Biotech and Big Pharma: Navigating Synergies in Today’s Landscape
BOSTON LIFE SCIENCES SHOWCASE
Date: June 17, 2025 Time: 06:00 PM to 09:00 PM Location: Tufts University Engineering School Joyce Cummings Center, 177 College Ave, Medford, MA 02155 Theme: Biotech and Big Pharma: Navigating Synergies in Today’s Landscape
Event Overview: In the context of shifting market dynamics, regulatory uncertainty, and increased pressure for capital efficiency, this showcase will explore how biotech startups and large pharmaceutical companies are responding to these pressures and where their strategies align. The program will feature presentations from 3 companies of various stages of growth, along with 2 panel discussions that examine industry responses at both ends of the innovation spectrum.
Agenda:
6:00 – 6:30 PM: Reception & Networking
6:30 – 6:40 PM: Welcome Remarks
6:40 – 7:00 PM:
Panel Discussion 1: Biotech Entrepreneur & Executive Panel
Moderated by Sean Kim, Partner, Ice Miller LLP
Panelists:
Dr. Anh Hoang, CEO, Jana Care
Dr. Shaheen Lakhan, Chief Medical & Scientific Officer, Click Therapeutics
Jean Pham, Co-Founder & CEO, Cellens
Jake Lombardo, Co-Founder & CEO, Anodyne Nanotech
Gina Song, Senior Director, Business Development, Schrödinger
7:00 – 7:10 PM: Showcase 1: Microvitality; Presenter: Zoe Watson, Co-Founder & CEO
7:10 – 7:20 PM: Showcase 2: Bound Therapeutics; Presenter: Crystal Jin, Co-Founder & CEO
7:25 – 7:45 PM:
Panel Discussion 2: Pharma & Investor Panel
Moderated by Weihong Hsing, Ph.D., Office Managing Partner, Ice Miller LLP
Panelist:
Dr. Karen Reeves, Senior Vice President, Investments of Head of Clinical Strategy (Life Sciences), Ligand Pharmaceuticals
Dr. Michael Singer, Entrepreneur & Investor, Co-founder of Cartesian Therapeutics, Topokine, and HealthHonors
Christoph Hofbauer, Senior Director, Alexion Rare Disease Unit, AstraZenaca
Soyong Jang, Senior Director of New Business Division, Celltrion
7:45 – 7:55 PM: Showcase 3: Novelty Nobility USA; Presenter: Jin Cho, CEO
7:55 – 8:00 PM: Closing Remarks
8:00 – 9:00 PM: Networking
About the Program:
The Boston Life Sciences Showcase (BLSS) is a quarterly gathering designed to foster deeper connections among leaders, founders, funders, and industry experts across the life sciences sector, alternating between public showcases and private executive dinner format. Each public event centers on live showcases by companies across different stages of growth, from early ideation to near-exit, complemented by insight-rich discussions led by experienced professionals.
BLSS provides a space for high-potential teams to share their progress and receive actionable feedback from a panel of industry experts that includes investors, executives, and advisors. A key aspect of the showcase is its intentional inclusion of startups and leadership teams that reflect the global, cross-disciplinary nature of today’s life sciences landscape, recognizing that innovation thrives when a variety of perspectives and experiences are brought to the table.
About the Presenting Companies:
Microvitality is a biotechnology company transforming microbiome-based therapeutic development through its patented, 3D-printed capsule that enables noninvasive sampling of the small intestine, a region of the gut that remains largely underexplored due to its inaccessibility. Their technology provides direct insight into the small intestine’s microbiota, which plays a critical role in digestion, metabolism, immune response, and neurological health. Microvitality’s platform is uniquely positioned to support pharmaceutical partners in uncovering novel biomarkers, accelerating drug development, and creating targeted therapies for patients lacking effective treatment options. The company was co-founded by Zoe Watson (CEO) and Sofia Paschenti (COO).
Bound Therapeutics is a biotechnology firm dedicated to developing RNA-based therapies targeting rare and refractory diseases, with a primary focus on oncology. The company employs a proprietary platform, Magic Bullet Designer (MBD), which utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to optimize the tissue-specific delivery of RNA therapeutics. This technology aims to enhance the precision and efficacy of treatments for aggressive malignancies and genetic disorders. Bound Therapeutics is currently in the preclinical stage, advancing its pipeline of novel therapeutics. The company is led by Co-founder and CEO Crystal Jin, who brings extensive experience in molecular pharmacology and structural biology.
Novelty Nobilityis a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of fit-for- purpose antibody therapeutics, including bispecific antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), to treat immune conditions, vision disorders, and cancers with high unmet needs. The company’s subspecialty is mast cell biology therapeutic applications with its lead asset a c-Kit monospecific antibody for mast cell disorders which is about to start the human PoC study. Also, the company uniquely leverages its mast cell specialty into ophthalmology, developing two bispecific antibodies NN4101 and NN4103 for the next generation treatment options for retinal diseases. Its discovery engine, PREXISE®-D, supports the rational design of modality-matched antibodies tailored to specific disease mechanisms. Additionally, the company has a few ADC assets under development including NN3201, a Phase 1 ADC targeting c-Kit associated cancers, and NN3206, an ADC targeting pan-RAS mutant tumors. Headquartered in Pangyo, South Korea, with U.S. offices in Cambridge, MA, Novelty Nobility’s leadership team includes Founder and CEO Dr. Sang-Gyu Park and Chief Finance & Business Officer Jin Cho.
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