Oncology Overdrive Healio

In this episode, host Shikha Jain, MD, speaks with Cyclacel CEO, Spiro Rombotis, MPH, about developing techniques and therapies for drug development, how technology has affected these advancements and more.

•    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive 1:15
•    About Rombotis 1:23
•    The interview 2:21    
•    Can you tell us about how you ended up in the biotech and pharma spaces?  2:41
•    How did you transition to the first CEO of Cyclacel, and what has kept you in the same space for over three decades?  4:45
•    Is this how you envisioned your career? How did this vision evolve over the course of your career?  8:53
•    What does Cyclacel do, and can you describe the types of innovation you are doing there? 10:19
•    With all this new and exciting technology in the field, where do you see epigenetics and precision oncology going in the next ten to twenty years?  15:46
•    What are your thoughts on AI in the oncology space?   22:21
•    Jain and Rombotis on checks and balances when it comes to AI use in cancer care and clinical trials.   27:53
•    What’s next for you?  30:53
•    If someone could only listen to the last few minutes of this episode, what would you want them to take away? 36:18
•    How to contact Rombotis 40:25
•    Thanks for listening 40:43

Spiro Rombotis, MPH, is the CEO of Cyclacel. He has over 36 years at three public biotechs and two pharmas.
We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at oncologyoverdrive@healio.com. Follow Healio on X and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X: @ShikhaJainMD. Rombotis can be reached via email srombotis@cyclacel.com. 

Disclosures: Jain reports no relevant financial disclosures. Rombotis reports Cyclacel Ltd employment and stock ownership.

In this episode, host Shikha Jain, MD, speaks with Jennifer Michaelson, PhD, about how to seek out opportunities in the health care industry, making space for diversity in biotech innovation and more.

•    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive 1:15
•    About Michaelson 1:21
•    The interview 2:30    
•    Can you tell us about how you ended up in the biotech executive space?  2:47
•    How do people get involved in this type of work?  12:32
•    Tell us about sourcing innovation in biotech, along with the challenges that come with it. 16:46
•    How do you consider patient access when thinking about innovations in the biotech space? 21:15
•    When you think about the challenges facing leadership and diversity in these spaces, how can we create an inclusive culture in the health care space? What have you done to spearhead a culture of DEI?  23:51
•    Jain and Michaelson on organizations infusing DEI concepts into standards of practice and care. 30:58
•    If someone could only listen to the last minute of this episode, what would you want them to take away? 32:16
•    How to contact Michaelson 33:52
•    Thanks for listening 34:23

Jennifer Michaelson, PhD, is chief scientific officer at Cullinan Therapeutics. Michaelson is a biotech executive with 20+ years of industry experience in oncology, immunology, and immune-oncology drug development.
We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at oncologyoverdrive@healio.com. Follow Healio on X and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X: @ShikhaJainMD. Michaelson can be found on LinkedIn or via email jmichaelson@cullinanoncology.com. 

Disclosures: Jain and Michaelson report no relevant financial disclosures. 

In this episode, host Shikha Jain, MD, speaks with Sean Bohen, MD, about how cancer therapies are changing how oncology can be discussed, shifting from clinical to industry work and more.

•    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive :58
•    About Bohen 1:04
•    The interview 1:30    
•    Tell us about your journey. How did you become an oncologist, and how did you make the transition into working in the pharmaceutical industry?  1:51
•    How did you end up at Olema Oncology after working with other pharmaceutical companies? What was your decision-making process to focus on the industry part of your career? 3:44
•    Tell us more about what Olema Oncology does and what your role is there. 6:30
•    What do you see coming down the pipeline for breast cancer research and innovation? … What do you think Olema will contribute to that space? 8:58
•    Bohen and Jain on the ways in which new treatments have resulted in shifting conversations around cancer care and patient quality of life.  12:45
•    If someone in fellowship is interested in working in industry, pharmaceuticals or scientific development, what are the most effective ways to get into this space? 18:21
•    Jain and Bohen on changing the mindset and misconceptions around moving between clinical, academic and industry work within the field and after fellowship. 20:52
•    What do you see happening in the oncology landscape twenty years from now?  25:46
•    If someone could only listen to the last two minutes of this episode, what would you want them to take away? 29:19
•    How to contact Bohen 30:54
•    Thanks for listening 31:52

Sean Bohen, MD, is the President and CEO of Olema Oncology.
We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at oncologyoverdrive@healio.com. Follow Healio on X and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X: @ShikhaJainMD. Bohen can be reached at olema.com.
 
Disclosures: Jain and Bohen report no relevant financial disclosures. 

In this episode, host Shikha Jain, MD, speaks with Jonathan D. Licht, MD, about becoming and training qualified leaders in the field, challenges facing health care leaders and more.

•    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive :58
•    About Licht 1:16
•    The interview 3:17    
•    Can you tell us about your journey into hematology-oncology and how you ended up where you are today?  3:58
•    How have you found the time and ability to balance and succeed in the research, clinical, translational and leadership parts of your work? 9:05
•    What do you suggest to people who are currently trying to get into leadership positions in their early-to-mid career? 12:52
•    Do you agree with the sentiment that there are some leaders in the field who are put into positions prematurely or are ineffective? As a leader, how do you address the need for further training of future leaders?  18:39
•    What are some of the leadership challenges you have seen in the last several years, and how have you managed to navigate them? 23:20
•    How did you use your leadership skills to navigate the first few years of the pandemic, and how are you continuing to navigate delivery of care post-pandemic? 29:23
•    Tell me about the process of achieving NCI designation and what it means for your institution. 36:25
•    How have you had to navigate state health care legislation and policies challenging reproductive health care?  42:16
•    If someone could only listen to the last minute of this episode, what would you want them to take away? 46:13
•    How to contact Licht 46:56
•    Thanks for listening 48:16

Jonathan D. Licht, MD, is the director of the University of Florida Health Cancer Center. 
We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at oncologyoverdrive@healio.com. Follow Healio on X, formerly known as Twitter, and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ShikhaJainMD. Licht can be reached on X, formerly known as Twitter, @jdlicht or via email jdlicht@ufl.edu. 

Disclosures: Jain reports no relevant financial disclosures. Licht reports consultancy for AstraZeneca and research funding for Epizyme.

In this episode, host Shikha Jain, MD, speaks with Aparna Parikh, MD, about cancer and GI malignancies in the global health space, circulating tumor DNA in the field of oncology and more.

•    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive :58
•    About Parikh 1:07
•    The interview 2:08    
•    What was your path into medicine, cancer care and GI oncology? 2:35
•    Tell us about what you do in the global health space and what your thoughts are on colon cancer and GI malignancies in the global health space. 8:07
•    Why are we seeing so many more young people being diagnosed with colon cancer in the US and internationally? 12:24
•    Do you think US lifestyle and Western diets compared to the rest of the world have contributed to the rise of early colon cancer diagnoses?  15:04
•    How can physicians talk about lifestyle, diet and environmental/social determinants of health that impact a cancer diagnosis? 17:52
•    Can you provide a brief overview of what is circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and liquid biopsy, and how are we using it in this space? 19:44
•    Jain and Parikh on ctDNA as an innovation can be transformative in the field of GI oncology.  24:06
•    What are your predictions for GI oncology in the next ten to twenty years?  26:06
•    If someone could only listen to the last few minutes of this episode, what would you want them to take away? 28:44
•    How to contact Parikh 30:57
•    Thanks for listening 31:57

Aparna Parikh, MD, is a GI oncologist at the MGH Cancer Center where she directs the colorectal research program and young adults CRC program. She is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and an international expert in CRC and liquid biopsies.
We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at oncologyoverdrive@healio.com. Follow Healio on X, formerly known as Twitter, and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ShikhaJainMD. Parikh can be reached via email aparna.parikh@mgh.harvard.edu.

Disclosures: Jain reports no relevant financial disclosures. Parikh reports equity in C2i Genomics XGenomes Cadex and Parithera. Advisor/consultant for Abbvie, AZ, Bayer, Biofidelity, Checkmate Pharmaceuticals, CVS, Delcath, Eli Lilly, FMI, Guardant, Hookipa, Illumina, Inivata, Mirati, Pfizer, Saga, Seagen, Taiho, Scare Inc, Science For America, and Value Analytics Lab. She receives fees from Up to Date.  She has received travel fees from Karkinos Healthcare. She has been on the DSMC for a Roche study and on Steering Committee for Exilixis. She has received research funding to the Institution from BMS, Daiichi Sankyo, Erasca, Genentech, Mirati, Novartis, PMV Pharmaceuticals, Plexxicon, PureTech, Takeda and Syndax. 

In this episode, host Shikha Jain, MD, speaks with Barnaby Balmforth, PhD, about the evolution of genomics in cancer care, the impact of personalized care tools and more.

•    Welcome to another exciting episode of Oncology Overdrive :58
•    About Balmforth 1:12
•    The interview 3:01    
•    How did you get to where you are today? What drove you to become a leader in this space? 3:45
•    What is genomics, and why is genomic analysis important in cancer care? 7:18
•    Jain and Balmforth on the evolution of technology and challenges facing genomics and diagnostic testing to achieve personalized care for individual patients. 11:59
•    In addition to time, can you speak on the challenge of access for this type of technology?  13:20
•    How have you been able to implement “next day” test results and reports of your technology? 17:50 
•    Jain and Balmforth on how Biofidelity’s technology can transform the delivery of care, as well as its psychological and mental impact. 19:06
•    What’s coming down the line for you and Biofidelity?  20:56
•    What are your thoughts for when you expand beyond thoracic oncology? What are your long-term visions for other disease sites?  24:19
•    Do you have any thoughts on AI and how it may influence genomics in cancer care?  25:51
•    If someone could only listen to the last few minutes of this episode, what would you want them to take away? 28:37
•    How to contact Balmforth 30:37
•    Thanks for listening 31:10

Barnaby Balmforth, PhD, is co-founder and CEO of Biofidelity. Barnaby has more than 15 years’ experience in the leadership of multidisciplinary technology development.
We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Jain at oncologyoverdrive@healio.com. Follow Healio on X, formerly known as Twitter, and LinkedIn: @HemOncToday and https://www.linkedin.com/company/hemonctoday/. Follow Dr. Jain on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ShikhaJainMD. Balmforth can be reached via the Biofidelity website.

Disclosures: Jain reports no relevant financial disclosures. Balmforth reports he is an employee of Biofidelity and owns shares in the company.