Global XDC 2026 Day 1 Highlights: Leading the Biopharma Wave and Charting the Future of ADCs and XDCs
The 2026 Global XDC Innovation Conference opened in Wuxi on September 18, co-hosted by WuXi XDC and BioValley. Day 1 drew over 1,400 attendees across the Biopartnering Forum, plenary session, two parallel forums, panel discussions and exhibitions.
On September 18, 2026, the 2026 Global XDC Innovation Conference, co-hosted by WuXi XDC and BioValley, grandly opened at the InterContinental Wuxi Hotel. Centered on the theme "Convergence & Innovation: The New Frontiers of Bioconjugation," the conference gathered leading entrepreneurs, top scientists and bioconjugate industry experts from the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific and beyond. Through keynote forums, thematic sessions, panel discussions and exhibitions, the event focused on next-generation conjugate drug molecular design, differentiated linker and payload innovation, dual-payload ADCs, AOC/APC and other novel conjugate modalities, AI-driven discovery and preclinical safety, CMC scale-up manufacturing and global clinical translation. The venue was packed with attendees, with first-day registrations exceeding 1,400 participants, reflecting tremendous enthusiasm for the XDC field and the vibrant growth of the bioconjugate industry.
↓ Global XDC 2026 Day 1 Highlights Video ↓
To create a high-caliber, strongly connected and results-oriented platform for senior decision-makers of leading enterprises, and to further promote strategic synergy and cross-border integration among multinational pharma BD teams, global investment institutions and biotech companies, this year's summit specially established the "Biopartnering Forum" on September 17 as a notable prelude. By invitation only, the forum gathered more than 100 industry leaders, including BD teams from Roche, BMS, BioNTech and Daiichi Sankyo, as well as executives from top global venture capital firms and biotech companies. With forward-looking strategic vision, guests explored the core topics of MNC strategic partnership needs, how XDC assets move from the laboratory to NewCo creation and financing, and how to build the "golden triangle" of biotech, collaboration and capital. In addition, one-on-one business matchmaking runs throughout September 17-19, providing a highly valuable platform for in-depth exchange and strategic docking among senior decision-makers.
The main forum opened with Dr. Jimmy Li, CEO of WuXi XDC, delivering the opening remarks titled "Beyond Boundaries: The Next Frontier of Bioconjugation."
Dr. Li noted that the commercialization wave of ADCs is accelerating. Globally, bioconjugate drugs are developing rapidly toward diversification. This rapid growth stems from multi-dimensional technological iteration. On one hand, bioconjugate drugs have expanded from traditional ADCs to diverse XDC molecules such as BsADCs, dpADCs and AOCs. In addition, novel payloads and AI-designed drug candidates are driving next-generation technology innovation, with some candidates already advancing smoothly into clinical stages. At the same time, projects with novel mechanisms of action continue to achieve regulatory breakthroughs, and a new generation of ADCs is receiving approvals. Beyond that, industry deal sizes are rising year by year, and capital is increasingly focused on assets with differentiated clinical and commercial value.
Dr. Jimmy Li emphasized that as a world-leading bioconjugate CRDMO, WuXi XDC's powerful early-discovery platform provides continuous momentum for the innovation pipelines of global partners. In the first half of 2026 alone, the platform delivered more than 3,100 ADC/XDC molecules, covering novel targets, payloads, linkers and various innovative molecular formats, efficiently empowering client projects to rapidly transform from early discovery to clinical candidates. The company now has 328 iCMC projects, with 51 new iCMC projects signed in H1 2026, of which over 75% involve novel targets, payloads, linkers or new conjugation formats. Leveraging its "China + Singapore" dual-site synergistic global capacity layout, the company is moving the integrated "Global Service, Local Response" network from blueprint to reality. WuXi XDC continues to expand production scale for antibody intermediates, conjugate drug substances and drug products, while advancing large-scale commercial production of payloads and linkers. Looking ahead, WuXi XDC will continue to push global capacity expansion to meet the growing global demand for bioconjugate manufacturing. Dr. Li also expressed his expectation to work hand-in-hand with global partners to open a new chapter for the XDC industry.
The first day of the Global Innovation Summit consisted of a morning plenary session and two afternoon parallel forums.
In the morning plenary session, Dr. Alex Haag, Global DEV CMC Biologics Lead at Boehringer Ingelheim, presented "Supply Chain Considerations for an Early-Stage Portfolio," sharing supply-chain considerations for early-stage ADC pipelines; Dr. Jinhwan Han, CTO and Head of Research at LigaChem Biosciences, presented "Past, Present, and Future of LigaChem Biosciences," reviewing the company's development history and future layout; Dr. Dowdy Jackson, Chief Scientific Officer at Antigenix Therapeutics, presented "The Incorporation of AI/Machine Learning in ADC Development," sharing the impact of AI on ADC technology; and Jean Engela, CEO of Tacalyx, shared "Targeting Tumour-Specific Glycans with High-Affinity Antibodies," introducing strategies for high-affinity antibodies targeting tumor-specific glycans.
The two afternoon parallel forums were equally full of highlights, delving deeply into next-generation conjugation, linker and payload technology innovation, as well as CMC strategy, manufacturing and regulatory considerations in XDC development.
In the "Advancing XDC Innovation: Next-Generation Conjugation, Linker, and Payload Technologies" forum, Dr. Dowdy Jackson, Chief Scientific Officer of Antigenix Therapeutics, served as moderator. Abizer Gaslightwala, President and CEO of Akari Therapeutics; Peter Peizhi Luo, Chairman, CEO and President of R&D at Adagene; Jamie Strand, VP of Technical Operations at NextPoint Therapeutics; Hyun Young Koo, Head of Business Development at IntoCell; Nicolas Laroudie, Senior DSP Field Application Specialist at Thermo Fisher Scientific; Dr. Soo Min Lee, Chief Scientific Officer at Samjin Pharm; and Lily Yin, CTO of BioDlink (a WuXi XDC company), delivered presentations and engaged in in-depth exchanges on next-generation conjugation technologies and novel linker-payload design.
In the "Accelerating XDC Development: CMC Strategy, Manufacturing, and Regulatory Considerations" forum, Dr. Yuhua Hu, Head of US/EU CMC Management at WuXi XDC, served as moderator and speaker. Gary Khoo, VP of CMC at Hummingbird Bioscience; Dr. Baolin Zhang, Global Chief Regulatory Officer at Qilu Pharmaceutical; Dr. Xudong Wei, Senior Vice President of Payload-Linker Process Development and Manufacturing at WuXi XDC; Amine Djeffal, Process Expert at Sartorius; and Dr. Jianjun Luo, Head of Bioconjugate Product Development at WuXi XDC, delivered presentations exploring XDC CMC strategy, scalable manufacturing and global regulatory considerations.
In the panel discussion, Ruby Casareno, Biologics CMC Consultant at RCBio Consulting; Kara Calhoun, Senior Vice President and Head of CMC & Technical Operations at Enlaza Therapeutics; Eric Fallon, VP of Technical Development and MSAT at Neurocrine Biosciences; Wenjie Cheng, Senior Vice President of Technology and Operations at Crescent Biopharma; Dr. Baolin Zhang, Global Chief Regulatory Officer at Qilu Pharmaceutical; and Ziping Wei, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of BlissBio, engaged in in-depth discussions on ADC CMC development and regulatory considerations.
Inside the venue, global scientific insights collided intensely and innovative ideas surged continuously, bringing the atmosphere to repeated climaxes. Outside the venue, dozens of well-known companies across the XDC and bioconjugate drug industry chain gathered through carefully crafted booths and immersive exhibitions, showcasing cutting-edge technological achievements, integrated innovation solutions and global leading services covering dual-payload ADCs, novel linkers and payloads, AOCs and other emerging modalities. The deep linkage between inside and outside the venue not only demonstrated the industry's vibrant innovation vitality, but also effectively promoted exchanges and cooperation among global industry peers.
The agenda for September 19 is also highly anticipated. The morning plenary session will focus on novel payload development, bispecific and dual-payload ADC technologies, integrated R&D solutions for next-generation targeted conjugates, intelligent ADC engineering and stability optimization, and ADC technology transfer and scale-up risk management, bringing attendees deeper insights into XDC innovation technologies.
The two afternoon parallel forums will focus on "Enabling XDC Success: Preclinical Development and Translational Strategies" and "Expanding the XDC Frontier: Emerging Conjugate Drugs and Molecular Design Strategies." A panel discussion will also explore the accelerated path for novel XDC drugs from concept to clinic. Look forward to more exciting content tomorrow!
About WuXi XDC (stock code: 2268.HK): WuXi XDC is a leading global CRDMO for bioconjugate drugs, providing customers worldwide with diverse innovative conjugation technologies and payload-linker technologies to support the R&D of new-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). The company focuses on one-stop services for ADCs and other bioconjugate drugs from early R&D and preclinical stages to commercial manufacturing, covering R&D and GMP production of antibody or other conjugate intermediates, linkers/payload-linkers, conjugate drug substances and conjugate drug products. For more information, please visit www.wuxixdc.com.