Biotech 2050 Podcast

Synopsis: Ivan Dimov is the Co-Founder and CEO of Orca Bio, a cell therapy company focusing on next-generation precision cell therapies for blood cancer patients. Orca Bio’s cell therapies are designed to replace a patient’s cancerous blood and immune system with a healthy one, with the goal of improving survival rates and quality of life for survivors. Ivan discusses the historically limited treatment options for blood cancer patients and the resulting unmet need, how Orca Bio’s innovative technology is tackling this problem, and how he uses lessons from history to learn from failures and build success. Biography: Ivan launched Orca Bio in 2016 and is Chief Executive Officer of Orca Bio. He is also co-founder and former Chief Technology Officer of Lucira Health, a molecular diagnostics company that received the first FDA authorization for a COVID-19 at-home self-testing kit. Prior to Orca Bio, Ivan was Siebel Fellow and visiting Instructor in Irv Weissman’s laboratory and Senior Scientist at Stanford University. He was also a visiting research scholar at the BioPOETS Lab at the University of California, Berkeley, where he developed innovative microfluidic platforms for stem cell research and low-cost molecular diagnostics. Earlier in his career, Ivan founded BlobCode Technologies, a startup that incorporates 2D barcode reading capabilities using the standard camera within a mobile phone. Ivan has a PhD in applied biophysics from Dublin City University and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electronics, telecommunications, and computer science from Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile. He has established 2 research centers in Chile in the robotics and hospital technologies arena that provide clinical engineering and technology innovation to the largest hospitals in the country. Ivan has published more than 40 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has more than 40 patents or patent applications.

Synopsis: Stanley Crooke is Founder and CEO of n-Lorem Foundation, a nonprofit with the goal of discovering, developing and providing experimental ASO treatments to nano-rare patients for free for life. He joins us for a discussion about the business model behind rare diseases and how n-Lorem is looking to industrialize and scale the treatment of this unique population. Stanley talks about the challenges behind developing and bringing a new modality to the clinic, the company’s collaboration with the FDA, and how n-Lorem seeks to be sustainable and scalable over time. Biography: Dr. Crooke is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of n-Lorem, a nonprofit foundation focused on providing treatments for patients with nano-rare disease (1 to 30 patients worldwide), which he initiated in January 2020. Prior to n- Lorem, Dr. Crooke founded and was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Lead Scientist of Ionis Pharmaceuticals. During his tenure at Ionis, he led the scientific development of a new platform for drug discovery, antisense technology and the creation of one of the largest and more advanced development pipelines in the biotechnology industry, and commercialized several antisense drugs including, Spinraza, Tegsedi and others. Early in Dr. Crooke’s career, he led the creation of the first broad anticancer program in the industry at Bristol-Myers, bringing numerous anticancer drugs to the market in the first five years of his career. He then assumed responsibility for worldwide R&D (president) at SmithKline Beckman (now GSK). During his tenure at SKB, Dr. Crooke led the restructuring of R&D and the development of several drugs that were commercialized. Dr. Crooke has also contemporaneously led a successful academic career becoming a full professor at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School where he trained a number of PhD students and won several teaching awards. Dr. Crooke has been an active scientist throughout his career as well. Dr. Crooke has received a number of awards, most recently, Prix Galein Roy Vagellos Pro Bono Humanum Award, the American Chemical Society’s E.B. Hershberg Award for Important Discoveries in Medicinally Active Substances, the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society, the Scrip Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2019 Massry Prize. Dr. Crooke received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees and house staff training at Baylor College of Medicine and has been an active scientist throughout his career. In 2021, Dr. Crooke has been named Distinguished Alumnus of both Baylor College of Medicine’s Graduate and Medical schools and named one of the 20 of the most influential biopharma R&D executives by Endpoints News. He has published nearly 600 scientific publications, edited more than 20 books, has numerous patents, and led the development of more than 23 drugs that have been commercialized.

Synopsis: Andrew Sandford and Michael Paglia are the President and COO, respectively, of ElevateBio BaseCamp, a cell and gene therapy technology company powering transformative therapies. They join us from the company’s manufacturing facilities in Waltham, Massachusetts, for a discussion about the landscape of company creation in the cell and gene therapy space and how ElevateBio is helping companies bring innovation and therapeutics to clinics and patients to help treat and cure diseases. They talk about how ElevateBio is driving next-generation technologies like gene editing and regenerative medicine that empower new therapies in the industry. They also cover what they think the next two decades in this space will look like, opportunities they feel are untapped, and advice for their younger selves. Biographies: Andrew Sandford brings over 20 years of experience in building, operating, and leading life science technology and manufacturing companies and will continue to extend ElevateBio BaseCamp strategic partnerships in the field of cell and gene therapy. Prior to ElevateBio, Andrew worked in several leadership roles to oversee the successful implementation of strategic business development, marketing, and manufacturing operations. Notably, as Global Vice President of Business Development, Biologics for Catalent Pharma Solutions, Inc., his teams were responsible for driving revenue expansion, enabling the transformation of Catalent to a global biologics services provider. Prior to Catalent, Andrew held various leadership positions at Selexis Inc, Lonza Corporation, and Dow Chemical Company, creating strategic value through global business and licensing opportunities and increasing business unit profitability. Most recently, Andrew was an Executive in Residence for Anzu Partners, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of VREX Therapeutics, and Founder, Inventor and Managing Director of Arthropod Biosciences. Michael Paglia has spent the last twenty years in biotechnology building, leading and motivating process development and manufacturing teams to support clinical programs from early development to late-stage clinical trials. Currently, Michael is the Chief Operating Officer at ElevateBio BaseCamp, leading facility, process development and manufacturing operations for a broad portfolio of cell and gene therapy products and technologies. Prior to ElevateBio, Mike was the Vice President of CMC Operations at Oncorus and Program Lead for the development of a next-generation oncolytic immunotherapy platform. Prior to Oncorus, Michael was the Sr. Director of Technical Operations and Head of Cellular Process Development and Manufacturing Operations at bluebird bio.

Synopsis: Josh Wolfe is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Lux Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in emerging science and technology ventures. Josh joins us for a discussion centered around investing in biotech. He discusses the arc of his career and the forces that led him to pursue a path at the intersection of science and finance. Josh also talks about the current state of biotech investing, trends he expects to see in the future, his advice to founder-led biotech companies, what he believes are the top three criteria for success for biotech companies, and his thoughts on the future of biotech. It’s an illuminating conversation you won’t want to miss. Biography: Josh co-founded Lux Capital to support scientists and entrepreneurs who pursue counter-conventional solutions to the most vexing puzzles of our time in order to lead us into a brighter future. The more ambitious the project, the better—like, say, creating matter from light. Josh is a Director at Shapeways, Strateos, Lux Research, Kallyope, CTRL-labs, Variant, and Varda, and helped lead the firm’s investments in Anduril, Planet, Echodyne, Clarifai, Authorea, Resilience and Hadrian. He is a founding investor and board member with Bill Gates in Kymeta, making cutting-edge antennas for high-speed global satellite and space communications. Josh is a Westinghouse semi-finalist and published scientist. He previously worked in investment banking at Salomon Smith Barney and in capital markets at Merrill Lynch. In 2008 Josh co-founded and funded Kurion, a contrarian bet in the unlikely business of using advanced robotics and state-of-the-art engineering and chemistry to clean up nuclear waste. It was an unmet, inevitable need with no solution in sight. The company was among the first responders to the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. In February 2016, Veolia acquired Kurion for nearly $400 million—34 times Lux’s total investment. Josh is a columnist with Forbes and Editor for the Forbes/Wolfe Emerging Tech Report. He has been invited to The White House and Capitol Hill to advise on nanotechnology and emerging technologies, and a lecturer at MIT, Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Columbia and NYU. He is a term member at The Council on Foreign Relations and Chairman of Coney Island Prep charter school, where he grew up in Brooklyn. He graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Economics and Finance.

Amanda Wagner is the President and CEO of Immunitas and was a founding member of the company at its launch in 2019. During her time at Immunitas, she has contributed to the company’s fundraising efforts totaling nearly $100 million; led the structuring and negotiation of multiple strategic collaborations with leading academic institutions; and driven the advancement of the lead asset IMT-009, a CD161 inhibitor, and robust pipeline based on the company’s proprietary discovery engine. Prior to joining Immunitas, she was Vice President of Corporate Development at Q32 Bio, where she contributed to the company’s $46 million Series A. Previously, Amanda was at Concert Pharmaceuticals, where she managed a $250 million asset sale, directly contributed to the Initial Public Offering, and identified and led the development of a preclinical therapeutic for autoimmune disease, now in Phase 3. Prior to Concert, Amanda was an early member of the team at UpToDate, Inc. She also sits on the Board of Directors of the National Alopecia Areata Foundation. Amanda has a master’s degree in business administration from the Simmons School of Management.

Interested in purchasing the book? Order here: https://amzn.to/3R4RWfT Ankit Mahadevia is the founder and CEO of Spero Therapeutics, an organization committed to fighting the threat of infectious disease through the development of novel medicines. Over his career, he has led the formation of nine companies, including Spero, several of which are trading on the Nasdaq exchange and several others acquired by large pharmaceutical organizations. Through these companies, he has raised over $1 billion for the development of novel therapeutics, and built multiple high performing management teams. He and the companies he built have won multiple awards for their culture, including Boston Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work” Award and Glassdoor’s “Top 50 CEOs of 2021” (#15 nationwide). Prior to these roles, Ankit advised on and supported investments in the biotechnology sector as a Venture Partner at Atlas Venture, a Cambridge, MA venture capital firm. He held previous positions at organizations including Genentech, McKinsey & Company, the United States Government Accountability Office, and the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. He has spoken widely on entrepreneurship and leadership, including at Harvard University, Columbia University, Northwestern University, MIT, and the Berkeley Forum. Ankit received his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA from Northwestern University. He lives in Chestnut Hill, MA with his wife and two sons.

Christopher Posner Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director Mr. Posner has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer since November 2021 and has served as a member of our Board since August 2018. He has broad experience in commercial and marketing operations and product management at both large and specialty pharmaceutical companies, where he has focused on products for autoimmune, inflammatory and pain conditions, including Xeljanz® and Enbrel®. From July 2017 to October 2021, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of LEO Pharma, Inc. US, a subsidiary of LEO Pharma A/S, a global healthcare company specializing in dermatology and critical care, including such conditions as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Prior to joining LEO, he was the Head of Worldwide Commercial Operations at R-Pharma-US, LLC, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on oncology and chronic immune disorders, from 2014 until 2017. Previously, Mr. Posner held a variety of senior management positions in commercial and marketing operations at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Pfizer Inc., Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Endo Pharmaceuticals plc. Mr. Posner holds an M.B.A. from Fuqua School of Business, Duke University and a B.A. in Economics from Villanova University. Please see korsuva.com/pi for Full Prescribing Information.

Rachel Meyers serves as the chief scientific officer at Faze Medicines. She was most recently an entrepreneur-in-residence at Third Rock Ventures (TRV), where she helped drive the creation of Faze Medicines. Rachel brings more than twenty years of drug discovery and development expertise to Faze and is an expert in the development of RNAi therapeutics. Prior to joining Faze and TRV, she served as a biotech consultant in the Greater Boston area and served as SVP Research and RNAi Lead Development at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals where she spent over 13 years. Prior to Alnylam, Rachel was a senior scientist at Millennium Pharmaceuticals. She also serves on several scientific advisory boards, consults on nucleic acid therapeutic development, is listed as an inventor on many patents and patent applications, and has numerous peer-reviewed publications. She completed her postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School in the field of signal transduction and received her PhD from MIT in the field of in vitro transcription. Rachel also enjoys participating in women-in-science panels and events, teaching at Harvard and Brandeis, contributing in ED&I initiatives and playing a variety of sports, particularly racket sports. When Rachel isn’t engaged in one of the many things above, she is traipsing around the world with her husband and 2 kids.

Mr. Culley joined Lineage as Chief Executive Officer in September 2018. Prior to joining Lineage, Mr. Culley served from August 2017 to September 2018 as interim Chief Executive Officer at Artemis Therapeutics, Inc. (ATMS). Mr. Culley previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Mast Therapeutics, Inc. (MSTX), from 2010, and was also a member of its board of directors from 2011, until Mast’s merger with Savara, Inc. (SVRA) in April 2017. Mr. Culley served from 2007 to 2010 as Mast’s Chief Business Officer and Senior Vice President, from 2006 to 2007 as Mast’s Senior Vice President, Business Development, and from 2004 to 2006 as Mast’s Vice President, Business Development. From 2002 until 2004, Mr. Culley was Director of Business Development and Marketing for Immusol, Inc. From 1999 until 2000, he worked at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Department of Technology Transfer & Intellectual Property Services and from 1996 to 1999 he conducted drug development research for Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NBIX). Mr. Culley has also served on the Board of Orphagen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. since May 2017. Mr. Culley has more than 25 years of business and scientific experience in the life sciences industry. He received a B.S. in biology from Boston College, a masters in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an M.B.A. from The Johnson School of Business at Cornell University. Mr. Culley brings to our Board significant knowledge of the biotechnology industry and extensive experience as an executive and board member of publicly traded pharmaceutical companies.

Timothy Kieffer Dr. Kieffer has a deep knowledge of gene and cell therapies, regenerative medicine, diabetes applied research, and industry experience. As Chief Scientific Officer, he leads ViaCyte’s scientific team focused on delivering and commercializing clinical interventions for diabetes. Prior to joining ViaCyte, Dr. Kieffer oversaw the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Medicine with a focus on the development of novel gene and cell therapy approaches to treat diabetes at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Kieffer holds patents in the field and has co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications that collectively have been cited more than 20,000 times. He co-founded enGene, a biotech developing non-viral gene therapies. He received his Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of British Columbia and completed his post-doctoral training in Molecular Endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kieffer received the Diabetes Canada Young Scientist Award and was elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Previously, he spent a year on sabbatical at the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, Japan. Manasi Sinha Jaiman Dr. Jaiman has significant expertise in both drug and device development. Prior to joining ViaCyte as Vice President, Head of Clinical Development, Dr. Jaiman was Senior Medical Director at Covance/LabCorp working on clinical trials in diabetes as well as building the medical device department. She was also an attending physician at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where she was responsible for the clinical care of type 1 and type 2 diabetes pediatric patients. Dr. Jaiman remains on faculty at MGH. Before joining Covance, she was involved in a variety of diabetes and obesity-related clinical research activities. In particular, she served as a co-investigator for the development of a closed-loop system at MGH for several adult and pediatric trials, evaluating improvements in glycemic control using a bihormonal, dual-chambered “bionic pancreas” programmed to deliver insulin and glucagon in response to real-time glucose sensor monitoring data. She was also a co-investigator in the development of a stable glucagon formulation using hyperinsulinemic-normoglycemic clamp techniques. Other research contributions included development of intradermal delivery of insulin and glucagon using a novel microneedle device, metabolic effects of gastric bypass surgery in young patients, and pharmacokinetic studies on multiple insulin types. Dr. Jaiman received her M.D. from Medical University of South Carolina and M.P.H. from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine with a focus on Health Systems Management. She completed her pediatric residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and endocrinology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, with a focus on type 1 diabetes research.