Bagels & Biotech is an in-person event series from the National Academy of Medicine that brings together science, technology, and policy professionals in the Washington, D.C., region for breakfast and conversation about emerging developments in biotechnology and their implications for health and medicine.
Each session explores a rapidly evolving area of science and technology from neurotechnology to synthetic cells connecting the latest advances with questions about their potential applications, risks, and broader societal implications. Through expert presentations, reflections on responsible innovation and governance, moderated discussion, and networking, the series creates space for cross-sector dialogue on how emerging technologies can be developed and integrated in ways that are scientifically rigorous, ethically grounded, and responsive to the needs of individuals and society.
Bagels and Biotech is an initiative of the NAM Action Collaborative on Translating Emerging Science, Technology, and Innovation in collaboration with the National Academies Programs on Biomedical and Health Sciences & Life Sciences and Biotechnology.
Explore materials and recordings from each event below.
Genomic Therapies
October 28, 2026
Personalized genomic therapies are opening new possibilities for patients with rare genetic conditions, but they also raise important questions about how these highly individualized treatments can be developed, regulated, and delivered responsibly.
Join the National Academy of Medicine on October 28, 2026 for an in-person conversation in Washington, D.C., bringing together science, technology, and policy professionals to explore the emerging science and real-world development of personalized genomic therapies, as well as:
- Lessons from recent efforts
- Ethical and practical questions raised by their development and delivery, and
- What it would take to create more sustainable and accessible pathways for highly individualized treatments
Synthetic Cells
July 22, 2026
Synthetic cells are emerging as a platform for biomedical innovation as advances in engineering biology make it increasingly possible to design programmable cellular systems with lifelike functions. Recognizing both the promise and potential risks of this rapidly advancing field, the National Academies recently examined environmental, biosafety, and biosecurity considerations associated with synthetic cell research and development, highlighting priorities for responsible innovation and risk governance.
Bagels & Biotech: Synthetic Cells explored how breakthroughs in synthetic cell systems could transform biomedical and health applications, including therapeutics, diagnostics, regenerative medicine, and distributed biomanufacturing.
Recording
May 19, 2026
As tools for decoding, stimulating, and potentially optimizing brain function move from research settings toward clinical and commercial deployment, they raise complex questions around safety, personal agency, data governance, equity, regulatory oversight, and responsible integration into health systems. Bagels & Biotech: Neurotechnologies explored emerging neurotechnologies with a focus on how advances in neural sensing, modulation, and adaptive brain–computer systems are reshaping possibilities for treating neurological and psychiatric conditions. The event fostered cross-sector dialogue on how innovation in neurotechnology can proceed in ways that are scientifically rigorous, ethically grounded, and socially responsive.
