New York City – – September 29, 2026 -- Demy-Colton has released the agenda for BioFuture 2026, a two-day conference set for October 27–28 at Cure, 345 Park Avenue South, drawing more than 100 speakers and over 50 presenting companies from biopharma, investment, technology and policy sectors.
Conference agenda spans AI, oncology, biotech financing and global drug development
Speakers include representatives from Johnson & Johnson, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Schrödinger, Piper Sandler and Mizuho Securities. Sponsors backing the event include Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Russo Partners, WuXi AppTec, Blue Matter, Cure, Evotec, Ipsen, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Big4Bio, HMA Consulting, Withum and Hogan Lovells Cadwalader.
One-to-one partnering extends into a virtual session November 3–5
Beyond main-stage panels, the program includes one-hour, analyst-led Spotlight Panels covering digital medicine, AI and TechBio companies, alongside a Seed Showcase where early-stage firms pitch to investors for real-time feedback. In-person networking and partnering during the New York event will be followed by a virtual partnering window from November 3 to 5.
Panels target funding recovery, AI-first drug discovery and China's biotech role
Sessions include "Funding Has Come Back: But Has It?" featuring Scott Barry of EW Healthcare Partners, Kevin Eisele of William Blair, Dennis Purcell of Aisling Capital and Robert Masella of Goodwin. A separate panel, "China: A Global Biotech Player," brings together Zairan Liu of PharmCube, Josie Zhou of McKinsey & Company and Maria Luisa Pineda of Envisagenics. An AI-focused session, "Leading the AI-First Biopharma Revolution," features Maneesh Goyal of Mayo Clinic Platform and Fabio Thiers of ConverGen AI.
Regulatory and policy headwinds get dedicated panel treatment
"Next Wave of Innovation: Navigating Policy and Regulatory Headwinds" will feature Cartier Esham of Esham Strategies, Jennifer Hawks Bland of NewYorkBIO, William Soliman of ACMA, Blake Wilson of Hogan Lovells Cadwalader and Susan Winckler of the Reagan-Udall Foundation. The event closes with a fireside chat between John Reed of Johnson & Johnson and Jeremy Abbate of Scientific American on translating disease-area expertise into medicines.
Sara Jane Demy, Founder and CEO of Demy-Colton, said breakthrough innovation depends on capital, policy, regulation and partnerships as much as science, and that the conference is designed to connect those constituencies.
Registration for BioFuture 2026 remains open, with complimentary registration available to qualified investors and media.