Raising Health cover image

Raising Health

Becoming a Partnership Pioneer with Dan Nomura

Sep 5, 2023
Dan Nomura, distinguished professor at UC Berkeley and advisory partner at a16z Bio+Health, discusses his work in chemical biology and drug discovery. He shares his experience starting companies, collaborating with pharmaceutical companies, and the challenges of developing therapeutics. The podcast also explores the definition of chemical biology, the future of chemoproteomics, and the benefits of academic-pharma collaborations.
20:46

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Chemical probes and proteomics enable the discovery of small molecule ligands and novel binding pockets, expanding the possibilities of drug discovery beyond traditional approaches.
  • Transitioning scientific discoveries from an academic lab to a startup company requires establishing proof of concept, developing a small molecule-based approach, raising money, building a team, and maintaining a ruthless focus on developing discoveries into viable drugs.

Deep dives

Chemical Biology and Chemoproteomics for Drug Discovery

Chemical biology and chemoproteomics have become major drivers in drug discovery. Chemical probes and proteomics allow the identification of potential ligandable sites across the human proteome, including undruggable targets. This enables the discovery of small molecule ligands and novel binding pockets, expanding the possibilities of drug discovery beyond traditional approaches. The field of chemoproteomics is constantly evolving, with advancements in covalent chemoproteomics and reversible small molecule ligand-protein interactions. However, there is still a need for breakthroughs in technology to unlock the full potential of chemoproteomics, particularly in targeting amino acids outside of cysteines and lysines. Additionally, the rational design and development of therapeutic modalities is crucial to convert chemical binders into functional molecules.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode