City leaders and bioscience officials highlighted Phoenix’s growing role in international biotechnology on Sept. 10, 2025, after sending a record delegation to the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) International Convention and highlighting new research that could change how doctors understand the brain.
The city sent its largest group ever to the event, with more than 60 delegates present. They took part in over 400 meetings and found more than 180 opportunities for collaboration. About 30 of those are considered strong prospects, with most tied to international partners.
“It was a really prideful moment to see so much curiosity about how Phoenix has risen so quickly in the bioscience industry,” bioscience program manager Claudia Whitehead said.
Several Phoenix companies were highlighted, including Binary Genomics, which is developing blood tests to detect cancers that currently have no screening tools. Mind Sciences, a precision mental health company using blood testing to guide personalized treatment, was also highlighted.
Phoenix also used the event to draw attention to its expanding biomedical campus. Western Scientific Technology revealed plans to build another facility in the city and more than 200 people attended a city-hosted reception during the convention.
The city invested in marketing around the event, generating 1.8 million impressions through email, web and on site promotions. Partnerships with Axios and the BBC added another million impressions, with 3,500 people clicking through to read more about Phoenix.
Whitehead said that Phoenix now ranks second in the nation for job growth in biosciences and is home to 80% of Arizona’s clinical trials.
“Treatments and cures are being tested right here in our city,” Whitehead said.
The City Council voted unanimously to continue supporting Phoenix’s participation in the BIO International Convention through 2026. Members said it is important to keep Phoenix competitive and attract more high paying jobs.
During the meeting, officials also previewed a short film about a scientific research project called MindCrowd, a brain health project led by Dr. Mathew Huentelman of the Translational Genomics Research Institute.
“Brain health is complicated. We’re only beginning to understand how complex the brain is,” Huentelman said in the video.
MindCrowd is an online study that allows participants to take a short memory and thinking test and nearly one million people worldwide have already joined. Results help researchers see how memory changes with age and across different populations.
“Im curious if in the future, studies like MindCrowd could help identify children with ADHD, ADD and neurodiversity and the progression of what happens to their brain as they age,” councilwoman Laura Pastor said.
The project also uses a mobile lab that visits Phoenix neighborhoods to collect blood samples, smell tests and brain scans. These extra details give scientists more information about how the brain works as people age.
Based on results from participants some older adults have scored better than younger adults, showing that brain health is influenced by more than age.
City of Phoenix employee Debra Stark said projects like MindCrowd, along with Phoenix’s growing role at global events, show why the city is becoming a leader in biotechnology and medical research.
“We’ve really gained a reputation, not just nationwide, but internationally, for what we’re doing in Phoenix,” Stark said.
Edited by Pedro Rojo Rodriguez
