New York – October 19, 2026 -- DIAPIN Therapeutics and Adelle Diagnostics took PRODUCT and CONCEPT Gold at the fifth annual Medical Innovation Olympics finale on October 16 at Rockefeller Center, and all six finalists earned slots to present at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco on January 11–12, 2027.
DIAPIN's Reed and Adelle's Ruocco claim the top medals
Jessica Reed, CEO of DIAPIN Therapeutics, won PRODUCT Gold for the company's DT678 antiplatelet development program. Maria Grazia Ruocco, CEO and Co-Founder of Adelle Diagnostics, won CONCEPT Gold for precision neurology diagnostics after what the organizer described as a dramatic victory in the final two-minute statement.
PRODUCT Silver went to Nathan Monty of EnamelPure for a dental hygiene innovation. Chris Sturm of Facet Dynamics took Bronze for RESTORE, an artificial back joint labeled Investigational Use Only.
In the CONCEPT category, Jim Chen of Calaris Diagnostics won Silver for saliva-based liver fibrosis risk stratification. David Larwood of MycaZED Therapeutics took Bronze for Nikkomycin Z, targeting life-threatening fungal disease.
Fourteen competitors from five countries compete over 16 days
The October 1–16 competition drew 14 qualifying competitors from the U.S., Italy, France, Greece and Israel. United Nations officials and the Republic of Georgia's Consul General attended. The event ran under the theme "Crystal Clear, Treatment Near," focused on access, quality and continuity of care.
Tim Mikhelashvili, PharmD, founder and host of the event and CEO of Amedea Pharma, said: "We are celebrating what humans CAN do."
Industry executives lead keynotes and panels on AI, longevity and capital
Keynote speakers included Michael Ringel, COO of Life Biosciences, on epigenetic restoration to reverse age-related diseases, and Kirk Shepard, CMO of PDS Biotechnology, on oncology. Keith Ferdinand, Chair of Preventative Cardiology at Tulane University School of Medicine, covered cardiometabolic prevention and access. Alex Palumbo, Founder and CEO of Medscion, spoke on Medical Affairs across drug development.
One panel addressed AI's role in leadership, talent and healthcare impact, with Tala Fakhouri, Chief AI and Regulatory Officer at Parexel, and Joao Dias, Head of Global Scientific Affairs at Haemonetics. Another, on sports transparency and competition in healthcare, featured Chris Piedmonte, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Neoterra Capital, and Charles Legg, COO of CureLab Oncology.
Rashad Massoud, Head of Global Health USA at IQVIA, joined a panel on patient outcomes. Fireside chats featured Alan Gray, Partner for U.S. Market Access and Pricing at Alira Health, on access to medical innovation, and Stephen Mitchener, former CBO of Alpha-9 Oncology, on strategy and capital in private-stage biotechs.
PEACCEL's Cadet sweeps five competitor awards
Frederic Cadet of PEACCEL won the Innovation Sprint, Innovation with Hurdles, Innovation High Jump, Innovation Shot Put and Most Active Innovator among Competitors awards. John Hemming and Denise McNerney, Partner and COO of Global Life Sciences Alliance, received Most Active Innovator honors among judges and attendees, respectively. Priyanka Yerandekar, Partner at Venture Forward Capital, won the $200 live healthcare trivia contest.
Amedea Pharma was Gold sponsor. Best Practices and NewsOut! sponsored at Silver level, Alira Health at Bronze, and PTP as Olympic Village sponsor.