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Part 1 of 4.

My guest for this week’s episode is Quin Wills, CSO and Co-Founder of Ochre Bio, a pioneering biotechnology company developing RNA therapies for chronic liver diseases. Using a combination of genomic deep phenotyping, precision RNA medicine, and testing in live human donor livers, Ochre is developing therapies for liver health challenges ranging from increasing donor liver supply to reducing cirrhosis complications.

In addition to his work at Ochre, Quin is also a highly accomplished academic with a medical degree from Witwatersrand University and doctoral degrees from Cambridge and Oxford in computational biology, mathematics, and statistical genomics. Along with his academic accomplishments, Quin also co-founded SimuGen and has worked at the University College London, the Mayo Clinic, and Novo Nordisk before he went on to co-found Ochre Bio. Quin's diverse experiences offer a wealth of insights that everyone can draw inspiration from.

Join us this week and hear about:

Quin's childhood, the importance of seizing opportunities when they arise, and challenging the status quo
His time at the University College London (UCL)
Transitioning from medical school to studying genetics while at Witwatersrand University
Getting his MPhil in biology at Cambridge
Early exposure and passion for bioinformatics and big data during the Human Genome Project era
And much more!

Please enjoy my conversation with Quin Wills.

Find Our Guest, Quin Wills, at these links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/quinwills/

https://www.ochre-bio.com/

Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee

https://www.excedr.com

Timestamps:

00:28 Intro

2:22 Episode starts, childhood experiences in Johannesburg that influenced Quin’s leadership philosophy, being an action-prone scientist, and challenging the status quo

7:07 Developing a passion for science in connection to the evolution of society

9:33 Undergraduate academic experience with genetics, microbiology, and lab-based work

11:51 Decision to leave South Africa to attend University College London (UCL), passion for bioinformatics and big data during the Human Genome Project era

15:06 Learning that taking steps back is sometimes necessary to move forward

17:38 Outro

Social & Website

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr

Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/

Enriched Notes:

Topics Mentioned:

What is Bioinformatics?

https://www.excedr.com/blog/what-is-bioinformatics-and-computational-biology

Human Genome Project

https://www.genome.gov/human-genome-project

Witwatersrand University

https://www.wits.ac.za/

University College London

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/

University of Cambridge

https://www.cam.ac.uk/

Lab Equipment for Genetic Engineering Research

https://www.excedr.com/blog/lab-equipment-list-for-genetic-engineering-research

What is Live-Cell Imaging & How Does It Work?

https://www.excedr.com/blog/what-is-live-cell-imaging

The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.

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