K-Bio Companies Gather at 'BIO USA 2026'... Technology Transfers and Order Competition in Full Swing

K-Bio Launches a Major Global Offensive in San Diego, U.S.

Leading Companies Including Samsung Biologics and Celltrion Join in Force

Opportunities in CDMO Orders, Technology Transfer, and AI Strategies

First-Ever Official Session on t

Major Korean pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies will participate en masse at the world’s largest bio industry event, the “BIO USA 2026,” which will be held in San Diego, USA, at the end of this month. Each company plans to focus on expanding CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization) orders, licensing out new drug candidates, and AI-based drug development strategies to discover new global business partners.

The BioUSA event held last June in Boston, USA, was bustling with participants. Photo by Yonhap News

According to industry sources on June 17, this year’s event will take place from June 22 to 25 (local time) at the San Diego Convention Center in California, USA, under the theme “Driven by Purpose.” Organized by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the event is expected to attract around 20,000 participants, including representatives from pharmaceutical companies, biotechs, and investment institutions from over 70 countries. BIO USA, which has become the leading global business exchange platform for the bio industry, brings together stakeholders from around the world every year to discuss technology transfers, joint research, and production cooperation.

Image of Samsung BioLogics booth at the 2026 BIO International Convention (BIO USA). Samsung BioLogics

Korean CDMO companies will actively promote their manufacturing capabilities at this event to secure global clients. Since its founding in 2011, Samsung Biologics has been the only Korean company to participate for 14 consecutive years with its own independent booth. This year, it will again set up a large booth of 140 square meters in a prime location in the exhibition hall, showcasing its integrated “CRDMO” business model that covers contract research (CRO), contract development (CDO), and contract manufacturing (CMO). The company will focus on attracting major global pharmaceutical clients by highlighting its supply network, which includes the Rockville, USA production facility acquired last year and the Incheon Songdo production base. Samsung Biologics also plans to actively promote its efforts to expand its new business portfolio, such as Samsung Organoid. Samsung Organoid, officially launched in June 2025, is a service that uses organoids modeled after tumors to verify the efficacy of anticancer drug candidates in advance.

Lotte Biologics Bio International 2026 Booth Bird's-eye View. Lotte Biologics

Lotte Biologics will also operate its own booth at the event, actively promoting its CDMO capabilities. The company will release photos and video content showcasing the production process, floor structure, and core equipment of its first Bio Campus plant in Incheon Songdo, which is scheduled for completion in August. By highlighting its “dual-site” operational system linking the Syracuse facility in the United States and the Songdo campus, Lotte Biologics aims to emphasize its global CDMO competitiveness. Dong-A Socio Group will have Dong-A ST, ST Pharm, and Vitegen jointly operate a booth to introduce each company’s core business strengths. ST Pharm, which specializes in RNA therapeutic CDMO, and Vitegen, an antibody and protein CDMO company, will focus on seeking opportunities to expand global partnerships together.

SK Biopharm BIO USA 2026 Booth Image. SK Biopharm

Celltrion will showcase AI technologies related to new drug development and clinical applications at its independent booth. The company will also promote the competitiveness of its major biosimilar products, such as Vegzelma, Yuflyma, and Steqima, which are being sold in the U.S. market. Celltrion has recently been accelerating the adoption of AI across all business areas, from new drug development to manufacturing and administrative work. SK Biopharm will operate an independent booth in the “Digital Health and AI Zone” at the event for the second consecutive year. The company will present its AI-based drug discovery, digital transformation across R&D, and patient-centric platform, highlighting a comprehensive approach to AI utilization throughout the entire process. Through one-on-one partnering meetings with global pharmaceutical and biotech companies and investors, SK Biopharm will discuss various collaboration opportunities in research and development and business development, and will focus on expanding its global collaboration base to secure the next growth engine following its epilepsy drug “Cenobamate.”

Platform and drug development companies are also using the event as a bridgehead for technology transfer and joint development. ABL Bio, a specialist in bispecific antibodies, will discuss collaboration opportunities with global companies regarding its blood-brain barrier (BBB) shuttle platform “Grabody-B” and 4-1BB-based immuno-oncology drugs. Grabody-B gained global recognition for its technology last year through consecutive licensing deals with GSK and Eli Lilly. Oscotec is seeking to expand global partnerships focusing on anticancer agents for resistance and the anti-renal fibrosis agent (OCT-648), while Onconic Therapeutics is leveraging the clinical development achievements of its dual-targeted anticancer drug candidate “Nesuparib” to pursue global partnerships.

The Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization (KoreaBIO) will operate the Korea Pavilion for the 23rd consecutive year to support global partnering for domestic companies. This year, 51 companies will participate in the Korea Pavilion, and over three days, 29 companies will present their pipelines and R&D achievements on the “Open Stage.” For the first time, an official session titled “Korea Rising” dedicated to the Korean bio industry will be introduced at BIO USA. On the evening of June 23, four organizations—Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization (KoreaBIO), Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association, KOTRA, and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute—will jointly host a networking event, “Korea Night,” at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.