Leading biotech funding expert to examine funding gaps and overcoming developability hurdles at AAPS National Biotechnology Conference

Andrew W. Lo, Ph.D., Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Director of MIT’s Laboratory for Financial Engineering, will address how science can overcome the challenges of commercializing novel therapeutics at the AAPS National Biotechnology Conference (NBC), taking place in Boston, USA, May 4-7, 2025.

Lo will deliver the closing plenary remarks and will also be among the panelists for the session 'Developability and Due Diligence: How to Assess, Draw, and Sometimes End the Road(map) for New and Unusual Modalities', which will be delivered in the more intimate setting of the NBC’s Executive Track, on Monday, May 5.

Lo will explore new ways of addressing funding gaps in the therapeutic development process that could otherwise threaten the path innovative products take to market and, ultimately, patients. His research includes new financial and business models for drug and device development and healthcare delivery, statistical methods for incorporating patient preferences into the drug approval process, predicting clinical trial outcomes using machine learning techniques, and new payment models for improving access to gene and cell therapies.

“Emerging modalities show great promise for curing deadly and rare diseases; however, the complexity and high costs associated with their development present significant challenges. It’s essential for scientists to grasp commercial pricing, cost implications, and the funding landscape, especially within the venture capital-driven biotech sector,” AAPS 2025 NBC Scientific Programming Committee Chair Prathap Nagaraja Shastri, Ph.D., said. “I’m looking forward to hearing Lo’s insights on this important topic.”

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