BIO Special: New vision for immunotherapy, Detlev Biniszkiewicz, Founder & CEO, NextPoint Tx

Jun 7, 2023

Detlev Biniszkiewicz, Founder & CEO of NextPoint Therapeutics, discusses the challenges and opportunities in immuno-oncology, team building, and the current biotech environment. He shares the founding story of NextPoint and their focus on targeting the A to LA2 receptor for immune therapy. The chapter also explores the challenges of transitioning from preclinical to clinical stages, securing funding, and the speaker's rapid career growth.

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Introduction

00:00 • 3min

Operating Biotech vs Big Pharma

02:38 • 13min

Next Point Therapeutics' Approach to Precision Immune Oncology and Targeting PD1 Negative Patients

15:24 • 5min

Transitioning from Preclinical to Clinical: Challenges and Growth

20:22 • 11min

Rapid Career Ascension and Embracing Challenges

31:42 • 2min

Synopsis: Detlev Biniszkiewicz is the Founder and CEO of NextPoint Therapeutics, a company advancing the field of immuno-oncology through its leading scientific work on the novel HHLA2 pathway. Detlev discusses the immuno-oncology landscape including its challenges and opportunities, and the work his team is pursuing at NextPoint to deliver new therapies to cancer patients. He talks about how he operates and leads as a CEO and how he approaches team building. He also shares his advice to others that are in an early stage company, and discusses the current macro environment across biotech. Biography: Dr. Detlev Biniszkiewicz is a Managing Director at MPM and Entrepreneur at BioImpact Capital, an affiliate manager of MPM. He is currently CEO of portfolio company NextPoint Therapeutics and is also a board member of portfolio company iTeos Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ITOS). Detlev is a serial entrepreneur and an experienced biopharma executive who brings deep knowledge of oncology and immuno-oncology to his role. At NextPoint Therapeutics, Detlev oversees the development of precision treatments for patients with currently intractable cancers. Leveraging the novel HHLA2 pathway characterized by scientific founders Dr. XingXing Zang and Dr. Gordon Freeman, NextPoint is advancing precision immuno-oncology therapeutics that activate the immune system to find and kill cancer cells. Prior to joining MPM and BioImpact Capital, Detlev was the President and CEO of Surface Oncology (NASDAQ: SURF), where he led its growth and transformation through to clinical-stage and its preparation for a public offering. Prior to Surface Oncology, he was Vice President of Strategy in AstraZeneca’s Oncology Unit and was part of the oncology leadership that developed Lynparza® and Tagrisso®, two innovative medicines that help thousands of patients suffering from cancer. His group transformed AstraZeneca’s Oncology pipeline through numerous licensing deals, clinical and academic collaborations, and external research. Detlev has also held multiple roles at Novartis including Global Head of Portfolio, where his group provided oversight of Novartis’ research and early development portfolio. Detlev began his career at the Boston Consulting Group and performed his academic research at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.