Katie Adams , 2026-01-16 23:14:00
This year’s J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, which wrapped on Thursday, brought together healthcare leaders from across the globe to convene, discuss industry trends and give updates on their businesses. The event also featured news announcements from companies all over the healthcare sector.
Below are six notable announcements made during the event.
—Nvidia and Eli Lilly are investing $1 billion over five years into a joint innovation lab in South San Francisco. The lab will bring together Lilly’s biology, chemistry and medical experts with Nvidia’s AI engineers to create more powerful models that can speed up the identification and validation of new drug molecules. The partners said that one key focus will be building a “continuous learning system” that connects Lilly’s wet labs with computational dry labs so AI can assist researchers, as well as improve experiments and model development, around the clock. The lab is expected to be functional early this year.
—Novartis struck a licensing agreement worth nearly $1.7 billion with SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals to develop potential antibody treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. Novartis gains access to SciNeuro’s proprietary technology aimed at improving how antibodies are delivered into the brain, which could differentiate these candidates from existing amyloid-targeting therapies. The collaboration will have the companies jointly work on early development before Novartis leads later-stage clinical testing and global commercialization.
—AbbVie is investing $650 million upfront to license a clinical-stage bispecific cancer drug called RC148 from Chinese biotech RemeGen. The drug is being developed to treat multiple advanced solid tumors, including lung and colorectal cancers. Under the deal, AbbVie gains exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize RC148 outside Greater China. AbbVie’s move highlights how global pharma is tapping Chinese innovation in the crowded but promising area of cancer R&D.
—Generative AI startup Hippocratic AI is pushing into the life sciences industry by acquiring agentic AI specialist Grove AI and creating a dedicated life sciences division. Grove’s technology facilitates clinical trial operations, helping improve participant engagement and recruitment. Hippocratic also appointed a president of life sciences, as well as established a life sciences executive advisory council with industry leaders, to guide product strategy and implementation.
—VieCure, a startup selling software for oncology care, raised $43 million to expand the use of its platform. The company’s technology combines clinical data with decision support tools to help clinicians design personalized cancer care plans at the point of care. The company said the funding will accelerate its mission to democratize access to precision oncology, particularly in community settings where most patients receive treatment.
—Baxter rolled out a new smart stretcher designed to improve patient handling and workflow for care teams. The design allows many procedures to be done without transferring patients, helping reduce clinicians’ physical strain and the risk of injury. Baxter said the stretcher serves as a way to boost both patient safety and operational efficiency in busy hospital environments.
Photo: Richard Drury, Getty Images