But this year, something is changing. 

BIO-Europe has always been the destination for BD professionals and dealmakers. In 2026, it's expanding — broadening its scope to become what the organisers are calling the epicenter of biotech, with new content tracks covering regulatory strategy, clinical development, and manufacturing, new registration options, and a deliberate push to bring the entire biopharma C-suite into the BIO-Europe room.

·  01:39 BIO-Europe's 32nd edition: what has kept it relevant 

·  05:28 The "epicenter of biotech"

·  11:06 From three content tracks to seven 

·  13:31 Three new tracks: regulatory, clinical, and biomanufacturing 

·  15:45 The new content-only registration pass 

·  18:12 Why Cologne and what the city offers the event 

·  19:48 The social program at BIO-Europe

·  24:54 Where to register and find more information

This episode is presented with the support of the EBD Group. Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• How to succeed at BIO-Europe: DISCO Pharma takes us behind the scenes
• Meet Fusix Biotech: 2025 BIO-Europe Startup Spotlight champion revolutionizing oncology
• Lisbon is calling: the BIO-Europe Startup Spotlight returns in March 2026

With over 25 years of experience across AstraZeneca, Shire, Zealand Pharma, and
venture capital, Andy has led Step Pharma since 2019. The company is pioneering
a targeted approach to cancer and blood disorders by inhibiting the enzyme
CTPS1. Their lead candidate, dencatistat, blocks this pathway that certain
cancer cells and activated immune cells rely on, while sparing healthy cells
that use the related CTPS2 enzyme.

In this episode, we’ll dive into the science behind this mechanism, explore Step
Pharma’s expanding pipeline from lymphomas and solid tumours to essential
thrombocythaemia, and discuss their recent €38 million Series C financing.
We’ll also look ahead to the future of precision oncology.

• 01:17 Meet Andy Parker
• 06:12 The biotech ecosystem around Geneva
• 07:51 The CTPS1 enzyme and why cancer cells depend on it
• 14:08 Pipeline-in-a-product strategy across three indications
• 20:14 The series C: €38 million raise
• 25:41 Partnering with big pharma: possibilities and limits
• 28:11 The future of precision oncology and metabolic targeting

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Step Pharma and Concr to partner on cancer treatment
• Step Pharma moves into oncology clinical trials
• Step Pharma announces promising pre-clinical cancer data

Arvinas is pioneering a technology called PROTAC protein degradation. It's a platform that doesn't just block disease-causing proteins, but eliminates them entirely using the body's own disposal system to do it. It's a fundamental shift in how we think about drug design, and it's now reached a historic milestone: the first PROTAC ever to succeed in a Phase 3 clinical trial, with a regulatory filing now in front of the FDA.

• 01:19     Meet Randy Teel 
• 03:41     Stepping into the CEO role in February 2026 
• 13:17     What is a PROTAC and how it works 
• 17:37     Vepdegestrant and the first PROTAC approval 
• 23:43     Balancing partnerships versus keeping control of assets 
• 31:57     Key milestones to watch in the next 12–18 months

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• From undruggable to oral therapy: The rise of STAT6 degraders
• Big Pharma Strikes Megadeals In Targeted Protein Degradation
• This Biotech Destroys Cancer Proteins by Introducing Them to ‘Executioner’ Proteins

Our discussion focuses on a persistent challenge in drug development: neurology’s stubbornly high clinical failure rates. GemPharmatech is tackling this head-on with proprietary models for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and blood-brain barrier transport that better mirror human disease biology.

We explore why mouse models matter more in neurology than in other fields, the design principles behind these next-generation tools, and how smarter preclinical partnerships can help therapeutic developers de-risk programs earlier. 

• 00:00 Welcome Brandy Wilkinson and Rikki Feng
• 03:17 GemPharmatech's mission
• 06:26 Why mouse models matter in neurology
• 11:11 Common translation gaps in neurology
• 18:09 Designing proprietary neurological disease models
• 25:45 Building stronger CRO strategic partnerships
• 33:58 An optimistic future of neuroscience research

This episode was produced with the support of GemPharmatech. Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Neurological diseases R&D trends and breakthrough innovations
• Brain Awareness Week: could ongoing R&D spur neuroscience breakthroughs?
• 11 neuroscience biotech companies you should know about

My guest is Werner Lanthaler, Founder and CEO of WLAN Holding. Werner spent 15 years as CEO of Evotec SE, scaling the company from 200 employees and €40 million revenue to over 5,000 staff and €800 million. He previously served as CFO of Intercell AG, overseeing its IPO and vaccine launch and today he leads investments and advisory in high-tech life sciences.

Werner explains why partnering events like BIO are critical to advancing science in biopharma. He shares practical advice on how biotechs can prepare before the event, succeed on site, and follow up to turn meetings into partnerships. He offers clear, actionable strategies to optimize your BIO experience.

• 01:36              Meet Werner Lanthaler
• 06:48              The power of partnering
• 08:55              Uncovering unexpected value
• 13:43              Irreplaceable in-person trust
• 17:06              Smart pre-event planning
• 21:00              Strategic targeting
• 24:02              Relationship-first meetings
• 30:18              The importance of prompt, persistent follow-up

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Special Episode: The 2025 BIO International Convention
• The ABC of biotech partnerships
• How to optimize your biotech company for partnering, licensing, and business success

Our guest is Olivier Roux, a Senior Director at Curia. He shares how Curia partners with both startups and big pharma to simplify steroid API challenges, solve supply issues, and prepare for next-generation innovations. If you want to understand what it really takes to bring these life-changing therapies to patients, stay tuned — this conversation is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.

• 01:39 Meet Olivier Roux
• 02:20 What corticosteroids and hormonal therapies are
• 04:40 Evolution of steroidal hormonal therapies
• 05:50 Common uses of corticosteroids today
• 07:40 Key drivers of market growth
• 10:06 Curia’s agile outsourcing solutions for steroids
• 16:05 Importance of particle size control for steroids
• 17:18 Aseptic processing and high potency handling

This episode was produced with the support of Curia. Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Eight rare autoimmune diseases biotechs are fighting to treat
• A clearer path to relief: sinusitis treatments on the way
• Asthma study suggests lung scarring may be reversible 

Today I’m delighted to welcome back a very special guest: Joachim Eeckhout, the co-founder of Labiotech, co-owner of Knowbio, and founder of The Science Marketer.

Joachim tells the Labiotech story, one of vision, persistence, and a deep belief that the European life-sciences sector deserved better storytelling. We go back to the very beginning with someone who was there: the frustrations, a bike tour of France that became legendary, the leap to Berlin, the fundraising rounds, the acquisition, and the launch of this very podcast.

We’ll also hear where Joachim is today with his new ventures, his candid take on the current biotech media landscape in Europe, and what he sees coming next for science communication and media in our industry.

• 01:30: Meet Joachim Eeckhout
• 02:19: Early attraction to media creation
• 04:32: Founding story of Labiotech platform
• 06:35: Bike tour visiting biotech CEOs
• 11:21: Identifying larger European market opportunity
• 19:55: Raising seed funding for growth
• 24:20: Acquisition by Inpart in 2021
• 30:48: Current work with Knowbio
• 38:57: Future plans for Knowbio and biotech media

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Connecting the R&D ecosystem: 150 days into the integration of Inova, IN-PART and Labiotech
• We raised our second financing round to become the largest biotech media 🚀
• How you can get involved in helping the industry–academia community solve global challenges

With World MS Day being tomorrow, the 30th of May, this is the perfect moment to focus on multiple sclerosis — a disease that affects nearly three million people worldwide and still leaves many patients searching for better options.

In today’s episode Daniel shares his own journey into biotechnology, walk us through what life with MS really looks like for patients, and explain the science behind Immunic’s most advanced program, IMU-838. We discuss what makes Immunic’s oral therapy different from today’s treatments, uncover the latest data from the CALLIPER and ENSURE trials, and talk about what the future of MS care could look like.

• 01:22 Meet Daniel Vitt
• 04:54 Understanding multiple sclerosis
• 07:53 Evolution of the MS treatment landscape
• 12:08 Immunic’s lead MS therapy explained
• 22:57 World MS Day and what's next for Immunic

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• 11 neuroscience biotech companies you should know about
• The emergence of BTK inhibitors in multiple sclerosis treatment: Companies close in on approval
• Six biotech companies advancing multiple sclerosis therapies

00:55: The challenges of liver disease

04:44: How Lexogen supports NGS drug discovery

07:29: Major transcriptomics developments

10:05: Designing high quality AI data

15:47: How the Ochre-Lexogen partnership began

17:17: Why a specialist partner is essential for scale

18:21: Lexogen delivers on the massive sequencing project

21:50: Why high quality data is crucial

27:02: Lexogen's role in AI discovery

34:51: Future plans and directions

This episode was produced with the support of Lexogen. Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Deep phenotyping brings accuracy to precision medicine
• Spatial Transcriptomics: A window into disease
• Spatial Transcriptomics Landscape Shifts With Two Major Acquisitions

My guest today is Dominic Clarke, Vice President of Technical Operations for IntegriCell at Cryoport Systems. Dominic has spent years in the trenches building and scaling cell therapy processes from early development through commercialization. So, he's seen where things break and what actually works. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dominic Clark.

• 01:07    Meet Dominic Clarke and Cryoport Systems
• 06:24   Fresh cells versus frozen cells
• 08:21    Why teams switch to cryopreservation late
• 12:37    The challenge of variability
• 16:47    IntegriCell when you already have a process in place
• 22:17    An argument for cryopreservation based on data
• 25:56   The future of IntegriCell and Cryoport Systems

This episode is brought to you with the support of Cryoport Systems.

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• IntegriCell® Cryopreservation
• Cryoport Systems on the state of the ATMP market and the importance of supply chain resilience
• Cracking the code: Delivering biotherapeutics successfully across EMEA

We'll explore the frustrations of fragmented lab tools that inspired Lab Thread's integrated digital solution—combining ELN, LIMS, molecular biology, and collaboration in one seamless platform. We’ll uncover how it boosts reproducibility, ensures compliance, and frees scientists for innovation, with accessible pricing for academics and biotechs.

I hope you enjoy Ryan’s insights on evolving digital workflows and accelerating breakthroughs in the lab.

01:51: Meet Ryan Cawood

02:31: Frustrations with early digital tools.

03:19: Daily lab organization challenges.

06:50: Time lost to admin tasks.

11:09: Genesis of the Lab Thread concept.

13:53: Integrated workflow functionality explained.

17:23: Enhancing experiment reproducibility methods.

20:37: Achieving compliance standards easily.

26:10: The future of digital lab management.

28:33: Accelerating scientific breakthroughs.

This episode is brought to you with the support of Lab Thread.

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Lab Thread - Your Lab, Connected
• Hiding in plain sight: how to solve bioscience’s software problem
• Lab chaos and digital dreams

Epicrispr is an epigenetic editing company, leveraging the power of CRISPR without cutting DNA. The company’s proprietary Gene Expression Modulation System (GEMS) includes the smallest Cas protein known to work in human cells, enabling in vivo or ex vivo delivery via a single viral vector. 

In this episode we discuss epigenetic editing, why it’s reversible, and how it can treat FSHD and other conditions. 

• 01:43 Meet Stanley Qi
• 03:32 Founding Epicrispr
• 05:53 CRISPR interference and epigenome explained
• 10:04 Overview of GEMS gene modulation system
• 11:28 Reversibility and safety of epigenetic edits
• 18:42 Strategy for tackling multiple disease conditions
• 23:27 Clinical trial plans for EPI-321 candidate
• 30:06 Looking forward

This episode is brought to you with the support of MedChemExpress.

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Could CRISPR really cure these diseases?
• 10 gene therapy companies you should know about
• CRISPR technology’s next wave: Ten companies to watch

A trained vascular biologist, Patrick’s career spans groundbreaking work at Pfizer, Acceleron, Pliant Therapeutics, and earlier companies, where he focused on TGF-β superfamily signaling and receptor pathways that keep blood vessels healthy. Now at Diagonal, he’s leading a bold mission: developing clustering antibodies that correct the root cause of serious genetic vasculopathies, rather than just managing symptoms.

In this episode, Patrick walks us through his personal journey into science, the company’s DIAGONAL platform, and their lead program DIAG723, which recently received Orphan Drug Designation for the rare disease HHT, and is advancing toward the clinic. We also discuss Diagonal’s oversubscribed $125 million Series B financing that closed in January 2026, and what clustering antibodies could mean for patients with HHT, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and beyond.

• 01:33 Meet Patrick Andre
• 08:01 Diagonal’s mission
• 11:39 What are clustering antibodies
• 16:05 Receptor clustering benefits for HHT and PAH
• 20:24 Preclinical data on preventing and reversing HHT pathology
• 22:39 The impact of the $125 Million Series B financing round

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Vaderis emerges from stealth to start HHT trial
• Pulmonary hypertension after Winrevair: where GSK’s $950M bet fits
• New treatment for pulmonary hypertension: what biotech holds in store?

Since raising €50 million in 2021, Argobio has co-founded and accelerated several companies from top European academic labs. Three of them—Enodia, Laigo Bio, and Elkedonia—have already closed seed rounds totaling more than €43 million, advancing novel platforms in targeted protein degradation, precision membrane protein degraders, and non-hallucinogenic neuroplasticity enhancers for depression. 

Thierry shares how Argobio reduces execution risk, embeds operational expertise, and turns promising science into investable companies that can compete worldwide. 

• 04:02 Blending pharmacology expertise with business
• 07:50 Vision behind starting Kurma Partners
• 12:53 Launching Argobio to address gaps in European biotech 
• 17:40 What makes the Argobio operational venture builder model unique
• 25:02 Criteria for selecting academic scientific breakthroughs
• 27:34 Changing dynamics of commercializing European research
• 35:30 Europe vs US biotech investment climates
• 37:47 Role of venture studios in Europe’s biotech future

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• M Ventures: pharma CVC and biotech innovation in 2026
• Inside Flagship Pioneering's strategy: How this VC turns ideas into biotech giants
• Venture capital co-creation: The next big thing in biotech investment?

Our guest is Parashar Dhapola, co-founder and CEO of Nygen Analytics, a Lund-based startup spun out from Sweden's vibrant single-cell genomics ecosystem. With a PhD in computational genomics from Lund University, Parashar has pioneered efficient algorithms for analyzing millions of cells, turning raw data into actionable insights for drug discovery.

Join us as we discuss where AI truly delivers in biopharma, the persistent gaps in exploratory data analytics, and the critical bottlenecks in single-cell annotation. In a world abounding in AI hype, Parashar helps us cut through the noise and point out paths to data driven success.

• 01:00 Meet Parashar Dhapola
• 05:45 AI in biopharma
• 09:29 AI automation vs. new capabilities
• 11:28 What makes single-cell omics data different
• 18:46 Risks of incorrect cell annotation
• 34:37 Future of single-cell analytics

This episode is produced with the support of Nygen Analytics. Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• CyteType - AI powered cell type annotation
• Behind the Cure51 deal: Is NVIDIA becoming biotech’s AI infrastructure?
• The past, present, and future of genome sequencing

With a background that includes leading Forge Biologics through its $620 million acquisition, Magdalena is now steering Nionyx toward a bold new chapter in gene therapy for kidney disease. In this episode we explore her journey into biotech, the science behind Nionyx’s proprietary AAV capsid platform and Kidney Atlas, what it took to win the Startup Spotlight, and what the victory means for the young company’s future.

·  01:25 – Meet Magdalena Tyrpien

·  07:10 – The Nionyx mission

·  15:29 – The 2026 BIO-Europe Spring Startup Spotlight

·  22:23 – Looking forward and future milestones

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Lisbon is calling: the BIO-Europe Startup Spotlight returns in March 2026
• BIO-Europe Spring 2026: partnership event brings funding hope to biotechs
• BIO-Europe partnering: Australian biotech companies share their experiences

HaemaLogiX is taking a precision approach by targeting novel antigens that are expressed exclusively on malignant plasma cells, sparing healthy ones. Recent peer-reviewed research has validated KMA and LMA as high-value targets, reinforcing the company's unique positioning in the field.

Rosanne shares her journey from antibody engineering to building HaemaLogiX, the science behind their differentiated targets, the latest clinical and preclinical progress, and her perspectives on the future of immunotherapy for blood cancers as the company gears up for key milestones, including a planned IPO later this year.

• 01:15 Meet Rosanne Dunn
• 07:52 HaemalogiX's mission and novel antigens
• 09:53 Overview of multiple myeloma and its symptoms
• 12:19 Targeting malignant plasma cells while sparing normal ones
• 19:25 Recent Peer-Reviewed Research
• 26:08 Synergy with IMiDs like Revlimid
• 29:08 Potential patient impact and quality of life
• 35:05 Planned IPO in 2026 and funding needs

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• 5 cancers that immunotherapy can cure
• BIO-Europe partnering: Australian biotech companies share their experiences
• How are R&D Tax Incentives shaping Australia’s biotech future?

Leyden Labs is pioneering a revolutionary non-vaccine approach to combat respiratory viruses like influenza and coronaviruses. Recently, they published groundbreaking data in Science Translational Medicine, demonstrating that their intranasal antibody spray is safe, well-tolerated, and delivers sustained protection right at the virus's entry point: the nose. This innovation addresses the shortcomings of traditional flu vaccines, which average just 13% effectiveness against infection and provide even less for vulnerable groups like the elderly and immunocompromised.

We'll dive into the science, the company's journey since its 2020 founding, and their recent €50 million European funding boost amid U.S. biotech challenges.

01:33: Meet Koenraad Wiedhaup

03:13: Meet Clarissa Koch

04:16: Leyden Labs' origin story

06:21: Mucosal protection platform explained

08:57: Complementing existing vaccines

11:47: Science of mucosal immunity

13:24: PanFlu lead candidate overview

16:42: Key findings from recent publication

22:02: Funding and future preparedness

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Seven biotech companies to know in the Netherlands
• The Netherlands’ biotech scene: The country sets its sights on becoming a global leader by 2040 
• Influenza solution deals pile up as pandemic preparedness increases 

In this episode, Janita shares practical guidance for biotech leaders on timing partnerships with larger pharma companies, planning for commercialization from the start, balancing optimistic fundraising with realistic deal projections, and avoiding common legal pitfalls in M&A. We'll also look ahead to emerging trends in the sector and talk through the best way to structure a company for tax effective partnering and licensing.

01:29: Meet Janita Good

04:42: Fieldfisher's life sciences focus

07:20: Fieldfisher’s differentiated approach

09:41: Timing early partnering discussions

17:26: Structuring for efficient deals

21:36: Planning commercialization from start

25:22: Key early legal considerations

30:00: Balancing fundraising and realism

36:25: Optimism in the biotech industry

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• How biotech startups become unicorns
• The ABC of biotech startup funding
• Biotech’s legal storm: Why securities class action lawsuits are surging

We’ll dive into Kainova’s innovative GPCR-modulating platform, its promising pipeline, the science behind reversing tumor immunosuppression and targeting inflammation, and the reasons behind the recent rebrand from Domain Therapeutics to Kainova Therapeutics.

We’ll also be taking a look at the broader oncology landscape—what’s hot, who’s investing big, and where the biggest opportunities and challenges lie.

01:09 – Meet Sean Macdonald

05:40 – Kainova's GPCR platform and therapeutic focus

08:57 – The story and meaning behind the Kainova rebrand

10:25 – Series B funding and pipeline programs

16:43 – Exciting trends and innovations in oncology

29:17 – Upcoming milestones and future plans

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• GPCR therapies: Eight promising biotechs hacking the cell signaling pathway
• Episode 182: Building a smart oncology pipeline with Cumulus Oncology
• Episode 34: eClinical Solutions, GPCR Therapeutics, Orbsen Therapeutics

In this episode, Sergey warns about the rising danger of misinformation disguised as health advice—where influencers and hype outpace evidence-based science. I hope you enjoy our discussion as we unpack this public health challenge and explore solutions for a more credible biotech landscape.

• 01:22           Meet Sergey Jakimov
• 06:14           Developing a longevity focus
• 10:47           A typical day at LongeVC
• 13:26           The LongeVC portfolio
• 17:28           Misinformation as health crisis
• 26:04           The harm of bad advice
• 33:16           The impact on biotech industry funding
• 36:18           Strategies for addressing misinformation
• 42:17           Optimism about trends in longevity

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• 13 anti-aging startups on a mission to extend lives
• Turning back time with cellular reprogramming: Shift raises $16 million in seed funding
• Are European biotech VCs under pressure to scale? Time to get pragmatic 

In today’s episode we discuss his vision for making antisense oligonucleotides (or ASOs) and gene editing more modular, more scalable, and faster by collaborating with regulators, scientists, and patient groups to bring hope to those with rare neuromuscular and genetic conditions.

With rare disease day coming up just next week, I hope you enjoy the insights that Professor Wood shares on the future of the fight against rare disease.

01:23 – Meet Matthew Wood

07:26 – The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre

10:33 – Collaborations, philanthropy, and industry partnerships

13:55 – Key challenges in rare disease therapy development

20:00 – Modular and scalable platforms for ASOs

28:08 – Scaling gene editing like CRISPR for rare diseases

32:38 – Role of AI and computational tools in acceleration

37:28 – Future breakthroughs in rare disease treatments

44:07 – Advice for new researchers in the field

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Prader Willi syndrome: five much-anticipated therapies poised for approval 
• First-ever approval for Barth Syndrome treatment: what does this mean for ultra-rare disease therapeutics? 
• When rare diseases are not so rare after all: A closer look at where and why this happens

With a PhD in computational biology and drug research, Avital brings deep expertise in structural biology, enzyme design, and evolutionary bioinformatics to her role leading ProPhet's scientific efforts.

ProPhet itself is changing small molecule drug discovery by using advanced AI and machine learning to map proteins and compounds into a shared interaction space. This enables rapid, scalable screening of billions of molecules—even for so-called "undruggable" targets—without relying on solved structures or massive datasets, speeding up hit-finding and expanding the reachable therapeutic landscape.

01:36 Meet Avital Sharir-Ivry

08:55 How ProPhet emerged from AION Labs challenge

12:12 Core AI technology for hit-finding at scale

15:00 Benchmarks and collaborations

17:54 ProPhet’s differentiation from traditional drug discovery

19:45 Importance of scaling small molecule exploration

24:19 Pharma AI investments and emerging trends

26:11 Future AI breakthroughs in drug discovery

27:04 Challenges and progress for women in science

31:15 Keep up with ProPhet

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Seven influential women in biotech in 2026 
• Report: Adopting AI in biologics discovery
• Webinar: How AI and LLMs are helping chemists design drugs faster and smarter 

Lilly ExploR&D represents new thinking in the pharma-biotech collaboration model: a shared-risk, deep scientific partnership designed specifically for early-stage biotechs. It provides full-stack R&D capabilities helping companies overcome the toughest hurdles in moving from molecule creation to clinical proof-of-concept, all while staying lean in a challenging funding environment.

In this episode, Thomas dives into his journey shaping ExploR&D, how the program works in practice, current priorities in modalities and therapeutic areas, and offers some practical advice for biotechs seeking to partner with Eli Lilly.

01:30 — Meet Tom Hopkins

05:11 — What makes ExploR&D biotech-friendly

07:46 — How collaborations work in practice

09:40 — Shared risk models

14:25 — Engaging bold science early

28:16 — Success stories and advice for biotechs

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Eli Lilly’s strategy in motion: Beyond diabetes and obesity
• Over $3 billion in a month: Why is Eli Lilly starting 2025 on a buying spree?
• What to look for in a biotech incubator

With over 25 years of expertise in oncology drug development, Clare has built a remarkable career translating scientific breakthroughs into life-changing therapies. Cumulus Oncology is curating a risk-adjusted portfolio of preclinical assets focused on high unmet needs in oncology. Their platform-agnostic, approach prioritizes patient subgroups and precision medicine to boost success rates and drive value creation.

In this conversation, we explore Clare's journey to and through biotech, Cumulus and the current state of oncology in biotech, the vibrant Scottish biotech ecosystem, and her vision for the future for 2026 and beyond.

01:17: Meet Clare Wareing

03:57: Inspiration for founding Cumulus Oncology.

05:38: Cumulus's unique drug development model.

09:53: Overview of Cumulus's asset portfolio.

13:05: Importance of the patient subgroup strategy.

17:41: Trends in oncology drug discovery.

21:09: Drivers of oncology deal-making activity.

24:22: Challenges in accessing venture capital.

30:06: Future milestones for Cumulus Oncology.

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Curing cancer: Daiichi Sankyo's ambitious ADC approach
• Cracking Cancer’s Code: Transforming Research with Novel Cancer Models
• New cancer cell discovery sheds light on childhood blood cancer

Tim is renowned for his insightful Biopharma Market Updates, and in this episode, we'll dive into his December 2025 edition, where he outlines five transformative trends set to drive biopharma for the next decade: M&A booms, giant markets like obesity and aging drugs, China's rising innovation, AI's reshape of healthcare, and incredible scientific advances.

01:22 - Meet Tim Opler

03:12 - Stifel and the Biopharma Market Updates

05:50 - Trend 1: M&A Booms

10:06 - Trend 2: Giant Markets

17:05 - Trend 3: China's Innovation

22:29 - Trend 4: AI Reshaping Healthcare

28:42 - Trend 5: Incredible Science

34:18 - Looking forward

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• 10 biotech companies in China you should know about
• When AI isn’t enough: How physics is shaping the next wave of drug discovery 
• JPM 2026: what’s the outlook like this year? 

15 companies, three journalists, all in one special podcast as we uncover the companies to watch in 2026.

1:18     Meet Jules Adam

2:30     Abivax

4:04     AAVantgarde Bio

6:10     Isotope Technologies Munich (ITM)

8:16     MaaT Pharma

9:55     Novo Nordisk

13:15    Meet Willow Shah-Neville

14:29    Kardigan

18:23    Braveheart Bio

21:16    Beam Therapeutics

24:34    MindMed

27:39    Kailera Therapeutics

32:36    Meet Roohi Peter

33:30    Aspen Neuroscience

34:45    Reunion Neuroscience

36:14    MapLight Therapeutiucs

37:41    Hope Medicine

38:59    Regenxbio

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Keep an eye on these 15 biotech companies in 2026 
• Biotech in 2025: A retrospective 
• Eight of the biggest immunology and inflammation (I&I) deals in 2025

Today, we're joined by Hakan Goker, Managing Director at M Ventures, the strategic corporate venture capital arm of Merck KGaA. With over two decades in biotech investing, Hakan has driven transformative deals in oncology, autoimmune diseases, and beyond, including standout 2025 investments like FoRx Therapeutics and portfolio milestones such as Artios' FDA Fast Track designation. 

As we kick off 2026 at Beyond Biotech, Hakan shares insights on corporate VC advantages, emerging therapeutic priorities, and the industry's evolving landscape amid rising M&A and AI innovation. 

1:10                 Meet Hakan Goka

4:37                 About M Ventures and pharma CVC

8:14                 Sourcing innovative biotechs

12:52                How M Ventures works with Merck KGaA

16:54              M Ventures in 2025

24:46                Areas to watch in the new year

29:19                Looking forward to 2026

32:20                The next big thing in biotech?

33:08                Advice for biotechs pitching CVC

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• The ABC of biotech startup funding
• Seven genome sequencing companies to look out for
• Labiotech's 2025 biotech funding tracker

Today, though, I’m joined by Ester in t’Groen of Johnson & Johnson.

Fresh off the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in Orlando, where J&J presented over 60 abstracts, Ester shares insights into the company's portfolio and the advances that the company has made over recent years in the hematology space.

She walks us through the real-world evidence for some pretty significant results from the thousands of patients in their clinical trials, and explain what's next for J&J in hematology in 2026—including some exciting readouts.

01:14 - Meet Ester in t'Groen    

02:37 - Winning the Kilmer Medal

06:32 - J&J's key focus areas

07:32 - The hematology portfolio

19:07 - All about ASH 2025

23:49 - The MajesTEC-3 data

27:43 - The value of real-world datasets

32:06 - Looking forward into 2026

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Blood Cancer Awareness Month: What biotech holds in store 
• 10 oncology deals in 2025 spotlight where industry leaders are betting big
• T cell engagers: A promising, fast-growing field for cancer and autoimmune disease treatments

We spend most of the episode focused on a disease that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: idiopathic and progressive pulmonary fibrosis. These are rare, fatal lung-scarring conditions that kill faster than many cancers, yet patients often shrug off the first symptoms as “just aging.” 

Martin walks us through why half the people on today’s treatments stop taking them, how BI just brought the first new medicine in over a decade to the U.S. market, and why an AI tool that spots microscopic changes on lung scans might finally help doctors diagnose and treat these patients’ years earlier. 

01:24   Meet Martin Beck

04:21   About Boehringer Ingelheim

07:12   Understanding idiopathic & progressive pulmonary fibrosis

10:16   Current treatments & high discontinuation rates

12:25   BI’s long-term investment in PF

16:02   eLung AI tool for earlier diagnosis

22:16   A new oral PDE4B inhibitor

28:13   Key data highlights from the recent ERS congress

30:31   FDA approval & global rollout plans

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Refoxy, Boehringer, Insilico, and more on the hunt for curative treatments
• Eight respiratory disease companies advancing innovative therapies in 2025
• BI: Life with pulmonary fibrosis 

BeOne Medicines is creating the world’s next-generation cancer treatments with relentless innovation, aiming to deliver therapies to more people around the globe. This week, I'm sitting down with Mark Lanasa, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Solid Tumors, at BeOne Medicines, to learn more about how their novel cancer models and unique in-house R&D approach is pushing them closer to cracking the cancer code.

This episode is sponsored by BeOne Medicines.

01:06              Meet Mark Lanasa

04:56              Cancer as a differentiated and adaptative disease

07:35              BeOne’s approach to cancer research and development

10:30              Accelerating cancer research by bringing it all in-house

15:24              Making progress and signs of success

17:41              Exciting investigational stage programs

23:51              The advantage of hierarchical thinking in R&D

28:13              Keep up with new research from BeOne

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter.

To dive deeper into the topic:

• How can treatment strategies evolve to address the challenges in chronic lymphocytic leukemia?

In today’s episode I’m joined by Dr. Markus Kosch, Head of the EU Oncology Business Division at Daiichi Sankyo. A physician by training with a deep academic background in oncology, Markus has spent over two decades advancing cancer care, from clinical practice to leadership roles shaping strategy across Europe and Canada. Since joining Daiichi Sankyo in 2021, he has been at the forefront of one of the industry’s most ambitious ADC pipelines, overseeing more than 60 clinical trials across 24 countries and driving landmark approvals that are redefining treatment in breast, lung, and gastric cancers.

This week's episode is brought to you with the support of Kadans. 

Looking for the perfect space to grow your Life Sciences company? Kadans Science Partner is Europe’s leading provider of cutting-edge lab and offices spaces, tailored to your needs. Kadans puts you at the centre of innovation, giving you the chance to connect with top researchers, universities, and investors through its international network. Here, you’ll join a vibrant community of innovators driving real change. Are you ready to take your research to the next level? Learn more at kadans.com – where innovation thrives. 

01:45.         Meet Markus Kosch

03:12.         Clinical background shaping an industry role

04:46.         Daiichi Sankyo’s 40-year oncology legacy

06:19.         European investments and Munich hub

10:34.         ADC platform strengths explained

14:20.         Key ESMO 2025 trial data

Clarification: The reference to ‘TB01’ at 16:24 refers to the TROPION-Breast02 clinical trial, not TB01.

19:43.         Managing risks and partnerships

23:35.         Patient advocacy in trial design

33:59.         Future of oncology and ADCs

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• 10 oncology deals in 2025 spotlight where industry leaders are betting big
• AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s Enhertu recommended for approval
• Ten drugs to watch in 2025: will these therapies become blockbusters?

For the large pharma firms, it’s a chance to learn about new science and keep tabs on evolving assets. For smaller biotechs, though, it can be three-days of high-pressure networking where a lot is riding on making the right pitch to the right company at just the right time. Get it right, and you walk away with a clear path forward and the cash to fund it. But get unlucky and you might find yourself with few options in the New Year.

This year, we decided to follow one biotech heading into their first BIO-Europe partnering conference. We met with DISCO Pharma three times over the last month to follow their BIO-Europe journey:

• Before the event to learn about the science behind DISCO and understand what their goals were heading into BIO-Europe. 
• At the event itself to talk about how the partnering meetings had been going and how the event had shaped up for DISCO. 
• A week after BIO-Europe had closed, diving into the follow-up activities and learning about the next steps for this German biotech.

I hope you enjoy my conversations with Ajla Hrle, Chief Business Officer at DISCO, and this behind the scenes look at BIO-Europe from an innovator’s perspective.

02:25          Preparing for BIO-Europe

16:51           On the floor at BIO-Europe

22:23          Following up from BIO-Europe

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• BIO-Europe partnering: Australian biotech companies share their experiences
• Practical partnering at BIOSPAIN: on the ground with biotech innovators ready to take the next step
• Biotech in Vienna: a budding life science hub 

Among the highlights of BIO-Europe this year was the Startup Spotlight contest. This exciting competition offers biotech entrepreneurs an affordable opportunity to engage with top-tier investors and other important players in the biotech industry and to take their business to the next level. Eight finalists made their pitches at BIO Europe and one, Fusix Biotech from Germany, came out on top.

This week on Beyond Biotech I’m joined by Fusix Biotech’s Managing Director and co-founder, Jennifer Altomonte, who tells me about her journey through the industry, Fusix’s InFUSE platform, and what it’s like to pitch – and win – one of the most important biopharma startup competitions of the year.

01:34               Meet Jennifer Altomonte

05:12               Co-founding Fusix Biotech

10:37               Fusix Biotech and the InFUSE platform

18:50               Intellectual property for a young company

20:04               The BIO-Europe Startup Spotlight

23:47               The impact of the competition win

29:05               The milestones ahead

30:33               What does a successful 2026 look like for Fusix Biotech?

31:56               Learn more about Fusix Biotech

This episode is supported by EBD Group.

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• BIO-Europe partnering: Australian biotech companies share their experiences
• Four New Technologies That Will Change Cancer Treatment
• Why is the immunology and inflammation market suddenly attracting a wave of investment?

In this episode I’m joined by Emma Hayhurst who shares her journey into diagnostics, Llusern’s mission, and the emergence of Wales as a biotech hub with a growing life sciences sector fueling local innovation. We discuss UTI prevalence, diagnostic gaps, and how rapid, accurate testing can transform patient care and antimicrobial stewardship. 

02:14               Meet Emma Hayhurst

04:37               Introducing Llusern Scientific

07:21               Collaboration between Llusern and the academy

08:50               The life science ecosystem in Wales

12:10               Urinary tract infections (UTIs)

15:45               UTI patient demographics

16:54               Health impacts of UTIs: sepsis, antibiotic resistance, and more

19:01               Existing UTI diagnostic options and their shortcomings

24:41               Llusern’s Lodestar DX

29:03               A point-of-care test, not a lab test

31:44               Applications beyond UTIs

36:03               Looking forward at Llusern

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Life sciences in Wales: biotechs in the scene in 2025
• Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance with Fast Molecular Diagnostics
• Ultra-Fast Diagnostics Could Transform Sexual Health

Now, he’s leading the charge in self-driving labs: AI-powered, robotic systems that automate experiments, predict biological behavior, and accelerate the design of microbes that produce fuels, medicines, and materials.

In this episode, we’ll dive into why biology has traditionally proven so hard to engineer, how AI and robotics are changing that, and where this revolution is headed next. I hope you enjoy my discussion with Hector Garcia Martin.

01:12              Meet Hector Garcia Martin

12:47              Introduction to the Berkeley National Laboratory

14:42              Challenges in synthetic biology

17:21              How unpredictability complicates biomanufacturing

19:30              Self-driving labs at the nexus of AI, robotics, and biomanufacturing

22:23               How is AI integrated into optimize enzyme expression

28:01               Where is the market for self-driving labs?

28:47               The future of synthetic biology

32:24               The most exciting trends in AI-driven biomanufacturing

34:10               The expected impacts of self-driving labs on everyday life

35:28               Advice for aspiring scientists

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Synthetic Biology @ Labiotech
• European biotech: trends to watch in 2025
• The coming of age of European synthetic biology

From industrial enzymes to biomaterials, food, feed, and diagnostics, Pichia offers a reliable, scalable, and cost-efficient platform for recombinant protein expression. 

Iskandar explains how biotechs can unlock Pichia’s full potential through Validogen’s sophisticated tools and strategies, fine-tuning protein expression with innovative genetic approaches and robust screening systems to deliver unmatched yields and quality. 

01:06               Why Pichia is often overlooked or underestimated

03:29               The basics of Pichia pastoris

05:25               How Pichia compares to microbial hosts like E.coli

08:14               Key advantages over mammalian cell systems

10:21               Pichia as a system for secreted production

11:30               Pichia and post-translational modifications

14:30               The challenges of working with Pichia

16:25               Strain optimization and genetic engineering

17:29               Meet Iskandar Dib and Validogen

19:03               The UNLOCK PICHIA platform

24:00               Real-world applications of Pichia pastoris in biopharma

27:19               When Pichia outperforms expectations

28:25               Adapting Pichia for emerging fields

30:23               Advice for those considering Pichia pastoris for protein expression

33:23               Learn more about Validogen

This episode is sponsored by Validogen.

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Pichia case studies
• Unlocking Pichia for industry

In this interview we examine the evolution of alternative funding models, the transformative impact of alternative funding models on biotech innovation, partnerships, and M&A, and take a macro view on the financial health of the industry amid economic shifts. 

02:10               Meet Clarke Futch

07:58               HCRx and its mission

18:55               Differences between a royalty firm and a venture firm

21:34               Alternative funding models in biotech

24:49               Are VCs pulling back? Are alternatives rising?

30:20               How royalty financing impacts partnerships and M&A

33:02               Do alternative financing models risk stifling innovation?

36:33               A macro look at the health of the biotech sector

41:33               What areas of biotech are underfunded right now?

46:22               Looking forward: the 6-12 months ahead?

48:10               Advice for founders navigating financial uncertainty

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Moving with the times: biopharma royalty deals on the rise
• The ABC of biotech startup funding
• 2025 biotech deals tracker

Contraline is a biotechnology company that is aiming to change that record. They are currently heading into Phase II trials with a therapy that they claim is reliable, long lasting, easy to use, and reversible. This week, I talk with Kevin Eisenfrats, CEO of Contraline, about the challenges of bringing a new contraceptive to market, how to manage clinical trials on multiple continents, and what the world might look like if the contraceptive burden passes from women to men.

01:21                      Kevin Eisenfrats and Contraline

07:28                      Contraline’s ADAM

09:09                      How ADAM works

11:39                      Reversibility is a differentiator for ADAM

14:01                      Hormonal gels and contraception

17:14                      The phase I trial in Australia

21:47                      The implantation process

25:07                      Moving into phase II

27:04                      The male contraception market

29:30                      Fundraising for male contraception

33:06                      The gendered burden of contraception

34:54                      The future of male contraception

36:49                      The cultural and social impact of male contraception

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• MedinCell Granted €17M to Develop Cheap Long-Acting Contraception
• Inpart Connect: Reversible Male Contraceptive
• Inpart Connect: Cyclic Peptides as Non-hormonal Male Contraceptive Agents and Methods of Use Thereof
• Inpart Connect: Noninvasive Laser Vasectomy

This week I talk with Gerard Caelles, Chief Business Office of Splice Bio, a company that just closed a $135 million series B fundraising round. I quiz him on the practical steps that biotechs need to take to move from a series A to a series B, the key members of the team that pulled the deal together, how to keep existing investors engaged while bringing new money on-board, and how it feels when it is all done. 

01:14               Meet Gerard Caelles

04:34               The Splice Bio platform

12:34               Raising $135 million in uncertain times

15:31               Laying the groundwork for a series B

18:15               Building a fundraising team

20:45               Identifying and approaching new investors

22:38               Fundraising challenges in 2025

26:37               Refining the strategy and pitch

29:00               Choosing lead investors 

31:59               Keeping existing investors on board

34:12               A look behind the scenes 

37:52               What’s next for Splice Bio

42:10               Learn more about Splice Bio

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Labiotech's 2025 Biotech Funding Tracker
• The ABC of biotech startup funding
• Budget blues: where are cell and gene therapies heading? 

This week I sat down with Joseph Ferner of Inpart, the author of a new R&D Trends Report on Immunology and Inflammation. He explained the shape of the research landscape, the areas that are generating the most interest amongst industry and investors, and the ways in which digital platforms are helping innovative scientists connect with those who have the experience and finance to bring their technologies and therapies to market.

• Download the Immunology & Inflammation R&D Trends Report
• Create a free Inpart Connect account
• Speak with the Inpart team

02:18               The 2025 Immunology and Inflammation R&D Trends Report

08:30               Priorities and challenges in immunology and inflammation research

10:18               The impact of immune system complexity on drug development

13:12               The challenge of clinical heterogeneity

15:33               The role of organoids in immunology and inflammation R&D

17:10               Comparing organoid models to animal models

19:51               The R&D landscape in 2025

22:40               Popular modalities in immunology and inflammation research

24:45               The top innovations in the 2025 R&D Trends Report

28:56               How to score and rank innovations in a rapidly evolving market

33:22               Engagement trends between researchers and industry partners

37:09               Why companies decline to engage with academic researchers

43:36               The Inpart Connect platform and how it works

48:49               Looking forward to the next R&D Trends Report

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Why is the immunology and inflammation market suddenly attracting a wave of investment?

One of the largest industry partnering events in Europe is BIOSPAIN. This year BIOSPAIN will take place in Barcelona, and the Catalan city will welcome participants from more than 40 countries for three days of exhibitions, partnering meetings, and presentations from industry leaders. Labiotech will be on the ground reporting from BIOSPAIN this year, and so we sat down with Stewart Medina fromBIOSPAIN to find out exactly what’s in store.

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Catalonia: A biotech hub going from strength to strength, with Barcelona at its core
• 10 biotech companies you should know about in Spain
• 20 years of BIOSPAIN – The evolution of an international biotech event

These are questions that this week’s guest, Mati Gill, CEO of AION Labs in Israel, is perfectly positioned to answer.

AION Labs has an innovative company creation process that empowers scientists and startups to tackle high-impact pharma challenges with AI, backed by top-tier data, funding, and expertise from global pharma partners. In the middle of a transformative decade for AI-driven drug discovery, and with Israel poised to play an increasingly significant part, Mati explains how venture studios are helping to foster groundbreaking solutions for global health challenges.

01:07               Meet Mati Gill

07:19               The biotech industry in Israel

09:38               How the Israeli biotech industry is changing with AI and other technologies

13:01               The biggest challenges facing Israeli biotechs and biopharma

18:07               AION Labs and its mission

20:27               AION Building and AION Seeding

24:03               Why top pharma wants to partner with AION Labs startups

27:53               Workshopping startup ideas with top pharma companies

32:04               The future of venture studios like AION Labs

36:33               At the intersection of AI, biotech, and Israel’s innovation ecosystem

39:24               Advice for entrepreneurs and scientists

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• AION Labs launches AI startup to improve drug trials
• The 5 hottest biotech companies making waves in Israel
• What to look for in a biotech incubator

Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, Lonza has embraced innovation and kept pace with a fast-changing world for more than 125 years. They are a leader in both established and emerging technologies and today their 19,000 employees across more than 30 sites on five continents generate annual sales of more than $4.4 billion. 

We sat down with Alice Harrison, Global Technical Director (CMC and Analytics), and Megan Mason, Global Process Development Implementation Manager, to learn more about how Lonza is helping innovators large and small develop and scale their therapies and deliver better outcomes for patients worldwide.

_____

The information in this podcast is believed to be correct at the time of recording, and is for information only. While we make reasonable efforts to ensure that the content is accurate, we make no representations or warranties of any kind regarding its accuracy, completeness, reliability, suitability or the results to be obtained from the use of such information. Lonza disclaims any liability for the use of this information and the reliance of the information contained herein is at your own risk.  

_____

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• How to Set up Manufacturing for Biotech Startups
• Accelerating the path to clinical filing applications with rapid toxicology material delivery
• Large molecule manufacturing: addressing challenges with strategies for success

This week I spoke to Antti Vuolanto, CEO of Herantis Pharma, about the work his company is doing, the science behind their approach, and the advantages and challenges of working in biotech in the Nordics.

01:10               Meet Antti Vuolanto

05:10               The biotech landscape in the Nordics

07:07               Herantis Pharma and its mission

09:38               Treating symptoms versus disease modification

13:31               Herantis in relation to other Parkinson’s disease companies

15:47               HER-096

26:24               The global burden of Parkinson’s disease and the unmet need

28:56               The role of patient and advocacy groups

30:11               The future of Parkinson’s disease treatment

31:52               How the Nordics can develop and expand their biotech sector

36:33               Stay up to date on Herantis and their work

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Finland: Pushing biotech forward in the land of a thousand lakes
• Parkinson’s disease: biotech’s pursuit for more therapies 
• The stem cell race for Parkinson’s disease: Recent studies show significant promise

Alnylam was the very first company to translate RNAi from Nobel Prize winning science into a commercially scalable platform. Founded in 2002, the company today has five different RNAi therapies on the market and a pipeline that continues to expand. While their early focus was on rare disease, today they are expanding into more common conditions, partnering with top pharma companies to bring next-generation therapies to market.

This week I sat down with Paul Nioi, Senior Vice President of Research at Alnylam. Paul has more than 20 year’s experience in biotech and biopharma, and he walked me through Alnylam’s mission and place in the biotech ecosystem, the science of RNAi, the early success treating metabolic disease, and exactly where their platform is expanding into now and in the near future. Paul explains the capacity of RNAi to address neurological and infectious disease, the value of large-scale genomic initiatives, and how he sees drug discovery evolving in the years ahead.

01:29               Meet Paul Nioi

08:56               Alnylam, its mission, and its science

14:35               Two types of partnerships: top pharma, and genomic initiatives

22:34               RNAi therapies on the market for rare disease

27:29               Expanding into more common conditions

32:17               INHBE mutations and cardiometabolic disease

35:01               Working with Roche to target hypertension

38:58               Looking forward: Alnylam’s platform in the near future

41:49               What role for national genomic initiatives?

45:16               RNAi’s place in a future of precision medicine

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• mRNA, RNAi, circRNA, ASOs: A comparative guide to RNA therapeutics
• Six biotech companies leading the charge in hemophilia treatment
• Episode 159: Day One DNA - How and why the UK is betting on whole genome sequencing for every newborn

One of the most common of those mental health disorders is depressive disorder, commonly called depression, with some 280 million people suffering from either mild, moderate or severe depression.

Conventional treatments for depression such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, can work for many people but for some suffering from treatment resistant depression, options can be limited, but some new therapies are in the clinic and might offer some hope. 

Beckley PsyTech is a UK biotech that is working with next-generation psychedelic-based compounds administered in a short clinic visit once every two months. With positive results from their recent Phase 2B study and a partnership with atai Life Sciences, Beckley believes they are on their way to redefining how depression is treated.

01:38               Meet Cosmo Feilding

03:04               Beckley PsyTech, its mission and its focus

08:36               BPL-003 and next generation psychedelics

11:16               Intranasal delivery and its advantages

14:26               Psychedelics in the clinic and Phase IIb trial results

18:32               Safety: suicide signals and adverse events

21:02               Applications for psychedelics outside of depression

24:11               The global economic costs of mental health disorders

27:40               Comparing Beckley PsyTech to Compass Pathways and GH Research

35:26               Regulatory hurdles and the stigma around psychedelics

38:14               Partnering with atai Life Sciences and the future of Beckley PsyTech

43:16               Milestones ahead for Beckley PsyTech

45:44               A future vision for patients suffering from depression

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• New antidepressants: tackling treatment resistant depression
• Psychedelics sans side effects: neuroplastogens gain ground
• From LSD to healing minds: Where are we standing in psychedelic drug development?

Recently the UK government announced plans to sequence the DNA of every baby born in that country. A part of the country’s 10 Year Health Plan, the program aims to identify rare genetic diseases early, prevent harms from delayed treatment and reduce future healthcare costs for the NHS. Yet along with those potential upsides come a range of ethical and practical questions, too: who guards the sequenced data, who can access it, how can consent be informed, managed and withdrawn years later, and what is the best way to gather the genetic material required to fully sequence the DNA of 700,000 infants each year?

This week, I spoke to Neil Ward of PacBio to understand more about this program, compare it to other national genome sequencing programs in Europe and Asia, and discuss the promise of unlocking the ‘language of life’.

02:02               Meet Neil Ward

09:10               PacBio, its mission, and its current focus

17:13               The UK national newborn gene sequencing effort

21:20               Ethical and practical challenges for national newborn sequencing

24:34               Short-read versus long-read sequencing

30:48               Dried blood spots versus cord blood

35:57               Lessons for the UK from Thailand

38:58               Trends in national newborn screening programs worldwide

41:46               What parents and policymakers must know

45:20               Exciting things in the genomics space on the horizon

This episode is brought to you by MedChemExpress.

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• The past, present, and future of genome sequencing
• The next frontier in genomic technologies for rare diseases
• Seven genome sequencing companies to look out for

Traditional agricultural methods are slow, require large tracts of land, significant energy and environmental inputs, and – somewhat obviously – the slaughter of hundreds of millions of animals every year. Cultivated meat – that is meat that is grown in a lab – requires little land, less energy, and in the case of Meatly, nothing more than a single cell from a single chicken egg, once. 

This week I sat down with Owen Ensor, CEO of UK biotech startup Meatly, to talk all things cultivated meat. He explains the science behind his company’s cultivated meat process, the significant cost savings that Meatly has made to bring down prices for their product, and how his company became the very first in Europe to have a cultivated meat product approved for sale, in the hands of consumers, and in the bellies of beloved cats and dogs.

01:29               Meet Owen Ensor

05:10               Meatly and its mission

10:12               The science of cultivated meat

19:41               Common criticisms of cultivated meat

25:33               Regulation, and geographical diversity in regulation

32:24               Looking forward: from pets to human consumption?

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Cultured Meat Is Coming Soon: Here’s What You Need to Know
• 10 cultured meat companies driving sustainable food in 2025
• The future of food: what’s behind the cell-cultured meat industry regulations?

Cryoport Systems evolved alongside the life science  industry and expanded its capabilities into full-scale supply chain management solutions that support the critical journeys of the biopharmaceutical, reproductive medicine, and animal health markets.

In this episode we look at the ATMP market, the regulatory landscape in EMEA, and the importance of supply chain resilience for cutting edge therapies, whether from established pharmaceutical companies or emerging biotechs and startups.

00:02:14   The state of the ATMP market in 2025

00:07:20    Regulatory trends in EMEA

00:13:53    Operational and supply chain challenges

00:22:13    Lessons in supply chain resilience

00:28:56   Outsourcing trends in biotech

00:37:34    Geopolitical influences on the ATMP supply chain

00:40:39    Cryoport Systems' plans for the future

00:45:53    Final word

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Cracking the code: Delivering biotherapeutics successfully across EMEA
• Unlocking consistency in ATMP development: How cryopreservation strengthens Europe’s cell therapy supply chain

This week, I had the chance to talk to Niels Riedemann, CEO and Founder of InflaRx, about his company’s first-in-class approach to fighting inflammation, and what the future might hold for his “pipeline in a product”.

01:26   Introducing Niels Riedemann

04:28   InflaRx and its mission

06:37   The competitive landscape in anti-inflammatory therapeutics

07:21   The market for anti-inflammatories

08:40   The challenge of taking a drug from R&D to commercialization

11:06   The science behind the C5a and C5aR approach

14:37   Why is InflaRx the first to focus on these selective inhibitors?

19:18   The importance of the MAC formation

21:05   InflaRx and its disease targets

25:46   Applications beyond anti-inflammatories

27:50   Lessons learned from the clinic

29:54   Growth forecasts for InflaRx

31:48   Different approaches to addressing inflammation

33:51   The role of academia in breakthrough therapies

36:11   Beyond Europe and North America, addressing the global demand for therapeutics

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Why is the immunology and inflammation market suddenly attracting a wave of investment?
• Let’s Take a Closer Look at 7 Autoimmune Diseases Biotechs are Fighting to Treat
• JAK inhibitors: Are they a good option for treating inflammatory diseases and cancer?

OMass’s MC2 program targeting Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, or CAH, is set to enter the clinic this year and in our interview today she walks me through how the company is preparing for their trials, how their approach differs to existing treatment options, and the impact on patient lives they hope to have. A leader in the UK biopharma industry, she also explains the strengths of the UK industry and how it can maintain an edge in the face of competition from Europe and the US.

01:07   Meet Ros Deegan

02:36   Cambridge and INSEAD

04:24   Building industry experience

05:16   Biotech in the US vs Biotech in the UK

06:19   OMass: mission and ambition

07:16   Funding the mission

08:18   The importance of partnerships

09:17   Industry and government

10:37   OMass and CAH

13:11   The differentiator for patient outcomes

14:49   Into the clinic in 2025

16:31   CAH patients and patient groups

19:29   The importance of hiring the right people

20:55   The Oxford ‘brand’ in biotechnology

22:17   Preparing for the clinic

23:43   Regulation and manufacturing

26:17   Partnering with top pharma

27:35   The importance of building value

28:41   How the UK can compete on a global scale

30:39   What’s next for OMass

32:59   The future of targeting rare disease

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• 10 biotech companies making a difference in rare diseases
• Rare Disease Day: seven drugs awaiting approval in 2025

Chronic lower back pain – where the pain persists for more than 3 months – develops in between 5 and 10% of all lower back pain cases, with life-altering impacts for patients.

And that’s where today’s guest, Steve Ruston, of Persica Pharmaceuticals comes in. Persica is developing a groundbreaking and transformative treatment for chronic Low Back Pain. Persica is targeting the cause of chronic lower back pain: the underlying bacterial infection. Unlike conventional approaches that manage symptoms, Persica’s drug enables the infection to clear, reducing inflammation, pain and disability at the source.

1:20     Introducing Steve Ruston of Persica Pharmaceuticals

3:53     Lessons learnt from developing blockbuster drugs

6:35     Global experiences in the biopharma industry

8:32     Persica Pharmaceuticals and its mission

10:26   Collaborations with a network of partners

11:48   A non-opioid approach to addressing lower back pain

13:35   Treating the cause, not the symptoms

15:05   How Persica’s treatment work

18:59   Practical impacts of Persica’s treatment

21:07   Identifying patients for cLBP treatment

23:24   How Persica is changing the treatment landscape

28:10   Regulatory hurdles to overcome

34:37   Securing funding for Persica’s innovation

36:16   The future of treating pain

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• New non-opioid pain medication: How is the biotech industry fighting pain after the opioid crisis?
• Developing non-opioid pain drugs
• Redefining chronic pain treatment

Humacyte is pioneering a platform that enables the investigation, development, and manufacture of bioengineered human tissues and organs that are designed to be universally implantable, off-the-shelf, and regenerative, with the goal of treating a wide variety of diseases, injuries, and chronic conditions.

This week I had the chance to speak to Humacyte founder, President and Chief Executive Laura Niklason about the company she has built, the science she is driving forward, and the real-world applications for Humacyte’s lab-grown blood vessels in some of the most devastating and dangerous conflicts.

1:00     Introducing Laura Niklason

4:50     Humacyte and its mission

6:27     Competitive landscape

7:45     Partnering for scale

9:49     How to grow blood vessels in the lab

11:47   Implanting the vessels

13:32   Human vessels vs synthetic vessels

15:10   The manufacturing process

16:23   Overcoming skepticism, demonstrating value

19:01   Navigating the regulatory approval process

21:17   The role of the Department of Defense in innovative biotech

22:30   Using Humacyte vessels in the field

23:20   Humacyte vessels in the Ukraine War

28:22   Lessons from the Ukraine War

30:09   Goals for the coming years

33:35   Scaling manufacturing

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic:

• Current trends & innovations in 3D organoids
• The future of organ transplants: Xenotransplantation, 3D bioprinting and stem cells

BIO is the world’s largest partnering conference for the biopharma industry and thousands of innovators, out-licensors, venture capitalists, top pharma dealmakers, thought leaders and more than a few politicians gathered for three days of meetings, presentations, and networking.

In this week’s episode we meet three innovators on the floor in Boston and find out what their BIO experience has been like, how their partnering meetings have progressed, what’s surprised them, and how it feels to be in the middle of the biggest biopharma conference of the year.

---

This week’s episode is brought to you by Inpart.

If you're in life sciences, you know how complex partnering can be — whether you're searching for the right innovation, managing a portfolio of alliances, or navigating the path from first meeting to signed deal. That’s where Inpart comes in.

Inpart is a platform built specifically for partnering in pharma, biotech, and research. It brings together the tools, data, and workflows teams need to scout opportunities, manage submissions, and keep partnerships on track: from discovery through to alliance execution.

Whether you're on the lookout for external innovation or trying to simplify internal coordination, Inpart helps you partner more strategically and move faster.

To learn more, visit inpart.io.

---

0:00  The ‘Beyond Biotech’ BIO International Convention Special

01:58   Purespring Therapeutics CEO Haseeb Ahmad

14:10   Inpart Chief Business Officer Patrick Speedie

25:44  Newbiologix CEO Igor Fisch

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

---

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• The hottest biotech companies in the Boston area
• Nine tips to succeed in pharma-biotech partnerships
• The ABC of biotech partnerships

Alex Telford is the co-founder of Convoke and a biotech blogger from the San Francisco Bay Area. His blog post, 'Some questions about biotech that I find interesting' provoked conversations online as readers engaged with questions about topics as diverse as the impacts of regulation, the role of serendipity in drug discovery, clinical trial failure rates, and the best structure for governing large pharmaceutical companies companies.

In this episode Alex explains the work he is doing at Convoke before opening the door to his insatiable curiosity about the biotech industry.

01:17               Introducing Alex Telford

04:28              The business of biotech

09:02              Convoke and its mission

14:21               ‘Some questions about biotech that I find interesting’

16:57               Why founders should be writing and blogging

18:44               Generating good questions about biotech

20:50              AI and its role in drug discovery

26:21               Will AI mean the end of serendipitous drug discovery?

28:15               Regulatory challenges for biotech

34:17               Is the FDA a net positive or net negative for the industry?

36:56              The unanswerable questions in biotech

39:00              Digital twins in biotechnology

42:15               The next interesting questions in biotech

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• 12 AI drug discovery companies you should know about
• Does the FDA need to tighten its grip on drug trials in the U.S.?
• 2025 predictions: Which trends are set to shape the biotech industry this year?

This week I talked with Paolo Di Giorgio and Regina Hodits of Angelini Ventures, the corporate VC arm of Angelini Industries, itself the parent company of Angelini Pharma. Paolo and Regina lay out their perspective on the current fundraising landscape, identify the trends and opportunities for innovative biotechs in Europe, and walk me though the biggest threats to the biotech investment market they see on the near horizon.

01:15               Introducing Paolo Di Giorgio

04:00               Introducing Regine Hodits

05:31               The mission of Angelini Ventures

09:55               Focus areas and investments in early stage science

14:30               The state of venture capital investment in biotech in 2025

17:48               Why biotechs should favor corporate venture capital

20:43               Why networking and expertise matter in fundraising

26:05               The therapeutic areas and modalities that are hot right now

29:19               Geographic focus for corporate venture capital

33:28               Threats on the horizon

36:36               What keeps a corporate VC investor up at night?

40:13               Keep in touch with Angelini Ventures

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

I spoke to Roel this week to unpack just where biotech funding stands in Q2 2025, to get a feel for the sorts of M&As, IPOs, and licensing deals we should be looking for in the second half of the year. We also talk about some alternative financing options for innovators and early-stage firms.

01:09                      Introducing Roel Meers

02:18                     Corporate finance and the life sciences

04:53                      Brussels, Europe, and beyond: Baker McKenzie’s global footprint

06:21                      Navigating life science regulations and regulators

10:33                      De-risking biotech investments in uncertain times

11:57                      How investors are minimizing risk in 2025

13:35                      Funding trends for biotechs in emerging hubs, including Benelux

15:58                      The deal types that will dominate 2025

17:35                      The therapeutic areas where deals are being done

19:16                      Trends in biotech in Europe, in North America, and in the Asia-Pacific

20:36                      Macroeconomics and biotechnology finance

22:54                      De-risking deals by lowering upfronts, increasing milestones

26:38                      What to consider when choosing alternative financing options

30:35                      When should biotechs bring in outside finance experts

33:47                      Looking beyond 2025 – what’s coming, and why

36:38                      How European biotechs can position themselves for funding success

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• 2025 biotech funding tracker: recent highlights
• The ABC of biotech startup funding
• Top biotech grants and campaigns

Cradle is a Dutch-Swiss biotech startup founded in 2021 that has developed a web-based software platform leveraging GenAI to accelerate protein design and optimization, aiding scientists in biotechnology R&D. Cradle’s technology integrates AI with wet lab experimentation, doubling the speed of most projects compared to industry benchmarks.

In this episode I talk to Cradle co-founder Elise de Reus to discover how their software platform is putting the ‘tech’ into biotech, and learn how some of the biggest names in pharma R&D are coming to rely on Cradle to accelerate their experimentation and get therapies to patients faster. 

01:30                      A passion for biotech from a young age

03:20                     First experiences in the industry

07:23                      Cradle and its mission

09:08                     Generative AI at Cradle

10:27                      Partnering and collaborations

13:37                      Taking generative AI into the wet lab

14:43                      A techbio company, not a biotech company

17:36                      “Photoshop for proteins”

18:29                      Use case: animal free food

20:17                      Use case: medicines

23:56                      Use case: sustainable materials

25:12                      The Cradle business model

28:17                      Technical challenges

29:48                      Regulatory challenges

31:44                      Where AI will have the greatest impact

33:29                      The most exciting things to come

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• 12 AI drug discovery companies you should know about
• How AI is shaping clinical research and trials

Immusoft sits at the nexus point of some of the most innovative approaches in biopharma, and their Immune System Programming platform is unique in its capacity to address the rare disease, MPS I. 

This week we talk with Immusoft CEO Sean Ainsworth to learn more about his journey in biotechnology, the work that Immusoft is doing in B-cell reprogramming and unpack some of the positive results that the company recently shared at the WORLD Symposium.

01:08                      Early interests in biotechnology

03:21                      First experiences in biotech entrepreneurship

04:29                      Startup exits and liquidity events

07:32                      Influences and mentors

08:43                      Immusoft and its mission

09:28                      Programming B-cells

13:08                      Disease targets

14:55                      Encountering and overcoming technical challenges

15:53                      MPS I

17:38                      Differentiation for MPS I patients

19:42                      WORLD Symposium 2025

20:23                      What’s next in the clinic

21:25                      Urgency vs safety 

24:26                      At the nexus of cell therapy, gene therapy, and biologics

27:20                      Manufacturing, scaling, and funding

30:31                      Next on the horizon for Immusoft

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Rare Disease Day: seven drugs awaiting approval in 2025
• 10 biotech companies making a difference in rare diseases

Flagship Pioneering has founded more than 100 companies in the life sciences worth in total an estimated $75 billion. With a proven model for biotech startup success and a culture designed to surface new and interesting ideas, Flagship offers a different approach to biotech funding that is paying off time and again.

In this episode I talk with Lovisa Afzelius, a General Partner at Flagship, uncover the ways in which Flagship is shaking up the biotech funding model, and come to understand the reasons why others will have a hard time imitating its success.

This episode is brought to you by Jubilant Biosys.

01:52                      Meet Lovisa Afzelius

03:37                      Learning lessons in big pharma

04:56                      From top pharma to startup biotech

07:23                      Two different worlds and ways of thinking

08:29                      Flagship Pioneering

13:39                      Finding the right people

18:13                      Deploying capital to create value

21:06                      Expanding into new markets

21:55                      How does the Flagship model identify disruptors so well?

24:20                      Why don’t others emulate the Flagship model?

25:36                      Building a culture of ‘yes, and…’

27:47                      Learning from the companies that don’t succeed

30:49                      Artificial intelligence and biology

35:19                      Lessons from business that never found market fit

37:29                      The future for Flagship

39:55                      The importance of diversity in biotech

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic:

• The ABC of biotech startup funding
• Meet the ‘biotech mafia’: how specialized biotech VC firms are dominating industry funding once again
• 2025 biotech funding tracker: recent highlights

As biotechs and pharma companies continue to innovate to address patient needs in oncology, T-cell receptor therapies, or TCR-Ts, are attracting significant interest and investment. There are already some promising results for TCR-Ts tackling solid tumors – but one Norwegian biotech is taking a slightly different track.

This week, we sit down with Namir Hassan, CEO of Zelluna, a company with a mission to eliminate solid cancers by pioneering the development of T cell receptor guided natural killer, or TCR-NK, cell therapies.

01:45                      Introducing Namir Hassan

03:37                      Working at Immunocore

04:40                      Lessons learned

06:56                      Joining Zelluna as CSO

08:44                      Becoming Zelluna CEO

10:20                      Taking a biotech company public

12:54                      TCR-T and TCR-NK therapies

15:30                      Targets for TCR-NK therapies

16:38                      Comparing TCR-NK to alternatives

20:16                      Early success

21:58                      An off-the-shelf-solution for cancer patients

24:16                      Manufacturing and scaling

25:13                      Partnering with top pharma, accelerating innovation

27:05                      Milestones ahead for Zelluna

28:52                      The landscape of TCR therapies in oncology

31:38                      A final word

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Future of cancer treatment: what will therapy look like in 2034?
• Trends in cancer therapeutics to look forward to in 2025
• Oncology R&D trends and breakthrough innovations

David del Bourgo is the co-founder and CEO of WhiteLab Genomics, an innovative biotech that is leveraging the power of AI to accelerate drug discovery and development from its Paris, Boston, and Montreal bases. In this episode he explains how WhiteLab uses AI technologies to identify targets and engineer vectors, but also offers a wider view of how and where AI is impacting the biotech industry generally.

01:04               Introducing David del Bourgo

04:06               The WhiteLab Genomics mission

10:54               AI in biotech: what’s working now

14:07               AI in biotech: emerging applications

15:58               Regulating AI in biotech and in general

17:21               Acceleration and cost savings thanks to AI

19:09               AI’s impact on accuracy and precision

21:07               The trade-off with AI in biotech

22:38               Why top pharma companies aren’t building their own AI tools

24:43               AI and biomanufacturing

26:58               AI in biotech and pharma operations

28:40               The next impacts of AI in biotech

30:38               Accelerating regulatory review with AI

32:24               Emerging AI techniques in biotech

33:59               The pace of AI innovation

35:21               The next challenge for AI in biotech

36:10               A word for the AI skeptics 

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

• 12 AI drug discovery companies you should know about
• The AI boom in cancer: Game-changer or just hype?
• Are we in an AI bubble? Biotech AI startups’ value plummet and leads to restructuration

Kristian Reich is co-founder and CSO of MoonLake Immunotherapeutics. After a long and distinguished career as a clinician and researcher, Kristian helped to launch MoonLake in 2021 and quickly helped move their lead candidate to the clinic. Now, on the verge of Phase III trials, he joins 'Beyond Biotech' to talk nanobodies, innovation, serendipitous science, and the power that comes from never stopping to dream.

01:04               Meet Kristian Reich

05:26               Excited by the science of nanobodies

07:13               MoonLake’s mission

13:12               Milestones at MoonLake

15:24               Introduction to nanobodies

17:55               Serendipitous science

19:46               How nanobodies work

23:18               Global prevelance of immune conditions

24:31               The impact on patients

27:09               Nanobodies in the clinic

31:19               Manufacturing challenges, regulatory challenges

34:04               Working with top pharma

35:55               The future of nanobodies

37:42               The future of MoonLake

39:10               Don’t stop dreaming

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

Fabian Gerlinghaus is co-founder and CEO of Cellares. He and his team have developed the Cell Shuttle, an advanced cell manufacturing technology that is already demonstrating the potential to 10x cell yields while halving costs for pharmaceuticals companies and innovators. Is this the future for smart cell manufacturing?

0:52     A starting point in aeronautical engineering

2:43     First steps into biotech

5:25     Co-founding Cellares

6:30     The problem that Cellares addresses

11:02   Best practice bio manufacturing

17:14   Differentiation in automation

18:15   What does success look like for Cellares

19:38   Smart factories

21:58   Inside the Cellares smart factory

26:34   Manufacturing CAR-T and stem cell therapies

27:54   Mass production vs personalized medicine

31:39   Global ambitions and regional regulators

35:07   Positioning Cellares in the market

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

Brian Culley is CEO of Lineage Cell Therapeutics and his company is now in the clinic with a stem cell therapy for spinal cord injuries. Learn why stem cells could be promising for these devastating injuries and how Brian and his team plan to overcome the challenges of manufacturing at scale and succeeding in a highly regulated space.

00:57              Meet Brian Culley

02:15               Lineage Cell Therapeutics and its mission

04:56              Spinal cord injuries

06:40              Costs beyond the Individual

08:15               Current treatment options

10:48               The place for stem cell therapies

12:57                Lineage in the clinic

16:27                The DOSED program

18:37                The advantages of DOSED

20:29               Timelines for results

21:35               Scaling manufacturing

24:28               Partnering with pharma on stem cell therapies

26:38               Other applications for stem cell therapies

28:49               Mainstreaming stem cell therapies

30:52               Challenges ahead

32:43               The future for Lineage Cell Therapeutics

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

Klaus Dugi is CEO of Vandria, a biotech that develops mitophagy inducers that rejuvenate cells to treat age-related and chronic diseases. He joins 'Beyond Biotech' to talk cell mitophagy, biotech agility, and innovation in tackling neurodegenerative disease.

00:42    Introducing Klaus Dugi

02:51    Lessons learned in top pharma

05:10    The gap that Vandria seeks to fill

06:21    Mitochondrial therapeutics

07:45    Mitophagy inducers and how they work

14:53    Comparing approaches to treating neurodegenerative diseases

17:20    Aging, longevity, and healthy life years

25:26    Challenges ahead

27:31    Performance enhancement and resilience

31:15    Towards the mainstream?

34:35    Looking forward for Vandria

36:02    Developments to watch out for in mitochondrial therapeutics

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

Dr. Christopher Duma, has long been an innovator in neurosurgery using a gamma knife radiosurgery to treat glioblastoma. Now with Regeneration Biomedical, Duma is taking on neurodegenerative diseases with a first-in-human clinical trial where a patient's own stem cells are injected directly into their brain.

On the podcast this week, we talk with Duma about his career in neurosurgery, the impetus for launching his biotech, the promise of stem cell therapy, and the challenges innovators face moving new therapies through the clinic.

00:38    Introducing Dr Christopher Duma

02:44    Advances and breakthroughs in neurosurgery

05:33    The vision and impetus for Regeneration Biomedical

10:45    Regeneration Biomedical’s R&D pipeline

14:12    Milestones ahead

14:46    Advancing beyond Alzheimer’s Disease

15:52    Stems cells from fat cells

19:42    Bypassing the blood-brain barrier

22:45    Patient recruitment

24:13    The treatment process

27:10    The state of stem cell research in the US

29:29    The challenge of financing innovative research

32:15    Global stem cell research landscape

33:14    Controversy in stem cell research

34:00    Future horizons for Regeneration Biomedical

37:23    Partnering with top pharma companies

37:48    Advice for researchers and entrepreneurs

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter 

Learn more about the latest research in Alzheimer's disease treatment! 

Immunai is mapping the immune system at unprecedented scale and granularity. The map, paired with machine learning, looks at how the immune system will respond to drug targets, offering an affordable way to prevent expensive drug failures. 

The ultimate goal is to market immune treatments for diseases like cancer faster than ever before. 

In this week’s conversation, Noam Solomon, CEO and co-founder of Immunai, covers the data gap in drug discovery and how machine learning (ML) can solve it, how to de-risk early-stage drug discovery, predictions for AI, and more.

00:49-01:13: About Immunai

01:13-01:45: Why map the immune system?

01:45-02:44: Are you taking a step back to study the problem in order to move forward?

02:44-03:49: How difficult is it to map the immune system?

03:49-05:29: What is your AMICA platform?

05:29-07:24: Where does your data come from?

07:24-09:09: How do you account for differences between patients?

09:09-11:35: What are the biggest challenges to drug development?

11:35-14:07: How can AI improve drug development?

14:07-14:55: Will AI advances speed up drug development?

14:55-16:06: Is the use of AI applicable in all diseases and conditions?

16:06-17:48: What sets your approach apart from other companies using AI?

17:48-18:54: What partnerships does Immunai have?

18:54-20:24: What are pharma companies looking for from Immunai?

20:24-23:17: How can AI help with clinical trials?

23:17-24:32: Can AI help with preventative care?

24:32-26:30: Google Maps for the immune system

26:30-27:18: What will we see from AI in drug discovery in the short term?

27:18-28:06: What are the next steps for Immunai?

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

The CEO, Reagan Jarvis, when a researcher, pitched the company idea to a leading Swedish industrialist, who became co-founder, and provided the initial financing. 

The company has raised more than €100m to date.

On the podcast this week, we have a conversation with Jarvis about TCR-T cell therapies, creating off-the-shelf products and partnerships with EmendoBio and Shinobi Therapeutics.

00:43-02:10: About Anocca
02:10-04:16: About TCR-T cell therapies and their use in treatments
04:16-06:02: Anocca’s approach to T-cell biology, cutting-edge biotechnologies and integrated software
06:02-07:58: A different approach to other cell and gene therapy companies
07:58-09:16: Facing challenges
09:16-10:48: Addressing conditions and diseases
10:48-11:54: Pancreatic cancer
11:54-13:40: What represents success for Anocca?
13:40-14:09: What is VIDAR-1?
14:09-16:08: Partnerships
16:08-18:05: Scaling up and addressing costs
18:05-20:07: How is TCR-T therapy evolving?
20:07-23:11: The impact of artificial intelligence
23:11-25:16: Anocca timeline
25:16-25:57: Closing comments
 `
Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

Unlike current therapies that primarily focus on appetite suppression, Resalis’ lead program, RES-010, is a non-coding RNA drug candidate that targets underlying biological pathways to promote sustainable weight loss. 

By enhancing energy expenditure through white-to-brown adipose tissue conversion while preserving muscle mass, RES-010 is positioned as an ideal standalone therapy or a synergistic option for long-term weight management.

The company recently initiated a phase 1 study in December 2024 for RES-010 in healthy and obese subjects, and they also secured an equity investment from Sanofi in October 2024.

To talk about ways to tackle obesity, and Resalis’ approach, our guest on the podcast this week is Alessandro Toniolo, CEO of Resalis Therapeutics.

00:57-05:06: About Resalis Therapeutics
05:06-08:59: Issues of obesity
08:59-13:20: Companies working on obesity treatments
13:20-15:34: Does suppressing appetite affect nutrition?
15:34-17:49: Introduction of new obesity treatments
17:49-21:33: Approaches other than appetite suppression
21:33-22:38: RES-010 mode of action
22:38-24:04: Administration methods
24:04-25:11: Clinical trials
25:11-26:38: Resalis’ pipeline
26:38-28:08: Next steps for Resalis
28:08-28:36: Effect of obesity on other parts of the body
28:36-29:06: Final comments
 `
Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

Visugromab is a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes the tumor-derived growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), a locally acting immunosuppressant fostering immunotherapy resistance. 

Neutralizing GDF-15 with visugromab reverses key cancer resistance mechanisms to reinstate an efficient anti-tumor response by reenabling immune cell activation, proliferation and Interferon-γ signature induction. 

Visugromab has demonstrated a good safety profile and potent and durable anti-tumor efficacy in combination with anti-PD-1 treatment in advanced cancer patients, as highlighted in its recent Nature publication and interim clinical data. 

This week we have a conversation with Eugen Leo, chief medical officer at CatalYm.

01:30-03:38: About CatalYm
03:38-06:59: Solid tumors and also why they are hard to treat
06:59-09:04: Current treatments for solid tumors
09:04-10:47: What is immunotherapy resistance?
10:47-12:23: What is visugromab?
12:23-13:32: CatalYm’s clinical development program
13:32-15:12: What represents success for patients using visugromab?
15:12-17:50: Other treatment options being developed
17:50-19:50: CatalYm’s pipeline and the future

This week’s podcast was sponsored by TCR Solutions.

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

The company’s lead candidate, HTX-001, is making progress towards the clinic in cardiomyopathy. CEO Samir is one of the first researchers to publish on lncRNA – which is also known as the Dark Genome

This week, our podcast guest is Samir Ounzain, CEO and co-founder of Haya Therapeutics. Ounzain was one of the first researchers to publish on lncRNA, also known as the ‘dark genome.’

00:55-03:47: About Haya Therapeutics
03:47-06:37: What is the dark genome?
06:37-09:29: What is the connection between lncRNA and disease?
09:30-13:22: How can disease be addressed via the dark genome?
13:22-16:45: Which diseases are you tackling?
16:45-18:02: What is the EchoHAYA platform?
18:02-21:07: How does your lead candidate, HTX-001, work?
21:07-22:00: Is the objective stopping fibrosis or reversing it?
22:00-23:41: Other companies in the field
23:41-24:52: Working with Eli Lilly
24:52-27:15: A new frontier in medicine?
27:15-28:43: Cost effectiveness
28:43-30:07: Clinical trials
30:07-31:48: Applications to other diseases

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

By targeting specific proteins common in all solid tumor micro-environments, Seekyo scientists think this can induce self-destruction of the tumor itself. Seekyo’s lead therapy, SKY01, can only be activated within the tumor, making it a highly-targeted solution.

This differentiated approach overcomes the limits of existing treatments, such as small molecule or antibody-drug conjugates. It could also be more cost effective than many advanced, far cell and gene therapy alternatives. 

Seekyo is looking for clinical entry to target four of the more challenging solid cancers - pancreas, TNBC, colorectal and lung, in an umbrella PhI/IIa. This will demonstrate safety and initial efficacy readings whilst at the same time defining the lead indication to progress to later-stage development. 

This week, our guest is Seekyo Therapeutics’ CEO, Oury Chetboun. 

00:38-01:57: About Seekyo Therapeutics
01:57-03:17: The challenges of treating solid tumors
03:17-06:08: What is Tumor Activated Therapy?
06:08-07:46: What is SKY01?
07:46-08:10: What happens to the cancer cells?
08:10-09:52: Does the tumor vanish? 
09:52-10:16: How is it delivered?
10:16-11:30: Are other companies working on tumor-activated therapies?
11:30-13:09: What treatment options are being worked on for solid tumors?
13:09-13:47: Long-lasting treatment
13:47-15:33: Clinical trials
15:33-16:22: Timelines
16:22-18:08: Does the treatment have other potential applications?
18:08-19:59: Cost effectiveness
19:59-21:59: Is the goal to cure people? 
21:59-22:46: Treatment frequency
22:46-24:00: The impact of tumor size
24:00-25:23: Seekyo Therapeutics’ pipeline 
25:23-27:27: Fund-raising
27:27-30:33: Reaction to the therapy

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

While there weren’t necessarily many financial blockbusters, there were plenty of announcements and discussions on everything from artificial intelligence to the rising influence of Chinese companies and research, to the potential ramifications of the incoming Trump administration in the U.S.

To help us navigate some of the highlights of the event, we spoke with Orca Bio’s co-founder and CEO, Ivan Dimov, and also Parabilis Medicines’ chief business officer, Greg Miller.

02:01-03:53: About Orca Bio 
03:53-05:43: JPM highlights
05:43-07:26: Stand-out deals and announcements
07:26-09:01: Were any sectors more prominent than others?
09:01-12:38: About Parabilis Medicines
12:38-13:58: JPM highlights
13:58-16:33: Stand-out deals and announcements  
16:33-17:53: Were any sectors more prominent than others?
17:53-19:17: Was there an optimistic mood?

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

Initiate Ventures is shaking up the traditional venture capital model by blending investments in healthcare, life sciences, and technology with a company creation platform. The company is tackling some of the most pressing challenges in healthcare, and their innovative approach offers fresh insights into what it takes to scale transformative startups.

Owens was the co-founder of GRAIL (acquired by Illumina for $8bn) and was a partner at Kleiner Perkins, where she helped shape some of the most successful health tech startups. Dimkova is a former healthcare technology investor at GE Ventures, who also scaled a company that raised more than $700m and built one of the largest radiation therapy networks in the US.

Their approach is reflected in their dual model: funding existing companies while also co-creating ventures alongside founders in their startup studio. They helped launch groundbreaking companies like Macro Trials, a precision clinical research platform, and Persana, a leader in oncology diagnostics.

This week on the podcast, we have a conversation with one of the co-founders of the company, Jessica Owens.

00:40-05:19: About Initiate Ventures
05:19-08:33: What sets Initiate Ventures apart from other venture funds?
08:33-10:59: Revitalizing healthcare
10:59-13:46: Determining realistic company visions
13:46-15:15: Initiate Ventures and Initiate Studios
15:15-19:50: Working with companies
19:50-21:36: Working with new companies
21:36-23:00: Evaluating potential success
23:00-24:40: How hands on is Initiate Ventures?
24:40-28:24: Is there a change in what attracts capital?
28:24-30:02: Infectious disease – a neglected area
30:02-33:08: How important are ESG considerations?
33:08-35:42: Trends for 2025
35:42-36:42: Goals for 2025

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

As part of the NIH's efforts to tackle the U.S. opioid crisis, the funding will advance research into safer, drug-free alternatives to opioid pain management. Brixton’s Neural Ice is an injectable, drug-free pain management technology designed to provide long-lasting relief from chronic and post-operative pain.

On the podcast this week, we have a conversation with Sameer Sabir, CEO and co-founder of Brixton Biosciences, to dive deeper into pain treatment, the opioid crisis, and Brixton’s mission.

01:05-02:47: About Brixton Biosciences
02:47-03:39: Brixton’s pipeline 
03:39-07:46: The opioid crisis
07:46-08:41: The extent of the crisis
08:41-12:00: Current alternatives to opioids
12:00-12:40: Managing pain
12:40-17:19: How was Neural ice developed?
17:19-18:33: Duration of treatment
18:33-21:01: Suitability for different levels of pain
21:01-21:31: Speed of effect
21:31-22:37: Side effects
22:37-24:18: Opioids vs. non-opioids
24:18-25:33: Are there different responses to Neural Ice?
25:33-26:29: Standardized doses
26:29-27:42: Pricing 
27:42-28:49: Other work on alternatives to opioids
28:49-30:45: Challenges to developing new pain treatments
30:45-31:57: Other priorities at Brixton
31:57-32:16: Timeline for Neural Ice 

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

AlloNK (also known as AB-101) is a non-genetically modified, cord blood-derived, allogeneic, cryopreserved, ADCC-enhancing NK cell therapy candidate for use in combination with monoclonal antibodies or innate-cell engagers in the out-patient setting. 

Artiva is investigating AlloNK in a phase 1/2 multicenter clinical trial to assess the safety and clinical activity of AlloNK alone and in combination with the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, rituximab, in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell-non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). Artiva is also investigating the safety and clinical activity of AlloNK in combination with rituximab in patients with lupus nephritis. 

In addition, Artiva is collaborating with Affimed in a phase 2, open-label, multi-center, multi-cohort study, testing a combination therapy, comprised of AlloNK and the innate cell engager AFM13, for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory CD30-positive lymphomas. Artiva selects cord blood units with the high affinity variant of the CD16 receptor and a KIR-B haplotype for enhanced product activity. 

Using the company’s cell therapy manufacturing platform, Artiva can generate thousands of doses of pure, cryopreserved, infusion-ready NK cells from a single umbilical cord blood unit while retaining the high and consistent expression of CD16 and other activating NK receptors, without the need for engineering. AlloNK is being administered in the outpatient setting over multiple doses and multiple cycles.

Artiva’s pipeline also includes AB-201, an anti-HER2 CAR-NK cell therapy candidate for the treatment of HER2-overexpressing tumors, such as breast, gastric, and bladder cancers, and for which an IND has been allowed by FDA, and a pipeline of CAR-NK candidates targeting both solid and hematopoietic cancers. Artiva has also entered into therapeutic NK cell collaborations with Merck Sharp & Dohme.

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

Softbank Vision Fund is the world’s largest technology-focused investment fund, with $166bn assets under management, and a portfolio of more than 250 companies.

In the discussion, we cover investment trends within life sciences, the European health and biotech scene, as well as the precise applications of new and emerging AI technologies. We also look ahead to what the biotech and life sciences fields may hold in 2025.

00:55-02:03: About the SoftBank Vision Fund
02:03-02:47: Developing timelines
02:47-04:27: Managing a large portfolio
04:27-11:18: Portfolio company profiles
11:18-13:36: Investment criteria
13:36-17:06: Trends in funding
17:06-19:09: Effects of the US election
19:09-21:45: How can companies reduce risk and raise funds?
21:45-25:25: What sectors are attracting interest currently?
25:25-27:49: Focusing on patients not profits
27:49-29:53: The impact of AI 
29:53-31:45: Focus on applications
31:45-35:24: Trends in European biotech funding
35:24-38:19: Trends for 2025

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

IgGenix, a clinical-stage immunology biotechnology company, recently announced the first patient dosed in its phase 1 trial evaluating IGNX001, a novel monoclonal antibody-based therapeutic, for peanut allergy. 

Designed to neutralize the most clinically important peanut allergens and epitopes, IGNX001 combats peanut allergies by blocking the allergic cascade and reducing risk of anaphylaxis.

Should IGNX001 prove successful, it will provide a promising solution for peanut allergies and pave the way for IgGenix's technology to be applied to other types of food allergies and allergic diseases.

Our guest on the podcast this week is Jessica Grossman, chief executive officer of IgGenix.

01:14-02:51: About IgGenix
02:51-06:30: About peanut allergy
06:30-07:31: Are allergies on the rise?
07:31-08:46: Are allergy responses similar?
08:46-10:13: The problems with treating allergies
10:13-13:53: Current treatments for peanut allergy
13:53-15:45: The challenges of developing drugs to treat allergies
15:45-16:54: Overcoming the placebo effect
16:54-18:18: Are other companies working on allergy treatments?
18:18-21:32: IgGenix’s SEQ SIFTER platform
21:32-24:20: About IgGenix’s IGNX001
24:20-24:42: Repeat doses
24:42-26:19: Could peanut allergy sufferers eat peanuts?
26:19-27:46: Can the technology be adapted to treat other allergies?
27:46-28:56: Are there variations in the treatment of different allergies?
28:56-29:35: Treatments for other diseases
29:35-30:23: The future for people with allergies

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

To dive deeper into the topic: 

Eight allergy companies to watch in 2026

The company helps its corporate clients with their product strategy, in- and out-licensing efforts, including asset valuation (NPV, rNPV), M&A scouting, complex due diligence and dealmaking.

ambiom also provides input on regulatory matters, support in pricing and reimbursement decisions and communication with decision-making authorities. The company guides products from the beginning - the basic science - all the way to commercialization or spin-offs.

Our guest on the podcast this week is the founder and CEO of ambiom, Adam Marťák. We discuss the biotech scene in eastern Europe, the company, and look at some of the challenges facing biotech companies as they navigate the financial pathway alongside drug discovery, regulations, and commercialization.

00:45-02:33: About ambiom
02:33-03:11: ambiom clients
03:11-04:21: Biotech in eastern Europe
04:21-11:35: Focusing on a niche
11:35-13:13: What do startups need?
13:13-15:19: How do you help startups?
15:19-16:52: Tech transfer
16:52-18:35: Early-stage and late-stage biotech valuations
18:35-21:48: Different valuation methods
21:48-22:53: Why do early-stage biotech valuations offer higher upside potential for investors?
22:53-23:42: How do you measure the value of pipeline potential?
23:42-24:35: Does a bigger pipeline guarantee more success?
24:35-27:08: Can companies look more attractive to investors?
27:08-28:41: Does pipeline speed affect investment?
28:41-30:27: Which valuation method is better for biotech companies?
30:27-31:46: Are some areas of biotech better for valuations?
31:46-33:18: What affects valuation?
33:18-35:13: The difference between financing of expensive and cheaper drugs
35:13-36:57 : Is funding more difficult now, and is it changing?

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

Backed by a multi-million-dollar investment from the Gates Foundation, Sparks adds to Oxitec’s Aedes aegypti technology, called Friendly, which is taking on dengue fever in Brazil. 

With mosquito-borne diseases on the rise, Oxitec’s Friendly mosquitoes are designed to suppress populations of disease-spreading mosquitoes and, in turn, reduce biting and the threat of disease transmission. Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes are designed to spread Wolbachia bacteria into the local mosquito population to limit the ability of the remaining infected mosquito population to transmit dengue. 

The platforms are designed for specific settings and intervention types, and provide options for governments and communities seeking suppression, replacement or hybrid approaches using both.

Our guest on the podcast this week is the CEO of Oxitec, Grey Frandsen.

00:56-02:12: About Oxitec
02:12-05:54: The state of mosquito-borne diseases
05:54-07:09: The effect of climate change
07:09-08:29: Moving into more developed countries
08:29-10:27: Wolbachia replacement technology
10:27-12:53: The Sparks program
12:53-13:46: Other companies’ approaches
13:46-15:00: World Mosquito Program
15:00-15:30: Establishing timelines
15:30-17:20: The effect on the environment
17:20-18:54: Could adaptation render the technology useless?
18:54-20:52: Are the Sparks and Friendly programs being used together?
20:52-21:57: Do the technologies work differently on different species?
21:57-26:28: How to determine rollout conditions
26:28-27:19: Are repeat interventions needed?
27:19-30:32: Are there limitations based on cost or politics?
30:32-33:11: Are the technologies applicable to other problems?
33:11-35:08: Is there anything else in Oxitec’s pipeline?

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

However, according to UK-headquartered Greywolf Therapeutics, the industry has only focused on two-thirds of the puzzle.

To have an immunological effect, you must activate the body’s T cells, which cells requires a chain of three key signals. The first is antigen recognition, i.e. the initial detection of a cell by a T-cell. The second is the co-stimulation of non-antigen presenting molecules, which enhances the immune response​. The final step is cytokine-mediated differentiation and expansion, which guides how T-cells target threats. ​

Companies have focused on the second two signals, with signal 2 most commonly seen in therapies such as checkpoint inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies. Signal 3, on the other hand, can be primarily seen in therapies for autoimmune disorders, such as anti-TNF and JAK inhibitors.

Greywolf Therapeutics is the first company to explore changing signal 1. The company says focusing on signal 1 applies in three key therapeutic areas: oncology, autoimmunity and virology. 

Greywolf’s first candidate has delivered strong results during its ongoing phase I/II trial in oncology, therefore demonstrating proof-of-mechanism and target engagement, with its next candidate well-progressed in preclinical development in autoimmunity.

To tell us more about the company and its work is Pete Joyce, CEO and co-founder of Greywolf Therapeutics.

01:19-04:12: About Greywolf Therapeutics
04:12-04:51: The origins of the name
04:51-06:52: The three ‘signals’ of the mechanics of immunological responses
06:52-08:31: Treatments associated with each signal
08:31-10:09: Why is step 1 important, and why has it not been investigated for treatments?
10:09-11:28: What areas of disease is this applicable to?
11:28-12:19: How do you inhibit ERAP?
12:19-14:01: Greywolf Therapeutics’ candidates
14:01-15:11: How is this an advance on current treatments?
15:11-16:05: What is success for patients?
16:05-17:20: How does the stage of disease affect treatment?
17:20-18:09: Are other companies looking into antigen modulation? 
18:09-19:47: Has this led to investment opportunities?
19:47-21:15: Next steps
21:15-21:55: Do you anticipate more interest in this space?
21:55-23:21: Attending events 

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

This week, our guest is Dr Claire Wagner, head of corporate strategy and market access at Gates MRI.

Wagner has dedicated her life to global health. Her early years working in West Africa and East Africa – including five years working with the Rwanda Ministry of Health – were formative experiences for her. 

She helped document health sector outcomes in Rwanda and had a front row seat to the progress the country was making at the time, which led to her pursuing and obtaining an MD and MBA from Harvard.

Her experiences led to her becoming one of the early employees of the Gates MRI, where she is on the executive leadership team and leads the institute's global access strategy as well as related engagement with commercial partners, financial institutions and multilaterals.

She tackles the challenge of paving the way for the drugs, biologics and vaccines that the Gates MRI is developing – if they are successful in clinical trials – to be affordable and accessible to the people in low- and middle-income countries who would benefit most. In March 2024 the Gates MRI launched a phase 3 clinical trial for a tuberculosis vaccine candidate, and market access for this candidate is a top priority for Wagner.

01:51-04:47: Background on Dr Claire Wagner
04:47-06:24: Work in Rwanda
06:24-08:40: Gates MRI
08:40-12:50: Progress at Gates MRI
12:50-14:06: Gates MRI R&D priorities
14:06-16:26: The differences between Gates MRI and traditional biotechs
16:26-18:40: Gates MRI partnerships
18:40-22:52: The inequality of developing drug treatments
22:52-25:45: Return on investment
25:45-27:01: Did COVID increase global awareness?
27:01-27:44: Other companies working on treatments
27:44-31:48: Gates MRI pipeline and clinical trials
31:48-34:51: Working on tuberculosis
34:51-36:00: Treatment mode of action
36:00-37:25: Future work at Gates MRI

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

Kate Yen is the CEO of oncology biotech Auron Therapeutics, and she has spent her entire career in science. 

Auron is working on the next generation of targeted cancer therapies by identifying and inhibiting the oncogenic cell states of cancer. Auron’s AURIGIN platform uses AI and machine learning to compare normal cell states with cancerous cell states to identify novel cancer targets, optimal development models, and biomarkers to guide patient selection. 

Auron is building a pipeline of small molecule targeted therapies, led by AUTX-703, which is being developed for the treatment of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia.

02:16-07:44: About Kate Yen and Auron Therapeutics
07:44-09:09: The challenges of setting up a company
09:09-11:56: Auron Therapeutics’ lead candidate
11:56-12:52: The rest of the pipeline
12:52-13:29: Auron timeline
13:29-15:01: Are there specific challenges being a female biotech CEO?
15:01-15:49: Is there support for women in biotech beyond the CEO level?
15:49-16:51: Helping others
16:51-17:41: Challenges in the boardroom
17:41-18:40: Diversity in biotech
19:40-21:03: Changing mindsets
22:05-22:59: Being a role model
22:59-24:43: Attracting women from outside hubs
25:42-27:28: Diversity and education
27:28-31:31: The importance of AI
31:31-32:34: The evolution of Auron

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

This week’s podcast is sponsored by Cryoport Systems, the global leader in comprehensive temperature-controlled supply chain solutions, is proud to introduce IntegriCell™ to preserve the future of medicine. IntegriCell™ cryopreservation services provide an integrated, end-to-end solution to ensure the highest quality, consistency, and viability of manufacture-ready, cryopreserved leukopaks for cell therapies. IntegriCell™ enables seamless, efficient, and reliable cryopreservation services combined with end-to-end supply chain solutions to support the treatment of patients worldwide. For more information, visit Cryoport.com.

Related articles:

- Seven influential women in biotech in 2026

Sitryx already has big pharma validation following a deal with Eli Lilly in 2020 worth in excess of $1 billion and is focused on advancing its pipeline of potentially first- and best-in-class therapies, which could address a wide range of chronic conditions, including SYX-5219 for atopic dermatitis.

The company has a broad pipeline of small molecules against novel targets in major autoimmune indications with high unmet need.

To talk about immunometabolism, our guest on the podcast this week is CEO of Sitryx Therapeutics, Iain Kilty.

00:52-01:48: About Sitryx
01:48-02:32: What is immunometabolism?
02:32-05:01: Approaches to address autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
05:01-06:46: Drug development
06:46-08:29: What is Sitryx’s approach?
08:29-11:02: Finding diseases to treat
11:02-13:09: About SYX-5219
13:09-16:08: Inflammatory response
16:08-18:40: About SYX-1042 and Eli Lilly
18:40-19:54: Mode of delivery
19:54-20:49: The Sitryx pipeline
20:49-22:08: Research on immune cell function and other companies’ work
22:08-23:53: Increased interest in the field
23:53-25:06: More investment and deals
25:06-26:30: Future treatments of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
26:30-27:59: The future of immunometabolism
27:59-29:26: Sitryx’s goals

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

Carina Kern is the CEO of the company, while Serena Kern-Libera is the chief operating officer. After reading an article about how space-travel is especially damaging to the kidneys, they applied for a place on the inaugural NASA Space-H Accelerator program, and how medicine can support human deep-space missions.

LinkGevity was selected for the program, which is in its inaugural year. LinkGevity was selected as its research has uncovered technology with significant potential to minimize the health and performance risks in human spaceflight.

LinkGevity’s anti-necrotics applications cover four major areas: organoid preservation and growth; cryopreservation; organ growth and preservation; and kidney protection.

LinkGevity’s novel proprietary Blueprint Theory of Aging, developed by Kern, offers a multi-disciplinary framework for understanding the development of age-related diseases and deterioration. The theory enables the company’s AI to accurately identify and target key biological pathways involved in aging and deterioration, with necrosis being one of the most critical processes addressed.

To talk about the company’s technology, and its application to space, we had a conversation with Carina Kern and Serena Kern-Libera.

01:48-05:45: About LinkGevity
05:45-06:39: What is the goal for LinkGevity?
06:39-09:07: Is early intervention important?
09:07-11:10: What is the Blueprint Theory of Aging, and how do you identify and target key biological pathways involved in aging and deterioration?
11:10-13:51: Applying the theory
13:51-15:03: Necrosis and LinkGevity’s Anti-Necrotic technology
15:03-18:37: Blocking necrosis and treating disease
18:37-19:06: Drug delivery
19:06-20:54: The importance of AI
20:54-24:43: Connecting LinkGevity’s work with space
24:43-26:24: The SPACE-H program
27:18-28:13: Other biotech involvement in the program
28:13-30:13:  LinkGevity’s presentation at Space-Comm
30:13-31:00: Keeping space medicine simple
31:00-32:18: The future for LinkGevity
32:18-33:14: LinkGevity’s timescale
33:14-33:47: Clinical trials
33:47-34:53: LinkGevity’s future space work
34:53-35:30: Different space opportunities
35:30-38:12: LinkGevity funding

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

Spur Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech company dedicated to developing next generation gene therapies for people living with chronic, debilitating diseases. 

Its lead candidate, FLT201, is an AAV gene therapy for Gaucher disease that is poised to enter phase 3 development in 2025.

This week, we have a conversation with Michael Parini, CEO of Spur Therapeutics, about the future of gene therapy.

01:56-04:01: About Spur Therapeutics
04:01-06:49: Where is the gene therapy field at currently?
06:49-10:44: The biggest challenges for gene therapies, and potential solutions
10:44-13:21: What is the next generation of gene therapy?
13:21-18:08: How can gene therapy be used to take on more diseases? How can it be cheaper?
18:08-19:14: Are other companies working on next-generation gene therapies?
19:14-21:07: What is Gaucher disease?
21:07-22:32: How are you tackling Gaucher disease?
22:32-26:07: What is the measure of success?
26:07-28:18: About adrenomyeloneuropathy
28:18-29:32: Upcoming approvals in gene therapy
29:32-31:40: How quickly is gene therapy evolving?

This podcast is sponsored by Vetter, a globally leading CDMO, with over 70 years of experience as a responsible, independent family business. Driven by more than 6,600 employees worldwide, Vetter provides life-saving injectable drug products to the patients that rely on them most. Vetter partners with its customers throughout the entire product lifecycle, starting in the early phase of drug development with comprehensive expertise and support in clinical manufacturing for in-human trial material. For more information, visit vetter-pharma.com

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

Some biopharma companies are investing in what they hope will be the next-generation approach to ADCs – bispecific ADCs. 

More than a dozen early-stage clinical trials are evaluating whether adding a second targeting functionality can improve the preciseness of ADCs’ tumor-targeting, as well as potentially overcome the challenge of heterogeneity in solid tumor target expression. 

Bispecific ADCs have been a hot area for dealmaking over the past year, including BMS’ $8.4 billion purchase of a bispecific ADC candidate in December, a $690 million deal between Biotheus and Hansoh this spring, and the recently announced $325 million deal between Prague-based SOTIO Biotech and Biocytogen.

SOTIO’s most advanced ADC, SOT102, is now in a phase 1/2 clinical study in the U.S. and Europe. 

To talk about biotechs in Czechia, and bispecific ADCs, our conversation this week is with Radek Špíšek, CEO of SOTIO.

01:22-03:17: About SOTIO
03:17-06:12: Are there many biotech or biopharma companies in Prague?
06:12-08:16: Are there any challenges or opportunities being in Prague?
08:16-13:21: What are bispecific ADCs and how do they differ from regular ADCs?
13:21-15:37: Are there any challenges using bispecific ADCs?
15:37-17:07: What are the benefits of bispecific ADCs?
17:07-18:40: Do bispecific ADCs address the challenge of balancing efficacy and off-site toxicity?
18:40-19:42: Why are bispecific ADCs such a hot topic?
19:42-21:35: Deals involving bispecific ADCs, and SOTIO’s partnership with Biocytogen
21:35-24:15: What is SOT102?
24:15-26:41: What else is in SOTIO’s pipeline?
26:41-27:47: What is the future for bispecific ADCs?
27:47-29:01: What does this mean for patients?

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated of the latest biotech news by subscribing to our newsletter

MAIA Biotechnology is focused on the pioneering approach of telomere targeting through its lead therapeutic strategy, THIO. 

Currently, MAIA is making strides with THIO in a phase 2 clinical trial aimed at combating high-risk non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). THIO targets telomerase, thus disrupting cancer cells’ vital structures, leading to their rapid demise. 

To tell us about MAIA’s groundbreaking work, and the relationships between telomeres, telomerase and cancer, is the CEO and chairman of the company, Vlad Vitoc.

01:16-02:13: About MAIA Biotechnology
02:13-06:24: What is the role of telomerase in cancer?
06:24-07:02: Do other factors affect telomeres?
07:02-08:42: How does your therapy, THIO, work?
08:42-09:08: Safety of THIO
09:08-10:54: How is it administered?
10:54-11:04: Are there other companies working on this?
11:04-12;14: What else is in the MAIA pipeline?
12:14-17:18: MAIA clinical trials
17:18-18:19: Could THIO be a preventative treatment?
18:19-19:46: Is there a lot of research on telomeres and telomerase?
19:46-21:06: Are there cancers that are not telomerase positive?
21:06-21:41: What is the future for telomere-targeting therapies?
21:41-23:14: Are there any challenges?
23:14-25:40: Is word spreading about your treatments?

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company is dedicated to creating a new generation of medicines using its TORPEDO platform to design and optimize small-molecule medicines to address difficult-to-treat diseases. 

TORPEDO can design molecular glues and heterobifunctional degraders, giving C4T the capability of targeting almost any disease-causing protein. 

C4T’s degrader medicines are designed to harness the body’s natural protein recycling system to rapidly degrade disease-causing proteins, offering the potential to overcome drug resistance, drug undruggable targets and improve patient outcomes.

C4T is led by CEO and president Andrew Hirsch, who is this week’s guest on the podcast.

01:17-03:01: About C4 Therapeutics
03:01-05:07: What is targeted protein degradation?
05:07-06:21: What kind of diseases can TPD be used to address? 
06:21-10:53: What are the different TPD strategies: PROTAC, molecular glue, lysosome-targeting chimaera (LYTAC), and antibody-based PROTAC?
10:53-12:43: How are those strategies applied?
12:43-13:59: How is TPD improving on current treatments?
15:39-18:24: What is your discovery program, TORPEDO, and how does it work?
18:24-25:19: About C4T clinical trials
25:19-26:13: Reaction to the ESMO presentation
26:13-28:50: Partnerships with pharma companies
28:50-31:26: Are there any hurdles or challenges in using TPD?
31:26-33:23: The future of TPD

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

The biobank uses genetic data to create a picture of the Estonian population, leading to the potential adaptation of public health systems. 

The Estonian Biobank has samples from 20% of the adult population; in comparison, UK biobanks only represent 0.7% of the population. With so much data, Estonia can determine risk factors for cancer, cardiovascular disease, mental and reproductive health, informing health investments to improves patient outcomes.

The project seeks to predict patients’ responses to certain medications based on their genetic makeup. As well as better patient outcomes, this approach could save health systems millions on ineffective prescriptions in the long run. It could also be a blueprint for other national health systems, including the NHS, to personalize healthcare at scale.

Earlier this year, the Estonian Biobank announced the next phase of its European Commission funded project in collaboration with sequencing firm PacBio. 

On the podcast this week, we have Professor Lili Milani, head of the Estonian National Biobank, and Neil Ward, VP of EMEA at PacBio.

01:27-04:06: What is the Estonian National Biobank?
04:06-05:15: Background on PacBio
05:15-06:43: What are the benefits of using genetic data to create a picture of the Estonian population?
06:43-08:24: What data is collected, and how is it used?
08:24-09:54: Protecting individual privacy
09:54-11:24: Is the databank used regularly by Estonian citizens?
11:24-12:35: Can the biobank help address disease earlier?
12:35-16:30: Are there economic savings?
16:30-17:16: How to expand the biobank program
17:16-19:44: How does the biobank help personalize medicine?
19:44-20:26: Are there regional differences?
20:26-21:57: How can Estonia’s system be applied to other countries?
21:57-22:57: Has there been international interest in the biobank?
22:27-22:52: Are pharma companies interested in the biobank?
22:52-24:05: The partnership with PacBio
24:05-26:15: Is AI being used in conjunction with the biobank?
26:15-27:26: Is the biobank project similar to other PacBio work?
27:26-29:00: What is the future for the biobank relationship with PacBio?
29:00-31:30: What is the future for the biobank?

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter