AAPS PharmSci 360 Preview: Plenaries, USP Workshop, Curated Tracks

The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) will convene its 2026 PharmSci 360 meeting October 25-28 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, with a program that pairs public health and health technology plenaries with a United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards workshop and 2 new Innovator-Curated tracks.^1,2,3

Who will speak at the opening and closing plenaries?

Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, president and CEO of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), will open the conference on Sunday, October 25.¹ The FNIH develops public-private-patient partnerships in support of the US National Institutes of Health.¹ Dr Gerberding directed the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2002 to 2009 and has held executive roles at Merck.¹

David Berry, MD, PhD, managing partner at Averin Capital, will close the event on Wednesday, October 28.¹ Dr Berry previously co-founded more than 30 life science and sustainability companies and was a general partner at Flagship Pioneering.¹

"I am personally looking forward to hearing firsthand from Dr Gerberding on how we as an industry can cultivate global public-private partnerships, followed by Dr Berry's visionary take on the next wave of disruptive health tech," said Parag Kolhe, PhD, chair of the AAPS 2026 PharmSci 360 Scientific Programming Committee, in an AAPS press release.¹

What will the USP workshop cover?

Under a collaboration between AAPS and USP, a 2.5-day workshop will run October 26-28 in the Solution Center, offering sessions on compendial standards presented by USP scientists and USP Expert Volunteers.² Topics will include complex generics, excipient quality, inhalation standards, emerging standards, and novel excipients.² USP will also exhibit at booth 1449, present a Special Poster Collection, sponsor a boxed lunch during the October 27 lunch session, and sponsor the Mentor Breakfast.²

"Meaningful solutions require open scientific exchange," said Catherine Sheehan, senior director, Growth Programs, Excipients and Foods, USP, in a separate AAPS press release.² "This workshop will bring together a range of stakeholder perspectives to foster innovation, strengthen regulatory confidence, and ultimately help increase the availability of quality medicines for the patients who need them."

What will the Innovator-Curated tracks address?

The 2 Innovator-Curated tracks focus on scientific research integrity and disruptive technologies in drug development.³ On Monday, October 26, Brian Nosek, PhD, co-founder and executive director of the Center for Open Science, will lead a 6-session track on credibility in peer-reviewed research, covering how to identify problematic papers, ensure citations are credible, and apply ethical practices for using artificial intelligence (AI) in research.³

On Wednesday, October 28, Thomas Hartung, MD, PhD, professor of environmental health and engineering at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, will lead sessions on new approaches to testing models, including AI applications, organ-on-a-chip models, and neural organoids.³ The topic tracks regulatory change. Of note, in April 2025, FDA announced a plan to phase out animal testing requirements for monoclonal antibodies and other drugs, citing organ-on-a-chip systems and AI-based computational toxicity models as alternatives.⁴

“I am excited to see the launch of the Innovator-Curated Tracks at PharmSci 360,” said Dan Bow, PhD, chair of the AAPS Scientific Advisory Committee, in an additional AAPS press release.³ “This initiative creates a unique opportunity to introduce emerging areas of pharmaceutical science, showcase visionary leaders, and spark new ideas that will shape the future of our field. We believe these tracks will inspire collaboration, broaden perspectives, and help drive the next generation of scientific innovation.”

What are the limitations?

Session schedules, speakers, and room assignments may change before or during the meeting. Program descriptions outline session topics but not the specific data, findings, or recommendations speakers will present. The FDA context reflects an agency announcement and does not indicate the content of any individual PharmSci 360 session. Attendees should confirm details in the official AAPS program.

References

1. American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. Opening and closing plenaries at PharmSci 360 highlight experts in public health and healthcare technology innovation. Press release. Published July 9, 2026. Accessed October 21, 2026. https://www.aaps.org/aaps/news/media/media-advisory
2. American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. US Pharmacopeia to host sessions at 2026 AAPS PharmSci 360. Press release. Published July 29, 2026. Accessed October 21, 2026. https://www.aaps.org/aaps/news/media/pharmacopeia-2026-sessions
3. American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. 2026 PharmSci 360 launches two Innovator-Curated tracks. Press release. Published August 28, 2026. Accessed October 21, 2026. https://www.aaps.org/aaps/news/media/pharmsci-curator-tracks
4. FDA. FDA announces plan to phase out animal testing requirement for monoclonal antibodies and other drugs. Press release. Published April 10, 2025. Accessed October 21, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-announces-plan-phase-out-animal-testing-requirement-monoclonal-antibodies-and-other-drugs