Spotlight on Workforce, Smart Bio Policy, and AI in Health at Oregon Bio 2025
(PORTLAND, Ore. - September 8, 2025) — Oregon’s bioscience ecosystem will converge this fall at Oregon Bio 2025, the annual Conference and Innovation Showcase, taking place Monday, Sept. 29, and Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at Portland Community College’s Rock Creek campus.
This year’s theme highlights how Oregon’s bioscience leaders are advancing innovation from lab to market while building a resilient workforce. The two-day program brings together industry executives, entrepreneurs, researchers, policymakers, and students to exchange insights, celebrate achievements, and foster collaborations shaping the future of biotech and life sciences in the Pacific Northwest. Plus, the renowned event centerpiece, the Innovation Showcase, is on par with its significant lineup of emerging researchers and startups.
“This custom-curated Oregon Bio event will feature a comprehensive and much anticipated scope of industry intel, resources and thought leadership; we’ll be hosting researchers, investors, strategists, operational and manufacturing experts, policy leaders and growth-minded bio professionals throughout this 2-day event,” said Tim Brown, head of External Manufacturing Operations and Procurement at Vir Biotechnology Inc. and Oregon Bio’s Chair of the Board.
“We are pulling in national and international bioscience and med tech pros and just as exciting, we’ll get to check out the emerging research and scientific collaboration through the Innovation Showcase,” said Liisa Bozinovic, Oregon Bio’s executive director. “Registration is now open; see our new event platform and start curating your conference.”
- Thought leadership: Interface with nationally recognized bioscience leaders
- Interplay: Discussion with state legislators around the intersection of advancing innovation through smart policy
- Federal insights: Presentations from national leaders at the National Institutes of Health
- Take-away tactics: Flash talks and breakout sessions covering workforce, discovery, funding, AI in healthcare, and more
- Call outs: Oregon’s bioscience excellence awards will honor the Bioscience Woman of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year and Legislator of the Year citing leading bio pros as well as networking at the well-known ‘Bio On’ reception
- Resourcing to get it done: Roundtables providing information on demand with tools, funding pathways and support
- Career integration: Navigating the Bioscience Job Market free session and networking opportunities throughout the events.
The Innovation Showcase Pitch Challenge is a centerpiece of the conference, featuring Oregon and southwest Washington-based researchers and entrepreneurs competing in two tracks of Research and Startup Pitches. Industry experts will judge each entry and conference attendees will participate through votes in the People’s Choice category. Finalist presenters include:
Basic Research
- Arielle Isakharov, Ph.D. candidate, OHSU | Exploring Overlooked Neurons in the Retina
- Kenneth Riley, Jr., Ph.D. candidate, OHSU | Reconstruction of the Epigenetic Landscape from Fragmented DNA in Blood
Translational Research
- Danica Bojovic, Ph.D. candidate, Vollum Institute, OHSU | Vascular Dysfunction: Early Warning Sign for Dementia
- Maryam Sarlak, Ph.D. | Glucose Biosensor
- Tim Valuev, M.D. candidate, OHSU | Anatora: 3D Printing for Medical Education & Surgical Precision
Early-Stage Startups
- Danielle Benoit, Ph.D., Professor of Engineering, Knight Campus, UO and Co-founder, AsteriaRx | AsteriaRx: Musculoskeletal Healing Through Advanced Drug Delivery
- Daniel Gareau, Ph.D., Founder, SurgiVance | SurgiVance: Advanced Pathology for the Future of Medicine
- Nataliia Shchotkina, Ph.D., Post-doc Scholar, Knight Campus, UO | Next-Gen Tissue Repair Scaffolds for Affordable Regenerative Medicine
Later-Stage Startups
- Eduardo Ceballos, CEO, xBiologix | xBiologix: Color Biopsies in Clinics
- Linta Mustafa, MSc., CEO and Co-founder, Vitract | Gut Microbiome Genomics Platform for Precision Health
- Craig Stolarczyk, MBA, CEO and Co-founder, SynPlexity | Enabling High-Throughput Screening to Advance Biology
Registration and Venue
Venue: Portland Community College, Rock Creek Campus, 17705 N.W. Springville Road, Portland, OR 97229. Registration includes both days of programming, the ever-popular “Bio On” networking event, and campus parking. Register now at www.oregonlifesciences.org/oregon-bio-2025:
- Oregon Bio Members: $200
- Non-Members (Industry/Academic): $325
- Non-Member Service Partners: $425
About Oregon Bioscience Association
The Oregon Bioscience Association is the unified voice for the local bioscience community, driving economic growth and impact of the life sciences sector across Oregon, southwest Washington, and the Pacific Northwest region.
Anchored in the mission of helping the medical device and health tech sectors grow, Oregon Bio offers members access to enterprise support, workforce and economic development, promotion of research collaborations, educational programs, leadership development, advocacy and networking.
The association’s leadership and work with national partners, including the BIO Innovation Organization (BIO), AdvaMed, and the Medical Device Manufacturers Association, have helped elevate Oregon and southwest Washington’s life sciences footprint. According to the 2025 Economic Impact Report, data show $21.2 billion in economic output, including $6.8 billion in income and 74,925 jobs for $2.1 billion in wages across a growing 1,995 business establishments. Oregon’s current share of NIH funding is $346 million its last fiscal year. This represents high growth in every category over more than two decades.
For more information about the Oregon Bioscience Association, please visit www.oregonlifesciences.org. Connect with us on LinkedIn.