Every year, drug companies gather at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference to showcase their work to potential investors. This year, PharmaVoice asked industry leaders to share their thoughts on exciting projects from other companies. Here are some of the promising treatments that have caught their attention. Cancer research is expected to be a major focus in the industry this year. Nick Naclerio, a founding partner at Illumina Ventures, is particularly hopeful about cancer vaccines. He believes they could help treat cancers that are currently difficult to manage, like pancreatic cancer. These vaccines work differently from those used for infectious diseases. Instead of preventing disease spread, they aim to stop cancer from coming back in patients who have already been diagnosed. BioNTech, a German biotech company, is developing such vaccines. They have two advanced trials planned for 2026, one for head and neck cancer and another for colon cancer, which is also in mid-stage trials for pancreatic cancer. Another area of interest is bispecific antibodies. These are drugs that can target two different pathways in the body, potentially offering a new way to treat cancer. Troy Wilson, CEO and president of Kura Oncology, mentioned that Summit Therapeutics’ candidate, ivonescimab, has generated a lot of buzz. This drug targets two specific pathways, PD-1 and VEGF, and is currently in late-stage trials. However, the results so far have been mixed, and some experts believe it may not become as successful as Keytruda, a widely used cancer drug. Dr. Alexandra Snyder, senior vice president and head of translational medicine and discovery oncology at Merck & Co., is keeping an eye on in vivo CAR-T cell therapies. These therapies could overcome some of the manufacturing challenges faced by current CAR-T treatments by modifying immune cells directly in the body. While this technology is still in its early stages, Gilead Sciences’ recent acquisition of Interius BioTherapeutics shows that there is growing interest in this area. In the field of Alzheimer’s disease, Eli Lilly, Biogen, and Eisai have made history with their amyloid-targeting drugs, Kisunla and Leqembi. Now, they are focusing on treating patients before symptoms appear. Dr. Andrew Plump, Takeda Pharmaceuticals’ president of research and development, will be closely watching the results of these trials. Takeda is also investing in this area with a deal to license an Alzheimer’s immunotherapy vaccine from AC Immune. Lastly, Meg Alexander, CEO and president of Ovid Therapeutics, is interested in Xenon Pharmaceuticals’ work on epilepsy. Xenon’s drug, azetukalner, is in late-stage trials and could potentially set a new standard for seizure management. While competition drives much of the interest in other companies’ projects, pharma leaders also support each other’s success. As Alexander put it, ‘In the field of neuroscience and psychiatry, we are all cheering for each other.’