Biotech 2050 Podcast

Synopsis: Samir Ounzain is the CEO and Co-Founder of HAYA Therapeutics, a precision medicines company developing RNA-guided programmable therapeutics targeting the regulatory genome for serious health conditions including fibrosis. Samir discusses the current landscape as it relates to precision medicine and genomic medicine and what his team is hoping to achieve over the next year. He also talks about the evolution of his approach to fundraising and shares his thoughts on applying machine learning and AI at the intersection of biology. Finally, with a distributed team in both the US and Switzerland, he discusses the challenges that come with that, and how he approaches team building. Biography: Samir Ounzain is a molecular biologist with over 15 years of experience exploring the dark matter of the genome and its roles in development and disease. Prior to founding HAYA Therapeutics, Samir was a Project Leader and Research Fellow at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), where his research efforts directly led to the discovery of hundreds of novel heart-enriched lncRNAs, most notably the lncRNAs CARMEN, Meteor and Wisper.

Synopsis: Sekar Kathiresan is the Co-Founder, CEO and Board Member of Verve Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing gene editing medicines to treat patients with cardiovascular disease. Sekar discusses Verve’s work developing single-course, in vivo liver-directed gene editing medicines for patients with and at risk of cardiovascular disease and what the company pipeline looks like. He talks about the evolution of his pitch after years of experience with fundraising, how he approaches team building, and his perspective on why people are leaving academia for biotech. He also discusses what he’s learned about being a board member and what a good board for a pre-revenue biotech looks like. Biography: Dr. Sekar Kathiresan is co-founder and CEO of Verve Therapeutics, a biotechnology company pioneering a new approach to the care of cardiovascular disease, transforming treatment from chronic management to single-course gene editing medicines. Dr. Kathiresan is a cardiologist and scientist who has focused his career on understanding the inherited basis for heart attack and leveraging those insights to improve the care of cardiovascular disease. Based on his groundbreaking discoveries in human genetic mutations that confer resistance to cardiovascular disease, Dr. Kathiresan co-founded Verve Therapeutics with a vision to create a pipeline of single-course, gene editing therapies focused on addressing the root causes of this highly prevalent and life-threatening disease. Today, Verve is advancing two initial programs that target PCSK9 and ANGPTL3, respectively – genes that have been extensively validated by Dr. Kathiresan and others as targets for lowering blood lipids, such as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is a major driver of cardiovascular disease. Prior to joining Verve, Dr. Kathiresan’s roles included director of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Genomic Medicine, director of the Cardiovascular Disease Initiative at the Broad Institute and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. There, Dr. Kathiresan’s research laboratory focused on understanding the inherited basis for blood lipids and myocardial infarction. For his research contributions, he has been recognized by the American Heart Association with its highest scientific honor – a Distinguished Scientist Award and by the American Society of Human Genetics with the 2018 Curt Stern Award. Dr. Kathiresan graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in history from the University of Pennsylvania and received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School. He completed his clinical training in internal medicine and cardiology at MGH and his postdoctoral research training in human genetics at the Framingham Heart Study and the Broad Institute.

Synopsis: Harlan Robins, Ph.D., is the CSO and Co-Founder of Adaptive Biotechnologies, a pioneer and leader in immune-driven medicine that aims to improve people’s lives by learning from the wisdom of their adaptive immune systems. Adaptive’s proprietary immune profiling platform reveals and translates insights from our adaptive immune systems with unprecedented scale and precision. Harlan discusses how he navigated the ups and downs of co-founding a company. He talks about the adaptive immune system, why it’s important, and what Adaptive is currently working on from a development perspective. He also discusses Adaptive’s partnership with Genentech to create personalized cancer therapies. Biography: Dr. Harlan Robins is the Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of Adaptive Biotechnologies, a commercial-stage biotech company that aims to translate the genetics of the adaptive immune system into clinical products to diagnose and treat disease. Prior to co-founding Adaptive, Harlan served in various roles at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) in the Computational Biology Program, including Assistant Faculty Member, Associate, and Full Member and Head of the program. Harlan holds a BS in Physics from Harvard University and a master’s degree and PhD in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley, with a visiting appointment to the California Institute of Technology. Harlan received postdoctoral appointments in the particle theory group at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Interested in the mathematics behind genetics and observing the potential utility of high-level mathematics to study problems in the biological sciences, Harlan took another postdoctoral appointment at the Institute for Advance Study in Princeton under famed biologist Dr. Arnold Levine. With Dr. Levine, he concentrated on developing bioinformatic algorithms for micro RNA targets and bacterial genome analysis, a precursor to his faculty appointment at FHCRC in the Computational Biology Group, Public Health Sciences and Human Biology Divisions.

Synopsis: Dr. Paul Bolno is the President and CEO of Wave Life Sciences, a clinical-stage RNA medicines company committed to delivering life-changing treatments for people battling devastating diseases including Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Paul discusses his early years at GSK and the events that led him to join Wave as CEO, and some of his early learnings during that transition from big pharma to a biotech. He also talks about the role and opportunity that RNA presents in medicine, where he sees RNA therapeutics going next, and what excites him about the emerging field of RNA editing. Biography: Dr. Bolno has served as President and CEO of Wave Life Sciences since 2013 and oversaw the company’s initial public offering in 2015. During his tenure as President and CEO, Dr. Bolno has grown Wave into a fully integrated clinical-stage genetic medicines company, overseen the development of the company’s proprietary stereopure oligonucleotide discovery and drug development platform, and built a broad pipeline of preclinical and clinical programs supported by scalable, in-house manufacturing capabilities. In addition to Dr. Bolno’s current role at Wave, he is on the Board of Directors for SQZ Biotech and serves as Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Group for the Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator (NATA) in the United Kingdom. Prior to joining Wave, he was Vice President, Worldwide Business Development—Head of Asia BD and Investments, as well as Head of Global Neuroscience BD, at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). He also served as a Director of Glaxo Wellcome Manufacturing, Pte Ltd. in Singapore. Dr. Bolno joined GSK as Vice President, Business Development for the Oncology Business Unit, where he helped establish GSK’s global oncology business and served as a member of the Oncology Executive Team, Oncology Commercial Board and Cancer Research Executive Team. Prior to GSK, he served as Director of Research at Two River LLC, a healthcare private equity firm. Dr. Bolno earned a medical degree from MCP-Hahnemann School of Medicine and an MBA from Drexel University. He was a general surgery resident and cardiothoracic surgery postdoctoral research fellow at Drexel University College of Medicine.

Synopsis: Garo Armen, Ph.D., is the Chairman and CEO of Agenus, an immuno-oncology company with the goal of treating cancers with novel combinations utilizing its unique portfolio of checkpoint antibodies, tumor microenvironment modifiers, vaccines and adjuvants. After receiving his Ph.D. in chemistry, Dr. Armen worked on Wall Street where he specialized in specialty pharmaceutical companies as well as biotech. Dr. Armen discusses how his personal history was a driving force behind founding Agenus, as well as his perspective on immunology and immunotherapy. He talks about Agenus’s approach to bringing curative therapies to cancer patients by harnessing the power of the immune system. He also discusses his approach to hiring, leveraging external providers and team building. Biography: Dr. Garo Armen serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Agenus Inc., which he co-founded in 1994. Under his leadership, Agenus has been advancing breakthrough scientific technologies and immunotherapeutic products. In addition, Garo oversaw the successful restructuring of the biopharmaceutical company Elan Corporation, plc, where he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Garo currently acts as Chairman of the Board of Protagenic Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focusing on human brain hormones for the treatment of neurological and metabolic disorders. He began his research career at Brookhaven National Laboratory subsequent to which he made a transition to Wall Street, as an analyst and investment banker at EF Hutton and then at Dean Witter Reynolds ( now Morgan Stanley) , cultivating key relationships and stock-market expertise. Garo received his PhD in physical chemistry from the City University of New York.

Synopsis: Craig Thompson is the CEO of Cerevance, a clinical-stage drug discovery and development company focused on developing novel therapeutics for central nervous system diseases. He discusses the arc of his career, beginning at big pharma at Merck and Pfizer before transitioning to biotech, and his learnings along the way. As CEO, he shares what he’s learned about developing a relationship with his board and the value they bring to his company. He also talks about the current CNS landscape, where Cerevance is from a development perspective, and the unique way the company approaches AI. Biography: Craig Thompson is the Chief Executive Officer of Cerevance, a private, clinical-stage drug discovery and development company focused on developing novel therapeutics for central nervous system (CNS) diseases using the company’s proprietary Nuclear Enriched Transcript Sort sequencing (NETSseq) platform. Most recently, Mr. Thompson was President and Chief Executive Officer of Neurana Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Neurana, Mr. Thompson was President and Chief Executive Officer of Anthera Pharmaceuticals. His previous biotech experience includes Chief Operating Officer for Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals and Chief Commercial Officer for Trius Therapeutics where he was involved in the $707M up front acquisition of Trius by Cubist Pharmaceuticals, as well as a partnership with Bayer Pharma AG. Prior to Trius, Mr. Thompson served in various global and U.S. roles at Pfizer Inc., including Therapeutic Group Leader of Allergy, Respiratory, Pulmonary Vascular Disease and Inflammation; and ultimately served as Vice President of Marketing for Pfizer’s Specialty Care Business Unit. Previous to Pfizer, Mr. Thompson served in positions of increasing responsibility at Merck & Co., Inc including leading the partnership with Schering Plough. Mr. Thompson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from McMaster University and an M.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.

Synopsis: We recorded this episode in December 2022 with Florian Brand and Srinivas Rao, the Co-Founders and CEO & CSO, respectively, of atai Life Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company that leverages a decentralized platform approach to incubate and accelerate the development of highly effective mental health treatments that address the unmet needs of patients, including psychedelics and digital therapeutics. Florian and Srinivas provide an overview of the neuropsychiatry landscape, the history of psychedelics within mental health, and the role COVID played in increasing mental health awareness. They also discuss the model at atai around drug development and how they approach tackling such a massive unmet need. Finally, Florian talks about how self-awareness can lead to healthier habits and decision-making, and the importance of investing in therapy. Biography: Florian Brand is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of atai Life Sciences. Prior to joining atai, Florian was starting and building user-centric technology companies as a serial entrepreneur. Florian suffered from anxiety in his youth and was able to achieve remission through a combination of psychotherapy and robust meditation practice. It was ultimately his experiences seeing his friends and loved ones failed by the mental healthcare system that inspired him to join the movement to transform the treatment landscape for patients who have been unable to find relief in currently available therapies. In 2022, Florian was recognized in Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list spotlighting influential individuals shaping business and Business Insider’s 30 Under 40 in Healthcare. Florian was also featured in Endpoint News’ list of 20 Under 40 Innovators in Biotech in 2021. He is a proud member of the Founders Pledge, a global community of mission-aligned entrepreneurs dedicated to doing good. Srinivas Rao is the Chief Scientific Officer at atai Life Sciences. Dr. Rao has over 19 years of professional experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Prior to atai, Dr. Rao has held the titles of Chief Scientific, Medical, or Executive Officer at companies ranging from venture-backed startups to vertically-integrated, publicly-traded pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Rao completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He received his Ph.D. in neurobiology from Yale Graduate School and his M.D. from Yale School of Medicine. He holds both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Yale College and Yale Graduate School, respectively.

Synopsis: Kevin Judice is the Co-Founder and CEO of DICE Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing transformative medicines for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Kevin trained as an organic chemist in graduate school before beginning his career at Genentech in the early 90s. He talks about stepping into the CEO role for the first time at DICE, the challenges of maintaining a lean startup while avoiding burnout, and how he approaches fundraising. He also shares insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and advice he would give to his younger self. Biography: Kevin Judice currently serves as the co-founder and CEO of DICE Therapeutics. Prior to DICE, he co-founded Achaogen, Inc., where, as the first employee, he was the chief scientific officer and CEO. During his seven-year tenure at Achaogen, Kevin oversaw three rounds of venture financing, steered its growth to 65 full-time employees and established collaborations with DARPA, NIAID, DTRA and BARDA. Prior to Achaogen, he ran medicinal chemistry at Genentech. In the late ‘90s, he was one of the first employees and served as the vice president of chemistry at Theravance, where he led the discovery of Vibativ®. Kevin holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of California Los Angeles with Nobel Laureate Donald J. Cram, then did his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California Berkeley in the laboratories of Peter G. Schultz. He received his B.S. in chemistry from Texas A&M University. Kevin is also a Henry Crown fellow at the Aspen Institute.

Synopsis: Tariq Kassum, M.D. is the CEO of Celsius Therapeutics, a company pioneering new precision medicines in inflammatory disease by harnessing the power of single-cell RNA sequencing and human biology at scale. Tariq shares his unique journey from med school, to working in Wall Street as a biotech investment banker and stock analyst, to the corporate side working at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Takeda, and finally the innovative biotech world. He discusses the importance of learning to adapt to each environment in order to remain productive and successful, and building meaningful relationships with coworkers and mentors. He also talks about what it will take for the biopharma executive of the future to be successful. Biography: Tariq Kassum brings 20 years of experience in corporate development, strategy and business leadership to Celsius. He joined the company in 2019 from Obsidian Therapeutics, where he was a co-founder and served as chief operating officer and head of corporate development. During this time, Tariq helped build Obsidian into a leading platform technology company and played a central role in the company’s strategic partnership with Celgene. Prior to Obsidian, Tariq spent seven years with Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Takeda, most recently as vice president, business development and strategy for Takeda Oncology, responsible for transactions, collaborations, alliance management and strategic planning. Before that, he led Takeda’s global corporate development efforts, where he managed multiple acquisitions and divestitures in the U.S. and internationally. He was also part of the business development team at Millennium Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Takeda, Tariq was an analyst covering healthcare equities for institutional investment firms, where he led scientific due diligence and investment decisions on numerous companies and pharmaceutical compounds across multiple therapeutic areas. He began his career as an investment banker with CIBC World Markets, serving clients in the biotechnology and specialty pharmaceuticals industries.

Synopsis: Prakash Raman, Ph.D., is the President and CEO of Ribon Therapeutics, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development of novel small molecules targeting stress support pathways in cancer and inflammation. A medicinal chemist by training, Prakash discusses his professional development and the evolution of his strategic thinking as he went from chemist, to project management, to business development, to now CEO. He shares his advice for scientists in biotech and pharma and the best method he’s found for communicating with and motivating his team. He also discusses the inherent risk involved in biotech and his perspective on how failure can be a teaching moment. Interested to learn more about Ribon? Check out this episode featuring Heike Keilhack, CSO: https://bit.ly/3yeXUmi Biography: Prakash Raman, Ph.D. has served as Ribon’s president, chief executive officer and board member since February 2022. Dr. Raman brings to Ribon decades of biopharmaceutical business development and executive leadership experience, blending his scientific background, program and portfolio management and strong business development experience. Prior to joining Ribon, he served as Senior Partner, Chief Business Development Officer at Flagship Pioneering from October 2019 to February 2022, where he leveraged the platforms and assets in Flagship’s network to generate opportunities for significant value creation. Prior to Flagship, Dr. Raman spent nearly fourteen years at Novartis, most recently as Vice President, Global Head of Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR) Business Development and Licensing (BD&L). During his time at Novartis, Dr. Raman was instrumental in forging key collaborations in immuno-oncology, executing many out-licensing opportunities and guiding the acquisitions of Advanced Accelerator Applications, Endocyte, IFM Tre and Selexys. In addition, he has led cross-functional drug discovery and early development project teams that successfully progressed compounds to clinical testing in patients. Prior to Novartis, Dr. Raman spent six years as a Senior Scientist at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and two years as a post-doctoral fellow at The Scripps Research Institute. He completed his undergraduate work at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and received his Ph.D. in Organic and Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.