On November 21 and 22, 2016, the Alliance Forum Foundation, together with the Government of Japan, successfully held the 2016 World Alliance Forum in San Francisco (WAFSF), “US-Japan Innovative Technologies Conference.” Since 2013, the WAFSF has focused on advancing regenerative medicine. This years’ WAFSF expanded its focus into innovative healthcare technologies including digital health/healthcare IoT, gene therapy and cancer immunotherapy, and regenerative medicine. With over 300 participants from small and large companies, academia, research institutes, governmental organizations, and the media, this two day conference provided a great opportunity for multiple stakeholders to come together to support the commercialization and industrialization of innovative healthcare technologies.

The highlights of the conference include the concluding luminary session where exciting discussion on the future of healthcare & medicine was made by keynote speakers. Dr. Daniel Kraft, a world renowned visionary in medicine, provided vital insights into what the future of our digital medicine might look like, while the legendary venture capitalist Pitch Johnson shared his perspectives on how venture capital innovations were enabling the development of personalized medicine. Nobel Laureate Dr. Shinya Yamanaka also emphasized the high potential of new technologies and how big data could change the way to treat diseases.

2016 WAFSF’s unique theme examining the intersection of IT, gene therapy, and regenerative medicine, the conference offered new perspectives and insights to the participants from Japan, the US and beyond to better address the existing barriers in the realization of stem cell and cell therapy and also to spur new research ideas, innovations, and businesses.