B9Creations and SD Mines to host national biotech event

In response to sweeping changes across biotech, medtech, and pharmaceutical industries, South Dakota Mines (SD Mines), an engineering, science, and technology university, and B9Creations, a high-precision 3D printing solutions provider, are co-hosting an event designed to accelerate collaboration, commercialization, and innovation at the intersection of regenerative medicine, bioprinting, and translational science.

Set to take place on August 15, the South Dakota Biotech Forum will convene national leaders from companies like Medtronic, emerging biotech innovators such as Ronawk, platform manufacturers like B9Creations, hospitals, and academic researchers from SD Mines and across the region. The half-day event includes expert-led panel discussions and a networking reception.

This gathering comes at a pivotal moment in the life sciences industry. The FDA Modernization Act 2.0, coupled with evolving NIH guidance, signals a national move away from traditional animal testing models and toward human-relevant, engineered systems – a shift that opens new doors for companies and research institutions at the forefront of tissue engineering, bioprinting, and personalized medicine.

“We’re seeing a systemic push across medical devices, pharma, cosmetics, biotech, and research for faster, more predictive, and regulatory-aligned testing and development platforms,” said Dani Mason, VP of Marketing, Sales & Customer Solutions at B9Creations. This event showcases how the biotech ecosystem — startups, global enterprises, universities, and enabling platforms — can work together to shape that future. At B9Creations, we’re leveraging our expertise in additive manufacturing to help organizations rapidly stand up bioprinting capabilities for tissue engineering, preclinical testing, drug screening, or generating more human-relevant data to inform medical device development and translational research.”

The event will highlight: breakthroughs in regenerative medicine and advanced manufacturing; real-world application of bioprinting and tissue engineering technologies; workforce development and translational education models; the critical role of industry-academic partnerships in scaling innovation; and South Dakota’s rising leadership in biosciences and economic development.

“We’re excited to partner with B9Creations and host this event at South Dakota Mines,” said Beth Lambeth, associate vice president for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship at Mines. “There’s a lot of exciting work happening in biotech across western South Dakota –  from novel, cutting-edge research to new startups and collaborations with industry. Events like this give us a chance to highlight that momentum, bring people together, share ideas, and build the kinds of partnerships that turn innovation into real impact.”

With participation from stakeholders spanning industry, academia, startups, and government, the South Dakota Biotech Forum aims to spotlight the region’s growing momentum and help shape the national conversation around the next generation of biomedical innovation.