What Can You Expect in 2026?
With iPSC therapies gaining real clinical momentum and regulatory pathways becoming clearer, the conversation is changing; from who will be the first approval in the US to how can we effectively scale iPSCs. There is also a noticeable return of investor confidence with increased funding rounds and the return of big pharma in Bayer with Bluerock Therapeutics. Now, the question is how to deliver platforms reliably at scale and ensure long-term viability.
The 6th iPSC Drug Development Summit brings the community together to focus on what comes next. It takes a practical look at what it really involves to move from research into the clinic, and then beyond. You’ll hear from teams actively working on clinic-bound programs as they share honest lessons from their experience, including the challenges they’ve faced along the way.
The agenda covers the full journey, from early development through to later-stage considerations. It’s designed to give you a clearer sense of how to approach scale-up and prepare for regulatory expectations without overcomplicating the process.
More than just a meeting, it’s a chance to build a deeper understanding of the field and come away better equipped to move your own programs forward with confidence.
Unmissable Sessions
Proving Autologous iPSC Therapies in the Clinic
This session shares hard-won experience advancing an autologous iPSC-derived dopaminergic neuron therapy in Parkinson’s disease. Focusing on how early safety and engraftment data are being interpreted, see clinical follow-up data at this talk with Ron Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Oryon Therapeutics
Advancing Hypoimmune iPSC Therapies Toward Clinical Proof
Exploring the clinical progress of a hypoimmune iPSC-derived dopaminergic progenitor therapy, this talk highlights early safety and tolerability findings alongside longer-term biological activity signals with Luyan Jiao, Vice President, Nuwacell Biotechnologies
iPSC-Derived Ocular Therapies Moving Toward Pivotal Trials
This clinical update connects preclinical engraftment and structural preservation with early functional readouts from iPSC-derived retinal cell therapies. Learn more with Yongting Wang, Head of Biology, Cell & Gene Therapy Research, Astellas Pharma
Scaling iPSC Manufacturing Without Losing Potency
Focused on execution at scale, this roundtable session examines how iPSC manufacturing can expand to commercial volumes while preserving potency and quality. It addresses and compares your challenges across comparability, process control, cost, and regulatory expectation with Cici Wang, Process Development Engineering, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Divide & Conquer
Across two days, the agenda is split into two tracks so teams from preclinical, discovery, innovation teams, and CMC, manufacturing, and clinical teams can maximize their learnings by splitting into designated tracks focusing on what matters to their day-to-day and create connections with others in the same phase of development.
Preclinical Development Track
Build Confidence Before You Commit to Scale
Explore how leading teams are strengthening early stage decisions around genome editing, cell line and donor selection, immune interaction, and functional QC to reduce downstream risk.
Featuring insights from: BlueRock Therapeutics, GC Therapeutics, Intellia Therapeutics, Astellas Pharma and more.
Process Development & CMC Track
Turn iPSC Science into GMP Ready Manufacturing
Learn how developers are aligning process development, analytics, and CMC strategy to support IND enabling and late stage manufacturing.
Featuring insights from: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Cartherics, Vita Therapeutics, Aspen Neuroscience, and more.
Explore the Full Event Guide
- 25+ Industry-leading speakers
- End-to-end coverage of iPSC drug development
- 2 dedicated tracks on preclinical development, and process development and CMC
- Unrivaled networking opportunities with clinical companies securing investments
- See why this is the must-attend meeting for iPSC development
Speaking Companies in 2026:
What Your Peers Had to Say:
This meeting has been a great forum for leaders in this emerging field to exchange their experience of challenges old and new, and find novel solutions and synergies to collaborate and help each other. I found discussions in previous events more open and of real value.
Allen Feng, Founder & Chief Scientific Officer, HebeCell (Repeat attendee of the iPSC Drug Development Summit since it's first year)
Participating in this meeting is a unique chance to engage with fellow innovators to exchange ideas that will shape the next generation of hematologic treatments and patient access models.
Director of Process Development, Stratus Therapeutics, 2025 Speaker
This summit brings together a unique community of scientists, clinicians, and industry leaders who are driving innovation in stemcell research and translational medicine. Participating in this meeting offers a valuable opportunity to exchange cutting-edge insights, foster collaborations, and help shape the future of iPSC-based therapeutics.
Instructor, Harvard Medical School/Boston Children’s Hospital, 2025 Speaker
Explore the Agenda
See where the bottlenecks really are and how teams are solving them.
This agenda goes beyond theory to highlight the decisions shaping real iPSC programs, from line selection and genome integrity to late stage scale up, comparability, and regulatory confidence.
Partner With Us
Shape the discussion at the point where priorities are being set.
Partnering with the summit gives you a unique opportunity to position your organization at the heart of the iPSC community, build meaningful connections, and become the go-to partner for the iPSC community.
Join the iPSC Community
Connect with a field that has moved past experimentation.
Meet a focused community of leaders working through the realities of clinical translation, manufacturing scale, and regulatory alignment. Biopharma and academics can attend for free!