BioMADE Hosts Sen. Todd Young and Assistant Secretary of War for Science and Technology Joe Jewell at ABLC 2026 

Written By Christine Lee

BioMADE is pleased to announce that CEO Doug Friedman will be hosting a fireside chat with Sen. Todd Young (IN) and Hon. Joseph Jewell, Assistant Secretary of War for Science and Technology.  

The conversation will focus on strategic applications of biomanufacturing in defense and national security; the Department of War’s recent designation of biomanufacturing as a critical technology area and its science and technology strategy and investments; global strategic competition; how biomanufacturing will transform American manufacturing for the 21st century; and more.  

Senator Todd Young represents the state of Indiana. He is the chair of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology and also serves on the U.S. Senate Committees on Finance; Foreign Relations; Commerce, Science and Transportation; and Small Business and Entrepreneurship.  

Hon. Joseph Jewell oversees the Department's recently redesignated biomanufacturing critical technology area as well as the Manufacturing Technology Program. He leads the Department’s science and technology strategy and investments, acting as a crucial link between science and engineering developments and their strategic application in defense.  

More Sessions 

BioMADE will also be hosting two panel discussions at ABLC:  

Crossing the Bioindustrial Valley of Death: De-Risking Investment, IP, and Scale-Up from MRLs 4–7

Thursday, March 19 | 3:30 PM   

This session focuses on the challenges of translating successful prototypes into commercial reality — getting over the “Valley of Death.” The session features BioMADE members who have successfully navigated this challenging market, their best practices and lessons learned, and insights that you can take with you to reduce risk and accelerate scale-up. Learn about retraining workforces, technology protection and IP, navigating regulatory approval, and evaluating market readiness during the move to at-scale production. Moderated by Steve Evans, BioMADE Senior Technical Fellow, and featuring: 

  • Melik Demirel, Co-Founder of Tandem Repeat 

  • Andy Logan, Chief Manufacturing Officer of Superbrewed Food 

  • Joe Shaw, Senior VP of R&D at Manus 


Building a Domestic Bioindustrial Manufacturing Ecosystem: Supply Chains, Cost Reduction, and Manufacturing Innovation 

Thursday, March 19 | 4:30 pm

This session highlights progress from BioMADE and its members in the last five years as it works to build a domestic bioindustrial manufacturing ecosystem. Hear updates on BioMADE’s Pilot Plant Network and gain insights from key leaders in BioMADE’s ecosystem. This discussion will focus on securing domestic supply chains for critical materials, upcycling waste into high-value chemicals and products, onshoring the production of needed products, and how research and public policy ties it all together. Moderated by Chad Pastor, BioMADE Senior Manufacturing Development Lead, and featuring:  

  • Sunil Chandran, Chief Technology Officer at Amyris 

  • Sarah Glaven, Princeton University 

  • Molly Morse, CEO of Mango Materials  

Stop by Our Exhibit! 

BioMADE will also have a booth in the Exhibit Hall – catch us at booth 17! We’ll be featuring innovative new products made by our members, sharing updates about our Pilot Plant Network, and more. See you there!  

Christine Lee
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Member Meeting Sponsor: MLC