AGENDA

5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Conference On-Site Registration

6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Welcome Reception and Dinner

7:30 – 9:00 a.m.

Registration and Networking Breakfast  

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Partnering Hall

9:00 – 9:15 a.m.

Welcome Remarks  

9:15 – 10:00 a.m.

Financing Without Equity Dilution: Royalty Deals and Alternative Capital in Biotech

As traditional equity has grown more expensive, life sciences companies are increasingly turning to royalty and revenue-based financing, venture debt, and creative structures to fund their pipelines while limiting dilution. Bringing together capital providers and advisors from across the financing landscape, this panel offers a practical look at how these deals get done: how they’re sourced, structured, and negotiated; what makes a company or asset fundable; and how to choose the right approach for a given stage and strategy. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or advisor, this session offers useful guidance for navigating today’s financing landscape.

Moderator:
Norm Hovijitra, Wilson Sonsini

Speakers:
Art McGivern, Royalty Pharma
Ed Baxter, Evercore Group

10:00 – 10:45 a.m.

The Shifting Landscape of U.S.-China Biotech Engagement

This panel will take a wide-angle look at how U.S. and Chinese biotech markets are intersecting, spanning investment trends, licensing strategy, and the broader policy environment, including national security and regulatory considerations such as the BIOSECURE Act. Speakers will share different perspectives on how the industry is adapting to a more complex cross-border landscape.

Moderator:
Alex Key, Wilson Sonsini

Speakers:
Weiyong Sun, Hansoh Bio
Emory Werner, RA Capital Management

10:45 – 10:55 a.m.

Break

10:55 – 11:40 a.m.

State of the IP Market: Trends Shaping Biotech Patent Strategy

Join leaders from big pharma, emerging life sciences companies, and the investment community for a conversation about where the IP market stands. The panel will explore how companies are building and defending patent portfolios in a crowded landscape, the growing role of IP in financing, licensing, and deal-making, and how investors weigh IP when sizing up an opportunity, along with candid takes on the trends and tradeoffs shaping strategy today.

Moderator:
Derrick Rowe, Wilson Sonsini

Speakers:
James Harrington, Vera Therapeutics

11:40 a.m.  – 12:25 p.m.

Panel Discussion

12:25 – 1:30 p.m.

Networking Lunch

1:30 – 2:15 p.m.

Fireside Chat 

Join us for a discussion on Soleno Therapeutics’ journey from its founding to becoming the company behind VYKAT XR, the first approved therapy for hyperphagia in people with Prader-Willi syndrome. We will review the company’s growth, including its financings, 2014 IPO, and commercial launch, with Wilson Sonsini serving as a trusted advisor through these milestones. The session will also address Soleno’s $2.9 billion acquisition by Neurocrine Biosciences in 2026 and examine how this partnership combines knowledge in rare diseases and endocrinology to benefit more patients and families.

Moderator:
Philip Oettinger, Wilson Sonsini

Speaker:
Anish Bhatnagar, Soleno Therapeutics

2:15 – 3:00 p.m.

Building Biotech Partnerships That Last: A Legal Playbook for Collaborations and M&A 

Co-development agreements, licensing agreements, and acquisitions power many aspects of biotech innovation. Getting these relationships right from the start means thinking ahead about how to navigate the intersection of trade secrets, patent rights, and antitrust risk. Drawing on real-world scenarios and experience, this panel offers biotech leaders and their legal counsel a practical playbook for how to strategize and structure these agreements, and what to build into them upfront, so companies can pursue ambitious partnerships with confidence and remain well-positioned as those relationships evolve. 

Moderator:
Tina Hanson, Wilson Sonsini

Speakers:
Hanok George, Azurity Pharmaceuticals
Brendan Coffman, Wilson Sonsini
Lisa Zang, Wilson Sonsini
Sundar Srinivasan, Emerald Lake Safety

3:00 – 3:15 p.m.

Break

3:15 – 4:00 p.m.

Panel Discussion

4:00 – 4:45 p.m.

Fireside Chat

Join us for a conversation about Isomorphic Labs and its ambition to reimagine and accelerate drug discovery through an AI-first approach. Founded in 2021, the company has advanced quickly, raising $600 million in its first external round in 2025 and a $2.1 billion Series B in 2026 to develop its AI drug-design engine and advance programs across multiple therapeutic areas. Jay Carter, head of Corporate Legal at Isomorphic Labs, will share the company’s vision and where the work is headed. Wilson Sonsini has been proud to serve as legal advisor through both landmark financings, working alongside the team to help structure and execute the rounds that fueled this growth.

Moderator:
Tony Jeffries, Wilson Sonsini

Speaker:
Jay Carter, Isomorphic Labs

4:45 – 5:00 p.m.

Closing Remarks

5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Venture Capital Uncorked: Wine Tasting Closing Reception 

Panel, timing, and speakers are subject to change.