Recap of Technology Summit 2024

Life science investors, biotech professionals, pioneering scientists and industry leaders attended the inaugural Scripps Research Technology Summit in September 2024 to learn about efforts that encourage entrepreneurship and guide technologies toward practical applications. 

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The summit also explored how scientists are working closely with industry partners to tackle critical gaps in healthcare and enhance the well-being of communities, particularly in the areas of neuroscience, oncology, protein engineering, vaccine development, climate science and more. 

Xin Jin Jeffery Kelly X
Xin Jin, PhD (left), Jeffery Kelly, PhD (right). Credit: Scripps Research

Xin Jin, PhD (Scripps Research) and Jeffrey Kelly, PhD (Scripps Research)

Discussion topic: transformative therapies and technologies for neurodegenerative diseases,

What vital role does foundational research play in the ecosystem?

Andrew Ward, PhD (Scripps Research) x David Kaufman, MD, PhD (Third Rock Ventures)

Discussion topic: collaborative efforts to commercialize work on vaccine and antibody designs

How can Scripps Research partnerships can accelerate breakthrough discoveries and bring new technologies to market?

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General Counsel Marshall Olin, Esq, moderates a conversation with Andrew Ward, PhD and David Kaufman, MD, PhD. Credit: Scripps Research

Scripps Research featured faculty speakers

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Christian Diercks, PhD.
Ahmed Badran X
Ahmed Badran, PhD.
Keren Lasker X
Keren Lasker, PhD
Peng Wu X
Peng Wu, PhD.

Christian Diercks, PhD, spoke about building a directed evolution platform to accelerate the development of enzyme therapeutics and its potential for widespread commercial application.

Ahmed Badran, PhD, explored how his lab is improving the efficiency of the enzyme rubisco—Earth’s most abundant protein—to potentially capture hundreds of megatons of CO2 annually, which could see commercialization in agriculture, bioproduction and climate change mitigation.

Keren Lasker, PhD, highlighted a new novel method to detect and degrade toxic protein aggregates, which are clusters of misfolded proteins that can disrupt normal cell function often seen in dementia patients, one of the most pressing healthcare challenges.

Peng Wu, PhD, shared insight about his work to improve immunotherapy by targeting sugar molecules on the surface of tumor cells, paving the way for a new cancer treatment protein they created using a specially designed enzyme.

Following the speaker sessions, summit attendees joined a strategic partnering event where they met one-on-one with Scripps Research scientists to further explore how to turn breakthrough discoveries into market-ready technologies by working together. These  partnering meetings between Scripps faculty and business development leaders from biotech, pharma, and venture capital offered organizations a unique opportunity to engage directly with investigators pioneering exciting early-stage innovations. 

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These discussions showcased a dynamic array of researchers from rising faculty stars to world-renowned scientists like two-time Nobel Prize Laureate K. Barry Sharpless, and spanned a wide range of therapeutic areas and cutting-edge modalities, including novel, first-in-class approaches. These high-impact conversations fostered potential partnerships aimed at translating breakthrough technologies into life-changing medicines for patients around the world.