WIB-Greater Montreal 13th Anniversary Celebration: AI x Biotech – Reshaping the Future

On November 13, 2025, Women In Bio Greater Montreal celebrated its 13th anniversary at the Smart & Biggar Montreal office with an exciting event featuring a thought-provoking panel discussion: AI x Biotech – Reshaping the Future of Life Sciences.

More than 40 attendees from across the life sciences sector joined us to mark this milestone. Our expert panel shared powerful insights into how AI is driving innovation in biotech, showcasing the exciting intersection of technology and biology and the opportunities ahead for researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors.

The evening began with opening remarks by Carmela DeLuca, one of the co-founders of the Greater Montreal Chapter, who provided a brief history of the chapter and highlighted the leadership development program, ECBG. Following this, Nandita Noronha, Chapter Vice-Chair, introduced our panelists: Manon Boisclair, Zoé Ducourau, and Nardin Nakhla, and the moderator Lucyle Depoërs.

Key takeaways from our 13th Anniversary event:

• Canada, and Montreal in particular, stands at the forefront of the global AI revolution. First come to mind: Geoffrey Hinton, often called the “father of AI,” is a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. Yoshua Bengio, a pioneer in deep learning and Turing Award winner, is based in Montreal. And let’s not forget Mila, one of the largest academic deep-learning research institutes in the world, right here in Montreal.
• AI will accelerate drug discovery and development, but it will not replace human expertise. There’s no need to fear; instead, equip yourself with the right skills and tools to thrive in this new era.
• Effective communication between scientists and AI engineers is essential. Building a shared, general language will bridge gaps and unlock the full potential of collaboration.
• Data access remains a critical challenge and a key issue to address for the future. Without robust, ethical, and interoperable data-sharing frameworks, AI’s full potential in life sciences cannot be realized.

This celebration was more than an anniversary. It was a chance to connect, learn, and envision the future together. Special thanks to Smart & Biggar for supporting the event with a gorgeous office and delicious canapés and wine. Also, a big thank you to our speakers and all attendees for making this event a success!

Submitted by Ting Jin