Senior leaders from Novartis, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Takeda, Menarini, GSK, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk and other global pharmaceutical companies, alongside leading academics, investors, regulators and biotechnology innovators
Newly announced highlights include a pharma chief executive panel, an FDA and ARPA-H regulatory discussion, the XPRIZE Healthspan finalists, and dedicated forums on AI drug discovery, pet longevity and virtual aging cells
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Sept 18, 2026 — The 13th Aging Research and Drug Discovery Meeting (ARDD 2026), the world’s leading conference dedicated to longevity biotechnology, will bring together global pharmaceutical executives, biotechnology leaders, regulators, investors and leading researchers at the David Rubenstein Treehouse at Harvard University from October 1–3, 2026.
With the full speaker schedule now available, ARDD 2026 will feature three days of discussions spanning aging biology, clinical development, artificial intelligence, pharmaceutical R&D, regulation, investment and the translation of longevity science into new medicines.
The latest program additions include senior representatives from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an XPRIZE Healthspan workshop presenting 11 finalist teams advancing toward Phase 2 clinical trials, and parallel forums focused on AI in drug discovery, pet and animal longevity, and virtual cell models that incorporate aging over time.
“Longevity biotechnology is moving from a largely academic field toward a serious therapeutic industry,” said Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine and co-chair of ARDD 2026. “ARDD brings together the scientists uncovering the mechanisms of aging, the pharmaceutical leaders capable of translating those discoveries into medicines, and the regulators and investors needed to move the field forward. The depth of this year’s program shows how quickly that convergence is taking place.”
Newly announced program highlights
Pharma Chief Executive Panel: Moderated by TIME Senior Health Correspondent Alice Park, with Christophe Weber, former CEO of Takeda; Elcin Barker Ergun, CEO of Menarini; Fiona Marshall, President of Biomedical Research at Novartis; and Ariel Feldstein, Chief Scientific Officer, Internal Medicine at Pfizer.
FDA and ARPA-H regulatory discussion: Andrew Brack, Program Manager for Proactive Health at ARPA-H, will moderate “Matching Clinical Trials of Therapeutics & Regulatory Mandates,” featuring Jeffrey Siegel, Director of the FDA’s Office of Drug Evaluation Sciences; Justin Penzenstadler, Associate Director (Acting), OCHEN/OND/CDER; and Lowell M. Zeta, Acting Chief of Staff in the FDA Office of the Commissioner.
XPRIZE Healthspan: Meet the Finalists: Eleven finalist teams preparing to advance aging interventions toward Phase 2 clinical trials will present their approaches across multimodal and clinical programs, drugs and biologics.
AI in Drug Discovery Forum: A full-day program will examine AI-enabled target discovery, computational drug design, multimodal models, autonomous scientific systems and the application of AI to longevity research, with speakers from Takeda, Insilico Medicine, Novo Nordisk, Harvard, the Cleveland Clinic and other leading organizations.
Pet and Animal Longevity Forum: Researchers and industry leaders will examine companion animals as translational models of aging, biomarkers for veterinary geroprotector trials, nutrition, chronic disease and the emerging commercial landscape for pet longevity.
Virtual Cell in Time Forum: Scientists from Harvard Medical School, MIT/Whitehead Institute, Stanford University, MBZUAI and other institutions will explore next-generation virtual cell models designed to capture biological change, cellular state and aging over time.
Three days at the frontier of longevity biotechnology
The main program opens October 1 with remarks from George Daley, Dean of Harvard Medical School, followed by sessions on healthspan trials, regulatory pathways, clinical practice and the role of major industries in extending healthy longevity. Featured discussions will address how aging therapeutics can move from evidence generation to clinical trials and, ultimately, patient access.
On October 2, Fiona Marshall, President of Biomedical Research at Novartis, will open the scientific program with “Reimagining Drug Discovery Through the Lens of Aging Biology.” Additional sessions will examine pharmaceutical R&D productivity, licensing and partnering, disease-based pathways to longevity therapeutics, and investment across the biotechnology lifecycle. Speakers include leaders from Eli Lilly, Pfizer, GSK, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Astellas, Daiichi Sankyo, Genentech and other global organizations.
The October 3 program will turn to emerging longevity mechanisms and therapeutic strategies, with presentations from leading researchers including David Sinclair, Vadim Gladyshev, George Church, Tony Wyss-Coray, Vishwa Deep Dixit, Steve Horvath and other internationally recognized figures in aging biology and translational medicine.
Across the three days, ARDD 2026 will also convene investors from Deerfield, OrbiMed, Oaktree Capital Management, Danaher Ventures, UBS, Qiming Venture Partners and other firms to examine the financing and commercialization of longevity biotechnology.
Event information
ARDD 2026 — 13th Aging Research and Drug Discovery Meeting
Dates: October 1–3, 2026
Location: David Rubenstein Treehouse at Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
Program and registration: agingpharma.org
Full schedule: agingpharma.org/program2026
Members of the press interested in attending, interviewing speakers or receiving additional information may contact ardd@pharma.ai or andrew@insilicomedicine.com . A limited number of press passes are available.
About ARDD
The Aging Research and Drug Discovery Meeting (ARDD) is the world’s leading conference dedicated to longevity biotechnology. Now in its 13th year, ARDD brings together leaders from academia, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, healthcare, investment, government and technology to advance the discovery and development of interventions targeting aging and age-related disease. ARDD 2026 is organized by Insilico Medicine and takes place October 1–3 at the David Rubenstein Treehouse at Harvard University. The McKinsey Health Institute serves as the conference’s sole knowledge partner.
About Insilico Medicine
Insilico Medicine is a pioneering global biotechnology company dedicated to integrating artificial intelligence and automation technologies to accelerate drug discovery, drive innovation in the life sciences, and extend healthy longevity to people on the planet. The company was listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on December 30, 2025, under the stock code 03696.HK.
By integrating AI and automation technologies and deep in-house drug discovery capabilities, Insilico is delivering innovative drug solutions for unmet needs including fibrosis, oncology, immunology, pain, and obesity and metabolic disorders. Additionally, Insilico extends the reach of Pharma. AI across diverse industries, such as advanced materials, agriculture, nutritional products and veterinary medicine.
For more information, please visit www.insilico.com