Premier conference for Massachusetts’ life sciences ecosystem convenes industry leaders, scientists, and patient advocates to explore the people and purpose behind every breakthrough
CAMBRIDGE, MA (March 17, 2026) — MassBio, the nation’s oldest and largest regional biopharma membership organization representing 1,700+ companies, will hold its annual State of Possible Conference on Thursday, March 26 at the Omni Boston Seaport Hotel. This year’s conference, themed Behind the Breakthrough, features a marquee lineup of speakers including Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Flagship Pioneering Founder and CEO Noubar Afeyan, Biogen President and CEO Chris Viehbacher, and Third Rock Ventures Partner Jigar Raythatha.
The daylong program will spotlight the people, passion, and purpose that drive biomedical innovation — incorporating patient stories, AI and drug discovery, workforce development, public policy, and the economics of bringing new medicines to market.
For the fourth consecutive year, Governor Healey will deliver remarks and, this year, also participate in a leadership panel alongside Afeyan and Viehbacher exploring what sustains Massachusetts’s global leadership in the life sciences. (10:50 AM)
Afeyan will receive the 2026 Henri A. Termeer Innovative Leadership Award, the industry’s most prestigious honor recognizing individuals who have contributed significantly to the growth and success of the life sciences in Massachusetts. (11:40 AM)
Raythatha, a veteran cancer drug developer who was himself diagnosed with an IDH-mutant glioma, will deliver the closing keynote on what patients truly expect from biotech companies and investors: urgency, honesty, and a relentless commitment to delivering meaningful medicines. (3:40 PM)
MassBio CEO & President Kendalle Burlin O’Connell will open the conference and host a fireside conversation with patient advocate Kate Mogul, a local mother navigating life with her son Holden, who has focal cortical dysplasia — a rare congenital brain abnormality and leading cause of drug-resistant epilepsy in children. (3:15 PM)
The conference features a Possible Talk by Dr. Anna Greka, a physician-scientist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, who will share how AI and machine learning are powering a new drug discovery engine that targets shared biological ‘nodes’ across clinically distinct diseases. (1:00 PM)
The program also celebrates the ecosystem’s commitment to community, featuring Life Science Cares Boston Executive Director Rosie Cunningham as the organization marks its 10th anniversary, and Bioversity graduate Jamall Leslie, now a Critical Support Technician at Flagship Lab Services, who will share his workforce development story.
WHEN: Thursday, March 26, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 4:15 PM
WHERE: Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport, 450 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210
Agenda Highlights:
- 9:45 AM: MassBio CEO & President Kendalle Burlin O’Connell delivers opening remarks
- 10:30 AM: Industry Champion Award presented to Chairman Aaron Michlewitz
- 10:45 AM: Governor Maura Healey delivers remarks
- 11:00 AM: Leadership panel with Governor Healey, Noubar Afeyan, and Chris Viehbacher, moderated by Kendalle Burlin O’Connell
- 11:40 AM: Henri A. Termeer Innovative Leadership Award presented to Noubar Afeyan
- 1:00 PM: Possible Talk by Dr. Anna Greka on AI-enabled drug discovery
- 3:15 PM: Fireside chat with patient advocate Kate Mogul
- 3:40 PM: Closing keynote by Jigar Raythatha, Partner, Third Rock Ventures
Panel Discussions:
- 11:00 AM: The State of Life Sciences: Innovation, Leadership, and Massachusetts’ Global Role—a conversation with Governor Healey, Noubar Afeyan, and Christopher Viehbacher on what sustains the state’s global leadership in biomedical innovation.
- 1:20 PM: The Price of Innovation: An Honest Conversation—exploring whether the industry is getting better at proving drugs are worth their price, with John Stanford (Novel Strategies), Chris Garabedian (Perceptive Advisors/Xontogeny), Scott Robertson (Dauntless Ventures), and Melanie Whittington (Leerink Center for Pharmacoeconomics).
- 1:55 PM: Biotech CEOs on the Frontlines—a candid discussion about the risks, rewards, and realities of biotech leadership with Jodie Morrison (Q32 Bio), Andy Orth (City Therapeutics), Kasper Roet (QurAlis), and Joanna Stanicka (Axonis), moderated by Nicole DeFeudis (Endpoints).
WHO:
- Maura Healey, Governor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Noubar Afeyan, Founder and CEO, Flagship Pioneering; 2026 Henri A. Termeer Award Recipient
- Chris Viehbacher, President and CEO, Biogen
- Jigar Raythatha, Partner, Third Rock Ventures
- Kendalle Burlin O’Connell, CEO & President, MassBio
- Vanessa Welch, Emcee and Emmy Award-winning journalist
- Aaron Michlewitz, Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee, Massachusetts House of Representatives
- Tamar Thompson, VP, Patient Experience and Insights, Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease; Outgoing MassBio Board Chair
- Jeff Elton, Founding CEO and Vice Chairman, ConcertAI; Incoming MassBio Board Chair
- Anna Greka, Physician-Scientist, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Professor, Harvard Medical School and Mass General Brigham
- John Stanford, Partner and CEO, Novel Strategies
- Chris Garabedian, Venture Portfolio Manager, Perceptive Advisors; Chairman & CEO, Xontogeny
- Scott Robertson, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Dauntless Ventures
- Melanie Whittington, Managing Director, Leerink Center for Pharmacoeconomics
- Jodie Morrison, CEO, Q32 Bio
- Andy Orth, CEO, City Therapeutics
- Kasper Roet, Founder and CEO, QurAlis
- Joanna Stanicka, CEO, Axonis Therapeutics
- Nicole DeFeudis, Senior Reporter, Endpoints
- Kate Mogul, Patient Advocate
- Rosie Cunningham, Executive Director, Life Science Cares Boston
- Zach Stanley, Bioversity
- Jamall Leslie, Critical Support Technician, Flagship Lab Services; Bioversity Graduate
- Jason Cordeiro, Chief Innovation and Operating Officer, MassBio
For a full list of speakers, view agenda details at massbio.org/events/state-of-possible-conference.
Interested media can register by contacting Ryan Boehm at ryan.boehm@massbio.org.
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About MassBio
MassBio is the driving force behind Massachusetts’ life sciences ecosystem, supporting innovation and industry growth by offering best-in-class resources to over 1,700 member organizations at all stages of the biopharma lifecycle. Founded in 1985, MassBio aspires to extend Massachusetts’ impact as the global center of excellence in biomedical breakthroughs. Through strategic cost-saving initiatives, robust business partnerships, educational and networking opportunities, and proactive advocacy, MassBio empowers its members to launch the next generation of medical advancements to deliver the cures and therapies that enhance patient lives. www.massbio.org
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