Pittsburgh Shows Out at JPM Healthcare | | |
JPM Healthcare is the Superbowl of healthcare and for a few days every January the blocks surrounding San Francisco’s Union Square become the densest concentration of healthcare capital in the world.
This year Pittsburgh companies and the ecosystem showed up in a big way and many of the overall themes from JPM 2026 speak to key local capabilities.
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Themes from JPM
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From AI Hype to Infrastructure: Shocker, we know. The investment in AI is still flowing and the $1B investment in a joint research lab from Eli Lilly and NVIDIA was the headline grabber. But there is more pressure from C-Suites for demonstrable results from AI investments. That has raised the profile of agentic AI for operational tasks like complex clinical trial documentation and revenue cycle management. It has also moved computational biology from a niche field to core infrastructure to de-risk drug discovery. Computational biology is a differentiated strength for the Pittsburgh region and CMU and Pitt even have created a joint-PHD program in the field. Local companies like PredxBio and Predictive Oncology are operating in this space and companies like Peptilogics and Avista are using AI enabled discovery platforms to drive their pipelines.
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Cost and Efficiency Battle with China: In 2025 approximately 25% of licensed assets came from China, another proof-point for the warning the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology and others have sounded about the U.S. losing its century long competitive advantage in the sector. This is making companies rethink their R+D efficiency and providing tailwinds for efforts like those at Pitt BioForge to apply emerging technologies to bring down the cost and time to market for biomanufacturing.
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Therapeutic Hotspots to Fill Revenue Holes: Big pharma and institutional investors are deploying capital in areas like late-stage oncology, neuropsychiatry, and rare diseases to offset lost revenue from upcoming patent expirations and policy uncertainty in D.C. Homegrown Krystal Biotech has one of the top performing CGT products in the world and a dynamic pipeline, which is driving their strong stock performance. Local clinical stage companies like BioHaven, CytoAgents, Kalivir Immunotherapeutics, Noveome, and Cook MyoSite could all benefit from these trends.
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CMU + PLSA host Bridging Discovery to Clinic: How AI and Digital Technologies are Transforming Therapeutics
For the second year in a row, PLSA teamed up with the CMU Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship to host an event at JPM. The gathering included a panel with Peptilogics CEO Jonathan Steckbeck, DELFI Diagnostics CTO Amoolya Singh, Breakout Ventures Partner Dana Watt, and CMU professor Andreas Pfenning, and was moderated by PLSA CEO Megan Shaw.
The robust discussion covered opportunities for physical AI in life sciences, increased clinician adoption of AI tools, and the need for computational biology programs with specialized training. Investor, startup, and academic perspectives led to an engaging discussion on the challenges of establishing “ground truth” when each individual’s biology is different.
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Pittsburgh Companies at JPM
Eight companies headquartered in Pittsburgh or with significant Pittsburgh presence presented at the JPM conference and discussed key milestones and momentum. From Abridge’s new real-time prior authorization partnership with Availity, to Smith+Nephew’s CORI robotics platform based in Pittsburgh, it was a testament to the breadth and depth of Pittsburgh’s human health innovation hub.
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Lygenesis at Forbes Healthcare Summit
LyGenesis CEO Michael Hufford took the stage at the Forbes Healthcare Summit on a panel titled: "Transforming the Organ Transplant Experience".
LyGenesis, Inc. is a clinical-stage cell therapy company that transforms a patient's lymph nodes into bioreactors capable of growing functioning ectopic organs. With their ground-breaking technology, one donor organ can treat dozens of patients
📸: Jamel Toppin for Forbes
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Peptilogics named performer in ARPA-H Catalyst Program
Leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, CATALYST intends to develop computer models that mimic real human biology to predict safety and effectiveness for Investigational New Drug (IND) candidates, ensuring that only the most promising and safest medicines move forward to patients. Peptilogics’ award is a validation of their leadership in using technology in scalable drug design.
| | | Welcome Phil Feldstein - PLSA Data Driven Healthcare Lead | | | | |
Phil joined our team in December and leads initiatives that advance collaboration across health systems, research institutions, and local industry. His work focuses on aligning regional stakeholders around the effective use of health data to drive practical, scalable healthcare innovation and long-term impact.
Phil brings more than 15 years of experience in digital health and healthcare technology, with a background spanning strategy, partnerships, and ecosystem-driven transformation.
| | In the News and Around Town | | |
TeleTracking, founded in 1991 focuses on everything around patient care: coordinating patient transfers, managing room turnover, tracking equipment, and optimizing staff movement. With its flagship platform, Operations IQ, the company brings real-time visibility and AI-powered insight to the inner workings of hospitals and health systems—functioning as a logistics engine for modern healthcare.
Over 12 million patients have been served through TeleTracking’s systems. Its tools have helped hospitals cut emergency department wait times by 70%, reduce hospital length-of-stay by an average of 18.2 hours, and turn over rooms in under 25 minutes—major successes for both care quality and operational performance. Read the full spotlight on our website.
| | | Cook MyoSite is redefining how the body heals itself—using a person’s own muscle cells to restore function where it's been lost. With late-phase clinical trials underway for its first three indications, the Pittsburgh-based company is staking out a leadership position in regenerative medicine. A subsidiary of Cook Group and a sister company to Cook Medical, it draws on decades of healthcare innovation. Read the full spotlight on our website. | | | Jenn’s Jobs - Select Ecosystem Opportunities | | |
PLSA Community Manager Jenn Rick keeps her finger on the pulse of start-up, growth-stage, and mature companies across the region and regularly pulls together a list of open positions.
Here is Jenn's latest list.
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For the second year in a row we are teaming up with Life Sciences PA to bring together life sciences companies of all sizes, investors, and academic institutions from across the region and beyond. Don’t miss the chance to learn and network with hundreds of life sciences professionals. Company presentation applications are open through February 6 - don’t miss your chance to apply.
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PLSA is going to Vive 2026 - one of the top digital health conferences in the world. Are you? Reach if you plan to be there. We love to support and amplify local companies at national conferences and meet new investors and strategics to introduce to the Pittsburgh ecosystem.
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| | We are always looking for your input! If you have suggestions for newsletter content or spotlights, please contact Austin Price at aprice@pittsburghlifesci.org. | | | | |
