrepreneurs need to show the applicability of their patent to be able to successfully communicate to investors and partners the true value including cost reimbursements.
The panel closed highlighting that regulatory approvals may take longer times than anticipated and technology moves fast in the age of AI and Big Data where today’s technology in discussions could be tomorrow’s past. The need to be agile and change for entrepreneurs is key to successful in this changing market.
Session 4: Data for Investment: Global Perspectives for Strategic Investment and Financial Sustainability
Session Chair: Qing Zhang MD, MBA, E-club Co-Chair, Partner at LDV
The panel discussion on strategic and financial sustainability provided a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities facing biotech and pharmaceutical startups in today's funding landscape. Experts emphasized that building relationships with pharmaceutical companies should begin as early as possible, as it requires significant time to educate potential partners about the intricacies of your science and pipeline. Ravi Kiron highlighted that the best time to raise funds is when you don’t urgently need them, as this can lead to more favorable terms and better investor relationships. He also stressed the importance of having a well-structured budget, encouraging startups to raise funds early and ensure they secure enough capital to reach critical milestones, thereby de-risking their financial positions.
Minnie Sarwal shared her extensive experience as a physician and entrepreneur, emphasizing the value of non-dilutional funding for startups. She noted that securing grants can provide essential resources without sacrificing equity but highlighted the need to balance the time and effort spent on grant applications with pursuing venture capital opportunities. Asaf Zviran brought a unique perspective, drawing on his journey as a cancer survivor and his role in leading C2i Genomics. He underscored how insights from various industries, particularly defense, can inform innovation in biotech. Zviran also highlighted the importance of understanding deep tech funding mechanisms. Alan Jiang discussed the evolution of financing at XtalPi, illustrating how the company initially attracted tech-driven investors, such as Google, before transitioning to traditional biotech venture capital as it matured. This evolution demonstrates that financing strategies must be closely aligned with a company’s growth trajectory and strategic goals.
The discussion emphasized the necessity of strategic relationship-building, the timing of fundraising, and the importance of non-dilutional funding. Panelists collectively conveyed that successful biotech ventures require adaptive financing strategies that evolve with the company, and selecting the right investors is crucial for long-term sustainability and success.
The conference concluded with a closing address by CABS President Dr. Jessica Sun and CABS President-Elect. In their closing remarks, they introduced the history of CABS, tracing its evolution from its inception to its current state and elucidating the mission that continues to drive CABS forward. They highlighted the pivotal role of collective dedication, expertise, and unwavering passion, emphasizing their instrumental role in advancing the biopharmaceutical industry.
In closing, we wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude once more to all the distinguished speakers, enthusiastic sponsors and attendees, the hardworking organizing committee, and the dedicated volunteers who contributed to the resounding success of this conference. It was your unwavering commitment and boundless passion for CABS and the broader biopharmaceutical community that truly propelled this event to greatness. We are deeply appreciative of your collective efforts and look forward to the prospect of reconnecting with you in future events.