My guest today is Tal Zaks. Tal is a physician-scientist turned biotech executive and investor who served as Moderna's Chief Medical Officer during their COVID-19 vaccine development, giving him an extraordinary perspective on one of modern medicine's pivotal moments. His combination of medical expertise, platform innovation experience, and investing acumen allows us to explore the interconnected challenges of turning scientific breakthroughs into viable medicines while generating venture-scale returns. We dive deep into lessons from Moderna's mRNA platform, examine how emerging technologies might reshape drug development, and the fundamental question of what it means to make people healthier. For investors, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in the future of medicine, this discussion provides a window into both the immense potential and profound challenges of advancing human health. Please enjoy my conversation with Tal Zaks.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.

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Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).

Show Notes:

(00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best

(00:08:37) State of Medicine Today

(00:09:44) Investment and Innovation in Medicine

(00:13:14) Challenges in Biotech Investment

(00:17:18) Personalized Cancer Vaccines

(00:22:58) Investing in Biotech: Process and Considerations

(00:28:38) Multidisciplinary Approach in Pharma

(00:41:35) COVID-19 Vaccine Development

(00:46:27) Funding and Manufacturing Challenges

(00:48:01) Unprecedented Vaccine Safety Measures

(00:50:38) Public Perception and Trust Issues

(00:53:54) Future of mRNA and Nucleic Acid Medicines

(00:58:04) Personalized Medicine and Data Collection

(01:04:48) AI's Role in Healthcare

(01:08:34) Investment Strategies in Therapeutics

(01:14:57) The Human Element in Medical Innovation

(01:21:58) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done for Tal

Ep. 225: Lifting Beyond Maximum | Chris Taber, PhD