Greater Philadelphia Regional Life Sciences Roundup \u2013 October 08, 2026<\/p>\n
Each week, our Regional Roundup delivers the most important and timely life sciences news from around the region. From groundbreaking research to fundraising, new development projects, and who\u2019s hiring \u2014 we bring you the top stories that matter most. Stay informed with a curated selection of the latest news, delivered directly to your inbox weekly.<\/p>\n
This week, Greater Philadelphia put the spotlight on the people who usually work out of frame. That means the security chiefs who protect patient and research data<\/a>, the calibration experts who keep lab equipment accurate, the deans and incubator builders<\/a> preparing the region\u2019s next companies and clinicians, and a hospital that planned its CEO handoff a full year ahead<\/a>. None of them run trials or make drugs, but very little in this region\u2019s life sciences scene works without them.<\/p>\n Half of this year\u2019s Philadelphia ORBIE winners came from life sciences and health care. The CIOs and CISOs at CSL, PTC Therapeutics, CHOP and Main Line Health were recognized<\/a> for protecting the data the sector runs on. Krieger Scientific added two Regional Directors<\/a> with more than 50 years of combined experience in calibration, metrology and life sciences sales to support its growth along the East Coast.<\/p>\n The same goes for the companies behind the companies. Penn Medicine and IBA launched Noventra Oncology Alliance<\/a> on the idea that buying a proton therapy machine is the easy part, and health systems need a partner for everything that comes after. Hatboro\u2019s KMM Group named a new VP of Operations and CFO <\/a>before adding equipment and capacity for its medical device customers. Kymanox launched KymaBridge<\/a> to help drug developers compare delivery devices like autoinjectors and inhalers. Conshohocken\u2019s TJP acquired Evolution Consulting & Research<\/a> so pharma clients can work with one partner from early market insight through field execution.<\/p>\n City & State Pennsylvania\u2019s 2026 Trailblazers in Healthcare<\/a> include a dozen leaders from across life sciences and health innovation. Their work ranges from biotech incubation and AI diagnostics to global clinical trials and medical school expansion. At CHOP, Madeline Bell handed the CEO role to Dr. Joe Mitchell<\/a> after nearly 40 years, at the end of a handoff planned a full year in advance.<\/p>\n Financial<\/p>\n Tracking the capital moving through Greater Philadelphia\u2014 funding rounds, M&A activity, and investment trends shaping Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey, and Delaware\u2019s life sciences companies.<\/p>\n From Maternal Health to Quantum Computing: Penn\u2019s New Fund Backs Its First Spinouts<\/p>\n Penn\u2019s new $10 million StartUP<\/a> Fund has made its first investments, backing three faculty-founded companies, two of them in life sciences: a maternal health startup working to predict postpartum hemorrhage risk, and an AI platform designing peptide therapeutics. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n From Market Research to Field Execution: TJP Is Building a One-Stop Shop<\/p>\n Conshohocken\u2019s TJP has acquired<\/a> Evolution Consulting & Research, adding a life sciences market research firm to its agency and aiming to give pharma and biotech clients one partner from early insight to field execution. It\u2019s the company\u2019s second add-on in a row, following its earlier acquisition of FX2 Virtual. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n Need Capital to Scale? Philly\u2019s Catalyst Fund Has Up to $50,000 and Advisory Support<\/p>\n Philadelphia\u2019s Catalyst Fund<\/a> offers growth-minded small businesses grants of up to $50,000, plus advisory support, to scale up through equipment, technology, marketing, or facility improvements. It\u2019s non-dilutive capital aimed at companies that struggle to get traditional financing, with a focus on local jobs and neighborhood impact. Here\u2019s who qualifies, and what applicants need to show. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n People<\/p>\n Who we\u2019re buzzing about this week \u2014 the leadership moves, board appointments, and rising names shaping the region\u2019s life sciences community.<\/p>\n Half of This Year\u2019s Philly ORBIE Winners Come From Life Sciences and Health Care<\/p>\n Four of the eight winners at the 2026 Philadelphia ORBIE Awards<\/a>, which recognize the region\u2019s top CIOs and CISOs, came from life sciences and health care: leaders at CSL, PTC Therapeutics, Children\u2019s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Main Line Health. The sector also filled out the finalist list, with names like Incyte, Geisinger, and ChristianaCare. Here\u2019s who won, and why the people protecting patient and research data are getting the spotlight. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n A Planned Handoff at CHOP: Nearly 40 Years of Leadership Passes to a Former McKinsey Partner<\/p>\n After nearly 40 years at Children\u2019s Hospital of Philadelphia, Madeline Bell has retired<\/a> as CEO, and Dr. Joe Mitchell, who joined as President last year, has taken over after a planned, year-long handoff. Bell leaves a hospital that became a leader in cell and gene therapy, while Mitchell arrives with a background that runs from Boston Children\u2019s to 14 years at McKinsey. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n Regional Directors, One Goal: Meeting Life Sciences Teams Where They Are<\/p>\n Krieger Scientific has added two Regional Directors<\/a>, Joe Leuser and Michael Hanssens, to support its growth along the East Coast. Between them they bring more than 50 years of experience in calibration, metrology, and life sciences sales, and they\u2019ll cover the Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Here\u2019s what each brings, and what the company\u2019s founder says growth should look like. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n Wistar Names a New CEO, and He\u2019s Best Known for Finding Where Ovarian Cancer Begins<\/p>\n The Wistar Institute has named<\/a> Penn ovarian cancer researcher Ronny Drapkin as its next President and CEO, succeeding Dario Altieri after a decade of leadership. Drapkin\u2019s research helped show that the deadliest form of ovarian cancer usually starts in the fallopian tube, a finding that changed prevention strategy. Here\u2019s what he\u2019ll take on when he starts November 30. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n Workforce<\/p>\n The hiring activity, team expansions, and talent trends driving growth across Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Delaware life sciences and biotech employers.<\/p>\n This Upskilling Program Comes With a Stipend and a Guaranteed Interview<\/p>\n The Healthcare Workforce Collaborative of Greater Philadelphia is opening a paid upskilling program for recently certified medical assistants<\/a>, with a guaranteed interview at one of four major regional health care employers. Participants get a weekly stipend, career coaching, and a hands-on clinical skills refresher. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n Want to Help Philly\u2019s Life Sciences Job Seekers? The 2027 Series Is Open for Partners<\/p>\n Keystone LifeSci Collaborative wrapped its first Job Seeker Series<\/a>, five free sessions covering everything from LinkedIn strategy to navigating Philadelphia\u2019s life sciences scene, with coaches, speakers, and partner organizations opening doors for job seekers along the way. Now the group is planning the 2027 series. Want your organization involved? Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n Who\u2019s hiring?!\u00a0<\/p>\n Top Employer<\/p>\n Globus Medical<\/a><\/p>\n Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Audubon, Pennsylvania, Globus Medical has grown from a small startup into a leading global musculoskeletal technology company, with over 6,000 employees and a presence in 65 countries. The company designs, develops, and manufactures instruments and implants for spine surgery, orthopedic trauma, joint reconstruction, and regenerative biologics.<\/p>\n With a strong emphasis on providing exceptional response, innovation, advancing patient care, Globus Medical extends that mission through its Musculoskeletal Education and Research Center, partnering with surgeons and hospitals on training and clinical research. Globus Medical is a major driver of medtech talent right here in the Greater Philadelphia region, with roles spanning engineering, manufacturing, clinical development, quality and compliance, and commercial operations.<\/p>\n They are currently hiring across 160+ roles in the Greater Philadelphia region. Apply Now ><\/a><\/p>\n Other employers and available roles we\u2019re paying attention to this week:\u00a0<\/p>\n Madrigal Pharmaceuticals (Conshohocken , PA) is hiring a Director, Drug Product SME | Apply Now ><\/a><\/p>\n Johnson & Johnson (Spring House, PA) is hiring for a Discovery Medicinal Chemistry Internship | Apply Now ><\/a><\/p>\n Jazz Pharmaceuticals (Philadelphia, PA) is hiring a Manager, Content Factory- Operations + Personalization\u00a0 | Apply Now ><\/a><\/p>\n ICON plc. (Bluebell, PA) is hiring a Clinical Associate | Apply Now >\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Charles River Laboratories (Horsham, PA) is hiring a Necropsy Technician I | Apply Now >\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Clinical + Commercial<\/p>\n The latest clinical trial progress, regulatory milestones, and commercial launches from companies advancing science from the lab to the market across Greater Philadelphia.<\/p>\n Can a Biopharmaceutical Be Sold Over the Counter? One Philly Company Is Betting Yes<\/p>\n Greater Philadelphia\u2019s Medicinal Technologies says there\u2019s a third option<\/a> between unregulated supplements and prescription drugs: \u201cover-the-counter biopharmaceuticals,\u201d medicines built to pharmaceutical standards that patients can buy without a prescription. Its first product targets women\u2019s reproductive health and is now under FDA review. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n A Disease Affecting Only 300 Americans Just Got an FDA-Approved Treatment<\/p>\n Incyte and Mirum Pharmaceuticals have won FDA approval for Atebrioz<\/a>, a once-daily pill for fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, an ultra-rare disease in which bone forms in muscle and other soft tissue. The approval covers patients 12 and older, and a disease affecting only about 300 people in the U.S. now has a new treatment option. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n A New Search Platform Wants to Be the Matchmaker Between Drug Developers and Delivery Devices<\/p>\n Kymanox has launched KymaBridge<\/a>, a searchable platform that lets pharma and biotech teams find, compare, and evaluate drug delivery devices like autoinjectors and inhalers, with each listing checked by both the supplier and a Kymanox expert. It aims to replace the scattered documents and manual research that device selection usually involves. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n Ecosystem<\/p>\n The partnerships, programs, and policy moves building Greater Philadelphia\u2019s life sciences infrastructure \u2014 and the organizations driving it forward.<\/p>\n Buying the Proton Therapy Machine Is the Easy Part. This New Alliance Tackles the Rest.<\/p>\n Penn Medicine and IBA have launched Noventra Oncology Alliance<\/a>, a joint venture built on the idea that a proton therapy center takes far more than the machine. It\u2019s meant to be a single partner for health systems worldwide, from first strategy through long-term operations. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n A Hatboro Medtech Manufacturer Is Adding Leaders Before It Adds Capacity<\/p>\n KMM Group, the Hatboro-based precision manufacturer for the medical device industry, has named <\/a>Amy Goff as Vice President of Operations and Erica Blake as Chief Financial Officer as it adds equipment, production capacity, and staff. Goff brings nearly 30 years of device manufacturing experience, and Blake more than 25 years in finance across medtech and life sciences. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n Who\u2019s Shaping Pennsylvania Health Care? City & State Just Named Its 2026 Trailblazers<\/p>\n City & State Pennsylvania has named<\/a> its 2026 Trailblazers in Healthcare, and BioBuzz is spotlighting a dozen honorees from life sciences and health innovation, from AI diagnostics and biotech incubation to global clinical trials and medical school expansion. The list spans researchers, deans, and health system chiefs shaping care across the region. Here\u2019s who made it. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n Other [Good] Reads\u00a0<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s picks from across the web \u2014 the stories, videos, and podcasts shaping the conversation in PHL biotech and life sciences this week.<\/p>\n CRB Horizons Report<\/p>\n CRB\u2019s free Horizons: Life Sciences 2026 report draws on insights from more than 400 global R&D and manufacturing leaders to show how companies are committing capital, moving into emerging modalities, and rethinking their skilled workforce. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n FDA INTERACT Meetings: A Guide for Emerging Biotechs<\/p>\n For small biotechs, the costliest FDA question is the one asked too late, after the toxicology program is done or the manufacturing strategy is locked in. Facet Life Sciences breaks down how FDA INTERACT meetings can settle those high-stakes questions early, and why roughly 41% of requests get denied. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n The Philadelphia Biotech Financing Pulse<\/p>\n Philadelphia biotechs have raised $389.4 million through Q3 2026, more than 11 times all of 2025, but nearly nine of every ten dollars came from just four rounds. B+labs\u2019 new Philadelphia Biotech Financing Pulse tracks every deal, exit, and program in the city back to 2023, and it points to gaps that the headline number hides. Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n On the Calendar\u00a0<\/p>\n A few of the upcoming events, conferences, and networking opportunities across Greater Philadelphia\u2019s life sciences ecosystem that you don\u2019t want to miss.<\/p>\n Regional Biotechnology Conference<\/p>\n Thursday, October 15, 2026 \u2022 9 AM -12 PM \u2022 Doylestown, PA<\/p>\n Hosted by the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center\u00a0 | Register Now ><\/a><\/p>\n C- Suite Summit<\/p>\n Thursday, October 15, 2026 \u2022 10:30 AM -3:15 PM \u2022 Bridgewater Township, NJ<\/p>\n Hosted by BioNJ\u00a0 | Register Now ><\/a><\/p>\n EPIC Responsible AI Wellness Usage Conference<\/p>\n Thursday, October 15, 2026 \u2022 7:30 AM -1:30 PM \u2022 King of Prussia, PA<\/p>\n Hosted by Life Sciences PA\u00a0 | Register Now ><\/a><\/p>\n