Biotech 2050 Podcast Biotech 2050

Synopsis:

In this episode of BioTech 2050, Robert Ang, CEO of Vor Bio, shares insights on the current state of cancer therapies and next-gen modalities. He discusses Vor Bio's work on shielded stem cell transplants and CAR T-cell therapies targeting hematologic malignancies like AML and MDS. Robert also talks about his experience serving on boards and emphasizes the importance of core values in shaping organizational culture. He highlights his approach to hiring, focusing on finding individuals who are passionate about making an impact over titles. Overall, the discussion provides valuable insights into the evolving landscape of cancer treatment.

Biography:

Robert Ang, MBBS, MBA brings experience as a senior biotech executive and is formerly a physician, venture capitalist, and strategy consultant. Prior to Vor Bio, Robert was Chief Business Officer at Neon Therapeutics, serving as part of the early team that established the company prior to its Series A investment through IPO. Before Neon, he served as Senior Vice President of Business Development at Bavarian Nordic, where he was primarily responsible for conducting a $975 million transaction with Bristol-Myers Squibb for PROSTVAC, a Phase 3 immuno-oncology asset, and served as Head of Business Development and Medical Affairs for Cadence Pharmaceuticals. Robert also worked at Frazier Healthcare Ventures, a leading life sciences venture capital firm, where he was involved in several pharmaceutical and biotechnology investments including Cadence Pharmaceuticals (purchased by Mallinckrodt), Incline Therapeutics (purchased by The Medicines Company), Alnara Pharmaceuticals (purchased by Eli Lilly), and Collegium Pharmaceuticals. Robert also has strategy consulting experience at the Boston Consulting Group and has general surgical training. He holds an MBBS (Doctor of Medicine) from the University of Western Australia and an MBA with honors from Columbia Business School. Robert serves as the Board Chair of Enara Bio, a UK-based biotechnology company focused on non-classical HLA targets for immuno-oncology approaches. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), the leading international advocacy organization dedicated to realizing the promise of regenerative medicines and advanced therapies.

Synopsis:

In this episode of Biotech2050, Vik Bajaj, Co-founder and CEO of Foresite Labs, delves into the convergence of tech and biotech, hyper-growth phases in biotech companies, changes in finance and capital markets, and lessons from global healthcare systems, particularly the UK. He highlights the transformative potential of technology in biotech and the challenges and opportunities of rapid growth.

Biography:
Vik is the founder and CEO of Foresite Labs, Foresite Capital’s entrepreneurial innovation hub. He is also managing director at Foresite Capital, evaluating and pursuing investments at the intersection of technology and life sciences, including in personalized and precision healthcare. Most recently, Foresite Labs, ARCH Venture Partners, and Dr. David Baker of the UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design teamed up to launch Xaira to deliver transformative medicines by harnessing AI for drug discovery and development. With $1B in funding, Xaira launched with one of the largest biotech funding rounds in history. He is also managing director at Foresite Capital, evaluating and pursuing investments at the intersection of technology and life sciences.




Prior to joining Foresite Capital, Vik was the chief scientific officer of GRAIL, a life sciences company working to detect cancer early (acquired by ILMN). He is also the co-founder and former chief scientific officer of Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences) and previously served as chair of its scientific advisory board. He is also a Director of Genomics England, an initiative of the United Kingdom’s Department of Health, and is a co-founder and director of numerous biotechnology companies.




In the educational realm, Vik currently holds the position of Adjunct Associate Professor at the Stanford School of Medicine. He was previously an affiliate scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley. He also served on the advisory board of the College of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley.




Vik’s research interests lie at the interface of the physical sciences, engineering, and life sciences, including in the generation and use of large biomedical datasets and new AI/ML methods to productively harness them for product development. In his academic career, he and his collaborators have developed nanotechnology probes for the early detection and molecular imaging of disease, spectroscopic tools for imaging objects on the nanoscale, microfabricated and miniaturized analytical and imaging systems for point-of-care testing, methods and devices that dramatically enhance the sensitivity and specificity of MRI, and new tools for clinical bioinformatics and integrative systems biology. Aspects of this work have been commercialized through several startups. At GRAIL, Vik led laboratory and data science teams at the forefront of industrial cancer genomics and diagnostics development.




He holds a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Vik’s scientific and engineering awards include the Anatole Abragam Prize (2012), the R&D 100 Award for the most promising commercialized technologies (2011 and 2013), and the Department of Energy’s LBL Innovation Grant (2013).

Synopsis:
In this episode of Biotech2050, Dr. Ted Love, former CEO of Global Blood Therapeutics and Current Chairman of BIO, shares insights on sickle cell breakthroughs, transitioning from academia to research, navigating a tight funding environment, and protecting an innovative ecosystem to benefit patients.

Biography:
Dr. Ted Love is the chair of the Board of Directors at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), a position he assumed in June 2023. A long-time BIO Board Member, Dr. Love has focused on championing access to care, standing up for science, and improving the narrative around the biopharma industry. Dr. Love previously served as president and chief executive officer of Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT). During his tenure at GBT, Dr. Love led the company from a pre-clinical start-up, through the accelerated approval and launch of Oxbryta®, and into a global commercial company with an advanced pipeline of innovative therapies focused on sickle cell disease. Prior to GBT, Dr. Love was executive vice president, research and development and technical operations, at Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he played an instrumental role in the accelerated approval of Kyprolis® for multiple myeloma, and the subsequent purchase of Onyx by Amgen. Previously, Dr. Love served as president, chief executive officer and chairman of Nuvelo, Inc., and as senior vice president, development, at Theravance, Inc.


Dr. Love began his biotech career at Genentech in 1992, where he held several senior management positions in clinical science and product development, and ultimately as chairman of Genentech’s Product Development Committee. As vice president, product development, Dr. Love oversaw the development strategy and execution leading to approvals of Rituxan®, Herceptin®, Xolair®, TNKase®, Raptiva® and Avastin®. Prior to Genentech, Dr. Love was a member of the Department of Cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital.


Dr. Love currently serves on the boards of directors of Royalty Pharma and Structure Therapeutics. Dr. Love holds a B.A. in molecular biology from Haverford College and an M.D. from Yale Medical School. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Synopsis:
In this episode of the Biotech 2050 podcast, host Rahul Chaturvedi engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Ray Stevens, a prominent figure in the biotech industry who co-founded Structure Therapeutics. Ray's extensive experience and pivotal role in advancing structure-based drug discovery make him a compelling guest for biotech entrepreneurs seeking to navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship and funding strategies. The episode delves into Ray's journey as a serial entrepreneur, the evolution of structure-based drug discovery, and the strategies employed by Structure Therapeutics to drive innovation and create impactful treatments for global health challenges. Ray's insights into the changing funding environment, the impact of distributed teams on value creation, and the significance of shared passion and mission in a company's success offer valuable knowledge for industry professionals and entrepreneurs. His reflections on the industry's future trends and the personal growth aspect add a relatable and human element to the discussion, making it a valuable resource for individuals at all career stages.

Biography:
Dr. Stevens helped pioneer the field of structure-based drug discovery. He has been involved in the discovery and development of several therapeutic molecules that have become breakthrough drugs including Palnziq™, which was developed at BioMarin Pharmaceutical and approved in 2018 to treat phenylketonuria. Dr. Stevens also founded Receptos which developed Zeposia™—a GPCR agonist targeting the S1PR1 receptor approved in 2020 for multiple sclerosis and 2021 for ulcerative colitis. Prior to Structure, Dr. Stevens founded the Bridge Institute at the University of Southern California (USC), and the iHuman Institute at ShanghaiTech University. He was previously a tenured chaired chemistry professor at Scripps Research and before that, an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Stevens’ laboratory and students have launched several successful biotech startups including Syrrx (acquired by Takeda), MemRx (acquired by Chiron/Novartis), Receptos (acquired by Celgene/BMS), and RuiYi (now Bird Rock Bio). A prolific scholar, Dr. Stevens has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications and received several academic and industry awards. Dr. Stevens conducted postdoctoral research in structural biology at Harvard University with William Lipscomb, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1976. Dr. Stevens earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from USC with Robert Bau and George Olah, the latter of whom received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1994. He completed his undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Southern Maine.

Synopsis:
In this episode of Biotech2050, Scott Megaffin, CEO of Adiso Therapeutics, shares valuable insights on the challenges and opportunities in the biotech industry. His deep involvement in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical sector has shaped his strategic approach to leadership and business management. Scott emphasizes the importance of a CEO's versatility and willingness to undertake any task, no matter how small, and also highlights the burden of proving the value of differentiation in a small company. The conversation delves into the significance of collaboration with research institutions and strategic partners, underlining the importance of differentiation and collaboration in competitive markets. Scott’s reflections on his career journey and the development of Adiso's asset Adso 51 provide valuable lessons for professionals and entrepreneurs in the field, making this episode a must-listen for biotech entrepreneurs and professionals seeking to enhance their ability to differentiate and collaborate in competitive markets.

Biography:
Scott joined Adiso Therapeutics as Chief Executive Officer in January 2022, bringing more than 35 years of successful industry leadership, having held multiple senior executive, CEO and board director roles during his career at both Fortune 500 pharmaceutical and emerging biotechnology companies. Among Mr. Megaffin’s many career leadership roles, he previously served as the CEO of Adastra Pharmaceuticals Inc., a pioneer in the pursuit of better treatment options for high unmet need cancers, where he led the company from early informative to clinical-stage advancement of first-in-class clinical programs, and ultimately to its acquisition by Cothera Bioscience. Earlier, he served as a President of Churchill Pharmaceuticals, Inc., leading the organizational growth and development of a fully differentiated oral oncology asset for metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer through FDA approval and ultimately a transaction to Sun Pharma. Mr. Megaffin has held numerous global strategic and operational positions of increasing responsibility within Onconova, Schering-Plough, Yamanouchi, Pharmacia, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. During his career Scott has led six global drug development programs resulting in regulatory approvals. He possesses far reaching knowledge in a broad number of therapeutic categories including oncology, anti-infectives, inflammation, pain, critical care, and virology. Mr. Megaffin currently serves as a board member of Adastra and on the Board of Directors for BioNJ, the biotechnology and life science organization of New Jersey. Mr. Megaffin holds a B.S. in Biology from Pittsburg State University.

Synopsis:
In this episode of the Biotech2050 podcast, Dr. Mathai Mammen, CEO of FogPharma, shares valuable insights into the future trends of the biotech industry and the development of peptide-based therapeutics. Dr. Mammen's extensive career trajectory, from academia to leading pharmaceutical organizations, provides a comprehensive understanding of the industry's evolution and the pivotal roles he played at Theravance, Merck, and J&J. The episode delves into the significance of intracellular protein interactions and FogPharma's focus on developing helicon peptides to address this unmet need. Dr. Mammen's emphasis on a moonshot culture at FogPharma, coupled with his strategic approach to commercial success in biotech, makes this episode essential listening for executives in the biotech industry who are looking to stay ahead of future trends and gain insights into the innovative approaches shaping the industry's landscape. His profound knowledge and experience position him as a thought leader, offering invaluable perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in biotech, making this episode a compelling resource for industry executives seeking to implement strategies for commercial success in the biotech sector.

Biography:
Mathai Mammen is a world-renowned innovator in drug discovery, development, and team and company building. He brings significant global R&D and corporate leadership experience to his role as CEO, President and Chairman at FogPharma.

Most recently, Mathai was a member of the executive committee at Johnson & Johnson, where he served as executive vice president of pharmaceuticals, R&D. During his tenure, he spearheaded a significant evolution of Janssen’s R&D, one of the largest R&D organizations in the world. Mathai was a key leader in Johnson & Johnson’s bold foray into COVID vaccines and he helped drive Janssen’s substantial growth to become one of the top pharmaceutical companies globally. Under Mathai’s leadership, Janssen R&D executed 40+ acquisitions and licenses and 350+ strategic partnerships and collaborations. A central pillar of his strategy was data science, which he used to couple recent revolutionary advances in data, compute and algorithmic approaches to every aspect of discovering and developing medicines. Mathai led his team to global approvals of eight new medicines, including Tremfya™, Darzalex Faspro™, Balversa™, Carvykti™, Rybrevant™, Ponvory™, Spravato™ and Tecvayli™, with many additional global approvals for expanded indications of marketed products.

Prior to his role at Johnson & Johnson, Mathai served as senior vice president at Merck, where he was responsible for multiple research areas, including cardiovascular, metabolic and renal diseases, immunology, oncology and immuno-oncology. Before Merck, he led R&D at Theravance, Inc., a company he co-founded out of graduate school based on his work at Harvard University with Dr. George Whitesides. Under his leadership, Theravance advanced a robust pipeline of multiple development-stage compounds resulting in five approved pharmaceutical products, and separated into two companies: Theravance Biopharma, Inc. and Innoviva, Inc.

In addition to his extensive corporate experience, Mathai currently serves on the board of directors of 10x Genomics, Inc. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and patents.

Mathai holds an M.D. from the Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (HST) and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard University.