Industry Events – BioCrossroads

U.S. Senator Todd Young Recognized as 2025 Watanabe Life Sciences Champion for Leadership in Biotechnology, Advanced Manufacturing, and Innovation Policy Strengthening Indiana’s National Role in the Life Sciences.

INDIANAPOLIS (December 2025) —BioCrossroads has named U.S. Senator Todd Young as the recipient of the 2025 August M. Watanabe Life Sciences Champion of the Year Award, recognizing his visionary leadership in advancing innovation, collaboration, and U.S. competitiveness across the life sciences.

Senator Young was recognized for his leadership in advancing federal policies that directly reinforce Indiana’s strengths in biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and One Health innovation. Through his work on the CHIPS and Science Act, his role as chair of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, and his support for initiatives such as the Heartland BioWorks Tech Hub and workforce development partnerships, he has helped align national innovation and security priorities with opportunities for Indiana’s research institutions, companies, and talent pipeline. This record reflects the type of long-term, ecosystem-wide impact that the August M. Watanabe Life Sciences Champion of the Year Award was created to recognize.

The award was established in honor of BioCrossroads’ late chairman, Dr. August “Gus” M. Watanabe, an esteemed and transformative figure in Indiana’s life sciences community, and celebrates those who have significantly advanced the development, education, and promotion of Indiana’s life sciences and healthcare sector; personify the emerging face of the industry; and drive innovative developments that have both local and global impacts. Past distinguished honorees have come from diverse backgrounds, including entrepreneurial ventures, research, corporate leadership, medical practice, academia, and philanthropy.

Dr. Watanabe’s passion and impact on Indiana’s life sciences community were transformative and enduring. Beyond his professional accomplishments, his caring and nurturing spirit continues to inspire the many people he touched throughout his career. Each recipient of this award embodies Dr. Watanabe’s legacy, contributing profoundly to the state’s growth in life sciences through their dedication and cumulative efforts.

Past Watanabe Life Science Champion of the Year Recipients

All Roads Led to Warsaw:
BioCrossroads FrameWORX Highlights Indiana’s Orthopedic Leadership

Known globally as the Orthopedic Capital of the World®, the region welcomed more than 200 scientists, researchers, business leaders, and students for BioCrossroads’ quarterly FrameWORX event: The Future of Musculoskeletal Health: Innovations in Orthopedic Medicine and Indiana’s Leadership Opportunity. Held at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana the event placed Indiana’s orthopedic strength in the spotlight by bringing national voices together to discuss the science, industry, and impact of musculoskeletal health.

Orthopedics is one of the most important sectors in global health, providing implants, devices, and treatments that restore mobility, reduce pain, and extend quality of life for millions of patients. Warsaw has long been at the center of that mission. It is home to global leaders like Zimmer Biomet and J&J MedTech, alongside a thriving community of mid-sized companies, startups, suppliers, and innovators who design and manufacture orthopedic technologies that are used worldwide. Tens of thousands of Hoosiers work in this industry, making Indiana one of the largest concentrations of musculoskeletal expertise and production on the planet.

Article content — *J&J MedTech was one of many partners represented at the FrameWORX event at Grace College.*

The state’s academic and research institutions are also pushing the field forward. Purdue University is applying artificial intelligence to orthopedic product development, while the IU School of Medicine continues to make groundbreaking discoveries through the Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health. Under the leadership of Dr. Melissa Kacena, the Center is working to secure a 10-year National Science Foundation award that could transform the state’s innovation economy. Indiana is a semifinalist for a grant that would expand STEM education for thousands of students, train nearly 2,000 people, launch dozens of new companies, bring new products to market, file hundreds of patents, create thousands of jobs, and generate more than half a billion dollars in economic impact. Just last year, Indiana continued its orthopedic momentum by approving a $30 million investment in the Orthopedic Industry Retention Initiative, a targeted effort to strengthen infrastructure, support workforce programs, and secure the long-term competitiveness of the region’s orthopedic sector.

The FrameWORX event reflected this momentum. Attendees heard from orthopedic oncologist and cancer survivor Dr. Kurt Weiss, who shared both clinical expertise and personal perspective on why advances in orthopedic medicine matter so profoundly. Dr. Weiss facilitated a panel with orthopedic patients whose voices offered a moving reminder of how these innovations change lives in real time. Industry and academic leaders from Zimmer Biomet, Purdue University, and IU Indianapolis spoke about how robotics, precision engineering, and data-driven research are reshaping orthopedic care. Leaders in manufacturing and workforce development discussed how Indiana is building the infrastructure and training the talent needed to sustain this global industry well into the future.

The program also featured perspectives from beyond Indiana. Dr. Hicham Drissi, professor and vice chair of research at Emory University School of Medicine and President-Elect of the Orthopaedic Research Society, praised Indiana’s collaborative spirit, remarking that “it takes two hands to clap” and that Warsaw’s energy and talent make it an ideal incubator for global growth.

Brandon Noll, Director of Plug & Play Indiana, underscored the state’s unique identity when he told the audience, “We’re not looking to be the Silicon Valley of Med Tech. We’re looking to be Med Tech Valley.”

Though Warsaw may be tucked away in northeast Indiana, far from major media hubs, its orthopedic impact resonates worldwide. Every day, thousands of professionals here are innovating, manufacturing, and delivering devices that improve lives across every continent. On August 20, the FrameWORX event showcased this global significance, while also pointing to even greater opportunities ahead.

“The musculoskeletal health sector is one of Indiana’s strongest global assets,” said Vince Wong, President and CEO of BioCrossroads. “This event underscored the extraordinary innovation happening here, the collaboration that drives it, and the opportunity for Indiana to continue leading the world in orthopedic medicine.”

Winners of the poster content held in conjunction with the FrameWorx event. — *Keynote speaker Dr. Kurt Weiss delivered moving remarks about his personal journey* *and*

Photos from FrameWORX

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Watch the full FrameWORX recap.

Life Sciences Face Challenges, but Indiana is Positioned to Succeed

Hundreds of Indiana’s life sciences and business leaders gathered at the IBJ Life Sciences Power Breakfast to reflect on our state’s momentum and the work still ahead. While there was plenty of good news shared about our state’s progress, we’re keeping our eyes wide open.

There was much to celebrate. Indiana is now the top state in the nation for life sciences exports, a title we also hold for pharmaceutical exports. The sector generates $99 billion in economic impact annually. And according to Plug and Play founder and longtime Silicon Valley leader Saeed Amidi, Indiana’s lack of oceans or mountains is irrelevant when you consider our ecosystem of global biotech companies, emerging startups, and world-class research institutions. Saeed said, “This can be the center of the health technology world.”

That optimism was underscored by a major announcement from the Indiana University Launch Accelerator for Biosciences (IU LAB): a $4.5 million, three-year commitment from IU Health to establish the IU Health Incubator at the 16 Tech Innovation District. The funding supports a new partnership between IU LAB, the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), and global venture firm Plug and Play Tech Center to accelerate the growth of high-potential life sciences startups. As part of the broader initiative, Madison-based accelerator gener8tor will run a pre-accelerator program for early-stage companies still developing their products, while Plug and Play and CICP will lead a follow-on accelerator for startups with viable products and demonstrated market traction, preparing them for fundraising and scale.

The message was clear: Indiana is an increasingly exciting home for the life sciences. But even in Indiana, with our love of racing, there’s no such thing as a finish line. We must do a better job of tightly branding who we are and what we offer, helping us to directly compete with the Bay Area, San Diego, Boston, and Research Triangle Park in North Carolina. U.S. cities everywhere are working to attract life sciences organizations because they understand the direct line between economic development and the sector. And yet, the environment is increasingly choppy: tariffs could impose undue pressure on our exports, and grants from the National Institutes of Health – pivotal to helping our research organizations succeed – could be cut drastically by the federal government. There are plenty of land mines to navigate.

Our progress has been meaningful, and our top priority is ensuring Indiana organizations continue to succeed. Fortunately, we are working from a position of strength. We will continue to leverage our assets to build talent and incentives across a vibrant Hoosier State.