AI in Drug Manufacturing: Are We Ready for Industry 5.0?
The next transformation in biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing will not be driven by AI alone. It will be driven by how effectively we combine AI, human expertise, advanced technologies, and a workforce prepared for a fundamentally different way of working.
Industry 5.0 may describe where we are heading, but what can we do today to prepare for that future?
This panel will explore both: what the future of pharmaceutical development and manufacturing could look like, and the practical steps we can begin taking now to get there.
The forces driving change are converging quickly:
🔹 Geopolitical uncertainty and increasingly complex supply chains
🔹 Continued pressure to reduce cost while improving quality and resilience
🔹 Rapid advances in AI-enabled drug discovery and development
🔹 Growing demand for speed, flexibility, and more adaptive manufacturing
🔹 The need to build trust in AI-enabled decisions within a highly regulated industry
🔹 An urgent need to prepare our workforce for new technologies, roles, and ways of working
For biologics manufacturing in particular, AI has the potential to take us beyond simply automating existing processes. The bigger opportunity is to transform how we understand processes, make decisions, predict outcomes, manage variability, transfer knowledge, and continuously improve manufacturing performance.
And as AI accelerates drug discovery and development, an important question emerges: Can manufacturing, quality, and supply chains evolve quickly enough to keep pace?
Technology alone will not answer that question.
Bringing together perspectives from development, data science, manufacturing, and quality, the panel will explore questions including:
🔹 What can development and manufacturing organizations do now to prepare for an AI-enabled future?
🔹 Where can AI create meaningful value today—and what capabilities need to be built for tomorrow?
🔹 As AI accelerates drug discovery and development, how do manufacturing, quality, and supply chains prepare to keep pace?
🔹 How do we build trust in AI-enabled decisions in a highly regulated industry—and what should remain fundamentally human?
🔹 What happens to our roles when AI becomes a partner in scientific and operational decision-making?
🔹 What skills will our workforce need, and how do we begin developing them today?
These are not simply technology questions. They are questions about people, science, quality, culture, leadership, capability, and how we bridge from where we are today to where our industry is going.
And we don't expect the panel to have all the answers.
The audience will be part of the conversation. We want to hear from scientists, engineers, manufacturing professionals, quality leaders, and others navigating this transition. What are you seeing today? What is working? Where are the barriers? And what should we be doing now to prepare for what comes next?
🚀 Join us for an interactive, forward-looking conversation about where our industry is heading, what we can do today to prepare, and how we can collectively shape the future of pharmaceutical development and manufacturing.
🎤 Moderator: Ryan Takeya, Site Head & Senior Director, Biologics Manufacturing, Pfizer
Panelists:
Jeremy Shaver, PhD, Sr. Director, Data Science, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pfizer
John Woodburn, Director of Automation, Just-Evotec Biologics, Inc.
Whether you're involved in manufacturing operations, digital transformation, quality, process development, engineering, or supply chain management, this event will provide valuable insights into the practical realities, challenges, and opportunities of AI adoption in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
📅Wednesday, October 21
⏱️5:00 - 7:30 PM
📍Yale Labs, 330 Yale Ave N., Seattle
Each ticket includes hors d’oeuvres and drinks.
Parking: Street parking is available. The Yale & Thomas Garage also offers public parking for $7 for up to 3 hours.
Don't miss this opportunity to learn how leading organizations are leveraging AI to shape the future of drug manufacturing.
A big thank you to Yale Labs and Jennifer Taylor, Lab Director @ Yale Labs Incubator, for generously supporting us as an in-kind venue sponsor! Located in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, Yale Labs is more than a place to work, it’s a startup incubator and innovation community designed to help founders and emerging companies grow. Yale Labs provides entrepreneurs with flexible workspace, a collaborative environment, and access to a community of innovators, founders, and business leaders All within a setting built to foster connection, creativity, and collaboration! We’re especially grateful to the Yale Labs team for opening their doors and providing a fantastic space for our community to come together, exchange ideas, and build meaningful connections. Thank you, Yale Labs and Jennifer Taylor, for investing in the startup and innovation community and helping make our event possible!
A warm welcome and huge thank you to Kanopy Group International for becoming an LSTCA Community Sponsor! We’re grateful to have Kanopy Group International supporting our growing community and the connections, conversations, and collaborations that make the Seattle life science and tech ecosystem so vibrant. Thank you for being part of what we’re building at LSTCA. We’re excited to have you with us!
Sponsorship opportunities include event recognition, speaking visibility, branded engagement, and ongoing exposure through the Life Science & Technology Consultants Association (LSTCA) community. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities and benefits, please contact info@lstca.org
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LSTCA is a professional nonprofit association dedicated to advancing the life science, healthcare, pharma, biotech, medtech, healthtech, medical devices, and tech consulting community in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. https://www.lstca.org/