Part 1 of 4:

Jon Chee hosts our latest guest, Neela Patel, Chief Business Officer at Bonum Therapeutics who are developing protein therapeutics to be used to treat a wide range of diseases. Neela is a seasoned scientist and business development executive with over 30 years of leadership experience in drug discovery and development.

Before her time at Bonum Therapeutics Neela worked as the CBO at Good Therapeutics, a biotech company that develops cutting-edge protein-based drugs. Her impressive career also includes pivotal roles at Seattle Genetics, AbbVie, Abbott, and Genentech. Her extensive experience as both a scientist and business person give her unique insights you won’t want to miss.

Join us this week to hear about:

How a college biology class lead to a Genentech internship
Getting inspired to pursue her PhD
Working with influential scientists at DNAX
Joining an investment club and pursuing the intersection of science and business
Transitioning out of DNAX and cold calling people for her next opportunity

Please enjoy Jon’s conversation with Neela Patel!

Subscribe to the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biotech-startups-podcast/id1679591994

Find Our Guest, Neela Patel, at these links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neela-patel-84b144/

https://bonumtx.com/

Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:

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

https://www.excedr.com

Excedr Socials & 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:

Bell Labs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Labs

Genentech: https://www.gene.com/

AMGEN: https://www.amgen.com/

C. Elegans: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caenorhabditis_elegans

Mutagenesis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutagenesis

DNAX Research Institute: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dnax-research-institute/

Leptin Receptor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptin_receptor

How to Get Funding for Lab Research: https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-to-get-funding-for-lab-research

Microbiology Lab Equipment & Instruments List: https://www.excedr.com/blog/microbiology-lab-equipment-list-to-open-your-new-lab

Biotech Startup Support: https://www.excedr.com/resources-category/biotech-startup-support

People Mentioned:

Sherie Morrison https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherie-morrison-8736217/

Bob Coffman: https://investors.dynavax.com/management/robert-coffman

Martin McMahonn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-mcmahon-8643796/

Lewis Lanier https://lanierlab.ucsf.edu/node/3033

Timestamps:

00:28 Intro

02:31 Growing up in an intellectual household with engaged, socially aware parents

07:08 How a college biology class lead to an internship at Genentech

10:06 Finding that lab work at Genentech was a perfect balance of togetherness and independence

13:05 Similarities between drug discovery and Neela’s cross disciplinary undergrad studies

16:18 Getting inspired by Genentech to pursue her PhD at UCLA

19:22 Choosing a lab focused on studying C. Elegans

20:48 Looking at the progress of technology and the overall business environment over her career

25:18 Dealing with the steep learning curve of a PhD program and learning to not give up

27:24 Contemplating her next steps into her professional life and finally settling on DNAX

30:14 Working with influential scientists at DNAX Research Institute

32:18 Joining an investment club while pursuing the intersection of science and business

35:41 Transitioning out of DNAX and manually going through a directory searching for her next opportunity

40:02 Outro

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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