Nima Farzan, CEO of Kinnate Biopharma, discusses his journey in the biotech industry and the challenges of growing a company during a pandemic. He explores the evolution of genomics and the surprises it has brought. Additionally, he talks about indication selection and the importance of diversity and immigrant perspectives in team building and leadership. Finally, he highlights the emotional aspects of being a CEO in the biotech industry and the value of confidence and a fixed vision.

Synopsis: Mark Litton, Ph.D., is the President and CEO of Athira Pharma, a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing small molecules to restore neuronal health and slow neurodegeneration for those suffering from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and more. Mark talks about being a CEO for the first time and what he’s learned. He discusses how the biotech ecosystem and its ability to raise capital for companies has changed over the last couple of years and how that’s informing how he’s operating at Athira. He talks about fundraising strategy and how he communicates with team members who perhaps haven’t been involved in fundraising cycles and value creation at biotech before. Finally, he shares how he thinks about business development and his approach to partnerships. Biography: Mark is President and CEO of Athira Pharma, a position he has held since October 2021. Previously, he served as Athira’s COO since July 2019. Prior to joining Athira, Mark served as the President and COO of Alpine Immune Sciences, Inc. Prior to that he spent more than 14 years at Alder Biopharmaceutical Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, which was acquired by Lundbeck A/S. As co-founder and CBO, Mark helped build the business and oversaw finance, investor relations, deal making, business development, alliance management, human resources, and overall corporate strategy. While at Alder, Mark was directly responsible for raising over ~$1B in equity capital and led negotiations for numerous corporate alliances between biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Mark has a PhD in immunology from Stockholm University, an MBA from Santa Clara University and a BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UC Santa Cruz.

Ram Aiyar, President & CEO of Korro Bio, discusses his experience as a founder and CEO, the evolution of fundraising, and the field of RNA editing. He shares the company's vision of making base changes on RNA to address medical needs. The hosts reflect on their experiences and offer advice for success in biotech.

Seemay Chou, Co-Founder & CEO of Arcadia Science, shares her journey from academia to entrepreneurship and the unique model of Arcadia. They discuss the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in life sciences, advancements in technology, automation, and the future of publishing. It's an exciting time to work at Arcadia!

Michelle Werner, CEO of Alltrna and CEO-Partner at Flagship Pioneering, discusses her transition from R&D to commercial in the biotech industry and the impact of business school. They dive into the potential of tRNA as a treatment modality, recent progress of Alterna, navigating capital markets, and being an authentic leader.

Bernard Coulie, President & CEO of Pliant Therapeutics, discusses his career trajectory and experiences in the pharmaceutical industry, the challenges of developing microbiome-based drugs, and the acquisition of his co-founded company. He reflects on the importance of access to capital, building a strong team, and the differences between the biotech ecosystems in Europe and the US. Additionally, he talks about the challenges of resource allocation in their pipeline review process and their focus on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis as their lead indication.

Synopsis: Mahesh Karande is the President and CEO of Omega Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of a new class of programmable epigenomic mRNA medicines for unprecedented control of gene regulation and cellular function. Through its OMEGA platform, the company engineers mRNA therapeutics called Omega Epigenomic Controllers™ (OECs), with the goal of treating or curing a broad range of diseases. Mahesh discusses his early years in engineering and consulting before moving into the pharmaceutical industry. He talks about the transition from big pharma to biotech and the lessons he learned from his days in pharma. He discusses being a CEO and how he approaches the role differently the second time around. He talks about company culture and leadership at Omega and how he motivates team members in such a fast paced environment. Finally, he dives into programmable approaches to biology, what it really means, and the intersection of biology and technology. Biography: Mahesh Karande joined Omega Therapeutics as President and Chief Executive Officer and brings deep experience in running biopharma businesses across discovery, preclinical development, clinical development, commercialization and product life cycle management stages. His breadth of therapeutic experience spans cardiovascular and metabolic, oncology, neurosciences, ophthalmology, antibiotics, pain, respiratory and rare and genetic diseases, as well as drug and device combinations. Mr. Karande has been involved with more than 10 product launches in the U.S. and across global markets. He has strong leadership, operational and business-building experiences combined with a global work history spanning the U.S., Europe, Asia and Africa. Prior to taking the helm at Omega, Mr. Karande was President and Chief Executive Officer of Macrolide Pharmaceuticals, a company he took from discovery into early development. Earlier, Mr. Karande spent several years at Novartis in senior leadership roles: Vice President and Head of U.S. Oncology for solid tumors, President of Novartis Africa and President of Novartis Egypt. He worked for McKinsey & Company prior to joining the bio-pharmaceutical industry. Currently, Mr. Karande serves on the Board of Directors of KSQ Therapeutics and Ashvattha Therapeutics. Mr. Karande has an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology where he completed his M.S. in Engineering, and the University of Bombay where he completed undergraduate studies in engineering.

Synopsis: Joseph Payne is the Founder, President and CEO of Arcturus Therapeutics, a global late-stage clinical messenger RNA medicines and vaccines company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutics for rare diseases and vaccines. Joseph discusses the founding story behind Arcturus and the impetus behind starting his own company. He talks about fundraising and what he would do differently now, and shares his perspective on the dynamic between entrepreneurs and VCs. He shares his thoughts on the evolution of messenger RNA over the last decade, the challenges the modality has faced and how we've overcome some of those challenges. Finally, he dives into the work Arcturus is pursuing now, where they are from a development perspective, and recent partnerships. Biography: Joseph E. Payne, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Arcturus Therapeutics. He serves on Arcturus’s Board since March 2013. He brings with him an exceptional track record of ushering novel therapeutics to the clinic including targeted RNA medicines utilizing lipid-mediated delivery technologies. Joseph’s background includes over 20 years of successful drug discovery experience at Merck Research Labs, DuPont Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kalypsys, and Nitto as evidenced by over 40 publications and patents, and several investigational new drug (IND) clinical candidates. His academic training includes a Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry, magna cum laude from Brigham Young University, a Master of Science in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of Calgary and Executive Training Certification from MIT Sloan School of Management.

Synopsis: Robert Blum and Fady Malik are the President & CEO and EVP, Research and Development, respectively, of Cytokinetics, ​​a late-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing potential medicines that impact the mechanics of muscle and may improve the lives of people living with debilitating diseases. Robert and Fady discuss how they have developed a company culture that embraces some of the learnings that come along with failure and the advice they would provide other leaders. They talk about how the current capital market environment shapes the way the company is operating. They also discuss the cardiovascular market and overall landscape, where Cytokinetics is from a development perspective, and some upcoming milestones. Finally, they each share a piece of advice they wish they could provide to their younger selves knowing what they now know. Biography: Robert Blum has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Cytokinetics and a member of our Board of Directors since 2007. Previously, he served as Cytokinetics’ President and held other senior-level positions at the Company overseeing research and development, finance, corporate development, legal, commercial operations, and business development at various times since participating in the launch of Company operations in 1998. Prior to Cytokinetics, Robert held senior positions in business development and marketing at COR Therapeutics from 1991 to 1998. He also performed roles of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing, and other pharmaceutical business functions at Marion Laboratories and Syntex Corporation beginning in 1981. Robert previously served on the faculty at the Center for BioEntrepreneurship at University of California, San Francisco, where he taught a corporate finance course to graduate students. He co-chaired the BIO Business Development Committee and is a frequent lecturer on matters of business development and finance in the biopharmaceutical industry. Mr. Blum received B.A. degrees in Human Biology and Economics from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Fady Malik has led Research and Development since 2014 and been with Cytokinetics since its inception in 1998 when he joined its founders to participate in the launch of the company. Early on, Fady recognized the potential therapeutic utility of modulating the sarcomere of cardiac and skeletal muscle and led discovery and development efforts giving rise to Cytokinetics’ current portfolio of early- to late-stage development programs targeting muscle contractility for the treatment of cardiovascular and neuromuscular diseases. Fady is an internationally recognized cardiovascular physician-scientist, an inventor on more than 20 issued patents, and has authored or co-authored over 60 publications appearing in prominent journals such as Science, Nature Medicine, the Lancet, and the New England Journal of Medicine. He currently holds an appointment in the Cardiology Division of the University of California, San Francisco, as a Clinical Professor of Medicine and until 2019 was an Attending Interventional Cardiologist at the San Francisco Veterans Administration and UCSF Medical Centers. Fady serves on the Board of Directors for Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RCKT). Fady received a B.S. in bioengineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and a M.D./Ph.D. from the University of California at San Francisco where he also completed an internal medicine residency and fellowship in cardiology.

James McArthur, CEO of PepGen, discusses his venture capital experience and how it influences his management style. He explores drug development in rare diseases, particularly neuromuscular diseases. He highlights the importance of multiple treatment options and patient organizations. He also talks about adapting to a changing environment during the pandemic and the value of surrounding oneself with good people.