Xtalks Life Science Podcast Xtalks

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Joshua Cohen and Justin Klee, co-CEOs and co-founders of Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, a company developing therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Josh and Justin co-founded Amylyx Pharmaceuticals in 2013. Josh co-invented the oral, fixed-dose combination AMX0035 (known commercially as Albrioza in Canada and Relyvrio in the US), which is being explored for the potential treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. With a background in biomedical engineering, Josh is passionate about improving outcomes where there is a significant unmet need by pursuing research into novel drug candidates for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Justin previously conducted research in neural systems in the Moore lab at Brown University and in neurophysiology and Alzheimer’s disease under Dr. Rudolph Tanzi, founding member of Amylyx’ Scientific Advisory Board, at Harvard Medical School to explore new approaches to treating relentlessly progressive neurodegenerative diseases.
In 2020, Josh and Justin were named to Business Insider’s 30 Under 40 in Healthcare list and PM360’s ELITE in the Drug Researchers and Developers category among the many other awards they have won throughout their careers thus far.
Josh and Justin have overseen the growth of Amylyx from its start as a concept dreamed up in a dorm room at Brown University to a global, commercial stage and publicly traded pharmaceutical company hundreds of employees and headquarters in the US, Canada and the Netherlands to support Amylyx’s global operations.
Josh and Justin led the global regulatory approvals of AMX0035 for the treatment of ALS in Canada and the US. In April, Amylyx decided to remove the drug from the US and Canadian markets based on data from a confirmatory trial.
Tune into the episode to learn more about Amylyx’s plans for AMX0035, which include investigations in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and Wolfram syndrome.
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In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Howard McLeod, PharmD, Director of the Center for Precision Medicine and Functional Genomics, Professor of Pharmacy and Medicine at Utah Tech University and Precision Medicine Advisor at the Geriatric Oncology Consortium; and Sharmeen Roy, PharmD, Chief Strategy and Science Officer at DoseMe, which is the world’s first and largest Bayesian dosing platform designed for clinical practice.Precision dosing, also known as personalized dosing, aims to tailor drug dosages to the individual characteristics of each patient to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes while minimizing adverse effects. It leverages various patient-specific factors, including genetics, age, weight, organ function and even lifestyle, to determine the most appropriate dosage for each individual. Dr. McLeod is an internationally recognized expert in precision medicine, who has made novel contributions at the discovery, translation, implementation and policy levels. Dr. McLeod received his Doctorate in Pharmacy from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and completed his Post-Doctoral Training at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the University of Glasgow. Dr. Roy is passionate about leveraging technology to amplify the impact of the pharmacist. Her career spans pediatric clinical pharmacy, clinical research and pharmacogenomics with leadership roles at University of Chicago Medical Center and PipelineRx. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, is a Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and completed a Pediatric Specialty Pharmacotherapy Residency at Texas Children’s Hospital.Tune into the episode to learn more about the current landscape of precision dosing, including the latest technologies and tools designed to help optimize drug dosages.For more life science and medical device content, visit the Xtalks Vitals homepage. https://xtalks.com/vitals/  Follow Us on Social MediaTwitter: https://twitter.com/Xtalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xtalks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Xtalks.Webinars/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xtalks-webconferences YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/XtalksWebinars/featured

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Brian Atwood, Chairman and CEO of CERo Therapeutics, a company pioneering a new generation of autologous T-cell-based therapies for both hematologic and solid tumor cancers. Prior to joining CERo, Brian Atwood served as Chairman of the board of directors of Phoenix Biotech Acquisition Corp., which merged with CERo Therapeutics to form CERo Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. Mr. Atwood has founded and co-founded several biotechnology and healthcare-focused companies throughout his career, including Cell Design Labs Inc. where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer until 2018 when it was acquired by Gilead Sciences. He has also served as chairman on the board of directors of numerous biotech companies, including Immune Design Corp. (which was acquired by Merck in 2019), Veracyte and Five Prime Therapeutics among others. Mr. Atwood holds a BS in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine, a MS in Ecology from the University of California, Davis and an MBA from Harvard Business School.Tune into the episode to learn about CERo’s next-gen T-cell technology and its lead therapeutic candidate, a CER T cell product that contains a phagocyte receptor component. Hear about how it is being employed for AML, a blood cancer that remains among the most challenging cancers to treat. For more life science and medical device content, visit the Xtalks Vitals homepage. https://xtalks.com/vitals/  Follow Us on Social MediaTwitter: https://twitter.com/Xtalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xtalks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Xtalks.Webinars/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xtalks-webconferences YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/XtalksWebinars/featured

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Sam Lee, PhD, Co-Chief Executive Officer and President of Cocrystal Pharma, a company developing novel antiviral therapeutics against COVID-19 and other coronaviruses, influenza viruses and noroviruses.Cocrystal Pharma leverages a unique structure-based drug discovery platform, complemented by Nobel Prize-winning expertise, to develop leading-edge antiviral drugs that are both first-in-class and best-in-class. Their antivirals specifically target the viral replication process and are designed for safety, broad-spectrum effectiveness, resistance management and ease of administration.Dr. Lee brings over 25 years of experience in anti-infective drug discovery research to his role. Before joining Cocrystal, he spent eight years overseeing anti-infective drug discovery initiatives at Icos Corporation. During his tenure at Icos, Dr. Lee integrated protein crystallography and structural screening technologies into the company's research programs and was instrumental in the development of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) delta inhibitors, leading to an FDA-approved product. Dr. Lee earned his PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Notre Dame and completed his postdoctoral training in viral biochemistry at Stanford University. While at Stanford, he also established Viral Assays in Cupertino, CA, where he served as CEO.Tune in to the episode to learn about Cocrystal Pharma’s structure-based drug discovery approach to developing next-gen antiviral treatments. For more life science and medical device content, visit the Xtalks Vitals homepage. https://xtalks.com/vitals/  Follow Us on Social MediaTwitter: https://twitter.com/Xtalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xtalks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Xtalks.Webinars/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xtalks-webconferences YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/XtalksWebinars/featured

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with John Finn, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Tome Biosciences, a company developing programmable gene insertion (PGI) technology.PGI is a cutting-edge gene editing technology that allows for the insertion of large sequences of DNA with site-specific precision. PGI is a revolutionary approach for the development of potentially curative cell and integrative gene therapies. The technology underlies Tome’s investigational candidate therapeutics for autoimmune diseases and the rare metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) among other conditions.Dr. Finn has over 20 years of experience in the gene therapy space with a focus on genome editing and delivery technologies. He was most recently Vice President of Discovery Research at Codiak Biosciences, where he led the development of a new class of therapeutics based on engineered exosomes. Prior to Codiak, Dr. Finn was Executive Director of Platform Biology and Liver Discovery at Intellia Therapeutics, where he was responsible for the development of viral and non-viral delivery systems and demonstrated the first in vivo systemic administration of CRISPR-based therapeutics. He has served as an American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Committee Member for multiple committees. Dr. Finn trained with Pieter Cullis and Ian MacLachlan and received his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of British Columbia.Tune in to the episode to learn about Tome Biosciences’ innovative gene editing technology and lead therapeutic assets. For more life science and medical device content, visit the Xtalks Vitals homepage. https://xtalks.com/vitals/  Follow Us on Social MediaTwitter: https://twitter.com/Xtalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xtalks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Xtalks.Webinars/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xtalks-webconferences YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/XtalksWebinars/featured

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Jeremy Levin, D. Phil, MB BChir, CEO and Chairman of Ovid Therapeutics Inc., and Meg Alexander, Chief Strategy Officer at Ovid.Ovid Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of medicines for epilepsies and seizure-related neurological disorders.Prior to founding Ovid, Dr. Levin was president and CEO of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and a member of the executive committee at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) Company where he was the architect, lead and implementer of the String of Pearls Strategy, which transformed BMS and facilitated the initiation and massive growth of the immuno-oncology revolution in the biopharmaceutical industry. Dr. Levin also serves on the board and executive committee of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) as the immediate past chairman. Dr. Levin was voted as one of the 25 most influential biotechnology leaders by Fierce Biotech, one of the top three biotechnology CEOs by The Healthcare Technology Report and one of the PharmaVoice100 CEOs in 2020 and 2021. He was selected by Endpoints in 2021 as one of the 60 living pioneers of the industry, and has received several awards throughout his career. Dr. Levin has practiced medicine at university hospitals in England, South Africa and Switzerland. Meg Alexander serves as Ovid’s chief strategy officer, a role in which she oversees and supports the company’s corporate strategy and planning, performance measurement and risk mitigation. She also oversees the company’s corporate affairs function with a focus on engaging Ovid’s stakeholders across patient and caregiver communities, policymakers, press and investors.Ms. Alexander has worked in the biopharmaceutical industry for two decades and has played a key role in launching more than 25 new medicines for many conditions including rare epilepsies, ALS, HIV, multiple sclerosis, Batten’s disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. She has advised and led campaigns for large healthcare organizations, including Pfizer, Novartis, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Nestle and Coca-Cola among many others. Prior to Ovid, she founded and led the Reputation & Risk Management Group, a consultancy within Syneos Health, one of the world’s largest clinical research organizations. Ms. Alexander was named a “Disruptor” and a “Rising Star” in her industry by PM360 and the Healthcare Business Women’s Association, respectively.This year, OVID is expecting several CNS data readouts, including one for its lead product candidate soticlestat, which is currently in Phase III trials for the treatment of refractory seizures in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, a rare epilepsy with high unmet need.Tune in to the episode to learn more about Ovid Therapeutics’ developmental pipeline featuring treatments for epilepsies and seizures associated with rare brain conditions.  For more life science and medical device content, visit the Xtalks Vitals homepage. https://xtalks.com/vitals/  Follow Us on Social MediaTwitter: https://twitter.com/Xtalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xtalks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Xtalks.Webinars/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xtalks-webconferences YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/XtalksWebinars/featured