The Catalyst Mindset Behind a Lean Biotech | Örn Almarsson (4/4)

🧬 The Biotech Startups Podcast is powered by Excedr: helping life science startups accelerate R&D and commercialization with founder-friendly equipment leasing. Skip the upfront costs, stay lean, and focus on breakthrough science.

As a TBSP listener, you can get exclusive perks through Excedr's partner network: special savings, promotions, and more. Explore these offers today: https://www.excedr.com/partners

“If I can sum up my reason to be on this Earth, it's to be a catalyst.”

Moderna's rapid COVID-19 response was years in the making. Örn Almarsson explains how quiet work in mRNA manufacturing, lipid nanoparticles, bioinformatics, and vaccine development created the capabilities needed when the moment arrived.

He then turns to company building at Axelyf: in vivo cell reprogramming for solid tumors, modular lipid nanoparticles, AI-informed discovery, external partners, and a deliberately lean operating model. The conversation closes with the mentors, expectations, and leadership philosophy shaping his next chapter.

Key Topics Covered:

If you enjoy The Biotech Startups Podcast, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing it with your friends. Thanks for listening.

Listen and subscribe to The Biotech Startups Podcast:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biotech-startups-podcast/id1679591994

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PSL162R2s0zOwU5913Zv4

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebiotechstartupspodcast

Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-notes&utm_campaign=the-biotech-startups-podcast-ep279

Find our guest, Örn Almarsson, at these links:

Website: https://www.axelyf.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orn-almarsson

Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links:

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

Learn more about Excedr:

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

Website: https://www.excedr.com

Intro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, OkKyojin:

https://flow.page/kyojin

Resources & Articles:

National Cancer Institute: CAR T-cell therapy: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/research/car-t-cells

BioNTech: https://www.biontech.com/

Pfizer: https://www.pfizer.com/

NCBI Molecular Biology reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21054/

Companies, Universities, & People Mentioned:

Moderna: https://www.modernatx.com/

BioNTech: https://www.biontech.com/

Pfizer: https://www.pfizer.com/

Merck: https://www.merck.com/

Transform Pharmaceuticals: https://www.transformpharma.com/

Alkermes: https://www.alkermes.com/

Lyndra Therapeutics: https://www.lyndra.com/

Johnson & Johnson: https://www.jnj.com/

Copel Farm and Biotech: https://www.copel.co/

University of Iceland: https://english.hi.is/

UC Santa Barbara: https://www.chem.ucsb.edu/

MIT: https://www.mit.edu/

Slone Partners: https://www.slonepartners.com/

Quest Diagnostics: https://www.questdiagnostics.com/

AmeriPath: https://www.ameripath.com/

00:06 Intro

01:17 Moderna's Overnight Success Was Years in the Making

01:28 The Capabilities Behind Moderna's Rapid Response

01:52 From Prototype Vaccines to Personalized Cancer Vaccines

02:45 Why Moderna and BioNTech Were Ready

04:46 Leaving Moderna for the Next Challenge

06:16 Axelyf's In Vivo Cell Reprogramming Strategy

07:49 Building a Modular Lipid and Cargo Toolkit

08:09 Targeting Difficult Cancers and Faster Development

10:06 Staying Small, Virtual, and Capital Efficient

10:26 Using AI to Improve Lipid Nanoparticle Models

12:22 Choosing Specialized Partners Over One-Stop Shops

13:05 External Collaborations and the Path to the Clinic

20:12 Mentors, Growth, and the Catalyst Philosophy

23:06 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.