Heng Xie, PhD MBA - Advancing Technology for Personal Precision Medicine

Four talks. One evening. A future for cell therapy manufacturing — closer than we think. Tonight, PDA SoCal filled the room with innovators for Emerging Trends in Cell Therapy Manufacturing, and the atmosphere buzzed with curiosity and collaboration. Guided by Alan Taaghol, Ph.D., the evening moved from technical mastery to deeply human moments: 🔹 Facility design as a competitive advantage – George Todorov (IPS) & Andrew Applebury, PE (FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies) showed how modular layouts cut changeover time and let companies scale without costly reinvestments. 🔹 Culture as the real differentiator – Sang Yoon, MBA (ImmunityBio) reminded us that compliance is mandatory, but quality culture sustains excellence when no one’s watching. 🔹 Precision from lab to clinic – Aleksandra Jovanovic Poole Ph.D., revealed why clinical manufacturing is a zero-margin-for-error relay between technical, regulatory, and operational teams. 🔹 Why this work matters – Tracy Ryan (NKore Bio Therapeutics) shared Saving Sophie, her fight to cure her child’s cancer — a reminder that every protocol serves a patient waiting for hope. 4 Takeaways any biotech leader can use: 1️⃣ Facility flexibility is now a strategic weapon. 2️⃣ Quality culture outlasts compliance. 3️⃣ Clinical manufacturing is a precision relay. 4️⃣ Purpose fuels perseverance. Leaving tonight, I felt grateful for the science, the leadership lessons, and the reminder that every SOP, design choice, and culture shift has one goal: delivering hope to patients. 👏 Kudos to PDA SoCal for an unforgettable evening. What’s your biggest takeaway from recent biotech events? Please check out savingsophie.org to support pediatric research. 📬 Want leadership insights without the noise? Subscribe to The Beacon Brief—delivered monthly, always free. Link: https://lnkd.in/gNXeXDzH #CellTherapy #GeneTherapy #Manufacturing #QualityCulture #PDA #AdvancedTherapies #Leadership #PatientImpact

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OmicInsight and Psomagen Announce Strategic Marketing Agreement to Expand High-Resolution Spatial Transcriptomics   SANTA CLARA, CA and ROCKVILLE, MD — January 20, 2026 — OmicInsight Corporation, an innovator in AI-powered spatial biology and high-resolution imaging, and Psomagen, Inc., a premier North American provider of transcriptomic and genomic services, today announced a marketing agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, OmicInsight’s high-resolution imaging and multi-omics analysis capabilities, leveraging its proprietary EsperTM platform, will be offered as a part of Psomagen’s spatial transcriptomics service portfolio. Psomagen, a recognized leader in servicing academic and commercial clients, will serve as a partner, introduce OmicInsight’s specialized spatial transcriptomics services to its extensive network including world-class research institutions and leading global pharmaceutical companies. This agreement represents a significant milestone in OmicInsight’s commercial strategy to expand its high-fidelity imaging solutions through established industry leaders. By leveraging Psomagen’s deep-rooted reputation for quality and its vast client base in North American academia that expands into biopharma industry, OmicInsight gains a powerful channel to provide high-resolution spatial insights to researchers requiring advanced data. “Aligning with Psomagen is a cornerstone of our efforts to scale OmicInsight’s commercial footprint,” said, Josh Ryu, Ph.D., and Jae Won Kim, Co-CEOs of OmicInsight. “This marketing agreement provides us with a high-trust channel to reach Psomagen’s broad client base. By formalizing this marketing agreement, we also ensure that researchers have a direct and streamlined path to the highest-sensitivity spatial data through gene panels fully customized for specific biological pathways, disease mechanism, and biomarker analysis.” “We are excited to feature OmicInsight’s capabilities as part of our expanded service ecosystem,” said Su Hong, Ph.D., CEO of Psomagen. “As a trusted partner to thousands of researchers, we are always looking for innovative technologies that add value to our core transcriptomics offerings. OmicInsight’s AI-driven approach is a perfect fit for our clients who require the highest level of resolution and insight.” About OmicInsight Corporation OmicInsight Corporation offers high-sensitivity, high-throughput spatial and multi-omics analysis via proprietary AI. Based in Santa Clara, its platform provides molecular resolution within tissues, driving insights for drug discovery, precision medicine, and research. Learn more at www.omicinsight.com. About Psomagen, Inc. Psomagen, Inc. is a leading North American provider of genetic sequencing and multiomic services. With 20+ years of expertise, it is a certified partner for NGS, transcriptomics, and proteomics for leaders like 10x Genomics, Olink, and PacBio. Visit www.psomagen.com.

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You run your alignment. The QC metrics flag something unexpected. Suddenly you're not moving to step 3, you're heading to step 2A, investigating batch effects, reconsidering your normalization strategy, and only then circling back to differential expression. That's not a flaw in the workflow. That's science. This is exactly why AI agents are well suited to bioinformatics. Unlike rigid pipelines that execute steps in a fixed sequence, AI agents reason. They observe intermediate outcomes, reassess the plan, and decide dynamically what comes next. A 2026 paper in Briefings in Bioinformatics (https://lnkd.in/eM4TJTjm) described agentic AI as systems that "dynamically adjust their reasoning strategy in response to intermediate outcomes and uncertainty signals", a description that sounds like every #Bioinformatics project I've ever run. At Galagos GmbH, our multi-agent architecture handles exactly this kind of adaptive analysis. You describe your question. The agents plan, execute, self-assess, and re-route when the data tells them to. Every step documented. Every result verifiable. How often does your research take an unexpected turn mid-analysis? What did you discover when it did? #AIinScience #Genomics #DataScience

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Discover How Automation is Powering Scalable, High-Quality Long-Read Transcriptomics! Join us for an in-depth webinar, with Seattle Children's Research Institute, exploring how automation is transforming long-read RNA sequencing workflows with PacBio's Kinnex™ RNA library prep kit and the SPT Labtech firefly® liquid handler. Key learning objectives: ✅Explore how automation improves RNA-seq workflows: Learn how the integration of PacBio’s Kinnex™ kit with the firefly® platform streamlines RNA library prep, reducing hands-on time while enhancing consistency and throughput. ✅Understand the value of full-length transcript sequencing: Discover how long-read technologies preserve transcript integrity and enable high-resolution isoform detection—crucial for studying gene expression, alternative splicing, and regulatory elements. ✅See how this approach supports population-scale studies: Gain insight into how these protocols were used in the 1000 Genomes Long Read Project to generate a diverse, open-access Iso-Seq dataset. Register now 🔗https://lnkd.in/g-5WrjyW #LabAutomation #Transcriptomics #Genomics

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At AWE 2025’s “Building for Impact: User-Centered Design in XR Health,” the message was clear: innovation doesn’t begin with invention—it begins with listening. Anne Lord Bailey, PharmD, BCPS, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, opened with scale: 170+ medical centers, 1,300 sites of care, 9M veterans. Immersive tech is now active in all 50 states, with 40+ clinical use cases—from pain and PTSD to staff training. But her emphasis wasn’t on hardware—it was on human response. 60% of veteran users were first-timers. 90% found it easy to use. And 90% asked for more. Let veterans feel the benefit, and adoption follows. Linda Ciavarelli, DPM, CEO of HouseCall VR, showed what it looks like to build around the patient, not the product. Before even finalizing their diabetes education module, her team ran 49 hours of on-site testing with both staff and veterans across 5 VA centers. The result? 700+ data points that changed everything—from visuals to tone to UI friction. One standout: clinicians said the content was too slow. But the data showed not a single veteran agreed. It’s a reminder that in healthcare, speed for one user may be discomfort for another. Marjaana Siivola, PhD researcher at Aalto University, applied these lessons to childbirth education. Her takeaway: don’t design for the “ideal” user—design for all users in the ecosystem. That includes partners, midwives, OB/GYNs. Her team used iterative feedback loops to refine content, and once skeptical users experienced early prototypes, resistance turned into advocacy. “Design isn’t ready after one round,” she said, “it’s ready when it resonates.” Across all three speakers, one truth echoed: XR in healthcare must be co-developed with the people it aims to serve. Real impact demands real collaboration. #AWE2025 #XRHealth #DigitalTherapeutics #VAImmersive #VirryAI #Biophilia

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2026 biopharma feels very “modalities + manufacturability” — the science is moving fast, but the winners will be the teams that can *deliver, scale, and get paid*. A few trends I’m watching closely (and we’re covering across BioPharm International): 🔹 Metabolic stays the gravity well   GLP-1 isn’t “over” — it’s evolving into next-gen incretin strategies and combinations that are reshaping pipelines. 🔹 Oncology: ADCs + radiopharma keep accelerating   ADCs are entering a more mature “ADC 2.0” phase (better linkers/payloads, smarter target selection), while radiopharmaceuticals are moving from niche to platform thinking. 🔹 Precision delivery is the real battleground   Antibody–oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs) and other targeted delivery approaches are rising fast because they connect specificity with gene-modulating payloads. 🔹 RNA keeps getting more industrial   siRNA/ASOs continue to build data — and the enabling ecosystem (analytics, delivery, manufacturing) is getting sturdier. 🔹 Gene editing: delivery + dosing discipline will decide commercial reality   More momentum toward in vivo strategies where chemistry, targeting, and practical dosing separate “cool” from “commercial.” 🔹 Cell & gene: redesigning for scale   Expect more simplification: automation, better logistics, and approaches built for real-world rollout. If you’re tracking these shifts too, BioPharm International is covering the science *and* the execution layer (process, analytics, scale-up, quality): https://lnkd.in/eWmzj7uc My question: what modality do you think is most *over-hyped* right now… and which is still *under-priced*? #biopharma #biotech #drugdevelopment #manufacturing #cellandgene #oncology #RNA

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What does the future hold for #regenerativemedicine? While the current practice of biomaterials relies on the use of tissue sources from #animals due to their availability and ease of access, their lack of clinical relevance to develop more sophisticated human physiological systems and poor transability of biomedical research using animals prompted researchers to seek alternatives that yield more relevant results. Humabiologics is one of the leading regenerative medicine companies on the market in providing native human-derived biomaterials to researchers around the #globe. These biomaterials are not only high-quality, but also #affordable and readily available, offering a stable supply for researchers in the field. Learn more about Humabiologics native human-derived #biomaterials here: https://lnkd.in/e_PsHPPA #cellculture #drugdiscovery #3dprinting #bioprinting #organoids

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🩸 A blood test that predicts postpartum depression, before symptoms even begin. A San Diego–based biotech startup, Dionysus Health, has developed myLuma™, the first blood test designed to predict a mother’s risk of postpartum depression (PPD) before symptoms start, with more than 80% accuracy. Launching in Winter 2025 (with initial rollout in early 2026), myLuma™ represents a major step in connecting psychiatry to measurable biology, and could redefine how perinatal mental health is screened and prevented. What They’re Doing 🔵 Dionysus Health develops biomarker-based diagnostics that predict a woman’s risk of developing postpartum depression during pregnancy. 🔵 myLuma™ analyzes DNA methylation patterns on two estrogen-sensitive genes (HP1BP3 and TTC9B) linked to hormonal sensitivity and mood regulation. Scientific Basis 🔵 Developed from research by Dr. Jennifer Payne (University of Virginia) and Dr. Zachary Kaminsky (University of Ottawa) – both co-founders and scientific advisors to Dionysus Health. 🔵 The test uses epigenetic biomarkers to detect vulnerability to PPD as early as the first trimester, enabling early monitoring and intervention. 👇 Why It Matters – First diagnostic of its kind for a mental health condition – Enables early, preventive care before symptoms emerge – Reframes postpartum depression as a biological condition, not just emotional 💡 Follow Sadhna Bokhiria & KIRIA Research for data-backed coverage on where biotech, diagnostics, and human behavior intersect. #Biotech #Biopharma #Pharma #DionysusHealth #KIRIAResearch #KIRIA

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