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Part 2 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:

Choosing Roche to help make small molecule drugs
Reflecting on first major management role
The communication required to work as an advisor to biotech companies
Working for SUGEN but getting a different job than the one she applied for
Dealing with the volatility of an acquisition

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

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

Enriched Notes:

Topics Mentioned:

Roche: https://www.roche.com/

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

SUGEN-Pfizer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SUGEN

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

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

Xylatan: https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-14256/latanoprost-ophthalmic-eye/details

Pfizer and Pharmacia Merger https://www.pfizer.com/about/history/pfizer_pharmacia

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

Timestamps:

00:28 Intro

01:52 Choosing Roche because of its pedigree and ability to make small molecule drugs

03:34 Leading an academic microbiology lab and learning to work in that environment

06:46 Neela asking people for 45 minutes of their time to teach her.what she doesn’t know

10:22 Reflecting on her first major management role and some lessons she learned

12:53 Working as an adviser to cerebral biotech companies requires great communication

14:39 The value of getting to know your professional colleagues on a personal level

15:53 Transitioning to SUGEN (Pfizer) but getting a different job than the one she applied for

18:41 Being made team lead and having to quickly learn all about the product

22:02 The benefits of sales and why the negative stereotypes aren’t always right

24:01 What lead to changes in how companies view and treat their acquisitions

27:17 How pharma companies view the value of acquired companies technology

30:58 Dealing with the volatility of an acquisition and the value of past experiences

32:41 Looking back at her time at SUGEN and her accomplishments there

37:19 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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