re:AGENT II – The Virtual Biotech
EVENT CONCEPT: THE VIRTUAL BIOTECH
Imagine a world where drug development is AI-native, with pharma teams and AI agents working together from discovery to commercialization. You need agents that can support scientists in exploring new hypotheses. You need agents that can help clinical developers design and evaluate trials. You need agents that can analyze the competitive landscape. And you need tools that let these agents work with the evidence, expertise, and judgment of the people using them.
At re:AGENT II you can help build that future. We welcome projects across three tracks that follow the stages of drug development: pre-clinical discovery, clinical trials, approval and commercialization.
re:AGENT II is a two-day build weekend in San Francisco, held the Saturday before JPM Healthcare week. Teams will build using a wide array of AI tools, including Paperclip from GXL, Claude, Benchling, Modal, Strand AI, and others.
This event is fully in person. There is no virtual attendance option.
KEY DATES
Applications due: Dec 1
Acceptances sent: Dec 8
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
People with the questions: scientists and drug developers of all types. Wet lab, computational, clinical, regulatory, commercial. Pharma and biotech executives with a real problem, ideally a real dataset, and the judgment to tell right from wrong results.
People who build for a living: ML engineers, software developers, and agent builders who are excited about taking a half-formed scientific problem and ship something that runs by Sunday.
Apply solo or as a team. Everyone hacks in a team of two or more.
No prior AI expertise required.
SCHEDULE
Day 1 — Saturday, January 9: 8:30 AM – 10:30 PM
Day 2 — Sunday, January 10: 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
The full schedule will be released closer to the start date, but you can expect short talks and panels, structured team formation, build sessions, sponsor tool explanations and office hours, live judging, and awards. It'll all end in an optional networking reception on Sunday afternoon.
TRACKS
Track A: Build an AI Scientist
This track covers the work through the IND filing. Build agents or tools that improve how drug candidates are discovered, validated, optimized, and prepared for human testing, from target identification and molecule design through toxicology, CMC, and initial IND filing.
Track B: Build an AI Clinical Developer
This track covers the trial itself. Build agents or tools that make clinical development faster, more reliable, or more efficient, from protocol and dose design through patient recruitment, trial operations, safety monitoring, data analysis, and readout(s).
Track C: Build an AI Pharma Operator
This track covers all the work downstream of successful clinical trials. Build agents or tools that improve what happens after clinical readout: regulatory approval, launch, market access, manufacturing, medical and commercial operations, post-market safety, and lifecycle management.
For a more detailed view of which drug development functions we're placing in which tracks, see our additional information.
PRIZES
Cash prizes will be awarded for each track (A, B, and C), plus an Eval Prize.
Eval Prize: Sponsored by BenchFlow. Awarded to the team that builds the most useful evaluation for scientific agents: a realistic drug-development benchmark, expert annotations, or evals built from your agents' own conversation history. The best submissions show clearly whether an agent's work can be trusted.
FAQs
Do I need a biology background or an AI background to participate?
No. We're looking for engineers with no life sciences experience as well as people who work in life sciences and drug development. One is helpful, but you don't need both. The best teams usually pair technical builders with someone who knows the science.
Do I need a team before applying? What if I already have a team?
No, but you’ll need to be on one to submit. Solo applicants are welcome and will be matched with teammates at the event. Only multi-person teams can submit projects and receive prizes. If you already have a team, one person should apply for everyone and list each member’s full name and email in the application.
How does team formation work?
After the kickoff and tool talks on Saturday morning, we run structured team formation:
• Solo attendees join teams based on their interests and skills, pairing scientists with builders
• Teams working on similar projects merge
• Large teams split into smaller ones
Teams then register their team name, members, track, and problem statement, and activate their tool credits before hacking begins.
What will I have access to during the hackathon?
Free Paperclip access from GXL, Claude API credits from Anthropic, compute credits from Modal, and tools and support from our sponsors, including office hours with each sponsor on Sunday.
Is there a cost to attend?
The event is free to attend. Food, drinks, and compute are covered.
Can I attend virtually?
No. re:AGENT II is fully in person in San Francisco. There is no virtual attendance option.
What happens to what I build afterward?
You keep it. Teams are free to open-source, continue building, or spin their project into something bigger.
When will I hear back?
Applications are due Dec 1, and we'll send acceptances on Dec 8.
SPONSORS
GXL, Benchling, Anthropic, Modal, Fenwick, BenchFlow, Strand AI, and Biohub
Community partners: Arc Institute and future.bio
LOCATION
San Francisco, CA
This event is fully in person. There is no virtual attendance option.
Please bring a photo ID for check-in each morning.
JUDGES & SPEAKERS
To be announced.