🧬 Neela Patel - Bonum Therapeutics - Part 1 | Growing Up in an Intellectual Household | How One Biology Class Inspired Her | Working With Influential Scientists at DNAX | Pursuing the Intersection of Science & Business

Part 1 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. 

Please enjoy Jon’s conversation with Neela Patel!

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

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neela-patel-84b144/ 

https://bonumtx.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr 

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

Enriched Notes: 

Bell Labs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Labs 

Genentech: https://www.gene.com/ 

AMGEN: https://www.amgen.com/ 

C. Elegans: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caenorhabditis_elegans 

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

DNAX Research Institute: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dnax-research-institute/

Leptin Receptor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptin_receptor 

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

Sherie Morrison https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherie-morrison-8736217/ 

Bob Coffman: https://investors.dynavax.com/management/robert-coffman 

Martin McMahonn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-mcmahon-8643796/ 

Lewis Lanier https://lanierlab.ucsf.edu/node/3033
 

00:28 Intro

02:31 Growing up in an intellectual household with engaged, socially aware parents

07:08 How a college biology class lead to an internship at Genentech

10:06 Finding that lab work at Genentech was a perfect balance of togetherness and independence

13:05 Similarities between drug discovery and Neela’s cross disciplinary undergrad studies

16:18 Getting inspired by Genentech to pursue her PhD at UCLA

19:22 Choosing a lab focused on studying C. Elegans 

20:48 Looking at the progress of technology and the overall business environment over her career

25:18 Dealing with the steep learning curve of a PhD program and learning to not give up

27:24 Contemplating her next steps into her professional life and finally settling on DNAX

30:14 Working with influential scientists at DNAX Research Institute

32:18 Joining an investment club while pursuing the intersection of science and business

35:41 Transitioning out of DNAX and manually going through a directory searching for her next opportunity

40:02 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.