56 episodes

The Chain explores the lives, careers, research, and discoveries of protein engineers and scientists, the impact their work is having on the field, and where the industry is headed. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the newest advancements and to hear the stories that are impacting the world of biologics.

The Chain: Protein Engineering Podcast Cambridge Healthtech Institute

    • Science
    • 4.7 • 14 Ratings

The Chain explores the lives, careers, research, and discoveries of protein engineers and scientists, the impact their work is having on the field, and where the industry is headed. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the newest advancements and to hear the stories that are impacting the world of biologics.

    Episode: 53 - Jonathan Sockolosky on Breaking Into Biotech and Making Real Progress in Ovarian Cancer Treatments

    Episode: 53 - Jonathan Sockolosky on Breaking Into Biotech and Making Real Progress in Ovarian Cancer Treatments

    What is the first step of getting into biotech? How do you make real progress in research? In honor of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, host Nimish Gera discusses these topics and more with Jonathan Sockolosky, PhD, Director of CSO Partner Team at Curie.Bio, in this special episode of The Chain. Jonathan details how he got started in biotech, what inspires him to keep going, his personal interests in ovarian cancer treatments, and what he does to raise funds to further ovarian cancer research. Jonathan also offers advice on how others can get involved in causes they are passionate about and how to give back to the community, as well as the progress that has been made in ovarian cancer therapy. 

    Links from this episode:  
    Curie.Bio 
    Mythic Therapeutics  

    • 26 min
    Episode 52: Entrepreneurship in Immunotherapy: Capstan’s Adrian Bot on Teambuilding

    Episode 52: Entrepreneurship in Immunotherapy: Capstan’s Adrian Bot on Teambuilding

    In this episode of The Chain, Brandon Dekosky, Associate Professor at MIT, speaks with Adrian Bot, Founding Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of R&D at Capstan Therapeutics, about his experiences in leadership roles, his scientific journey, and how he started work on immunotherapy for cancer. Bot also shares what it's like to be a “serial scientific entrepreneur” and the importance of networking to assemble a team that shares mutual interests, as well as how to motivate young scientists and researchers coming into the biotech industry. Finally, he discusses why he finds flat organizational structures with smaller teams more effective and what he does to maintain innovation. 

    • 23 min
    Episode: 51 - Setting the Right Strategy to Drive Engineering Parameters for Solid Tumor-Targeting T Cell-Engagers

    Episode: 51 - Setting the Right Strategy to Drive Engineering Parameters for Solid Tumor-Targeting T Cell-Engagers

    In this special episode of The Chain, G. Jonah Rainey, Senior Director of Protein Engineering at Eli Lilly and Company, hosts a panel at PEGS 2023 to discuss strategies to engineer parameters for solid tumor-targeting T-cell-engagers. Guests Stephen J. Demarest from Tentarix Biotherapeutics, Michelle Morrow from F-Star Therapeutics, Inc., and Dario Neri from Philogen provide their insights and experiences on navigating challenges, researching treatments, and the positives and negatives of certain targeting strategies. They also answer questions from the audience and share their perspectives on the future of tumor-targeting and what technology can do to help with developing effective cures.

    Links from this episode:  
    PEGS Boston Conference & Expo
    Engineering Bispecific Antibodies
    Eli Lilly and Company
    Tentatrix Biotherapeutics   
    F-Star Therapeutics, Inc. 
    Philogen 

    • 53 min
    Episode: 50 - Pivoting Research with Antibody Drug Conjugates

    Episode: 50 - Pivoting Research with Antibody Drug Conjugates

    In this month’s episode of The Chain, Greg M. Thurber, associate professor of chemical engineering and biomedical engineering at the University of Michigan, sits with moderator Nimish Gera, vice president of biologics at Mythic Therapeutics, to talk about the development of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). Thurber details the history of ADCs and the skepticism facing the field during the mid-2010s, despite showing great promise in anticancer treatment. He also discusses how recent FDA approvals and breakthroughs have reignited interest and pivoted research toward designing more successful ADCs. Finally, he shares his thoughts on the exciting developments in the field in the next few years, including how ADCs could play a key role in polytherapy. 
     

    • 31 min
    Episode: 49 - Building a Next Generation Bioproduction Platform

    Episode: 49 - Building a Next Generation Bioproduction Platform

    Kyron.Bio is revolutionizing drug production with its Next Generation Bioproduction Platform that will make the production of therapeutics easier, cheaper and faster. Voldborg and McLaughlin talk about their shared vision for using synthetic biology to improve the production of therapeutic proteins. 
     
    Kyron.Bio: https://kyron.bio/  

    • 23 min
    Episode: 48 - A Conversation with Peter Tessier: Classifying Antibodies to Assess Biologics Developability Features Early in the Discovery Process

    Episode: 48 - A Conversation with Peter Tessier: Classifying Antibodies to Assess Biologics Developability Features Early in the Discovery Process

    In this month’s episode of the Chain, guest Peter Tessier, Albert M. Mattocks pharmaceutical sciences and chemical engineering professor at the University of Michigan, speaks with moderator Tariq Ghayur, scientific advisor and entrepreneur in residence at FairJourney Biologics, about expediting the developability of antibodies. He discusses the characteristics that best predict a molecule’s drug-like properties, the different assays used for various intended outcomes, and why every scientist must assess the “greatest potential impact” before embarking on a new experiment. Tessier also talks about the core traditions that help him lead students in the lab while fostering a learning environment of ownership, integrity, and self-motivation. Last, he shares his predictions on how computational data will advance antibody discovery and developability in the future. 
     

    • 48 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
14 Ratings

14 Ratings

AcadiaFan ,

Consistently Excellent Science

CHI does a great job with The Chain, and it is a helpful resource for everyone working in our field.

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