ARDD 2026 will convene senior leaders from Novartis, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Takeda, Menarini, GSK, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk and other global pharmaceutical companies alongside leading academics, regulators, investors and biotechnology innovators at Harvard University from October 1–3.

Newly announced program highlights include a pharmaceutical chief executive panel moderated by TIME Senior Health Correspondent Alice Park; an FDA and ARPA-H discussion on aligning clinical trials with regulatory mandates; and presentations from the 11 XPRIZE Healthspan finalist teams preparing aging interventions for Phase 2 clinical trials.

Dedicated forums will examine AI-enabled drug discovery, pet and animal longevity, and virtual cell models that capture biological change and aging over time. The three-day program will span aging biology, clinical development, pharmaceutical R&D, regulation, investment and the translation of longevity science into new medicines.

Now in its 13th year, ARDD brings together the scientific, commercial and regulatory leaders shaping longevity biotechnology. The meeting will take place at the David Rubenstein Treehouse at Harvard University in Boston.

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A review, published on September 11 in Cyborg and Bionic Systems by researchers at Tianjin University, summarizes recent advances in intracortical microstimulation (ICMS), a technique that uses tiny electrodes implanted in the brain to activate specific groups of neurons. The researchers discuss how ICMS has evolved from a tool for mapping brain function into a potential technology for sensory feedback, information delivery, closed-loop neuromodulation and biointegrated neural interfaces.

Brain–computer interfaces are increasingly being explored as a way to restore lost functions or provide new channels for communication between the nervous system and electronic devices. While much BCI research focuses on reading neural signals, ICMS provides the complementary ability to write information back into the brain.

“ICMS has emerged as a prominent invasive modality capable of activating intracortical neuronal populations with high precision,” the researchers write. The technology can potentially replace or supplement natural sensory inputs, probe