J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference 2026: Navigating New Therapeutic Frontiers
While GLP-1s will still form part of the conversations at the 2026 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, Julien Meissonnier, Independent Director for Prolific Machines, offers insights into other promising modalities that are worth discussing.
Over the past few years, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) have been a dominant topic for many conversations at the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conferences, owing to their therapeutic efficacy and huge market potential. This year, while GLP-1s will still be in the mix, Julien Meissonnier, Independent Director on the Board for Prolific Machines and former Chief Scientific Officer for Catalent, anticipates there will be other emerging therapies also in the mix.
“I don’t really expect to see a single therapeutic modality dominate the conversation this year the way that GLP-1 had in 2025 and even before that,” Meissonnier says. “GLP-1s are still going to be in the conversations, quite logically, but, indeed, I think that J.P. Morgan will be much more about validation of new MoAs [mechanisms of action], driven by the upcoming clinical riddle that we cover rather than the hype cycle.”
A few areas that Meissonnier highlights as being ones to watch closely include tissue specific drug delivery that goes beyond the liver, targeted protein degradation, and the evolution of cell therapy. “As a long-standing drug delivery enthusiast, I remain very focused on tissue-specific delivery beyond the liver for genetic medicines that enable precise correction of human genomes. So, programs that are leveraging viral vectors to achieve tissue-specific delivery, such as the work being done between Alexion and JCR Pharmaceuticals, which is extremely compelling,” he remarks.
“When these types of approaches are clinically validated, they will be meaningful and they will expand the landscape for these genetic medicines,” Meissonnier continues. “I’m a strong believer that gene editing/gene writing will be a foundational capability over time.”
Regarding targeted protein degradation, Meissonnier reveals that he is quite bullish about this therapeutic class. “You don’t see an entirely new class of drugs emerge very often, but degraders have the potential to be one of them,” he notes.
Recent data from Kymera Therapeutics, published in December 2025, is a particularly encouraging example of the potential this therapeutic class might offer, Meissonnier points out. “What is also cool is the upcoming oncology data showing activity in patients who have relapsed due to resistance mutations, and that could confer some durable activity of the degrader compared to the traditional inhibitor,” he specifies. “Add that to other emerging data sets by the likes of Biohaven — Vlad Coric’s IgA nephropathy degrader program — and it’s clear why my expectation in this potential new class of drug remains really high.”
Looking at cell therapy, Meissonnier alludes to the progression of CAR-T cell therapy beyond oncology as a promising area to watch, particularly within immunological and autoimmune indications. “Overall, rather than a single modality, I expect J.P. Morgan to be defined by proof point-driven confidence in neural mechanisms, and that, in my view, is a much easier signal for our industry,” he asserts.
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About the Speaker
Julien Meissonnier currently serves as an Independent Director on the Board for Prolific Machines — a company that is on a mission to create a healthier, more sustainable tomorrow with its Photomolecular platform. Most recently, Julien was the former Chief Scientific Officer for Catalent where he led the global R&D team, developing products, technologies, and services for customers, and advised the company on entry into new modalities. Julien also acts as a board member and strategic advisor to various life science investors and innovators.
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