Boston, MA – The BIO International Convention 2025, a pivotal event for the global biotech industry, is set to commence in Boston on June 16, 2025. This premier gathering will draw over 20,000 industry professionals and investors from more than 80 countries, focusing on emerging trends and innovations in biotechnology.
A significant theme of the convention will be the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into drug development, highlighted by sessions on “AI-driven drug development” and “biotech investment and business development.” These discussions will address the pressing questions of which areas warrant investment and where the next growth frontiers lie.
The session titled “The State of Emerging Biotechs: Investment, Deal, and Pipeline Trends,” co-hosted by BIO and Norstella, will provide an analysis of the current landscape for emerging biotech companies. The session will explore venture capital and public market funding trends, deal dynamics, and strategic adjustments in R&D pipelines. With a challenging market environment and increasing competition, the discussion aims to provide insights into how biotech firms can attract vital capital during critical growth stages.
Additionally, the session “Return on Innovation” will feature representatives from ARPA-H, early-stage innovators, and investors, focusing on market adoption. It will cover scalable innovative technologies and their cross-market application potential, offering solutions to implementation challenges and risk perceptions in biotech manufacturing transformation.
Oncology will also take center stage as a dynamic and diverse area of drug development. The “Oncology Investment Themes” session will reveal that nearly 200 oncology products are in Phase III clinical trials. While small molecule drugs constitute less than half (45%) of these, innovative therapies like antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), cell therapies, and cancer vaccines are gaining traction, representing 15% of the pipeline. Transaction data indicates a shift in funding priorities, with many mergers focusing on these new modalities.
AI’s transformative role in drug discovery will be explored in the “AI Summit: What is Working? What is Next?” session. Leaders from AI-driven drug design startups and pharmaceutical executives will discuss how technologies like large language models and structural prediction algorithms are accelerating drug development processes. These tools have reportedly reduced early-stage drug development timelines by 30% to 50%, although it is emphasized that AI is not a “silver bullet.”
The session “We Still Need the People” will address the industry’s need for cross-disciplinary talent in computational chemistry, molecular modeling, and biomedicine. Experts will discuss strategies for building talent pipelines and bridging gaps between research, industry, and academia to support technical innovation.
The convention promises to be a landmark event, uniting biotech leaders in Boston to collaborate on innovation, policy, and investment strategies in a rapidly evolving industry landscape.
More information about this important event is available on the BIO International Convention website.
