ACROBiosystems Innovation Day Lands in Zurich: Top Minds Unite to Explore Biotech Frontiers

ZURICH, May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, ACROBiosystems successfully held its Innovation Day at Superlab Suisse Zürich Schlieren in Zurich, Switzerland, a thriving epicenter of Swiss innovation and talent. The event brought together leading scientists, translational research experts, and industry innovators to discuss advancements in biologic drug development and translational science. The atmosphere was energetic, with engaging discussions and active networking.

The Innovation Day was established to explore emerging technologies, evolving regulatory landscapes, and new strategies accelerating the path from discovery to clinic. Featuring cutting-edge development platforms and real-world case studies, the event offered a focused, high-value program designed to spark collaboration and inspire new thinking.

The event gathered distinguished speakers: Head of Project Management in Wyss Zurich, Regenerative Medicine Technologies Platform, University of Zurich, Jenny Ann Prange, PhD; Vice President of R&D at ACROBiosystems, Lili Qin, PhD; Assistant Professor at University Hospital Zürich and University of Zürich, Chiara F Magnani, PhD, Prof.; Product Lead of Limula, Fabien Jammes, PhD; two R&D Group Leaders at INOFEA, Agnese Pisano, PhD, and Aaron Debon, PhD.

Dr. Lili Qin, Vice President of R&D at ACROBiosystems, delivered a speech titled "AI-Powered Next-Generation Protein Engineering in CGT". She shared how the company is applying AI across the entire protein development workflow, from structure prediction and de novo design to expression optimization, purification process design and formulation optimization. She highlighted concrete examples, including an AI-optimized cytokine that achieved a 20-fold increase in expression yield, a thermostable FGF2 mutant that remains fully active after three days at 37°C, and a highly specific antibody capable of distinguishing Claudin18.2 from Claudin18.1 with no cross-reactivity.

Behind these breakthroughs lies ACROBiosystems' proprietary AI-powered platform, which integrates computational predictions with high-throughput experimental validation in a closed-loop dry-wet system. This capability enables the company to tackle long-standing industry bottlenecks — low expression titers, thermal instability, and specificity challenges — that have historically slowed biologic development and cell therapy manufacturing. By embedding AI into every stage of protein reagent development, ACROBiosystems is helping the industry achieve higher success rates, shorter timelines, and more scalable paths from discovery to clinic.

The Innovation Day also featured insights from leading translational research institutions. Dr. Jenny Ann Prange, Head of Project Management at Wyss Zurich's Regenerative Medicine Technologies Platform at the University of Zurich, shared her perspective on bridging the gap between early-stage discovery and clinical application. In her talk titled "Translating Ideas to Reach The Ones in Need", she walked the audience through one of the most critical bottlenecks in drug development: the transition from exploratory R&D to a regulated GMP environment. She explained how the Wyss Zurich platform combines funding, infrastructure, and translational expertise to help promising projects navigate this complex journey.

Dr. Chiara Magnani from University Hospital Zürich and University of Zürich then shared clinical insights on CAR T-cell therapy. In her talk "Advancing CAR T-cell Therapy: Non-viral Engineering, Immune Evasion, and Modular Platform", she presented data from 36 B-ALL patients treated with Sleeping Beauty-engineered anti-CD19 CAR T cells, achieving an 83% complete remission rate with long-term persistence. She also highlighted how multi-omic analyses identified tumor microenvironment immune suppression as a key barrier, and introduced a modular AdFITC-CAR T platform designed to enable flexible, tunable targeting.

Dr. Fabien Jammes, Product Lead at Limula, addressed a critical barrier to cell therapy adoption: manufacturing complexity. In his talk "Decentralised Manufacturing of Cell Therapies: How Compact Automation is Changing the Landscape", he introduced Limula's all-in-one LimONE platform, which integrates bioreactor and centrifuge functions into a single closed device. He presented proof-of-concept data demonstrating fully automated seven-day CAR-T manufacturing at clinical scale, and discussed how decentralised production — bringing manufacturing closer to the patient — could accelerate access and lower costs.

Dr. Agnese Pisano and Dr. Aaron Debon of INOFEA addressed manufacturing challenges through enzyme immobilization. In their talk "Immobilized Enzymes for Smart Biologics Manufacturing: Applications in mRNA and ADC Production", they presented a patented technology that enhances enzyme stability and reusability. They presented two case studies: immobilizing T7 RNA polymerase for semi-continuous in vitro transcription (IVT) systems, demonstrating retained activity and reuse potential; and immobilizing sortase for antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) production, achieving conjugation efficiency and drug-to-antibody ratios comparable to soluble enzymes.

Collectively, the presentations illustrated both the prospects and challenges in modern biologic development — spanning AI-optimized proteins, non-viral CAR-T technologies and automated manufacturing. Though approaching the topic from different perspectives, all speakers emphasized the value of open collaboration in driving innovation.

"This is a great event gathering both academic and industry leaders in the Zurich area. Thanks for the organization by ACROBiosystems. I would be interested in future events like this — please keep me posted," said Giacomo Cattaruzzi, Innovation Director at Muvon Therapeutics AG.

"We are delighted to successfully host ACROBiosystems Innovation Day in Europe. Innovation is one of our core brand commitments. We look forward to continuing this event to foster global biotech innovation and contribute more meaningfully to the advancement of the industry," said Mike Chen, the Chairman, Founder and CEO of ACROBiosystems.

About ACROBiosystems Group

ACROBiosystems Group, founded in 2010 and listed in 2021, is a biotechnology company aimed at being a cornerstone of the global biopharmaceutical and healthcare industries by providing innovative products and business models. The company spans across the globe and maintains offices, R&D centers, and production bases in more than 15 different cities within the United States, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Germany. ACROBiosystems Group has established numerous long-term and stable partnerships with the world's top pharmaceutical enterprises, including Pfizer, Novartis, and Johnson & Johnson, and numerous well-known academic institutes. The company comprises several subsidiaries such as ACROBiosystems, bioSeedin, Condense Capital, and ACRODiagnostics.

ACROBiosystems' brands include Resilient Supply, CytoPak, SAFENSURE, FLAG, Star Staining, Aneuro, ComboX, GENPower and many others. Its main products and services are recombinant proteins, kits, antibodies, scientific services, and other related products. ACROBiosystems employs a strict quality control system for its products that are used in biopharmaceutical research and development, production, and clinical application. This includes targeted discovery and validation, candidate drug screening/optimization, CMC development and pilot production, preclinical research, clinical trials, commercial production, and clinical application of companion diagnostics.

Through the continuous development of new technologies and products, ACROBiosystems Group creates value for the global pharmaceutical industry and actively empowers its partners. The company is dedicated to accelerating the drug development process, including targeted therapies, immunotherapeutic drugs, and their clinical applications, and contributes to global health.

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