Beyond Biotech - the podcast from Labiotech

Labiotech
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Welcome to the official Labiotech.eu podcast - Beyond Biotech! Each week, we talk about what's happening in the world of biotech, with news and interviews with experts from companies around the world. Join us as we cover the latest news, breakthroughs and innovations shaping the life sciences industry.A new podcast episode is available every Friday. The host is Dylan Kissane.

  1. 23H AGO

    Using AI to crack undruggable drug targets

    As we mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we welcome Avital Sharir-Ivry, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of ProPhet, an innovative Israeli startup launched in late 2024 from the AION Labs venture studio. With a PhD in computational biology and drug research, Avital brings deep expertise in structural biology, enzyme design, and evolutionary bioinformatics to her role leading ProPhet's scientific efforts. ProPhet itself is changing small molecule drug discovery by using advanced AI and machine learning to map proteins and compounds into a shared interaction space. This enables rapid, scalable screening of billions of molecules—even for so-called "undruggable" targets—without relying on solved structures or massive datasets, speeding up hit-finding and expanding the reachable therapeutic landscape. 01:36 Meet Avital Sharir-Ivry 08:55 How ProPhet emerged from AION Labs challenge 12:12 Core AI technology for hit-finding at scale 15:00 Benchmarks and collaborations 17:54 ProPhet’s differentiation from traditional drug discovery 19:45 Importance of scaling small molecule exploration 24:19 Pharma AI investments and emerging trends 26:11 Future AI breakthroughs in drug discovery 27:04 Challenges and progress for women in science 31:15 Keep up with ProPhet Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!  Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter To dive deeper into the topic:  Seven influential women in biotech in 2026 Report: Adopting AI in biologics discoveryWebinar: How AI and LLMs are helping chemists design drugs faster and smarter

    33 min

  2. FEB 6

    How Eli Lilly's biotech collaboration model is rewriting early-stage innovation

    Today, we're joined by Thomas Hopkins, Vice President and Head of ExploR&D at Eli Lilly. With a background as a physician-scientist in oncology, Thomas has spent his career bridging bold discovery science with rigorous development, first in academia and clinical practice, then at Lilly since 2015. Lilly ExploR&D represents new thinking in the pharma-biotech collaboration model: a shared-risk, deep scientific partnership designed specifically for early-stage biotechs. It provides full-stack R&D capabilities helping companies overcome the toughest hurdles in moving from molecule creation to clinical proof-of-concept, all while staying lean in a challenging funding environment. In this episode, Thomas dives into his journey shaping ExploR&D, how the program works in practice, current priorities in modalities and therapeutic areas, and offers some practical advice for biotechs seeking to partner with Eli Lilly. 01:30 — Meet Tom Hopkins 05:11 — What makes ExploR&D biotech-friendly 07:46 — How collaborations work in practice 09:40 — Shared risk models 14:25 — Engaging bold science early 28:16 — Success stories and advice for biotechs Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!  Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter To dive deeper into the topic:  Eli Lilly’s strategy in motion: Beyond diabetes and obesityOver $3 billion in a month: Why is Eli Lilly starting 2025 on a buying spree?What to look for in a biotech incubator

    36 min

  3. JAN 30

    Building a smart oncology pipeline with Cumulus Oncology

    Today, my guest is Dr. Clare Wareing, Founder and CEO of Cumulus Oncology, who joins us from Edinburgh.  With over 25 years of expertise in oncology drug development, Clare has built a remarkable career translating scientific breakthroughs into life-changing therapies. Cumulus Oncology is curating a risk-adjusted portfolio of preclinical assets focused on high unmet needs in oncology. Their platform-agnostic, approach prioritizes patient subgroups and precision medicine to boost success rates and drive value creation. In this conversation, we explore Clare's journey to and through biotech, Cumulus and the current state of oncology in biotech, the vibrant Scottish biotech ecosystem, and her vision for the future for 2026 and beyond. 01:17: Meet Clare Wareing 03:57: Inspiration for founding Cumulus Oncology. 05:38: Cumulus's unique drug development model. 09:53: Overview of Cumulus's asset portfolio. 13:05: Importance of the patient subgroup strategy. 17:41: Trends in oncology drug discovery. 21:09: Drivers of oncology deal-making activity. 24:22: Challenges in accessing venture capital. 30:06: Future milestones for Cumulus Oncology. Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!  Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter To dive deeper into the topic:  Curing cancer: Daiichi Sankyo's ambitious ADC approachCracking Cancer’s Code: Transforming Research with Novel Cancer ModelsNew cancer cell discovery sheds light on childhood blood cancer

    35 min

  4. JAN 23

    Top 5 trends that will drive biopharma in the next decade with Tim Opler

    Today, we're thrilled to have Tim Opler, a leading voice in biotech investment banking. Tim's career spans academia, Credit Suisse, and co-founding Torreya Partners, which Stifel acquired in 2023. As Managing Director in Stifel's Global Healthcare Group, he's advised on over 150 deals totaling more than $100 billion, shaping major M&A, licensing, and financings in life sciences. Tim is renowned for his insightful Biopharma Market Updates, and in this episode, we'll dive into his December 2025 edition, where he outlines five transformative trends set to drive biopharma for the next decade: M&A booms, giant markets like obesity and aging drugs, China's rising innovation, AI's reshape of healthcare, and incredible scientific advances. 01:22 - Meet Tim Opler 03:12 - Stifel and the Biopharma Market Updates 05:50 - Trend 1: M&A Booms 10:06 - Trend 2: Giant Markets 17:05 - Trend 3: China's Innovation 22:29 - Trend 4: AI Reshaping Healthcare 28:42 - Trend 5: Incredible Science 34:18 - Looking forward Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!  Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter To dive deeper into the topic:  10 biotech companies in China you should know aboutWhen AI isn’t enough: How physics is shaping the next wave of drug discovery JPM 2026: what’s the outlook like this year?

    36 min

  5. JAN 16

    Labiotech's 15 biopharma companies to watch in 2026

    Today I’m joined by not one, not two, but three guests with their takes on the biotech year ahead. In December we tasked Labiotech journalists Jules Adam, Roohi Peter, and Willow Shah-Neville with the task of identifying the five biotech players that they thought would be the ones to watch in 2026. Now you can read that article at Labiotech-dot-EU, and we’ve linked it in the show notes here in your podcast player, too, but on today’s episode I’m joined by Jules, Roohi, and Willow who explain a little more about the companies that caught their eye and what might be expected of those companies in the year ahead. 15 companies, three journalists, all in one special podcast as we uncover the companies to watch in 2026. 1:18     Meet Jules Adam 2:30     Abivax 4:04     AAVantgarde Bio 6:10     Isotope Technologies Munich (ITM) 8:16     MaaT Pharma 9:55     Novo Nordisk 13:15    Meet Willow Shah-Neville 14:29    Kardigan 18:23    Braveheart Bio 21:16    Beam Therapeutics 24:34    MindMed 27:39    Kailera Therapeutics 32:36    Meet Roohi Peter 33:30    Aspen Neuroscience 34:45    Reunion Neuroscience 36:14    MapLight Therapeutiucs 37:41    Hope Medicine 38:59    Regenxbio Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!  Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter To dive deeper into the topic:  Keep an eye on these 15 biotech companies in 2026 Biotech in 2025: A retrospective Eight of the biggest immunology and inflammation (I&I) deals in 2025

    41 min

  6. JAN 9

    M Ventures: pharma CVC and biotech innovation in 2026

    Welcome to our first episode for 2026. Today, we're joined by Hakan Goker, Managing Director at M Ventures, the strategic corporate venture capital arm of Merck KGaA. With over two decades in biotech investing, Hakan has driven transformative deals in oncology, autoimmune diseases, and beyond, including standout 2025 investments like FoRx Therapeutics and portfolio milestones such as Artios' FDA Fast Track designation.  As we kick off 2026 at Beyond Biotech, Hakan shares insights on corporate VC advantages, emerging therapeutic priorities, and the industry's evolving landscape amid rising M&A and AI innovation.  1:10                 Meet Hakan Goka 4:37                 About M Ventures and pharma CVC 8:14                 Sourcing innovative biotechs 12:52                How M Ventures works with Merck KGaA 16:54              M Ventures in 2025 24:46                Areas to watch in the new year 29:19                Looking forward to 2026 32:20                The next big thing in biotech? 33:08                Advice for biotechs pitching CVC Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!  Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter To dive deeper into the topic:  The ABC of biotech startup fundingSeven genome sequencing companies to look out forLabiotech's 2025 biotech funding tracker

    36 min

  7. 12/19/2025

    Johnson & Johnson’s hematology portfolio: breakthroughs to watch

    Welcome to our final episode for 2025. We’re taking a little break for the holidays but we’ll be back again on Friday 9th of January to kick off our year with the Managing Director of Merck KGaA’s M Ventures, Hakan Goker. Today, though, I’m joined by Ester in t’Groen of Johnson & Johnson. Fresh off the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in Orlando, where J&J presented over 60 abstracts, Ester shares insights into the company's portfolio and the advances that the company has made over recent years in the hematology space. She walks us through the real-world evidence for some pretty significant results from the thousands of patients in their clinical trials, and explain what's next for J&J in hematology in 2026—including some exciting readouts. 01:14 - Meet Ester in t'Groen     02:37 - Winning the Kilmer Medal 06:32 - J&J's key focus areas 07:32 - The hematology portfolio 19:07 - All about ASH 2025 23:49 - The MajesTEC-3 data 27:43 - The value of real-world datasets 32:06 - Looking forward into 2026 Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!  Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter To dive deeper into the topic:  Blood Cancer Awareness Month: What biotech holds in store 10 oncology deals in 2025 spotlight where industry leaders are betting bigT cell engagers: A promising, fast-growing field for cancer and autoimmune disease treatments

    34 min

  8. 12/12/2025

    Tackling pulmonary fibrosis: Boehringer Ingelheim’s new drug + AI approach

    In this episode we sit down with Martin Beck, Senior Vice President and Head of the Inflammation Business Unit at Boehringer Ingelheim. Martin grew up just down the road from the company’s headquarters in Germany, joined as a scholarship student more than 20 years ago, and never really left – and you’ll hear why he still loves it. We spend most of the episode focused on a disease that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: idiopathic and progressive pulmonary fibrosis. These are rare, fatal lung-scarring conditions that kill faster than many cancers, yet patients often shrug off the first symptoms as “just aging.”  Martin walks us through why half the people on today’s treatments stop taking them, how BI just brought the first new medicine in over a decade to the U.S. market, and why an AI tool that spots microscopic changes on lung scans might finally help doctors diagnose and treat these patients’ years earlier.  01:24   Meet Martin Beck 04:21   About Boehringer Ingelheim 07:12   Understanding idiopathic & progressive pulmonary fibrosis 10:16   Current treatments & high discontinuation rates 12:25   BI’s long-term investment in PF 16:02   eLung AI tool for earlier diagnosis 22:16   A new oral PDE4B inhibitor 28:13   Key data highlights from the recent ERS congress 30:31   FDA approval & global rollout plans Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!  Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter To dive deeper into the topic:  Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Refoxy, Boehringer, Insilico, and more on the hunt for curative treatmentsEight respiratory disease companies advancing innovative therapies in 2025BI: Life with pulmonary fibrosis

    39 min
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Ratings & Reviews

3.3
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to the official Labiotech.eu podcast - Beyond Biotech! Each week, we talk about what's happening in the world of biotech, with news and interviews with experts from companies around the world. Join us as we cover the latest news, breakthroughs and innovations shaping the life sciences industry.A new podcast episode is available every Friday. The host is Dylan Kissane.

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