2026 Wisconsin Biohealth Summit

Celebrate bold ideas and big breakthroughs! The 11th Annual Startup Showcase spotlights Wisconsin’s most promising start-up biohealth companies as they share how they’re transforming the industry and driving our thriving ecosystem forward. From medical devices and diagnostics to digital health, therapeutics, and advanced manufacturing — discover the next wave of innovation and meet the visionaries shaping the future of biohealth in Wisconsin.

What will it take to change the trajectory of Alzheimer’s disease—from breakthrough research to meaningful outcomes for patients and families? In this fireside chat, Dr. Nathaniel Chin, Medical Director at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention (WRAP) study joins John Bickel Eli Lilly’s Senior Vice President, Global Product Strategy & Customer Experience for a candid conversation on the evolving Alzheimer’s landscape. They will explore advances in neuroscience research, the path from scientific discovery to new therapies, and what it takes to translate innovation into real-world patient impact. The discussion will also examine the opportunities—and challenges—shaping the next era of Alzheimer’s care.

Speaker companies: Eli Lilly | UW-Madison Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center | BioForward

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Ctaccess | Gilbane | UW Applied Biotech | EUA | Strang

Policy decisions made today will shape the future of Wisconsin’s biohealth sector—affecting innovation, competitiveness, opportunity and growth for years to come. Hear from industry and state and federal policy experts on why advocacy matters, the issues shaping the sector, and how a strong, coordinated voice can drive meaningful action and help advance Wisconsin’s biohealth industry. The session will also feature the release of BioForward Wisconsin’s new legislative platform, outlining key policy priorities to strengthen the state’s biohealth ecosystem and position Wisconsin for continued leadership and long-term growth.

Speaker companies: AdvaMed | BIO | The Welch Group | BioForward

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Organoid technologies are rapidly reshaping how industry models human biology, offering more predictive, human-relevant systems for drug discovery, toxicology, and disease research. As a cornerstone of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), these platforms are unlocking opportunities to reduce late-stage failure, streamline development timelines, and enable more precise, data-driven decision-making. This session will bring together leaders from biotech, pharma, and technology to explore how advances in organoid complexity, scalability, and integration with tools like multi-omics and AI are driving commercial innovation, while also addressing key challenges such as standardization and regulatory alignment—and what it will take to translate organoid promise into sustained industry growth and accelerate the delivery of better therapies to patients.

Speaker companies: Promega | StemPharm | FUJIFILM | Clarevia Ventures

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Bringing a biohealth innovation to market requires more than scientific excellence. It demands strategic legal planning from the earliest stages of development through commercialization. This session will explore the critical legal decisions that shape a product's journey, including intellectual property protection, regulatory strategy, FDA pathways, licensing, partnerships and commercialization planning. Experienced legal and industry leaders will share practical lessons learned, common pitfalls to avoid and strategies for protecting innovations while navigating the complex regulatory landscape.

Speaker companies: Foley & Lardner | 

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Artificial intelligence and automation are rapidly transforming biohealth, but success in regulated environments requires more than adopting new technology. This session brings together leaders from across the biohealth ecosystem to share practical examples of how AI and automation are improving research, manufacturing, diagnostics, and patient care while maintaining quality and regulatory compliance. Through brief presentations and an interactive discussion, attendees will gain real-world insights into where organizations are seeing value today and where opportunities remain.

Speaker companies: Genentech | Google Cloud | Medical College of Wisconsin | PPD (a part of Thermo Fisher Scientific)

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Wisconsin’s biohealth sector is filled with remarkable science, innovation and stories of impact. This session will explore the unique role storytelling plays in biohealth science—helping translate complex ideas into clear, compelling stories that resonate with diverse audiences, from patients and their families to policymakers, investors and the broader community. Panelists will share perspectives on telling authentic stories that bring the science to life and highlight the people, purpose and impact behind Wisconsin’s biohealth innovations.

Speaker companies: WEDC | Versiti | BioForward | K.Rose Creative

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Ctaccess | Gilbane | UW Applied Biotech | EUA | Strang

BioForward Wisconsin is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 Wisconsin Biohealth Awards, recognizing extraordinary scientific achievement and visionary business leadership across Wisconsin’s growing biohealth sector. Established in 2015, these awards honor individuals whose leadership, innovation, and impact are advancing the industry and helping improve outcomes for patients and communities.

The Hector F. DeLuca Scientific Achievement Award celebrates transformative scientific contributions that expand the boundaries of discovery and advance human health. The Wisconsin Biohealth Business Achievement Award recognizes leaders whose vision, growth, and long-term commitment have strengthened Wisconsin’s biohealth industry and the infrastructure that supports it.

Presented annually at the Wisconsin Biohealth Summit, the awards highlight the people whose work demonstrates the full journey of innovation reflected in this year’s Summit theme: From Molecule to Medicine: Delivering Successful Patient Outcomes.

HECTOR F. DELUCA SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Kathleen M. Schmainda, PhD – Professor of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin

Dr. Schmainda is a nationally recognized leader in advanced MRI and brain tumor imaging whose research has helped move sophisticated imaging technologies from scientific discovery into clinical application. She established MCW’s first translational brain tumor imaging research laboratory and has contributed to advances in imaging biomarkers, multicenter clinical research, commercialization, and the clinical evaluation and treatment of brain tumors.

WISCONSIN BIOHEALTH BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Peter C. Vogel – President and CEO, Vogel Bros. Building Co.

A longtime leader and advocate for Wisconsin’s biohealth industry, Pete Vogel has spent decades helping create the specialized research, laboratory, and manufacturing environments that make scientific innovation possible. Under his leadership, Vogel Bros. has completed 84 life science projects over the past 20 years, representing more than $820 million in construction and renovation and 2.3 million square feet in the Madison market.

Read the 2026 Wisconsin Biohealth Awards press release.

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Quantum technology is rapidly emerging as a transformative force in biohealth by unlocking new possibilities in how we process complex data, run realistic simulations, and optimize critical tasks. As advances in quantum computing, sensing, and communications accelerate, our industry stands on the brink of a new era in therapeutic discovery, personalized medicine, and diagnostic precision. Join our panel of leading experts to explore how Wisconsin’s biohealth ecosystem is turning the promise of quantum innovation into real-world impact.

Speaker companies: University of Wisconsin-Madison | Wisconsin Quantum Institute | FAR Biotech | Wisconsin Technology Council

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Ctaccess | Gilbane | UW Applied Biotech | EUA | Strang

Expanding a biohealth company beyond the U.S. creates major opportunities, but also complex decisions around manufacturing strategy, regulatory pathways, supply chain resilience, intellectual property, and market access. This panel brings together legal experts, economic development and international trade representatives, and biohealth companies that have successfully expanded internationally. The discussion will explore how these companies evaluate manufacturing inside versus outside the U.S., enter new global markets, manage compliance across regions, and build scalable international operations.

Speaker companies: WEDC | Fredrikson & Byron

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Ctaccess | Gilbane | UW Applied Biotech | EUA | Strang

In this keynote session, we will highlight Abbott’s acquisition of Exact Sciences and how the transaction enabled Abbott to enter and lead in cancer screening and diagnostics, allowing people to detect and manage cancer at its earliest and most treatable stages. Abbott will highlight how adding Exact Sciences strengthens its diagnostics leadership and positions the company to advance more preventative, predictive, and personalized technologies.

Speaker companies: Abbott | BioForward

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