Masters’ Union University Hosted Asia’s Biggest Bioscience Summit: The NextGene

What could the future of biology look like when scientists, doctors, founders, investors and students come together in one place? On 19 September 2026, Masters’ Union University hosted its BioScience Summit, bringing together more than 1,200 visitors to explore the technologies and ideas shaping the field.

The summit, titled The Next Gene, brought together 75+ speakers across genetics, healthcare, biotechnology, diagnostics, longevity and healthtech. Participants could engage with bioscience through conversations, startup pitches, laboratory workshops and a BioHackathon.

The summit was built around six frontiers: gene editing and CRISPR, drug and gene discovery, computational biology, longevity and precision medicine, biomanufacturing, and space and agri-biology.

Together, they offered a view of bioscience that went beyond the laboratory. A conversation about biological ageing could lead into a discussion about healthcare. A scientific discovery could become the foundation for a startup. A biological problem could become the basis of an AI challenge.

What Brought People to The BioScience Summit:

1. 1,200+ visitors came together, including students, employees and an external audience.

2. 75+ speakers represented science, healthcare, biotechnology and entrepreneurship.

3. Six bioscience frontiers connected research with technology and real-world applications.

Bringing Scientists and Healthcare Leaders into the Same Conversation

The main stage brought together people working across different parts of the bioscience ecosystem.

Dr David A Sinclair, geneticist and professor at Harvard Medical School, spoke with Pratham Mittal, Founder and CEO, Masters’ Union University, about the science of biological ageing.

Dr Sangita Reddy, Joint MD of Apollo Hospitals Group, brought a healthcare perspective to the programme. Dr Shriram Nene, cardiovascular surgeon, healthtech innovator and investor, connected medicine with technology and entrepreneurship.

The conversation also featured Dr Kumarasamy Thangaraj, Padma Shri Awardee and geneticist at CCMB, and Anuradha Acharya, MD and CEO of MapMyGenome, who explored the possibilities of genomics-led personalised healthcare.

Other speakers included Dr Nickhil Jakatdar, founder of GenePath Diagnostics, and Dr Jitendra Kumar, former MD of BIRAC, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, alongside leaders from Sanofi India, Premas Life Sciences, Strand Life Sciences, CrisprBits and Cartogene Therapeutics.

The Main Stage Connected:

1. Biological ageing with healthcare and longevity.

2. Genetics and genomics with personalised healthcare.

3. Science and entrepreneurship with technology and industry.

Tracing the Journey from Scientific Discovery to Application

The five panel conversations looked at different stages of the bioscience ecosystem.

BUILD brought together Dr Praveen Gupta of Premas Life Sciences, Agragesh Ramani of AcrannoLife Genomics and Kavitha Iyer Rodrigues of Zumutor Biologics.

DECODE focused on the biology of time and ageing, with Dr Deepak Saini of IISc, Dr Prasun Chatterjee of Apollo Hospitals and Dr Prarthana Venkatesh of Longevita.

PERSONALISE examined individualised approaches to medicine, featuring Dr Vaijayanti Gupta of CrisprBits, Dr Anupam Chhabra of Cartogene Therapeutics and Dr Rupak Roy of SHRM Biotechnologies.

The final two panels looked at what happens when scientific ideas move towards implementation. ACCELERATE brought together leaders from Sanofi India, AiZtech Labs and Alkem Laboratories, while SCALE examined the growth of the bioscience ecosystem through perspectives from Biocon Academy, the National Institute of Immunology and 100x Longevity.

Five Panels Explored:

1. BUILD examined the foundations of bioscience.

2. DECODE and PERSONALISE explored biology and individualised healthcare.

3. ACCELERATE and SCALE focused on moving ideas into wider application.

Exploring Biofilms, Immunology, Multiomics and Bioinformatics

The summit moved into hands-on learning with laboratory workshops conducted with Delhi University and Premas Life Sciences.

More than 300 participants took part in sessions covering biofilms, microbial immunology, multiomics and bioinformatics.

The sessions gave participants an opportunity to work directly with biological concepts and tools, adding a practical layer to the conversations taking place on stage.

Inside The Laboratory:

1. 300+ participants joined the workshops.

2. Sessions covered biofilms, microbial immunology, multiomics and bioinformatics.

3. Participants experienced hands-on bioscience learning.

Using AI to Identify Biomarkers and Solve Real Bioscience Problems 

The BioHackathon, conducted in collaboration with BVersity, brought more than 150 participants together for a five-hour challenge combining AI and bioscience. The junior track focused on using AI to identify biomarkers from real biological data.

The senior track challenged participants to develop solutions across gene editing, structural biology, drug repurposing, biomarkers and longevity.

The format gave participants a problem to solve rather than simply a concept to study, bringing computational tools directly into biological research.

What the BioHackathon Asked Participants to Do:

1. Work with AI and real biological data.

2. Explore problems across five bioscience areas.

3. Build solutions within a five-hour challenge.

Putting Emerging Bioscience Ventures in Front of Investors

The startup showcase brought 12 startups working across healthcare, biotechnology and life sciences to the stage.

Founders presented their ventures to a jury that included Priyank Garg, Partner, NextVerse Ventures; Dr Vishal Gandhi, Chief Investment Officer, Indian Healthcare Angels; Shubham Jain, Vice President, HealthKois; Amit Singla, Lead, Healthcare Investments, Hero Group; and Padmaja Ruparel, Founding Partner, IAN Fund.

The showcase added the entrepreneurial side of bioscience to the summit. The ideas on stage were not only about scientific research, but also about building companies around problems in healthcare and life sciences.

From Science to Startups:

1. 12 startups presented their ventures.

2. Ideas spanned healthcare, biotechnology and life sciences.

3. Founders presented to investors and healthcare leaders.

Turn The Commons into an Interactive Bioscience Showcase

The Commons gave visitors a chance to experience emerging technologies beyond the main stage. Vidya XR offered VR human anatomy, while Mitogenez Longevity Clinic demonstrated biological age estimation. MapMyGenome brought genomics to life through interactive swab testing.

Visitors could also take part in a neurosensor car race with Bilimbe, bringing neuroscience into a hands-on experience. The showcase featured Premas Life Sciences, Predict. Fit, 100x Longevity, AcrannoLife, Longevita and Welocity Genetics, adding diagnostics, genomics, AI and longevity to the mix.

What Visitors Could Experience:

1. VR human anatomy with Vidya XR.

2. Genomics and biological age through interactive experiences.

3. Neuroscience and healthtech through emerging technologies.

Recognising The People Building The Next Chapter of Bioscience

The summit also hosted the Kalam Medals, recognising contributions across biomedical advancement, clinical science, gene engineering, genomic science, translational innovation, biomanufacturing and precision medicine.

The programme recognised young geneticists, institutions and companies working across the ecosystem.

The summit also recognised winners from the Pitch Your Biotech Startup competition and the BioHackathon.

The Kalam Medals Recognised:

1. Biomedical and clinical science

2. Genomics and gene engineering

3. Translational innovation and precision medicine

Bringing Research, Technology and Entrepreneurship into One Campus!

Across one day, The Next Gene brought different parts of bioscience into the same space. Scientists discussed biological ageing and genomics, founders presented healthcare and biotechnology ventures, and participants worked on biological problems through laboratory sessions and the BioHackathon.

The experience zones made these ideas tangible, with visitors exploring applications across anatomy, genomics, neuroscience and longevity. The startup showcase added another perspective, showing how research can move from a scientific question towards a product or company.

For Masters’ Union University, the summit brought together the six frontiers shaping the conversation around bioscience, from gene editing and drug discovery to longevity, biomanufacturing, computational biology, and space and agri-biology. More than a conference, The Next Gene offered a closer look at how biology is being studied, applied and built upon today.