About This Event
Join us for an exclusive evening at Deep Tech Week’s Biotech Summit, where world-leading scientists, engineers, and founders are redefining the frontiers of medicine and programmable biology.
This summit brings together pioneers in targeted therapeutic delivery, gene therapy platforms, protein and genomic language and deep learning models, AI, diagnostics & theranostics, advanced transcriptomic analytics, and next-generation automation. Explore the breakthroughs enabling truly personalized, predictive, and curative care across rare disease, oncology, immune and metabolic disorders, and beyond.
Highlights include:
- Fireside chats with industry and scientific leaders on the future of personalized and precision medicine, gene therapy, and platform commercialization
- Keynote from Stanford’s James Zou, PhD: “AI Scientist Agents to Accelerate Drug Discovery and Development”
- Lightning talks from experts in protein design AI, microfluidics, lab automation, digital diagnostics, surgical AI, and immunometabolism drug discovery
- Networking with top founders, investors, academics, and R&D decision-makers
If you’re building, investing in, or partnering across biotech, digital health, or enabling platform tech, this summit is your chance to engage with the minds shaping the next decade of curative medicine. If you're an investor, bring your checkbook, and learn about the hottest startups in the space.
For questions, contact dre@ligandal.com (Follow on X)
AGENDA
5:30 PM — Opening Remarks
Welcome and Summit Overview
Matt O’Brien, JD (Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP)
Andre Watson (Ligandal)
5:40 PM — Enabling the Future of Personalized, Precision, and Predictive Medicine – How Delivery is the Final Frontier of Curative Medicine
Andre Watson (CEO & Founder, Ligandal)
5:50 PM — Fireside Chat: Platforms & Personalized Medicine – Barriers & Opportunities
Nicole Fay, PhD (Nutcracker Therapeutics) and Andre Watson (Ligandal)
6:05 PM — Fireside Chat: Personalized Medicine, the Future of Gene Therapy, and Market Evolution
Emily Capra, PhD (McKinsey & Company) and Andre Watson (Ligandal)
6:25 PM — Break
6:30 PM — Keynote: AI Scientist Agents to Accelerate Drug Discovery and Development
James Zou, PhD (Stanford University)
Lightning Talks
7:00 PM — AlphaFold2 Was Just the Beginning—Tackling Protein Dynamics and Function with AI
Gina El Nesr, ABD (Stanford Biophysics)
7:15 PM — Unleashing 1,000,000x Lab Productivity with AI-Powered Automation
Ainur Nygmet (Faberge Labs)
7:30 PM — See (exactly) what you treat: Designing new halogen radio-theranostics for the treatment of solid tumors
Louis Metzger (dGenThera)
7:45 PM - AI for Automating Surgical Outcomes in Orthopaedics and Beyond
Adrian Killan (Mango Medical)
8:00 PM — Inapill: Immunometabolism-Targeted Small Molecules for Autoimmunity
Greg Timblin, PhD (Inapill)
8:15 PM — Beyond pills and infusions: Building hardware that treats cancer
Vivek Sharma, MS, ME, MBA (Asha Medical)
8:30 PM — The present, past, and future of blood testing
Michael Dubrovsky (SiPhox)
8:45 PM — Closing Remarks
Call-to-Action and Networking - Invitation to VIP Afterparty
Andre Watson (Ligandal)
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
James Zou, PhD
Associate Professor, Biomedical Data Science, CS and EE, Stanford University
AI for science; Faculty director of Stanford AI for Health; Overton Prize, Sloan Fellowship, 2x Chan-Zuckerberg Investigator.
Developer of robust machine-learning frameworks for biotech applications; specializes in reliable AI models for protein sequence–function prediction.
Andre Watson
CEO & Founder, Ligandal
Inventor of 88 patents, Forbes 30 Under 30 (Healthcare 2021); biomedical engineer and nanoscientist pioneering peptide-based targeted delivery for gene and drug therapies including CRISPR and mRNA.
Nicole Fay, PhD
Senior Director, Alliance Management, Nutcracker Therapeutics
Molecular biologist focused on drug discovery and design for novel RNA therapeutics, making medicine more accessible and individualized.
Gina El Nesr, ABD
PhD Candidate, Biophysics, Stanford University
Develops deep-learning methods for de novo protein design, enzymatic function, allostery, and modeling protein dynamics for new-to-nature mechanisms.
Louis Metzger, PhD
Co-Founder & CEO, dGenThera
Louis Metzger is Co-founder and CEO of dGenThera, a radiopharmaceutical startup that leverages novel halogen chemistry to design theranostics for the treatment of solid tumors. He spent several years at Novartis Pharma and subsequently held leadership roles in synthetic biology and gene therapy startups. He is passionate about contributing to healthspan extension, particularly for cancer survivors, by developing targeted radiotherapeutics that can induce long-term remission while minimizing late-onset damage to healthy tissues.
Emily Capra, PhD
Partner & Head of New Modalities Service Line, McKinsey & Company
Leads life-science R&D strategy for novel modalities, guiding pharma and biotech on commercializing next-generation therapies. AB Princeton, PhD MIT, Postdoc Caltech.
Ann (Ainur) Nygmet
Founder, Faberge Labs
Engineer turned founder dedicated to revolutionizing lab automation with intelligent AI assistance. Ainur has successfully automated over 50 complex methods in cancer drug discovery pipelines and is passionate about freeing researchers from repetitive tasks and accelerating scientific breakthroughs. Her expertise lies in bridging the gap between biology and robotics to drive innovation in the lab.
Michael Dubrovsky
Co-Founder & CPO, SiPhox Health
Materials chemist and entrepreneur building a chip-based at-home blood-testing device; former developer of photonic computing for cryptography.
Adrian Killan
CEO, Mango Medical
Building AI platforms that automate surgical outcome predictions for orthopaedics and beyond, merging deep learning with personalized surgical interventions.
Greg Timblin, PhD
CEO, Inapill
Developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics targeting immunometabolism for improved treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases; based at the Bakar BioEnginuity Hub, UC Berkeley.
Vivek Sharma, MS, ME, MBA
Co-Founder & CEO, Asha Medical
20+ years in bioelectronic device development; leads a wearable immunotherapy platform for cancer; brings multiple FDA-approved devices to market.
Matt O’Brien, JD
Counsel, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Legal advisor to Ligandal; counsel at Pillsbury Law
See our previous NYC Biotech Summit here:
Speakers
James Zou
Professor of Biomedical Data Science · Stanford University
keynoteJames Zou is a Professor of Biomedical Data Science at Stanford University, where he leads research in artificial intelligence and machine learning, focusing on ethical AI and its applications in biomedicine. He earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Harvard University and has published extensively in top-tier journals on topics like AI fairness and healthcare data analysis. Zou's notable achievements include receiving the Sloan Research Fellowship and serving as a principal investigator on projects funded by the National Institutes of Health. His expertise encompasses machine learning, statistical methods, and their integration with biological sciences, contributing to advancements in AI-driven medical diagnostics and ethical algorithm design.
Matt O’Brien
CEO · Snowcrash Labs
Matt O'Brien is the CEO of Snowcrash Labs, a company focused on cutting-edge AI and machine learning technologies aimed at solving complex problems in defense and national security. He holds a degree in Computer Science from Stanford University and has over 15 years of experience in the tech industry, including roles at leading firms like Google and defense contractors. Prior to founding Snowcrash Labs, Matt led innovative projects in autonomous systems and AI applications for government and private sectors, earning recognition for his contributions to advanced data analytics. Under his leadership, Snowcrash Labs has developed proprietary AI tools that enhance decision-making in high-stakes environments, such as cybersecurity and intelligent automation. Matt is dedicated to advancing ethical AI practices and continues to drive the company's growth in emerging technologies.
Emily Capra
PhD · McKinsey & Company
panelistEmily Capra holds a PhD and serves as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, where she applies her expertise in strategic advising for various industries. She has spoken at events such as the Ligandal Biotech Summit, highlighting her involvement in biotechnology-related discussions. Her background bridges academic research and professional consulting in deep tech fields.
Nicole Fay
PhD · Nutcracker Therapeutics
panelistNicole Fay holds a PhD and is affiliated with Nutcracker Therapeutics, a company specializing in RNA therapeutics. She has spoken at events like the Ligandal Biotech Summit, indicating her involvement in biotechnology discussions. Her expertise likely centers on advanced therapeutic technologies within the biotech field.
Andre Watson
CEO & Founder · Ligandal
hostAndre Watson is the CEO and Founder of Ligandal, a company involved in biotechnology as indicated by his participation in events like the Ligandal Biotech Summit. His role focuses on leading innovations in the biotech sector, drawing from his position alongside other industry experts. Watson's expertise is evident through his speaking engagements and associations in the field.
Gina El Nesr
ABD · Stanford Biophysics
presenterGina El Nesr is a PhD candidate (ABD) in Biophysics at Stanford University, where she conducts advanced research in biophysical sciences. She has presented at events such as the Ligandal Biotech Summit, highlighting her expertise in biotech-related applications. Her work focuses on the intersection of biology and physics, contributing to innovative scientific advancements.
Louis Metzger
CEO & Founder · dGenThera
presenterLouis Metzger, PhD, is the Co-founder and CEO of dGenThera, a radiopharmaceutical startup that develops theranostics using novel halogen chemistry to treat solid tumors. With prior experience at Novartis Pharma and leadership roles in synthetic biology and gene therapy startups, he brings extensive expertise in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. He is passionate about extending healthspan for cancer survivors by creating targeted radiotherapeutics that aim for long-term remission while minimizing damage to healthy tissues.
Greg Timblin
PhD · Inapill
presenterGreg Timblin, PhD, is a professional at Inapill, where he holds expertise in biotechnology based on his participation in events like the Ligandal Biotech Summit. His background includes advanced research, as indicated by his PhD qualification, contributing to innovations in the biotech sector. He is recognized for his involvement in deep tech discussions at industry conferences.
Michael Dubrovsky
CEO · SiPhox
presenterMichael Dubrovsky is the founder and CEO of SiPhox, a company focused on developing advanced at-home health diagnostics using nanotechnology. With a background in engineering and entrepreneurship, he has led SiPhox to innovate in portable health testing solutions. Currently, he works on making health monitoring more accessible through cutting-edge technology.
Ainur Nygmet
nullFaberge Labs
presenterAinur Nygmet is a professional associated with Faberge Labs, where she holds a role in the deep tech sector. She has spoken at the Ligandal Biotech Summit, indicating her involvement in biotech-related discussions. Her expertise is inferred from these engagements, focusing on advanced technologies in biotechnology.
Adrian Killan
nullMango Medical
presenterAdrian Killan is a professional at Mango Medical, where he is involved in medical technologies, as indicated by his participation in biotech-related events. He has spoken at the Ligandal Biotech Summit, demonstrating his expertise in the biotech sector. His work likely contributes to innovations in healthcare based on available context.
Vivek Sharma
MS, ME, MBA · Asha Medical
presenterVivek Sharma holds a Master of Science, Master of Engineering, and Master of Business Administration, providing him with a strong interdisciplinary background in science, engineering, and business. He is associated with Asha Medical, where he applies his expertise in the medical field. Sharma has spoken at events such as the Ligandal Biotech Summit, indicating his involvement in biotechnology discussions.
