On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, NantWorks and ImmunityBio convened the USA–Saudi Biotech Alliance Inaugural Summit in San Francisco, bringing together senior leaders from the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to advance Immunotherapy 2.0. Held alongside the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, the summit centered on a shared objective: accelerating next-generation approaches to cancer and infectious disease while strengthening long-term global health resilience.
Co-chaired by Her Royal Highness Dr. Haya bint Khaled Al Saud, His Excellency Dr. Bandar Alknawy, and Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the gathering united stakeholders across government, life sciences, artificial intelligence, finance, and advanced biomanufacturing. The program emphasized not only scientific ambition, but also the governance and infrastructure needed to translate innovation into clinical impact.
Importantly, the summit moved beyond high-level dialogue toward execution. Discussions focused on practical pathways to scale: modernizing AI-enabled manufacturing, aligning regulatory and approval frameworks, and accelerating the responsible, global deployment of first-in-class therapies.
A Paradigm Shift: From Treating Disease to Protecting the Immune System
Dr. Soon-Shiong spoke passionately about what he described as a global paradigm shift in medicine: moving beyond reactive treatment toward proactive protection of the immune system.
Reflecting on his observations of global research ecosystems, he noted that progress is driven not only by intellectual capital, but by genuine commitment:
“What inspired me was not only the intellectual capital I saw, but the commitment to truly change the world.”
He highlighted sobering demographic trends, pointing to evidence that life expectancy in some populations has declined by as much as seven years, a reversal he described as both alarming and unsustainable.
Longevity, Aging, and the Central Role of Immunity
Drawing from scientific observations, Dr. Soon-Shiong referenced the case of one of the world’s longest-living individuals, who lived beyond 120 years of age. Prior to her passing, researchers were permitted to study her biological samples.
“The only significant finding was that her immune system remained remarkably active,” he explained.
This insight, he emphasized, reinforces the idea that longevity is closely linked to sustained immune resilience rather than age alone.
Rethinking the Root Causes of Disease and Mortality
A central theme of the address was the assertion that many leading causes of death share a common biological origin.
“The real cause of aging, early death, cancer mortality, sepsis, and fatal infections is the collapse of the immune system,” Dr. Soon-Shiong stated.
“Cancer, infection, and early death are often the downstream effects.”
This perspective challenges disease-specific treatment models and calls for a more integrated, systems-based approach to medicine.
Global Regulatory Collaboration and Scientific Insight
Dr. Soon-Shiong also highlighted international collaboration, particularly his engagement with the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, whose leadership he praised for scientific insight and openness to innovation.
“It was extraordinary to hear regulators articulate that immune system collapse lies at the root of so many diseases,” he noted.
“That level of understanding is rare and deeply encouraging.”
He described over a decade of collaborative research focused on activating complex immune pathways, work that he indicated represents a fundamental shift in global healthcare strategy.
A Historic First-in-Class Regulatory Milestone
The session concluded with an announcement marking a significant regulatory achievement. Saudi Arabia became the first country globally to approve a first-in-class, subcutaneously administered IL-based immunotherapy, supported by extensive clinical data.
Regulatory evaluation demonstrated that lymphocyte-based biomarkers were clinically meaningful predictors of outcomes across multiple cancer types. This milestone positions the region as a leader in first-in-class immunological innovation and underscores growing global momentum toward immune-centered therapies.
Pat Soon-Shiong: A Decade of Work at Nant and ImmunityBio Unveiled
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Written by Nare Hovhannisyan, MD