BioBiz Buzz

https://biobizbuzz.com/
  • 0.0 (0)
  • NEWS COMMENTARY

BioBiz Buzz offers exclusive insights into the biotech, pharma, and medtech industries through interviews with top executives and visionaries.  Providing thought-provoking podcasts covering topics such as scientific advancements, emerging technologies, and market trends, to keep listeners informed about the latest developments in life sciences.    Disclaimer https://biobizbuzz.com/disclaimer/

  1. 19. From Genesis to Revelations: Winners & Losers in Pharma’s Most Volatile Year

    6D AGO

    19. From Genesis to Revelations: Winners & Losers in Pharma’s Most Volatile Year

    2025 has been a seismic year for the pharmaceutical industry, a year of extremes where innovation superpowers emerge alongside spectacular collapses. In this special episode, BioBiz Buzz host Jo Shorthouse sits down with Mike Ward, Global Head of Life Sciences and Healthcare Thought Leadership at Clarivate, fresh from his opening keynote at One Nucleus's landmark Genesis conference in London. Join us as Mike dissects the winners and losers reshaping pharma's landscape: Eli Lilly's historic ascent to a trillion-dollar market cap, driven by clinical superiority in the obesity space and revenues growing at 46 % year-to-date, versus Novo Nordisk's stunning $400 billion value destruction through clinical disappointments, patent losses, and execution failures. Beyond the headline-grabbing giants, discover why China has transformed from a low-cost alternative to a global innovation powerhouse, now contributing 38 % of patents in cutting-edge protein degradation technology. Explore the strategic M&A moves reshaping the industry, including the transformational Metsera bidding war and the real deal-making in Chinese oncology assets. Understand the FDA's revolutionary "Plausible Mechanism Pathway", opening new regulatory opportunities in rare disease and how AI is finally moving from hype to robust commercial valuations. This is essential listening for anyone seeking to understand the seismic shifts reshaping biopharma investment, innovation, and competitive positioning as the industry heads into 2026. ● Feedback ● Subscribe (Get notified when new episodes are available. NO marketing!) ● Disclaimer ● LinkedIn

    25 min
  2. 18. Putting solid tumours under the T-knife: how a next-gen TCR aims to crack them

    DEC 16

    18. Putting solid tumours under the T-knife: how a next-gen TCR aims to crack them

    Engineered T-cell receptor (TCR) therapies promise to do for solid tumours what chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies have done for haematological malignancies. The two approaches are conceptually similar – each involves the isolation and modification of patients’ T-cells to recognise and kill tumour cells. The main difference lies in the types of antigens they can recognise. Whereas CAR-T therapies are currently confined to a handful of extracellular antigens expressed on the surface of malignant (and healthy) B-cells, TCR therapies can target a whole universe of intracellular antigens, fragments of which are presented on the cell surface as peptide fragments by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. Ensuring these highly engineered cells can persist, expand and operate effectively within the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment in patients has been a complex challenge. But the current generation of therapies is starting to show promising results. In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, Elisa Kieback, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at T-knife Therapeutics, joins your host Cormac Sheridan to discuss how TCR cell therapies work and what they can do, and how the founders of the Berlin-based company came up with its distinctive name. ● Feedback ● Subscribe (Get notified when new episodes are available. NO marketing!) ● Disclaimer ● LinkedIn

    23 min
  3. 17. Democratizing Drug Discovery: How Lilly ExploR&D Is Changing the Biotech Playbook

    DEC 3

    17. Democratizing Drug Discovery: How Lilly ExploR&D Is Changing the Biotech Playbook

    The traditional biotech funding model hasn't fundamentally changed in decades: brilliant founders with promising science face an impossible choice; build expensive internal R&D capabilities or negotiate partnerships on terms controlled by Big Pharma. Tom Hopkins, VP and Head of Lilly ExploR&D, is working to flip that script.  In this episode, Tom joins your host Mike Ward to discuss the four critical barriers early-stage biotechs face (expertise gaps, data infrastructure challenges, execution risk, and capital inefficiency) and how Lilly's integrated platform of capital, expertise, and infrastructure is removing those barriers.  Learn how the future of drug discovery isn't about companies innovating in isolation, it's about removing friction and accelerating the best science from wherever it exists toward patients. ● Feedback ● Subscribe (Get notified when new episodes are available. NO marketing!) ● Disclaimer ● LinkedIn

    28 min
  4. 16. The Smart Money Talks: Inside Sofinnova's Bold €650M Fundraise

    NOV 17

    16. The Smart Money Talks: Inside Sofinnova's Bold €650M Fundraise

    In a fundraising environment marked by cautious institutional investors, tightening belts, and widespread scepticism about early-stage venture capital, Sofinnova Partners has just closed its flagship Capital XI fund at €650 million, significantly exceeding its initial target of €500 million. What does this signal about the state of healthcare innovation funding in 2025? In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, your host Mike Ward sits down with Antoine Papiernik, Managing Partner and Chairman of Sofinnova Partners, to unpack one of the most significant European life sciences venture capital announcements of the year. Together, they explore why leading pharma companies, sovereign wealth funds, and top-tier institutional investors are doubling down on early-stage biotech and medtech when the broader VC market is under pressure.  Moreover, they discuss Sofinnova's disciplined, science-driven investment strategy, the geographic and therapeutic opportunities driving Capital XI deployments, and what the €1.5 billion raised across Sofinnova's platform over the past year reveals about institutional confidence in healthcare innovation. More importantly, what does Sofinnova's oversubscription mean for the future of early-stage healthcare ventures as they head into 2026? Whether you're an entrepreneur seeking funding, an industry strategist tracking market dynamics, or an investor evaluating the early-stage healthcare landscape, this conversation provides critical insights into where the smart money is being invested and why.  ● Feedback ● Subscribe (Get notified when new episodes are available. NO marketing!) ● Disclaimer ● LinkedIn

    25 min
  5. 15. Targeting Misfolded SOD1 in ALS: A First-in-Class Antibody Shows Promise

    NOV 11

    15. Targeting Misfolded SOD1 in ALS: A First-in-Class Antibody Shows Promise

    This episode of BioBiz Buzz explores AL-S Pharma's pioneering approach to treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis through AP-101, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting misfolded SOD1 protein. Host Mike Ward speaks with Dr. Michael Salzmann, CEO of AL-S Pharma and COO of Neurimmune, and Professor Angela Genge, CMO of AL-S Pharma and Professor of Neurology at McGill University. The conversation examines the devastating impact of ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that typically leads to death within three to five years of symptom onset, and the profound unmet need for disease-modifying therapies. Dr. Salzmann explains how AP-101 was discovered using Neurimmune's proprietary Reverse Translational Medicine platform, which leverages human immune responses to identify antibodies that selectively bind misfolded and aggregated forms of SOD1 while sparing normally folded protein. Professor Genge discusses the intriguing evidence that misfolded SOD1 may play a role not only in familial ALS patients with SOD1 mutations but also in sporadic ALS patients without known genetic causes, potentially expanding the therapeutic opportunity to a much broader patient population. The Phase 2 study enrolled 73 ALS patients, both sporadic and SOD1 mutation carriers, and met its co-primary safety and tolerability endpoints while demonstrating clinically meaningful changes in exploratory outcome measures, including survival, ventilation requirements, and neurofilament biomarkers after 12 months of treatment. The guests explore the unique collaborative ecosystem that enabled this progress, including the partnership between Neurimmune and TVM Capital Life Sciences, and discuss AP-101's Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA, EMA, and Swissmedic.  ● Feedback ● Subscribe (Get notified when new episodes are available. NO marketing!) ● Disclaimer ● LinkedIn

    32 min
  6. 14. The NanoPortal platform: Vivani Medical is reimagining how GLP-1s are delivered.

    OCT 30

    14. The NanoPortal platform: Vivani Medical is reimagining how GLP-1s are delivered.

    GLP-1s are transforming the lives of people with diabetes and obesity by improving blood glucose control and promoting substantial weight loss. However, medication adherence is a significant challenge.  US-based Vivani Medical, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, is developing miniature implants which are designed to solve this problem. Once inserted, patients and caregivers can be confident that the intended medicine is being delivered throughout the once- or twice-yearly dosing interval. In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, CEO and co-founder Dr. Adam Mendelsohn, discusses the company’s NanoPortal platform technology with your host Shani Alexander. The platform centers on vertically aligned titanium dioxide nanotubes, incredibly tiny, precise channels that are over 40 micrometers in length and attached to a titanium substrate. The key innovation lies in the pore sizing: when the pore is only slightly larger than the drug molecule, the system achieves near-constant, steady-rate medication delivery over many months. With chronic disease management placing a huge burden on patients - remembering doses, managing side effects and making frequent visits to clinics, the NanoPortal platform is built around a fundamental principle: to maintain steady, consistent drug levels over extended periods, to guarantee adherence and potentially improve tolerability.  Mendelsohn says that the company is reimagining how GLP-1s can be delivered. For him, the NanoPortal platform represents a fundamental shift from treatment management to treatment assurance. The technology could move the healthcare system toward a model where patients receive a simple procedure every few months and know they're getting optimal, consistent therapy, he argues. Beyond individual patient outcomes, Mendelsohn believes the platform could have massive implications for healthcare economics. Poor medication adherence costs the US healthcare system hundreds of billions of dollars annually. He explains that if patients can get the full benefit of their prescribed therapies, this can lead to both better outcomes and significant cost savings. ● Feedback ● Subscribe (Get notified when new episodes are available. NO marketing!) ● Disclaimer ● LinkedIn

    17 min
  7. 13. Tackling the undruggable: How Beactica's protein degradation platform might transform glioblastoma treatment

    OCT 23

    13. Tackling the undruggable: How Beactica's protein degradation platform might transform glioblastoma treatment

    Targeted protein degradation (TPD) represents one of the most transformative advances in drug discovery, with the global market projected to expand from USD 641 million in 2025 to as much as USD 9.85 billion by 2035.  This rapidly evolving field enables researchers to eliminate disease-causing proteins rather than merely inhibiting their function, offering unprecedented opportunities to tackle previously "undruggable" targets that have eluded conventional therapeutic approaches with the potential to revolutionize treatment paradigms across oncology, neurodegenerative disorders, and autoimmune diseases. Swedish biotech Beactica Therapeutics is pioneering novel approaches to drug discovery through its proprietary Eclipsor™ platform, which combines allosteric modulation with targeted protein degradation to tackle previously "undruggable" targets.  In this episode, CEO and co-founder Per Källblad discusses with BioBiz Buzz co-host Mike Ward how the company's dual-modality strategy addresses the fundamental limitations of traditional small molecule inhibitors, particularly for proteins lacking well-defined binding pockets or serving complex scaffolding functions.  The conversation explores Beactica's lead programme BEA-17, a first-in-class LSD1-CoREST degrader that has received FDA Orphan Drug Designation for glioblastoma, a devastating cancer where median survival remains just 12-18 months. By degrading the entire LSD1-CoREST complex rather than merely inhibiting it, BEA-17 simultaneously restores antigen presentation, induces viral mimicry responses, and reprograms the tumour microenvironment to enable immune recognition.  Källblad also discusses the company's TEAD degrader programme P65-047, which shows superior efficacy through its unique ability to eliminate resistance-mediating co-factors like VGLL3, and outlines Beactica's biomarker-driven clinical development strategy designed to maximize patient selection precision as the company advances toward Phase I trials. ● Feedback ● Subscribe (Get notified when new episodes are available. NO marketing!) ● Disclaimer ● LinkedIn

    32 min
  8. 12. Revolution technology set to transform breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

    OCT 15

    12. Revolution technology set to transform breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

    Breast cancer affects women of all ages after puberty in every country. In 2022, the disease struck an estimated 2.3 million women and claimed 670 000 lives globally, according to the World Health Organization. The Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI), is working to reduce breast cancer deaths by 2.5% each year, preventing 2.5 million deaths by 2040. Early accurate diagnosis and effective treatment are key to achieving this. In this episode of Biobiz Buzz, your host Shani Alexander is joined by two guests from Resitu Medical, Åsa Runnäs, CEO, and Elisabeth Liljensten, Chief Clinical Officer to discuss the company’s game-changing technology that has the potential to not only change the way breast cancer is diagnosed but also treated. Runnäs and Liljensten reveals that their vacuum assisted, minimally invasive, ultrasound guided device uses diathermy to remove entire breast lesions, not just fragments, for histopathological examination. Unlike current methods that excise small tissue samples which may require follow up surgery if cancer is confirmed, the Resitu device can remove the entire lesion. The device works in outpatient settings, making it available to millions of women in countries where surgical theatres, anaesthesiologists etc. are lacking and it is unclear whether they will be diagnosed or treated. This disruptive technology has the potential to eliminate the need for open surgery, as it offers a simpler, safer, faster and less invasive solution to remove the lesion and save the lives of millions of people around the world. ● Feedback ● Subscribe (Get notified when new episodes are available. NO marketing!) ● Disclaimer ● LinkedIn

    20 min
See All (19)

About

BioBiz Buzz offers exclusive insights into the biotech, pharma, and medtech industries through interviews with top executives and visionaries.  Providing thought-provoking podcasts covering topics such as scientific advancements, emerging technologies, and market trends, to keep listeners informed about the latest developments in life sciences.    Disclaimer https://biobizbuzz.com/disclaimer/

Information

  • Creator
    https://biobizbuzz.com/
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 BioBiz Buzz
  • Show Website
    BioBiz Buzz