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2027 Biotech Global Forum
GenScript’s 2026 JPM Biotech Global Forum, “Scripting Possibilities” Challenges the Conversations in AI and Biopharma in San Francisco
Panel discussions brought to life important insights into how AI could change the face of biopharma drug discovery in 2026 and beyond
GenScript Biotech, a global biotechnology leader in life science, biologics manufacturing, synthetic biology, and cell therapies, successfully concluded its 2026 JPM Global Forum, held on January 14, 2026 in San Francisco. “Scripting Possibilities – The Future of Therapeutic Innovation,” the theme of this year’s forum, expanded the conversation beyond cell and gene therapy into the evolving world of AI and drug discovery and the continued integration of new technology in biopharma. The event attracted more than 970 attendees, both in person and via live stream, featuring an insightful fireside chat and a series of panel discussions that offered insights into the future of technological advancements in drug discovery and development.
“We exist to make people and nature healthier, not through words, but through our actions that we engage in every single day.” - Aylin Kosova Bilgin, Chief Marketing and Corporate Communications Officer of GenScript.
Aylin Kosova Bilgin, Chief Marketing and Corporate Communications Officer of GenScript, officially opened the forum with a focus on the advancements and future of AI in biopharma and what evolution the industry expects to undertake as we enter a new era of drug discovery. Her remarks highlighted the importance of asking the question of “What if?” so we can collectively create the answers together. Ms. Bilgin walked through the key points to expect throughout the day, from the next frontier of cell therapy and making it a reality at scale, to the utilization of AI technology to accelerate drug discovery to script bigger and better possibilities together, and what the new normal might look like for biopharma companies as we move into 2026.
The opening fireside chat brought together two of the most influential voices shaping the intersection of artificial intelligence and biology: David Baker, PhD, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and Director of the Institute for Protein Design, and Eric Horvitz, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Microsoft. Moderated by Elaine Chen, National Biotech Reporter at STAT News, the conversation explored how AI is accelerating biological discovery while reinforcing the continued importance of experimental validation and responsible deployment.
Both speakers emphasized that AI is already transforming protein design, moving the field from theoretical possibility to real-world therapeutic candidates. As Dr. Baker noted, “Protein design is now at a point where de novo designed medicines are entering clinical trials,” underscoring the rapid maturation of the field. At the same time, the panel made clear that AI is not replacing wet-lab science, but rather reshaping how hypotheses are generated, tested, and refined.
A central theme of the discussion was the challenge of translating AI-designed molecules into safe and effective therapies. While AI has made significant progress in predicting structure and binding, the panelists highlighted persistent gaps in areas such as immunogenicity, pharmacokinetics, and long-term safety—limitations driven largely by the complexity of human biology and the scarcity of high-quality, shared datasets. Dr. Horvitz reinforced this point, noting that “AI does exceptionally well when there is data,” and that broader progress will depend on new models of collaboration, data sharing, and trust across the industry.
The conversation concluded with a forward-looking perspective: AI will continue to compress timelines and expand what is scientifically possible, but success will depend on integrating computation with biology, improving data transparency, and maintaining rigorous safeguards as innovation accelerates.
Moderated by Carl Schoellhammer, PhD, Partner at DeciBio Consulting, the first panel examined how cell therapy is evolving from early promise to a more mature, scalable therapeutic modality. Panelists included Guowei Fang, PhD, President of Research and Development at Legend Biotech; Kanti Thirumoorthy, PhD, Vice President, Cell Therapy Development & Operations at AstraZeneca; and Emile Nuwaysir, PhD, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Stylus Medicine.
Panelists emphasized that cell and gene therapy is undergoing a period of reorganization driven by macroeconomic pressures, capital discipline, and hard-earned technical lessons. As Dr. Nuwaysir noted, the sector was disproportionately impacted by rising costs and longer timelines to value, particularly given the complexity of platform-based cell therapies. Still, the panel reinforced that clinical progress continues, with multiple approved products demonstrating durable patient benefit and a growing pipeline of next-generation approaches.
A recurring theme was the importance of manufacturing automation and operational rigor in enabling scale. Advances in automation are improving consistency, reliability, and throughput—critical factors for expanding patient access and supporting earlier-line use. Panelists also highlighted increasing momentum in solid tumors and dual-action mechanisms of action, pointing to in vivo CAR-T and allogeneic approaches as areas of accelerating innovation.
Looking ahead, the discussion emphasized coexistence rather than replacement across modalities. Ex vivo and in vivo approaches were positioned as distinct and situational, each offering distinct advantages depending on disease biology, durability requirements, and patient experience. Ultimately, panelists agreed that long-term success in cell therapy will hinge on balancing scientific ambition with manufacturability, safety, and real-world scalability across the full development pipeline.
The panel on enabling AI in drug discovery explored how artificial intelligence is moving beyond experimental pilots toward becoming a scalable, trusted component of biopharma workflows. Moderated by Chelsea Sumner, PharmD, RPh, Translational Health & AI Strategy Leader at NVIDIA, the discussion featured Xirui Antaris, PhD, Senior Vice President at Jefferies; Anthony Costa, PhD, Director of Digital Biology at NVIDIA; Layne Price, PhD, Principal Applied Scientist and Senior Manager at Amazon; and Amir Shanehsazzadeh, Chief AI Officer at Absci.
Panelists underscored that while nearly every biotech organization is now using AI in some capacity—particularly for target identification—far fewer have successfully embedded AI across end-to-end workflows. The group emphasized that the industry’s biggest misstep has been an overfocus on isolated use cases that do not scale, rather than rethinking entire processes from the ground up.
Successful organizations, panelists noted, are shifting toward a workflow-first mindset, clearly defining the specific tasks AI is meant to support and selecting the appropriate AI modality for each step. As Dr. Costa observed, “The answer from an AI perspective changes depending on the task,” reinforcing that no single model or approach fits every scientific or operational problem.
Mr. Shanehsazzadeh noted, platforms that “close the loop between AI-driven insights and real-world lab execution—where models directly inform experiments and results feed back into the system—are where AI begins to scale,” pointing to GenScript as an example of how tighter integration between computational outputs and laboratory execution can translate AI promise into repeatable discovery workflows.
The conversation also highlighted the importance of trust, performance evaluation beyond benchmarks, and alignment between scientific, technical, and business teams. GenScript was referenced as an example of how integrating computational tools with real-world lab execution can help close the loop between AI insights and experimental outcomes, moving discovery efforts closer to repeatable, scalable impact.
The final panel of the day examined how biotech organizations can responsibly scale AI amid rising regulatory, geopolitical, and compliance complexity. Moderated by Mike Walker, Founder and Managing Principal of Mike Walker Consulting, the discussion featured Michael Borden, Partner at Sidley Austin LLP; Ali Pashazadeh, Chief Executive Officer of Treehill Partners; and Thorsten Alexander Rall, Global Life Sciences Industry Leader at Capgemini.
Panelists were direct in their assessment that scale—not experimentation—is now the defining challenge for AI adoption in biotech. One speaker cautioned that “proofs of concept don’t scale,” emphasizing that organizations must invest in governance, monitoring, and compliance frameworks early to avoid fragmentation and risk. Rather than viewing governance as a constraint, the panel reframed it as a critical enabler of trust, adoption, and long-term value.
Another key insight was the need for a fundamental shift from use-case thinking to process and workflow redesign. Organizations that deconstruct complex workflows into discrete, AI-enabled tasks—and intentionally redefine the role of human operators alongside AI agents—are seeing significantly greater returns on their investments.
The panel also addressed mounting geopolitical risk and regulatory uncertainty, particularly as policies increasingly scrutinize data provenance, supply chains, and geographic origin. The discussion concluded with a global perspective on risk, noting that policies such as the BIOSECURE Act are reshaping how molecules, supply chains, and geographic origin are being evaluated, reinforcing the need for organizations to rethink how they build resilient, trusted AI-enabled operations.
GenScript’s successful 2026 JPM Biotech Global Forum brought together experts who shared critical insights and strategies to advance the incorporation and investment of AI in the world of biopharma. As Ms. Bilgin noted at the start of the event, “‘Possibilities’ is not abstract. They are engineered, coded, tested, and delivered by people who are passionately trying to push the boundaries every single day.” Today’s forum continuously asked the question of whether AI is here to stay in the biopharma industry, and the answer remained an unequivocal “Yes.”
GenScript looks forward to next year’s event, anticipating strong interest and continued discussions on advancements in the industry.
