There was a common theme threaded through every conversation at this year’s MassBio State of Possible conference: Communications is the essential bridge between scientific advancement and human impact.
Every session came back to the fact that how we share stories determines whether breakthroughs reach those who need them, and I’ve picked out some moments that really reiterated this message for me.
When science meets storytelling
Brad Loncar, founder of BiotechTV, shared a personal anecdote of a single interaction which highlighted how scientific progress and public awareness often move at different speeds: He’d recently heard about a sickle cell disease patient completely unaware of newly approved gene therapies. “We have a PR problem,” Loncar observed, noting how public perception often fails to distinguish the complex ecosystem beneath the “big pharma” umbrella.
This gap between advancement and awareness found its counterpoint in Pete Frates’ remarkable legacy. “What an opportunity we’ve been given to change the world,” Pete had said after his 2012 ALS diagnosis. His family “chose the lane,” his mother explained, approaching their advocacy with the determination of a Division 1 athlete.
The Ice Bucket Challenge that followed made “what is ALS” a top search term and raised a quarter billion dollars, leveraged for nearly a billion in research funding. As Dr. Sabrina Paganoni, Co-Director of MGH’s Neurological Clinical Research Institute, reflected, “This didn’t just change perceptions; it changed the future of ALS.” A compelling demonstration of how strategic communication can accelerate scientific progress.
The timeline translation challenge
Cigall Kadoch, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigator, Harvard Medical School associate professor, and scientific co-founder of Foghorn Therapeutics, spoke directly to the challenges of explaining the biopharma timeline to the general population.
“Sharing with the public how long it takes” to develop treatments matters deeply, she emphasized, because our field’s work is “rooted in complex biological concepts that are not always accessible to the general public.” Her insights underscored how transparency about scientific processes builds crucial understanding.
John Evans, CEO of Beam Therapeutics, elaborated on this timeline challenge, noting how the 25-year journey many therapies require remains invisible outside our industry. Creating an “ecosystem that can support that journey” depends largely on communicating the full arc of discovery and development.
Nello Mainolfi, Kymera Therapeutics CEO, pushed this conversation further: “We have too many people between those who invent medicines and those who need them that obfuscate our message.” His observation sparked discussions about rebuilding direct connections between scientific innovation and public understanding. “We cannot cry and complain,” he noted. “It’s an opportunity to say we want to be at the table explaining what we do.”
Community as the catalyst
Throughout the conference, moments of authentic connection became the most memorable catalysts for change.
Bioversity graduate Lazaro Rivera, now at Foundation Medicine, captured this energy when sharing how “stepping outside our comfort zone” creates transformative possibilities. His journey from training program to professional role embodied how community support transforms individual potential.
And, during a Make-A-Wish segment, Brian Lane shared how community sustained his family through his son Mark “Swaggy’s” journey: “We’re okay because of two things: Mark and community… that feeling that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.” His story illuminated how shared purpose gives meaning to both challenge and triumph.
The Biotech CEO Sisterhood demonstrated another dimension of community strength. “We’ve moved away from language that things are harder,” Seaport Therapeutics CEO Daphne Zohar noted, “and there’s a lot of power in being a woman in our industry.” Their collective approach creates resilience through collaborative leadership during industry challenges.
Communicating through change
The most effective communicators at State of Possible demonstrated that connecting benchtop breakthroughs with bedside impact requires both scientific precision and emotional resonance.
Against a backdrop of FDA reform discussions, HHS policy shifts, and market pressures, Governor Maura Healey’s call to “continue to speak up, continue to advocate” resonated deeply.
But former MassBio CEO and cystic fibrosis advocate Bob Coughlin, receiving the Henri A. Termeer Innovative Leadership Award, perhaps captured this connection most succinctly. Biotech, he said, “found him” because “this is the place where news is made… cures are found.” His words remind everyone in life sciences that communication isn’t peripheral to our mission – it’s how scientific possibility transforms into human reality.
For me, these stories from State of Possible offered more than inspiration.
They provide a blueprint for communicating through complexity, demonstrating how shared narratives move science forward for those waiting on what’s next.
Lynnea Olivarez is a senior corporate affairs strategist and the founder of Ticket to Biotech (T2B), a global community for biopharma communicators. She has held leadership roles across industry, government, and agency.