Molecular Moments Podcast: Recent Episodes
BioAgilytix Labs
Welcome to the Molecular Moments podcast hosted by Dr. Chad Briscoe of BioAgilytix Labs! Whether you’re curious about what goes on at BioAgilytix or about the folks behind the lab coats, we’ve found a way to bring biologics in closer to home. Each week, Dr. Briscoe chats global experts, colleagues and thought leaders who influence the pharmaceutical industry in large molecule bioanalysis and beyond.
In this episode of Molecular Moment, host Jim McNally welcomes Davide Molho, the new CEO of BioAgilytix, to discuss his background, interests, and the future of the company. Davide shares his journey from veterinary medicine to entering the pharmaceutical industry and eventually finding his passion for the business side of science. He highlights the importance of the CRO industry in supporting the development of new therapies and improving patient health.
Davide also discusses his first 100 days at BioAgilytix, the current state of the biotech and pharma industry, and the need for innovation and prioritization in drug development. Throughout the conversation, Davide emphasizes the importance of passion, purpose, and adaptability in both personal and professional growth.
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On this episode of Molecular Moments, Dr. Amanda Hays chats with BioAgilytix scientists Dr. Shashank Gorityala, Associate Director of LC/MS Operations from our Durham lab, and Dr. Ben Nie, Scientist III from our San Diego lab. They delve into LC/MS evolution, tech strides, and its role in large molecule bioanalysis. Discover the benefits of LC/MS for protein and biomarker quantification, different workflows, and the challenges of transitioning from small to large molecules. The experts also spill
insights on internal standards, acceptance criteria, and clever sample pretreatment techniques to conquer signal suppression.
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On this episode of Molecular Moments, Jim McNally, Ph.D., speaks with Adam Stasio, president of SciMed, whose mission is to craft software that frees their clients to do what they do best: advance cutting-edge technology, improve lives, and effect social change. They discuss their shared passion for problem-solving and how the right mindset helps find solutions to new issues that arise.
They talk about the role of data privacy and security with big data and what steps you can take to reconcile and harmonize data. Adam lays out several common problems encountered with large datasets, including inconsistencies, and how to go about solving them. He discusses the value his company provides by breaking down big problems into smaller independent issues and how by moving fast and asking for feedback, his team can deliver a variety of solutions to clients with many different needs in all different stages of the process.
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On this episode of Molecular Moments, Chad Briscoe speaks with Dr. David Berkowitz, Director of the Division of Chemistry at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and a Willa Cather Professor of Chemistry at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and co-lead of the Nebraska Drug Discovery & Development Pipeline. David shares how he got his early beginnings in science as an undergrad studying endocrinology at the University of Chicago, going to Switzerland with his Ph.D. advisor to work at a chemistry biology interface, and later attending Yale to understand how to make molecules better.
Chad and David also discuss the National Strategic Institute in Nebraska and David’s involvement with the program to research medical countermeasures for Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS), the difficulty of testing drugs for prophylaxis treatments, and the importance of getting the most out of the NSF. They reminisce about when David was supportive of Chad’s pursuit of his Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska. David talks about some exciting work he’s doing with enzymes that came about as a result of talking to someone while waiting for a slow elevator, how higher learning has changed over the years, and running the Lincoln Marathon.
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On this episode of Molecular Moments, Chad Briscoe talks with his brother, Rick Briscoe, Senior VP of Safety Assessment and Research Operations at Cerevel Therapeutics.
Rick talks with Chad about how he found his love of the sciences through a scuba diving class in high school, which sparked his interest in biology and led him to take a neuroscience class during his freshman year of college. Rick goes on to share how working at a transitional facility for those struggling with chronic mental illnesses and observing how medication impacted patients’ lives inspired him to go into neuroscience drug development. They also discuss safety pharmacology at Merck, challenges in the neuroscience space, and improvements to the way they modulate at Cerevel for treatments with better results and fewer side effects. They also talk about how drugs get their names, working with CROs, mentoring future scientists through scientific societies, and their dirtiest jobs.
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On this episode of Molecular Moments, BioAgilytix Scientific Officers Amanda Hays, Ph.D., and Lynn Kamen, Ph.D. speak with Stephanie Pasas-Farmer, Ph.D., President of both Ariadne Software and BioData Solutions.
They discuss how Stephanie went from a career as a bioanalytical chemist to being an entrepreneur in big data and machine learning. They discuss how she became a founder of a company, building a robust team with various specialties and expertise. They also talk about what human-augmented intelligence can do for the industry at large, Stephanie’s favorite things to cook, and how she stays cool under pressure.
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On this episode of Molecular Moments, Lynn Kamen, Ph.D., and Michelle Miller, Ph.D. DABT discuss their very different journeys to BioAgilytix as Scientific Officers. Despite different initial career paths, they both ended up working in bioanalysis, supporting the development of novel therapeutics. The pair discuss their favorite aspects of their day-to-day tasks at BioAgilytix, Scientific Office Hours, mentors (unofficial or otherwise), and the art of writing scientific papers. Additionally, they discuss the importance of bioanalysis, why transparency to the public is essential, and future challenges for the industry.
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On this episode of Molecular Moments, Dr. Jim McNally chats with DMPK Senior Director Dr. David Johnson, Ph.D., from BioAgilytix San Diego. They discuss how his childhood breakfast cereal formed an interest in science which eventually led to his pursuit of biochemistry and a career in small molecule therapeutics.
David, known as Dr. J to his friends and colleagues, shares his goal of helping people get a better quality of life through his work in the pharmaceutical industry and what it's like working with small molecule drugs like aspirin or ibuprofen. They also talk about pharmacokinetics, how the industry has shifted over the years, antibody-drug conjugates in cancer treatments, LC/MS usage, and the increase in resources, tools, and knowledge to solve problems thanks to the growth of BioAgilytix.
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In this episode of Molecular Moments, Dr. Jim McNally chats with Tricia Sterling, Vice President of Patient Affairs at Aeglea. Tricia shares some of her experiences working with patients in the biotech industry for over a decade.
Jim and Tricia’s discussion focuses on the patient side of pharmaceutical research, particularly in relation to rare diseases, as they affect 1 out of 15 people worldwide. They discuss the patient journey, creating better clinical trial experiences, and the importance of giving families hope. Tricia shares how patient advocacy starts with transparency and trust between patients, caregivers, and pharmaceutical companies.
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On this episode of Molecular Moments, Scientific Officer Amanda Hayes speaks with BioAgilytix colleague Dr. Dave Williams, Vice President of Operations. Dave has spent the last decade of his career supporting and leading bioanalytical programs at contract research organizations (CROs) in his pursuit of solutions for scientific problems. They discuss what inspired him to study science, his career path to BioAgilytix, working with flow cytometers, and how he stays current with industry advancements.
Dave shares why mentorship is only a part of the equation when deciding how to move forward in your career as a scientist. They also talk about how BioAgilytix has kept up with the complexity of cell and gene therapy research and how harmonization across CROs can help determine best practices to drive the science forward.
Originally from Kansas City, Dave also shares his thoughts on what kind of BBQ reigns supreme, his favorite sports team, and recent adventures in his Jeep!
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On this episode of Molecular Moments, Dr. Chad Briscoe is joined by Dr. Kevin Bateman, Scientific Associate and Vice President at Merck. Kevin is a veteran of the bioanalytical industry and is known for innovating and encouraging new technology research. With over 25 years at Merck, Kevin shares a bit about his journey that started in an analytical lab focusing on biomarkers, pharmacology, biology, and clinical trials. They talk about Kevin’s thoughts on small volume sampling, how his daughter’s birth sparked an idea to use dried blood spots to help reduce animal usage in drug testing, and the one thing he learned from the training courses he has attended over the years.
Kevin is very passionate about his work and shares how he never accepts the status quo and is constantly searching for improvements through more research and study. While work is his passion and an important part of his lifestyle, they discuss how Kevin finds ways to combine work and pleasure, like going on travel bike trips and hiking with his dog, Penny!
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On this episode of Molecular Moments, Jim McNally chats with Angela Luttick, co-founder of 360biolabs & Executive Vice President, Commercial. 360biolabs, a BioAgilytix company has labs located in Melbourne and Brisbane and is the most comprehensive specialty lab in the region. They discuss the origins of 360biolabs, its role in early phase clinical trials, vaccine studies taking place in Australia, and recent global growth.
Angela shares benefits of the merger, such as the ability to transition Phase 1 studies from Australia into Phase 2 in the USA, maintaining client continuity with BioAgilytix. Angela shares experiences in the Australian clinical trial sector during COVID and the overwhelming amount of R&D studies and other interesting ideas pitched to 360biolab, as well as plans for future growth and expanding services to clients.
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In this episode of Molecular Moments, Chad Briscoe sits down with Neil Spooner, founder and director of Spooner Bioanalytical Solutions and senior editor of the journal, “Bioanalysis.” Based in England, Neil shares a bit of his background in LC-MS, his first taste of quantitative bioanalysis at Huntingdon Life Sciences, helping organizations understand their own technologies and the exciting challenges that bioanalytical groups face.
They also talk about the increase in interest behind microsampling for pediatrics, using less animals for testing while getting better results, patient-centric testing for better clinical trials and results, solutions for keeping clinical trials open during the pandemic, and encouraging dialogue and collaboration with peers, clinicians, and patients to make the biggest positive impacts.
Aside from consulting and bioanalysis, Neil shares his joy in using his science skills to make homemade cuisine, including cheeses, jams, and gin!
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On this episode of Molecular Moments, BioAgilytix Chief Scientific Officer Jim McNally chats with the company’s President & CEO about the exciting new updates that are putting BioAgilytix at the forefront of biotech on a global level. From multiple acquisitions to a new investor that sees the bigger picture, Datin shares how these opportunities came to be and what major deciding factors came into play when finalizing the acquisitions. The two biotech companies acquired, MicroConstants in San Diego, California, and 360biolabs in Melbourne and Brisbane Australia, are leaders in bioanalysis, and both are aligned with the BioAgilytix core values: Integrity, Customer Experience, Accountability, Respect, and Employee Experience.
They also discuss BioAgilytix’s new London-based investor Cinven, which will create the opportunity to grow BioAgiliytix through additional acquisitions, building additional campuses, ensuring state-of-the-art equipment at all locations, and the opportunity for professional development.
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Chad Briscoe and Jim McNally talk with Emmy-winning journalist and producer Charles Sabine on this episode of Molecular Moments. Their discussion centers around rare diseases, gene therapy and Huntington's Disease (HD). Charles, a carrier of the HD gene who has lost several immediate family members to the disease, is an ardent advocate for patients and families suffering from rare degenerative diseases.
From covering war zones to becoming a gene therapy patient, they discuss Charles’ career with MSNBC, his subsequent coverage of the Bosnian War, and his Emmy-winning coverage of the Romanian revolution. He also shared about his family’s medical issues, including his discovery that his father, uncle, and brother were all HD gene carriers. His father was one of the first people to be tested genetically for the disease in 1993.
Jim, Chad, and Charles discuss the possibility of gene therapies halting further disease development rather than doctors prescribing drugs for a lifetime. Additionally, the trio discuss the boom in gene therapies, the pros and cons of genetic testing, and how rare disease patients are generally underserved in the biotech industry.
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On this episode of Molecular Moments, Chad Briscoe chats with Dr. Jennifer Zemo, Director, Bioanalytical Operations at BioAgilytix. She’s a great leader, mentor and scientist with a love for helping people and the sciences. They discuss her start as a chemistry major in college, which led to her Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry and eventually to joining BioAgilytix 8 years ago. A large molecule expert, Jennifer shares how she went from pharma to CRO, the importance of customer service and the ability to be creative in assay development. They also discuss how company culture shifted during the COVID pandemic, the first place she would like to visit after things go back to normal and what motivates her.
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In this episode of Molecular Moments, Chad talks with Dr. Afshin Safavi, a bioanalytical thought leader, BioAgilytix founder, and board member. Afshin shares how his interest in the sciences was sparked by his mother's perfumes and household items, and how he went from pursuing a career in electronic engineering to dentistry and then into pharmaceuticals!
They also discuss Afshin’s upcoming children's book, the value of mentorship, trying new things like hot yoga, and his future as a rap artist.
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In this episode, Chad sits down with Jeff Sutherland, founder and CEO of Canine Biologics. With over 500,000 dogs in the US and Canada diagnosed with cancer each year, Jeff’s company addresses nutritional needs for dogs to fight terminal diseases based on tumor type. They discuss how Jeff started off as pre-med in college before shifting his focus to marketing, then to dental technology, and finally to IT with a master's in Artificial Intelligence before realizing his true passion…the health of dogs. Jeff shares how he was able to fulfill a dream of living in New Zealand thanks to an IT skill shortage at the time and how his dog inspired him to make the career change of creating restaurant-quality dog food with the proper nutrients that dogs need, and how an oncology vet inspired him to take a leap to create Canine Biologics. They end with a chat about travel bucket lists including the lakes region in Italy near Switzerland, Patagonia in South America, New Zealand, and Japan.
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In today's episode, Chad sits down with guest scientists, Drs. Jolly Mazumdar and Tim Chendrimada, CEO, and CSO of Chimeron Bio. Two different beginnings; one in the sciences studying bugs and infectious diseases and the other in agriculture, specifically coffee beans! They talk to Chad about how their very different paths led them to become a dynamic duo in the next generation of RNA therapeutics.
From Tim asking a scientist of Wistar Institute to take a chance on him with no prior experience in medical science to Jolly traveling to the United States for graduate studies in infectious diseases, we learn about how the pair, originally from India, carved their paths to where they are now as veterans in the Pharma industry.
Both with careers early on at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Jolly’s focus was on biomarkers and innovative early clinical trials in skin cancer drugs and Tim’s on the development side as a bench scientist and the importance of having teamwork when it comes to drug development. These valuable experiences led them to create Chimeron Bio.
They talk about how the opportunity to create Chimeron Bio came to be, the importance of challenging yourself and taking risks you believe in, talking to investors, their technology pipeline and self-amplifying RNA COVID-19 vaccine that protects against new variants.
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In today's episode, Chad sits down with guest scientist, Dr. John Smeraglia, Vice President & Head of Translational Biomarkers and Bioanalysis at UCB. John is an experienced pharma leader in the development and service side of the industry.
John talks to Chad about his experiences working in the UK, such as picking up basketball and taking apart a massive magnetic sector mass spectrometer in his early days of working in bioanalysis. They also discuss John’s transfer to San Diego, California, the language barriers encountered while working in Belgium and building a diagnostic PCR laboratory in two weeks as a response to a need in Belgium during the COVID pandemic. Chad and John also delve into other important topics such as Bon Jovi vs. Springsteen, favorite Italian food, and most importantly, life mottos.
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In today’s episode, Chad sits down with Angela Stoyanovitch, a director of business development at BioAgilytix and founder of the Legal Drugs podcast. She’s a podcaster, veteran business developer, social media strategist and consultant who kicked off her career in research who has held business development roles across pre-clinical research, bioanalysis and in basic research. They discuss how she fell in love with the service side of research and her advice for others interested the drug industry.
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In today’s episode, Chad sits down with guest scientist, Dr. Laura Sepp-Lorenzino the Chief Scientific Officer at Intellia Therapeutics. Laura is an innovative leader in drug discovery and the development of small molecules and nucleotide therapeutics. Pharma is in Laura’s blood as her mother, a pharmacist, encouraged her to pursue a career in the science. She shares how she went from studying biochemistry in Argentina and her pursuit of a Ph.D., then pivoting in a life-changing move to the United States. She also talks about the importance of paying it forward as a mentor, how gene therapy can prevent diseases, gene editing at Intellia Therapeutics, debunking stigmas behind vaccines, revisiting the Rubik’s Cube, and joining a debate club!
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In today’s episode, Chad sits down with guest scientist, Dr. Tina Morris the executive director of the AAPS.
Tina has a distinguished career in the pharmaceutical industry including senior leadership roles at US Pharmacopia, Parenteral Drug Association, and the AAPS.
She helps us understand the importance of these industry organizations and how we can make a difference by getting involved. She brings real credibility as a scientist in her leadership roles as we hear about her experiences as a senior-level scientist at Ciphergen and Human Genome Sciences.
They also talk about highlights of science from 2020 and beyond...talking science as scientists do.
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In today’s episode, Chad sits down with guest Mike Mortimer, co-founder, and partner of London-based GHO Capital.
Mike has had a distinguished career in healthcare including senior leadership roles at Quintiles, board positions with numerous healthcare companies including BioAgilitx, and for the last six years with GHO Capitals. At Quintiles he was a part of the team that grew the company to be the dominant late-stage CRO in the industry and now at GHO Capital, his team directs funding to build the future of healthcare with a focus on European investments.
They chat about the business side of the pharmaceutical industry, his thoughts on Brexit, and biking over 2,000 miles!
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In today’s episode, Chad sits down with guest scientist Dr. Binodh DeSilva Lead, Discovery and Optimization at Bristol Myers Squibb. She has 25 years of experience within the pharmaceutical industry and has spent a significant amount of time at pharma giants, Amgen and BMS. Binodh has been highly involved in the pharmaceutical industry and more specifically in bioanalysis for much of her career.
Binodh and Chad discuss her career, how she made the leap from her home country of Sri Lanka to Kansas, and to a career on both coasts. They also talk about her industry leadership and the hobbies she has used to help fill her time during the quarantine.
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In today’s episode, Chad sits down with guest scientist and biomarker expert, Dr. Marianne Fjording (Scientific Officer, BioAgilytix). Marianne and Chad discuss her expertise in biomarkers and EU bioanalysis- including how Denmark became a scientific hub and what fit-for-purpose really means. They also dive into Marianne’s jump from pharma to CRO, a family trip gone wrong, and how she ended up with over 100 varieties of tomatoes during the COVID quarantine.
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Welcome to episode one of the Molecular Moments podcast!
On this first episode, Dr. Chad Briscoe is joined by his guest, PhD scientist, Dr. Jim McNally, and they get down to business as the two explore the various nuances in the outstanding work of McNally, how his career in bioanalysis became personal in an unexpected way, and what type of gene therapy it would take to create the next Superman or Hulk!
They also discuss: How bioanalysis has evolved within the gene therapy space and how it has the ability to treat patients who are suffering from cancer or diseases Dr. McNally’s passion and curiosity for immunogenicity Unraveling immunogenetic data for drug development Developing drugs for gene therapy and problem-solving as a program lead Whether gene therapy realistically has the potential to create superheroes How Dr. McNally’s mentors, like Dr. Boris Gorovitz, while at Pfizer, helped him grow to become a better scientist. And why he thinks it’s important for him to mentor other scientists. His son’s Crohn's disease diagnosis and balancing being both a father and bioanalytical scientist while seeing first-hand the benefits of biotherapies. And Dr. McNally’s passion for…celery!
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