Pittsburgh’s Transformation Into a Hub of Health Innovation

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The city of Pittsburgh, once known for its steel mills and infrastructure manufacturing sites, has now emerged as a global hub for health innovation. Located in the Middle Atlantic region of the United States, Pittsburgh has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent decades.

For over 30 years, the University of Pittsburgh, a GFCC member, along with other local, regional and national partners, has been at the forefront of turning the city into a global leader in life sciences, health research, and innovation.

Today, three groundbreaking initiatives are setting the stage to further accelerate Pittsburgh’s capacity to lead in the fields of health technology, life sciences and artificial intelligence-driven health care:

1. Pitt BioForge, an accelerator in precision medicine

2. NVIDIA Joint Center for AI and Intelligent Systems, applying AI to health sciences, clinical medicine and biomanufacturing

3. A strategic partnership between the University of Pittsburgh and the platform GAINMED to advance predictive, preventive, personalized, precision and participatory care.

Pittsburgh Hosting the Global Innovation Summit

The GFCC community will have the chance to explore these and other place-based health innovation initiatives during this year’s Global Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh from Oct. 19 to 21.

Under the theme “Forging the Future: The Intersection of Health, AI and Tech,” the summit will bring together decision-makers, innovators and thought leaders from across industries to discuss how AI and emerging technologies are transforming health care.

For the first time, the event — organized in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University — will take place alongside the Competitiveness Conversations Across America by the Council on Competitiveness.

Additionally, the GFCC Annual Meeting (exclusive to members and fellows) will be hosted at The Assembly, an innovation hub in Pittsburgh that connects local and global researchers, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders. The Assembly hosts leading researchers from the University of Pittsburgh advancing discoveries in cancer biology and other life sciences.

The Three Health Innovation Initiatives in Pittsburgh

Pitt BioForge

BioForge is a technology accelerator dedicated to developing and manufacturing precision medicine devices and advancing biological manufacturing. BioForge integrates artificial intelligence, machine learning and other advanced technologies to develop gene and cell treatments for cancer, blindness and neurodegenerative disorders.

Operated by the University of Pittsburgh in partnership with ElevateBio, a leader in cell and gene therapy, BioForge is helping redefine the future of health care.

AI Tech Community – NVIDIA and the University of Pittsburgh

NVIDIA, the global leader in computing and artificial intelligence, is partnering with the University of Pittsburgh to leverage AI for disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The NVIDIA Joint Center for AI and Intelligent Systems will also focus on biomanufacturing, accelerating health breakthroughs by harnessing computing power. NVIDIA also announced a Joint Center with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) for Robotics, Autonomy and AI.

Furthermore, NVIDIA has chosen Pittsburgh as the location for its first AI Tech Community, connecting academia, industry and public sector leaders to drive progress in artificial intelligence for health care.

GAINMED Partnership With the University of Pittsburgh

In May, the University of Pittsburgh signed a strategic agreement with GAINMED, a leading supplier of stem cells, to advance predictive, preventive, personalized, precision and participatory care (P5 medicine). GAINMED’s innovative technology provides tailored regenerative medicine solutions, strengthening Pittsburgh’s role as a pioneer in personalized health care.

The Global Innovation Summit is an invitation-only event. Learn more about this unique gathering.