This year’s BioFocus conference brought together a mix of over 130 delegates, speakers and panellists, alongside a busy, fully booked exhibition space.
As usual, the conversations began the night before, with a very busy BioFocus edition of Biotech & Beers. It was a chance for people travelling in, as well as the local Northeast network, to catch up, make new connections and settle in ahead of the main event. With a friendly, informal atmosphere, it set the tone nicely for a day centred around sharing ideas and bringing people together.
BioFocus pulls together new companies, established businesses, support agencies and thought leaders from across the Northeast and beyond come together in a showcase of the Life Sciences sector in the region.
The programme brought together a wide range of perspectives from across the sector, with sessions spanning the state of the nation for life sciences in the Northeast, the challenges and opportunities around scaling innovative businesses and the latest technologies coming through the pipeline. Attendees heard directly from industry leaders and emerging companies through keynote talks, panel discussions and technology showcases, with a strong focus on collaboration, innovation and translating ideas into real-world impact.
The conference welcomed the insights of three keynote speakers: Managing Director of Arcinova, Christian Dowdeswell; Cancer Research Horizons’ CEO of Therapeutic Innovation, Hamish Ryder; and Mick Cooper, Life Sciences Specialist at the Office for Life Sciences.
Read the full event summary here
BioFocus 2026 was supported by Fisher Scientific, Equans Sci-Tech and Invest North East England.
Agenda highlights:
Keynote Speakers
Christian Dowdeswell, Managing Director, Arcinova
Hamish Ryder, CEO of Therapeutic Innovation, Cancer Research Horizons
Mick Cooper, Life Sciences Specialist, Office for Life Sciences
State of the Nation Panel
Chair: Helen Brain, Partner and Head of Commercial, Square One Law
Speakers
Karen Davies, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Equans Sci-Tech
Tom Willshare, CTO & Co-Founder, Revela
Safwan Akram, Professor of Biomanufacturing, Engineering Biology and Innovation in Biosciences at National Horizons Centre, Teesside University
Neil Bhandary, Head of Sector and Place Development, Durham University
Anthony Celli, HealthTech Sector Business Development Director, CPI
Technology Showcase Presentations
Chair: Louise Sutton, Senior Business Development Manager, Thermo Fisher
Speakers
Paul Marshall, CEO & Founder, Rapid Fluidics
Dan Peters, CEO & Founder, MarraBio
Katie Smith, Business Development Manager, Alcyomics
Sophie Reay, Sales Executive, Atelerix
Scalability Panel
Chair: Max Stanyard, Senior Analyst – Healthcare and Life Sciences , RSM
Speakers
Jelena Mann, CEO – Executive Director, Fibrofind
Gordon Bateman, Founder, Climb UK
Danielle Phillips, Assistant Director, Inward Investment and Business Growth, North East Combined Authority
Joe Hedley, CEO & Co-Founder, Nunabio
What's in the Pipeline Presentations
Chair: Jonathan O’Halloran, CTO, QuantuMDx
Speakers
Andrew Filby, CEO of OmniCarta & Professor, Newcastle University
Jessica Caffry, CEO & Co-Founder, In-DEPth Bio
Dr Majid Arefi, Founder and CTO, CellFluiDx Ltd
Paul Chazot, Co-Founder, Cerebrovia Therapeutics
Moving the Dial Panel
Chair: Emma Banks, CEO, ramarketing
Speakers
Dale Athey, CEO, Salvivo
Charlotte Blant, Founder & CEO, TIRO
Nathalie Huther, Chief Commercial Officer, HFR
Catherine Bladen, Chief Scientific Officer, Vector Labs
Jonathan Peat, Global Business Development Manager, InvenireX
