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Part 1 of 4: Jon Chee hosts Chris Moxham, the Co-Founder, CEO, and CSO of Transcripta Bio, a pioneering biotech company charting a faster path in drug discovery to create better lives for people around the world.

Chris earned his PhD in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology at Stony Brook University and is a seasoned veteran with over 25 years of drug discovery experience, having spent two decades at Eli Lilly where he was instrumental in advancing over 10 molecules into clinical trials across multiple therapeutic areas and both small and large molecule modalities.

Chris has a wealth of knowledge, and his commitment to both scientific advancement and team growth makes his insights invaluable for aspiring leaders in biotech.

Join us this week to hear about:

Chris’ childhood growing up on Long Island and his experience with early heart surgery at 12 years old
How those early experiences shaped his passion for science and medicine
His pivotal experiences at Cornell University, where a summer fellowship studying insulin signaling sparked his transition from pre-med to research
His groundbreaking PhD research at SUNY Stony Brook developing transgenic mice, leading to publications in Science and Nature
The strategic decision to pursue pharmaceutical research over academia, leveraging key connections to launch his industry career at Wyeth
His leadership philosophy’s emphasis on respect, teamwork, and balancing immediate results with long-term vision

Please enjoy Jon’s conversation with Chris Moxham.

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

Find Our Guest, Chris Moxham, at these links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-moxham-b8867011/

https://www.transcriptabio.com/

Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:

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

https://www.excedr.com

Excedr Socials & Website

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

Enriched Notes:

Topics Mentioned:

Cornell https://www.cornell.edu/

SUNY Stony Brook https://www.stonybrook.edu/

Malbon Laboratory https://www.pharm.stonybrook.edu/faculty_research/directory/m/malbon-craig/laboratory

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

Marketing & Sales Tools for Biotechs: https://www.excedr.com/blog/marketing-sales-strategies-for-biotechs

Biotech Partnerships: How Partnering with Big Pharma Can Support R&D: https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-biotech-partnerships-support-research

How to Bootstrap a Biotech Tools Startup: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-bootstrap-biotech-startup

Timestamps:

00:49 Intro

03:18 Chris's upbringing as the youngest of 7 children on Long Island

06:07 The influence of Chris's parents on his leadership style

08:20 Family dynamics and expectations growing up in a large household

11:06 Choosing Cornell University and the path to pre-med

14:30 Securing research opportunities and working with scientific luminaries as an undergraduate

16:28 PhD experience at SUNY Stony Brook in Craig Malbon's lab

18:36 The impact of mentorship and the drive for impactful research

20:55 Craig Malbon's lab structure and management style

22:49 Balancing immediate results with long-term planning in research

24:35 Transitioning from academia to industry: Chris's first opportunity at Wyeth

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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