Transcribed

Benchling
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Transcribed explores the human stories behind biotech breakthroughs. Benchling CEO Sajith Wickramasekara sits down with scientists, founders, and R&D leaders to talk candidly about the decisions shaping modern biotech. From career pivots to breakthroughs, setbacks, and lessons in leadership, these are real conversations with the people moving science forward.

Puntate

  1. Kate Haviland on strategic pivots and turning a phase 3 failure into a blockbuster

    3 GG FA

    Kate Haviland on strategic pivots and turning a phase 3 failure into a blockbuster

    Kate Haviland knows how to push through clinical setbacks and turn breakthrough science into life-changing therapies. As former CEO of Blueprint Medicines, she led the team that took Ayvakit from a failed Phase 3 to a $500M blockbuster — by cutting the dose by 87% and betting on a patient population nobody had treated before. Kate joined Sajith to talk about holding conviction despite ambiguity, earning trust from teams through uncertainty, and the capital allocation discipline that kept Blueprint focused when everything felt like a priority. Key Takeaways: ▸ Blueprint's Phase 3 failure in GI stromal tumors didn't kill Ayvakit. It redirected it. Cutting the dose by 87% opened a patient population nobody had treated before and built a $500M franchise. ▸ Holding conviction through ambiguity requires knowing the difference between reading data honestly and squinting to see what you want. Kate is direct about how hard that line is to walk. ▸ The Sanofi acquisition came down to more than economics. What distinguished the deal was that Sanofi wanted the team, not just the assets. Chapters: [00:55] Turning a phase 3 failure into a blockbuster drug [12:10] Landing a multi-billion dollar acquisition [18:07] Why collaboration is not a zero-sum game [20:36] Why it’s not always about the deal size [23:01] A CEO’s biggest responsibilities [25:44] Building culture of empowerment and empathy [31:11] Risky bets that ultimately paid off [34:18] Advice for the next generation of scientists About Kate: Kate Haviland is a life sciences executive with more than 20 years of leadership in the biopharmaceutical industry, specializing in scaling high-growth organizations, business development, portfolio strategy, investor relations, and commercial execution. She served as President and CEO of Blueprint Medicines from 2022 until its acquisition in July 2025, previously holding roles as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Business Officer, where she helped drive the company’s growth and build key corporate functions. Earlier in her career, she held leadership positions at Idera Pharmaceuticals, Sarepta Therapeutics, PTC Therapeutics, and Genzyme. Kate holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and currently serves on several boards, including Fulcrum Therapeutics, Bicara Therapeutics, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), and the Boston Museum of Science. Learn more about Blueprint Medicines: blueprintmedicines.com Guest Highlights: “It's a balance between what the data’s telling you and also understanding the limitations of any given dataset.” “If one party walks away feeling that they've gotten everything on their list, that's not going to be a successful beginning for a collaboration.” “You have to believe that being a leader is about setting this context for great people to do their best work.” Links & Resources: ▸ Connect with Sajith: linkedin.com/in/sajithw ▸ Connect with Kate: linkedin.com/in/kate-haviland-720aab3/

    40 min
  2. Janice Chen on the CRISPR endgame and why the biggest barrier isn’t scientific

    31 MAR

    Janice Chen on the CRISPR endgame and why the biggest barrier isn’t scientific

    Janice Chen cofounded Mammoth Biosciences straight out of Jennifer Doudna's lab — and she's been rewriting the CRISPR playbook ever since. In this episode, she tells host and Benchling CEO Sajith Wickramasekara about what it really takes to build a platform company, why the biggest barriers to gene editing aren't scientific, and how a cruise ship outbreak in Oakland sparked a race to build a COVID test in days.

    40 min
  3. Nicole Paulk on radical ideas and the quest for a universal gene therapy

    19 FEB

    Nicole Paulk on radical ideas and the quest for a universal gene therapy

    Nicole Paulk talks about turning moonshots into companies, why unpopular ideas are the right ones to pursue, and how biotech has to move faster and cheaper to survive.

    1h 8m
  4. Gleb Kuznetsov on breaking the in vivo bottleneck and building a true platform company

    9 FEB

    Gleb Kuznetsov on breaking the in vivo bottleneck and building a true platform company

    Gleb Kuznetsov talks about about ditching Google for grad school, what it takes to build a true platform company, and where AI-driven drug discovery is headed.

    1h 17m
  5. Andrew Bellinger on contrarian bets — and pioneering gene editing at Verve

    22/10/2025

    Andrew Bellinger on contrarian bets — and pioneering gene editing at Verve

    Andrew Bellinger discusses what it takes to build new drug modalities from scratch, the bold bets and tough calls that shaped Verve’s journey, and lessons in building new companies from first-in-class science. * Editor's note: The interview was recorded following the announcement of Verve's acquisition by Lilly, which has since been completed.

    49 min
  6. Jake Becraft on going all in on mRNA and proving skeptics wrong

    10/09/2025

    Jake Becraft on going all in on mRNA and proving skeptics wrong

    Jake Becraft reflects on making bold bets in mRNA, the journey from lab bench to biotech founder, and the state of science today. (00:00) Introduction to Jake Becraft (00:39) Betting big on mRNA — before it was a proven modality (11:34) Getting your drugs to patients (25:47) The state of modern biomanufacturing (34:30) Medicine is the best investment — and we need policy that reflects that (45:22) Rising to the challenge, as CEO (49:09) Secrets to a healthy cofounder relationship (56:55) Parenting and advice for the next generation (43:13) New funding models in science (48:26) On starting college at 15 — and a lab at 22 (01:04:10) Lightning round

    1h 12m
  7. Karen Akinsanya on the future of computational drug discovery

    01/08/2025

    Karen Akinsanya on the future of computational drug discovery

    Karen Akinsanya unpacks the rise of computational drug discovery, what it takes to prove impact of new technologies, and the importance of setting realistic expectations for AI. (00:00) Introduction to Karen Akinsanya (01:54) Pursuing big technological shifts (06:24) How computation is setting the new standard of speed (10:27) Why you can't develop technology in a vacuum (14:08) Breakthroughs take a lot of patience (and cat videos?) (18:28) The big responsibility with AI (20:41) Breaking down silos and bringing teams together (24:52) The biggest hurdles for AI-driven R&D

    28 min
  8. Sara Kenkare-Mitra on saving drug programs and following your curiosity

    01/08/2025

    Sara Kenkare-Mitra on saving drug programs and following your curiosity

    Sara Kenkare-Mitra talks about resilience, risk, and the kind of leadership it takes to save failing drug programs — and make medicines that matter. (00:00) Introduction to Sara Kenkare-Mitra (00:36) Turning a (nearly) failed program into a bestselling drug (08:33) Learning from industry legends (22:59) Winning for patients, even if others take it across the finish line (27:30) Following your curiosity — and unmet need (37:40) A new era for neurotherapeutics (40:46) Transitioning from large to small companies (46:33) Experience matters in the long game (51:56) Navigating work/life responsibilities (55:36) The biggest pitfall for early career scientists? Impatience. (58:48) Being the only woman in the room (1:00:42) It all comes back to curiosity (1:02:24) Lightning round

    1h 4m
  9. Patrick Hsu on betting big: CRISPR, AI, and building science in the open

    01/08/2025

    Patrick Hsu on betting big: CRISPR, AI, and building science in the open

    Patrick Hsu reflects on the early days of CRISPR, the power of mentorship, and how AI and open science will reshape the future of research. (00:00) Introduction to Patrick Hsu (01:06) Realizing how big CRISPR would become (06:20) Why Feng Zhang's lab is so high-impact (14:23) How to spot a breakthrough before it happens (18:18) Where the U.S. can't compete with China — and where it can (22:13) How will AI transform the industry — and what's still missing (29:41) Why everyone wins with open science (36:42) Building products that people actually want (43:13) New funding models in science (48:26) On starting college at 15 — and a lab at 22 (55:04) Lightning round

    58 min
  • 9 puntate

Descrizione

Transcribed explores the human stories behind biotech breakthroughs. Benchling CEO Sajith Wickramasekara sits down with scientists, founders, and R&D leaders to talk candidly about the decisions shaping modern biotech. From career pivots to breakthroughs, setbacks, and lessons in leadership, these are real conversations with the people moving science forward.

Informazioni

  • Creatore
    Benchling
  • Anni di attività
    2025 - 2026
  • Puntate
    9
  • Classificazione
    Contenuti espliciti
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Sito web del podcast
    Transcribed

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