The Big4Bio Podcast: Recent Episodes
Big4Bio
The Big4Bio Podcast shares podcasts that give insight and information about/from leaders and organizations within the biotech and life science industry’s “Big 4” regions: Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, Philadelphia and also about BioWeekSF/JPM Week. Check out our Playlists to hear podcasts by region.
Trial design, recruitment, and supply chains represent pain points that routinely derail timelines and budgets for sponsors. There are, however, ways that emerging biotechs can get more speed, rigor, and strategic value from their relationships with clinical contract research organizations. REV Clinical uses rigorous upfront feasibility, pre qualified high performing sites, and real time data oversight to enable faster study start up without sacrificing quality. Fairooz Kabbinavar, Chief Medical Officer at REV Clinical, offers advice on where lean biotechs should never cut corners, how to spot red flags in prospective CRO partners, and why “follow the science” remains the best operating principle when capital is scarce but expectations from regulators and investors keep rising.
Advances in sequencing, the emergence of antisense oligonucleotide therapies, and the advent of induced pluripotent stem cell technology are among the combination of factors that have made bespoke medicines for individual patients scientifically feasible. In the case of ultra-rare, genetic diseases, a child may face a progressive, life-threatening condition with no available treatments. As we continue our series on discovery with Charles River Laboratories, we take a look at how the organization partnered with global collaborators and a patient’s family to design, screen, and advance a highly selective antisense oligonucleotide therapy targeting a pathogenic allele underlying a child’s ultra-rare epileptic encephalopathy. We spoke to Charles River Lab’s Associate Research Leader Blanca Torroba and Group Leader of Neuropharmacology Johanna Uhari Väänänen about how they moved from concept to a candidate for a custom ASO therapy, steps they took to accelerate the process, and the challenges of advancing N of 1 medicines to an IND.nbRb
Immunogenicity testing helps establish the safety of experimental therapies by ensuring drugs don’t trigger a potentially dangerous immune response. While regulators had long relied on a fixed, three-tier immunogenicity testing model, the industry is now shifting to a flexible, risk-based approach that continues to meet regulatory requirements and ensure patient safety. We spoke to Katie Sime, principal research scientist at Charles River Laboratories, about when reduced-tier approaches make sense, what regulators want to see; and why adaptive strategies can particularly benefit resource-constrained biotechs by balancing scientific rigor, patient safety, and budget constraints.
At Charles River Laboratories, scientific advisors and study directors have complementary roles in nonclinical drug development. Scientific advisors bring years of scientific and regulatory experience to program-level strategy, while study directors act as operational captains who execute individual studies under good laboratory practice. Close collaboration between the two plays a critical role in helping clients build coherent, IND-enabling safety packages. We spoke to Pramila Singh, senior principal scientific advisor at Charles River Laboratories, about how scientific advisor–study director collaborations are crucial for creating robust, regulatory-ready study designs, how they help prevent costly errors, and how they can accelerate development timelines.
Biologic drug development increasingly relies on sensitive, human relevant platforms capable of detecting both intended and unintended target engagement well before first in human studies. Charles River Laboratories is leveraging its Retrogenix cell microarray platform alongside traditional tissue cross-reactivity studies to gain a more comprehensive view of target and off-target biology. We spoke with Charles River Labs Associate Director of Advanced Modalities Mark Aspinall O’Dea and Charles River Labs Senior Scientific Director James Raymond, about how combining these two approaches helps sponsors select better leads, design safer studies, and meet regulatory expectations for complex modalities.
The journey from discovery to IND is rarely linear. It demands rigorous target validation, continuous regulatory engagement, and the use of translationally relevant models to effectively de risk programs before they advance. In this installment of Big4Bio’s ongoing series with Charles River Laboratories, we look at how the company’s One Step approach guides sponsors from discovery concept to IND-ready clinical candidate. We spoke to Manu Kohli, principal scientific advisor for Charles River Labs, about how the company’s integrated development model works, the benefits of having an end-to-end drug development solution under one roof, and how this approach helps deliver submission-ready assets on time and on budget.
Drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, often referred to as DMPK, is not just a box to check on the way to advancing an experimental therapy into the clinic. In reality, it is an essential part of determining whether a program can result in a safe, effective, and commercially viable medicine. We spoke to Michael Templin, director of scientific advisory services at Charles River Laboratories, about how a thoughtful DMPK strategy can identify liabilities early, how emerging tools like AI-driven prediction and organoid systems are reshaping the DMPK toolkit, and its role in influencing business decisions such as program prioritization and competitive differentiation.
As the biotech industry shows renewed strength with rising stock prices and growing deal values, thousands of biotech industry leaders, investors, and innovators will gather in San Francisco in January for the annual Biotech Showcase. The event, which runs concurrently with the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, has become an essential gathering place for emerging companies seeking visibility, funding, and deals. In addition to a packed agenda over three days, the conference will host 7,000 meetings between biotech companies and potential investors and partners. We spoke to Sara Demy, founder and CEO of Demy-Colton — which co-produces the Biotech Showcase with the EBD Group — about what’s in store at this year’s event, the large number of partnering meetings that are scheduled, and what participants can do to get the most out of the conference.
Charles River Laboratories is leveraging its deep discovery sciences expertise with advanced computational tools to accelerate drug development, improve safety, and reduce animal use. In this episode of our continuing series on discovery sciences with Charles River Labs, we explore the company’s use of the Logica AI platform and virtual control groups. We spoke to Charles River Labs Senior Science Director Alison Jones and Director of Digital Product Management, Discovery, and Safety Assessment Laura Lotfi, about how AI is accelerating the discovery process, how data is a differentiator, and the enduring role of human scientific judgment in therapeutic innovation.
Organoids¬—miniaturized, three-dimensional, lab-grown, tissue cultures that mimic organs¬—can be used to improve drug discovery and safety testing by providing more predictive human biology models than traditional 2D cultures or animal testing. In this episode in our continuing series on discovery sciences with Charles River Laboratories, we explore the use organoids as powerful tools within the arsenal of New Approach Methodologies. We spoke to Charles River Labs Senior Research Leader Ludovico Buti, and Charles River Labs Chief Technology Officer for Discovery David Fischer, about the use of organoids, how Charles River is integrating these powerful tools into its work, and their potential to transform early discovery.
As we continue our Big4Bio occasional series on discovery and safety assessment with Charles River Labs, we explore new approach methodologies, or NAMs, and their integration with antibody discovery and development. We spoke to Charles River Laboratories’ Senior Principal Scientific Advisor Sarah Gould and Charles River Laboratories’ Scientific Business Director Omar Aziz about the evolving landscape of predictive toxicology, regulatory efforts to advance alternatives to animal testing, and the role of collaboration and strategy in accelerating therapeutic programs from concept to the clinic.
California research institutes, universities, and biopharmaceutical companies are a critical source of innovation, contributing to the development of approximately a quarter of new drugs that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved last year. But despite the breakthroughs, more mundane issues of tariffs, drug pricing, and access to funding continue to weigh on leaders within the sector. We spoke to Tim Scott, president and CEO of Biocom California, about the current state of the biotech industry, a surge in mergers and acquisitions driven by the looming patent cliff, and what Biocom is doing to support companies through partnerships, advocacy, and policy reform.
Discovery is a complex and high-risk process in drug development, as researchers strive to identify and advance promising therapeutic candidates. It requires scientific prowess, advanced technologies, and strategic vision to navigate through potential obstacles with agility. With this episode, Big4Bio is kicking off an occasional series on discovery sciences with Charles River Labs, which, over the past five years, has contributed to more than 80 percent of novel FDA-approved drugs. We spoke with Charles River Labs' chief scientific officer of discovery Justin Bryans, and Charles River Labs' vice president and chief scientific officer for discovery and safety assessments, Steve Bulera, about the challenges of drug discovery, why every moment matters, and the benefits of the collaborative approach Charles River takes in working with its partners.
With government funding cuts to research in the United States and an uncertain and erratic policy environment, stability is emerging as a strength Europe is seeking to leverage to attract scientific investment and talent. As the industry readies to gather in Vienna for Bio-Europe 2025, we spoke to Director of the European Portfolio for EBD Group Claire Macht and BioXconomy Partnering and Investment Editor Millie Nelson, about the state of the European biotech industry, the landscape for finance and dealmaking, and what to expect when 5,700 investors and biotech executives gather for 30,000 meetings Vienna.
The IPO market remains unwelcoming to biotechs and venture investors are reticent to back younger companies. In the absence of reliable funding sources, many biotechs are trying to advance their most promising programs while keeping their operations lean until they can get to a fundable milestone. We spoke to Kevin Sarney, Life Sciences Practice Leader for Charles River CFO, about the current uncertainty biotechs face, the need for capital efficiency, and how companies can best prepare for future opportunities.
In 2022, Charles River Laboratories acquired the vivarium operation services provider Explora BioLabs. The acquisition both complemented and expanded the operations of CRADL (Charles River Accelerator and Development Lab), which is part of Charles River’s Insourcing Solutions business. Now, three years later, the company has built a consistent brand, set of services, and unified offering across its North American locations based on the best of both companies. And, Explora BioLabs clients now have direct access to Charles River’s other products and services. We spoke to Charlie Cook, Senior Director of Operations for Charles River Labs, and Julie Freebersyser, Executive Director NA Insourcing Solutions for Charles River Labs, about the merger, the benefits it has brought, and the greater flexibility it provides its clients.
Biotech companies are more prone than most to shareholder lawsuits because single events can often cause sharp and sudden price drops in their shares. While they buy insurance to protect their officers and directors from financial exposure, companies often do poorly to understand their actual risks. C3 Risk & Insurance Services has created “The Answer,” a proprietary database of 13,000 shareholder suits with 80 data points around each to guide companies in their coverage decisions. We spoke to Mike Milligan, managing director at C3 Risk & Insurance Services, about its shareholder lawsuit database, the insights it provides, and why who owns a stock is a much better indicator of a company’s risk of being sued than the size of a price drop.
With the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference on the horizon, biotech CEOs are wondering whether the new year will bring a more welcoming IPO market. But Gregg Beloff, co-founder and managing director of Danforth Advisors, said rather than focus on an IPO, companies should prepare themselves to capitalize on a range of financing options that may present themselves. We spoke to Beloff about what CEOs should do now to get their companies positioned for different financing options, how they can de-risk themselves, and the things it is never too early to do so they can capitalize on opportunities when they arise.
The recently released update to the International Council for Harmonisation M12 guidelines provides a consistent approach to drug-drug interaction studies across different regulatory agencies. The new guidelines replace regional and local ones and set a global standard for addressing drug-drug interactions. We spoke to Michael Templin, Senior Principal Scientific Advisor for Charles River Laboratories; and Marko Andric, Senior Business Development Director, Late Discovery, for Charles River Laboratories; about the new guidelines, changes drug developers will need to make in their approach to pre-clinical development, and the tools and technologies that might help them comply. A related webinar on the guidelines can be found at www2.criver.com/l/60962/2024-11-05/n5wj6y
Partnering has long been a critical engine to drive companies’ success in the life sciences. In the current difficult financing environment, executives and business development leaders need to take advantage of opportunities to meet with organizations around the world to ensure they have the capital, resources, and expertise they need to achieve their goals. We spoke to Patrik Frei, CEO and founder of Venture Valuation, about the role partnering plays in the life sciences, The Pre-JPM Partnering Week that will run virtually December 2 through 6, and how companies can best position themselves for a productive JPM Week.
Ultra-rare neurological diseases are often without any treatment options. Even if a biopharmaceutical company decided to pursue one of these conditions, it’s unlikely that a child already diagnosed would be able to get treatment in time to prevent irreversible damage. Charles River Laboratories has embarked on a three-pronged strategy to work with families of children with these conditions to rapidly develop customized therapies. This involves the simultaneous pursuit of drug repurposing, antisense oligonucleotides, and gene therapies customized to individual patients. The company is using induced pluripotent stem cells to create differentiated cells with a patient’s genetics to study the disease and screen treatments. We spoke to Roxana Redis, Associate Science Director of Advanced Modalities for Charles River Laboratories, about the potential to rapidly develop so-called N-of-1 therapies, how Charles River does this, and why its pursuit of multiple modalities at once is designed to meet the urgency of these patients.
One of the challenges for drug discovery for new therapies to treat neurological conditions has been the need for better models of the various cells within the human brain and the interaction between different cell types. Charles River Laboratories, through a partnership with Bit Bio, has been able to access a consistent and scalable supply of a variety of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived human brain cells that have enabled the development of multi-cell cultures that can model various neurological diseases. We spoke to Malika Bsibsi, research leader at Charles River Laboratories International, about the challenges of developing treatments for neurological diseases, the limitations of animal models and single cell type cultures, and how this new approach promises to improve drug discovery in what has been a difficult area for therapeutic developers.
The emergence of TechBio takes center stage at this year’s BioFuture conference, which will be held in New York City, one of the emerging centers of this new breed of companies. The conference will explore the transformative forces from AI to digital medicine that are reshaping healthcare. The conference, which will be held October 28 to 30, brings together innovators and investors to exchange ideas, discuss trends, and do business. We spoke to event organizer Sara Demy, co-founder and CEO of Demy-Colton, about BioFuture, how innovative technologies are transforming the healthcare landscape, and why it is unlike other biotech conferences.
AI is increasingly being integrated into the drug discovery process and promises to not only increase efficiency, but expand the chemical space for drug developers to explore. Even though it is still early days for the technology, it is already demonstrating its ability to be a powerful tool across a broad set of applications from testing molecules in silico to designing new molecular entities. We spoke to David Clark, Senior Research Leader in UK Small Molecule Drug Discovery at Charles River Laboratories, about the potential to harness the predictive powers of AI to improve drug discovery, how generative AI can get us to better drugs faster and cheaper, and how this technology is reshaping the drug discovery process.
For drug developers, hit identification is a critical part of the discovery of new medicines, but the proliferation of therapeutic modalities, new biological targets, and screening technologies has meant that there’s not a one-size-fits-all strategy for drug developers to pursue. We spoke to Rob Howes, Head of Discovery Sciences UK for Charles Rivers Labs, about the need for pairing the right hit Identification strategy to a target, how hit identification is gaining importance as funding activity picks up and biopharmaceuticals turn their attention to rebuilding their early-stage pipelines, and why compelling hit identification data can attract fresh capital to a drug developer.
One of the reasons that drug development is so expensive and time consuming is the cost of clinical trial failures. A critical means of accelerating drug development and reducing its cost lies in identifying candidates during preclinical development that have risks that outweigh their benefits and eliminating them from the pipeline before they advance to the clinic. We spoke to Sarah Gould, Director and Senior Principal Scientific Advisor for Charles River Labs, about the types of risks that can be detected through preclinical testing, strategies that can be used to de-risk programs, and why doing so in the current environment can take on growing importance for companies seeking funding or licensing agreements.
Cryo electron microscopy, or Cryo-EM, enables high-resolution screening for small-molecules or biological ligands, particularly for targets that are challenging to crystallize. One area that technology is proving to be a valuable tool for is the development of lipid nanoparticles, which have emerged as important vectors for mRNA and other genetic medicines. Cryo-EM can be used to analyze the size, shape, payload characteristics and other aspects of LNPs. We spoke Tim O’Bryan, director of discovery partnerships and commercial integration for Charles River Labs; and Karl Bertram, co-founder and managing director for ATEM Structural Discovery; about ATEM’s Cryo-EM technology, its incorporation of machine learning, and how it fits in with Charles Rivers’ broader drug discovery offerings.
Despite significant advancements, the field of Synthetic Biology has yet to fully deliver on its promise of a world where we can overcome the challenges we face in human health and the environment by programming biology. Elegen has developed innovative, cell-free technologies that allow it to synthesize DNA with unprecedented speed, length, and quality. We spoke to Matt Hill, founder and CEO of Elegen, about Elegen’s ENFINIA DNA technology, the need it addresses, and how it has disrupted the status quo for DNA synthesis.
Biomarkers can provide insights into experimental therapies, identify patients who are likely to benefit from them, and improve chances for clinical success. Charles River Laboratories offers a range of early biomarker discovery services, leveraging the expertise of its scientists to identify biomarkers in the early stages of drug development programs. We spoke to Stefan Kostense, director of biology at Charles River Laboratories, about the benefits of conducting biomarker discovery early in the drug development process, how it can drive development decisions in the preclinical phase and beyond, and how it benefits patients.
Earlier this year, Charles River Laboratories acquired SAMDI Tech, a provider of proprietary mass spectrometry technology that enables label-free, high-throughput screening for drug discovery. The technology cuts cost and accelerates the time it takes to identify a lead drug candidate, enabling drug developers to make critical go-no-go decisions earlier. We spoke to Zack Gurard-Levin, science director in discovery for Charles River Laboratories about the advantages SAMDI’s mass spectrometry offers over alternative technologies, how it enables the study of a broad range of modalities, and how it fits into a comprehensive set of Charles River offerings.
Chief Financial Officers in the biotech industry operate in a complex and ever-changing financial landscape. In addition to being charged with traditional financial duties, they must navigate regulatory uncertainties, manage risks, and adjust to evolving market dynamics. We spoke to Kevin Sarney, Life Sciences Practice Leader for Charles River CFO, about the current financial environment for biotech companies seeking to raise money, how CRCFO works with biotech clients, and how the use of an outsourced CFO can allow younger biotechs to cost-effectively tap deep industry experience.
The high cost of drug development is linked to the high rate of therapies that fail in the clinic. Safety concern relating to the ability for an experimental therapy to bind to more than a target of interest is one major reason drugs fail in development. Charles River Labs is working with its clients to detect off-target binding early in the drug development process using its Retrogenix platform, cell microarray technology that can identify potential safety problems of an experimental therapy (https://www2.criver.com/l/60962/2024-01-31/n4wrxz). We spoke to Mark Aspinall-O’Dea, associate director of U.K. advanced modalities for Charles River Labs, about the risks of off-target binding, how its Retrogenix platform technology works to detect potential problems, and its ability to work across therapeutic modalities.
Lateral flow diagnostics, those rapid tests that can be performed virtually anywhere without the need for specialized skills or equipment, have been an area of growth and innovation. The Advanced Lateral Flow Conference 2024 will bring together professionals who develop, manufacture, and commercialize these diagnostics February 13 and 14 in San Diego to learn from each other, network, and provide visibility into the future of the industry. We spoke to Giles Hamilton, investor and advisor to life sciences companies and Mitzi Rettinger, chief revenue officer for DCN Dx, about the evolution of the diagnostics industry, what’s ahead at the ALFC 2024 conference.
Drug developers face great pressures to complete clinical trials on time and on budget, but challenges like patient recruitment, patient retention, and site selection can cause unexpected delays with significant economic consequences. This is particularly true in the area of rare disease drug development where patient populations are small and geographically dispersed. Arthur D. Little works with clinical trial sponsors to leverage technology and avoid these pitfalls. We spoke to Ben Enejo and Ben van der Schaaf, both partners in the life sciences practice of Arthur D. Little, about the challenges of rare disease drug development, how concerns about equity and diversity are adding to those challenges, and how the firm leverages technology to help its clients overcome the hurdles they face.
The Biotech Showcase has grown into an essential part of the start to the new year in biotech as investors and industry executives gather in San Francisco to meet each January. This year’s event offers a dazzling array of content and opportunities for interaction. We spoke to Tina Elder, Global General Manager, EBD Group, which co-produces the Biotech Showcase with Demy Colton, about what’s in store for this year’s Biotech Showcase, what people can expect, and what participants can do to get the most out of the conference.
For emerging biotechs, an experienced chief medical officer can provide invaluable guidance, but with limited resources many may feel they can’t afford to bring someone in-house full time. Danforth Advisors has assembled highly-qualified, industry-proven talent to help companies access specialized knowledge in a flexible way—on a part-time or project-basis—who can be scaled as needed. These professionals can be a critical asset as programs move from research into development. We spoke to Ramani Varanasi, managing director of development strategy and operations for Danforth Advisors, about the critical role a chief medical officer can play in helping early-stage companies advance to the clinic, how they can match the expertise of these executives to the individual needs of clients, and the important role they can play in building relationships with key opinion leaders and support deal-making through their understanding of due diligence requirements.
Conducting preclinical animal studies pose a number of challenges for biopharmaceutical companies including the need for costly vivarium space, having the necessary expertise, and ensuring regulatory compliance. Charles River Labs’ CRADL, the Charles River Accelerator and Development Lab, offers companies an alternative to building and staffing their own vivaria with state-of-the-art facilities located in major biotech centers. CRADL provides scalable and flexible solutions that can save young companies the need for substantial capital expenditures on space, equipment, and staff. We spoke to Julie Freebersyser, senior director of CRADL, about the company’s offerings, its expansion through its 2022 acquisition of Explora BioLabs, and how companies working with CRADL are able to leverage the greater expertise and services within Charles River.
Life Science Nation, which has created a global partnering platform that includes an investor and licensing partner database as well as an entrepreneurial education curriculum, helps startups prepare for their global roadshows. Each year, it holds five Redefining Early Stage Investments or RESI conferences to connect start-ups with early-stage investors and strategic channel partners. RESI is uniquely cross-border and cross-domain, connecting start-ups with global investors across drugs, devices, diagnostics, and digital health. RESI caters to the earliest-stage start-ups—those seeking grants, seed, and angel capital—and the early-stage firms seeking series A and B funding. We spoke to Dennis Ford, founder and CEO of Life Science Nation, about the critical role of partnering conferences in today’s financial environment, what entrepreneurs should look for to match the right events to their needs, and what they should do to ensure they get the most out of these events.
The financial pressures on biotechs these days are forcing companies to shelve programs, slash their burn rates, and cut employees. In addition to the challenges companies face keeping their teams motivated in the face of adversity, they may find the tight labor market is making it difficult find the talent they need. We spoke Ann Darda, managing director of the human resources consulting practice for Danforth Advisors, about the HR challenges biotech companies are facing today, how they can keep people focused when setback occur, and what it takes to build resilience into their corporate cultures.
The emergence of genetic medicines, the convergence of information technology and biotechnology, and the growing ubiquity of artificial intelligence represents some of the transformative forces reshaping healthcare in the years ahead. The BioFuture conference, which will be held in New York City October 4 through 6, brings together innovators and investors to exchange ideas, discuss trends, and do business. We spoke to event organizer Sara Demy, founder and CEO of Demy-Colton, about BioFuture, how innovative technologies are transforming healthcare, and why this is unlike other biotech conferences.
New York City, in addition to being a financial capital of the world, is also a major center for biotech. The New York/New Jersey region has long had the presence of top academic research institutions and a large number of top pharmaceutical companies, but it is also the top region for funding from the National Institutes of Health and third in terms of biotech jobs. We spoke to Nancy Kelley, president and CEO of Nancy J. Kelley and Associates and founding member of Builds Bio+, about the New York/New Jersey region for biotech, its strengths, and what’s ahead for the sector there.
The Capital Region, which includes Maryland/Virgina/and Washington, D.C., is home to the federal government, including the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The region is fourth largest in terms of biotech jobs and sixth in venture capital funding. We spoke to Ulyana Desiderio, director of life sciences for the Maryland Department of Commerce, about biotech in the Capital Region, the thriving ecosystem for the industry to grow, and what’s ahead for biotech there.
Seattle’s life sciences sector has long boasted top-tier research institutions like the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. The region ranks fourth in venture capital funding for biotech. The decision by Pfizer to acquire Seattle Genetics for $43 billion reflects the region’s ability to develop innovative companies that build value. We spoke to Luke Timmerman, founder and editor of The Timmerman Report, about the strengths of the Seattle biotech region, the ecosystem for industry to grow there, and the key challenges it faces.
The Los Angeles/Orange County region leads the nation in life sciences jobs. It’s sixth in venture capital, and seventh in National Institutes of Health Funding. As Big4Bio expands with a new edition to cover the life sciences community in the greater Los Angeles area, we spoke to David Whelan, CEO of BiosciencesLA about the strengths of the region, the vibrant ecosystem for industry to grow there, and the key challenges it faces.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the traditional clinical trial model and accelerated the adoption of decentralized clinical trials. Trial sponsors are embracing these new approaches as a way to improve recruitment and retention of patients, relieve the travel burden on participants, and remove geographic barriers to eligibility. The contract research organization Veristat is leveraging virtual trial tools and strategies to increase trial efficiencies and save sponsors time and costs. We spoke to Shaheen Limbada, executive vice president of innovation and strategy for Veristat, about the lessons its learned during the pandemic about conducting these studies, how technology is enabling new approaches to clinical trials, and how its forever changed how these studies are conducted
While the development of genetic therapies promises to revolutionize medicine, many challenges remain before this emerging area of therapeutics can be fully realized. Senda Biosciences is tapping into a world of naturally-existing nanoparticles to address these challenges. It is creating new classes of programmable medicines by performing deep molecular profiling and advanced analytics on an expansive world of natural nanoparticles and what it calls information molecules, such as mRNA. We spoke to Senda CEO Guillaume Pfefer and Senda Chief Platform Officer Stuart Milstein, about its platform technology, how it is building an atlas of natural nanoparticles, and how its work is leading to a pipeline of programmable medicines.
Despite a growing number of layoffs in the healthcare and life sciences sectors, the demand for C-Suite and senior executive talent remains high and companies are having to compete for key hires. They are finding that they need to do more than just pay up for talent to attract the employees they want. We spoke to Leslie Loveless, CEO of the executive search firm Slone Partners, about the current landscape for recruiting, how its pushing companies to look beyond traditional networks, and whether she expects any significant change to the supply or demand for talent in the year ahead.
Some of the biggest challenges executives of early-stage life sciences companies face is securing financing and forging their first licensing deals. Though they may possess deep scientific knowledge, finding the right investors and partners, and telling their story in a compelling way may require skills they have not yet developed. Life Science Nation works with entrepreneurs to tell their story, identify potential investors and partners, and connect with them. We spoke to Dennis Ford, founder and CEO of Life Science Nation, about the mistakes life sciences entrepreneurs make when they set out to raise money, what investors care about, and what steps they can take to best ensure their success.
As economic pressures weigh on the ability of life sciences companies to raise capital, there is pressure on them to do more with less. With investors growing more risk averse, companies are taking steps to cut expenses without jeopardizing the pace at which they can advances their work to the next financeable milestone. We spoke to Gregg Beloff, co-founder and managing director of Danforth Advisors, about the current financial environment for biotech companies, how they can extend their cash runways, and what steps they can take to better position themselves to fund their growth.
The pace of science is accelerating, but it can still take years to deploy lab and manufacturing space. This requires large upfront capital expenditures, long-term financial commitments, and often results in rigid facilities that are designed for a single purpose. SmartLabs enables life sciences companies to outsource their infrastructure and accelerate their timelines. Its new CleanSuites provides a solution to clinical manufacturing that delivers rapid access to FDA-compliant cGMP manufacturing space where companies can develop and own their own processes and move faster from the lab to the clinic. We spoke to Brian Taylor, executive vice president of biopharma solutions for SmartLabs, about the infrastructure challenges life sciences companies face today, SmartLabs CleanSuites, and how they bring speed and flexibility to therapeutic developers.
Biotech investors and executives are expected to flock to San Francisco for a set of annual conferences in January. The Biotech Showcase has grown into a critical meeting to start the new year. With concerns about the pandemic receding, it is already attracting a large number of registrations. This year’s event offers a rich agenda and will include the Digital Medicine & Medtech Showcase the Asia Showcase, and the Seed Showcase. We spoke to Sara Demy, founder and CEO of Demy-Colton, which co-produces the Biotech Showcase with the EBD Group, about what’s in store at this year’s event, the large number of partnering meetings that are already scheduled, and what participants can do to get the most out of the conference.
Award-winning life sciences journalist and mountaineer Luke Timmerman is once again leading The Timmerman Traverse, a three-day, 23-mile hike across New Hampshire’s Presidential Traverse to raise money for the non-profit Life Science Cares. Timmerman has assembled a team of venture capitalists and life sciences executives to make the hike to raise money to support the organization’s efforts to combat poverty in cities that are home to major biotech clusters. We spoke to Timmerman about Life Science Cares, his past fundraising efforts, and why his team members walk away with more than just the satisfaction that comes from supporting a good cause. To donate to this year’s benefit, go to https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/TimmermanTraverse2022
Cellarity is transforming drug discovery by seeking to understand health and disease at a cellular level rather than looking for molecular targets for medicines. The company is harnessing a confluence of technologies to understand cellular changes that underlie disease and develop medicines that can restore them to healthy function. It now has programs in metabolic disease, hematology, immune-oncology and respiratory disease, a reflection of the broad applicability of its approach. We spoke to Fabrice Chouraqui, CEO of Cellarity, about the company’s to drug discovery, the technology it is harnessing, and why focusing on cells rather than molecular targets are a better way to discover drugs.
The Biotech Showcase has grown into a central part of the start to the new year in biotech as investors and industry executives gather in San Francisco to meet each January. This year’s event, which will be a hybrid live and virtual conference, offers a rich agenda and once again includes the China Showcase, the Seed Showcase, and the Digital Medicine & Medtech Showcase. We spoke to Sara Demy, founder and CEO of Demy-Colton, which co-produces the Biotech Showcase with the EBD Group, about what’s in store for this year’s event, what’s been learned from last year’s virtual event, and what participants can do to get the most out of the conference.
Many life sciences companies lack the internal expertise to ensure employees are safe, labs are compliant, and operations run smoothly. Safety Partners leverages the science backgrounds of its team to deliver environmental health and safety programs customized to meet the needs of its life sciences partners across Massachusetts and New York. We spoke to Jennifer Reilly, president and COO of Safety Partners, about how it works with life sciences companies to craft environmental health and safety programs, how the work has evolved over the firm’s 30-year history, and her own career trajectory from consultant to president of the women-owned firm.
As the ability to harness DNA extends well beyond medicine to agriculture and industry, the demand for synthetic DNA to drive the new bioeconomy is growing rapidly. The problem is that the traditional method of chemical synthesis of DNA hasn’t changed much since it was first developed about 30 years ago and presents limits on the length of oligonucleotides that can be created. Molecular Assemblies is developing an enzymatic DNA synthesis technology designed to power the next generation of DNA-based products. It says it approach can be used to write longer oligonucleotides that expand potential applications, provides higher quality output, and offers greater efficiency without toxic chemical byproducts. We spoke to Molecular Assemblies’ President and CEO Mike Kamdar and Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer Bill Efcavitch, about the company’s enzymatic synthesis of DNA, how it improves on current methods, and it plans for commercialization.
Respiratory syncytial virus is the leading cause of infant hospitalization in the United States and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in older adults. The virus causes more than 118,000 deaths per year and more than 3 million hospitalizations in children under the age of five. While many pharmaceutical companies have sought to develop a vaccine against RSV, it’s been an elusive target. Meissa Vaccines is developing a live attenuated RSV vaccine using its platform technology to replace viral genes that inhibit the immune response. The company is also advancing a vaccine for COVID-19 capitalizing on the same approach. We spoke to Marty Moore, founder and CEO of Meissa Vaccines, about its platform technology, how it works, and why its approach could provide significant benefits over existing COVID-19 vaccines.
Efforts to respond to the growing need for innovative medicines to combat multi-drug resistant bacterial infections have often centered on the search for novel antibiotics. Venatorx Pharmaceuticals, though, has taken a different tack. The company is developing combination therapies that marry a long-approved, broad-spectrum antibiotic with a second compound designed to inhibit the mechanism resistant bacteria use to counter it. We spoke to Christopher Burns, founder, president, and CEO of Venatorx, about the need for new means of combating multi-drug resistant microbes, the company’s combination therapies in development, and its success at advancing its pipeline with non-dilutive funding.
When the biotech industry gathers in San Francisco for the annual JPMorgan Healthcare Conference week in January, people will be closely watching dealmaking activity, who potential acquirers may be, and what targets they may hope to pick off in the year ahead. We spoke to Krist Werling, partner with the law firm McDermott Will & Emery, about the environment for life sciences dealmaking, who has the upper hand at the negotiating table these days, and what smaller companies should do to give themselves leverage.