Business Of Biotech

Ben Comer
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Jul 28, 2025 • 54min

Innovating On The Frontier Of Radiopharmaceuticals With RadioMedix's Ebrahim Delpassand, M.D.

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. On this week's episode, Ebrahim Delpassand, M.D., founder, CEO, and chairman of the board at RadioMedix talks about his personal journey standing up and growing  a radiopharmaceutical company focused on oncology. Dr. Delpassand discusses the current trends in radiopharmaceutical drug development, the differences between alpha- and beta-emitting isotopes, overcoming manufacturing and supply chain challenges and restraints, and building strategic partnerships with companies like Curium, Fusion (now part of AstraZeneca), and Sanofi. He also offers specific advice to physician-entrepreneurs interested in building their own drug development companies. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/
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Jul 21, 2025 • 46min

Building An Efficient Biopharma With South Rampart Pharma's Hernan Bazan, M.D.

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. On this week's episode, Dr. Hernan Bazan, M.D., co-founder and CEO at New Orleans-based South Rampart Pharma, talks about building an ultra-lean drug development company to address an unmet need observed in his own patients as a surgeon: safe treatments for acute pain. Dr. Bazan explains his strategy for building value through small raises and no full-time salaried employees, co-founding the company with his father -- a scientist and director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center -- and why the future of pain management will likely involve multimodal approached personalized to individual patients. This episode of the Business of Biotech is brought to you by Ecolab. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/
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Jul 14, 2025 • 54min

The Business And Science Of Obesity With Roger Cone, Ph.D., Founder Of Courage Therapeutics

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. On this week's episode, Roger Cone, Ph.D., Founder and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board at Courage Therapeutics, talks about discovering obesity-related protein receptors in the brain, how he spun his academic discoveries out into a biotech company developing new obesity drugs, the need for obesity treatments with fewer side effects than currently available GLP-1 therapies, and the value of pairing scientific leadership with a strong business partner as CEO. This episode of the Business of Biotech is brought to you by Ecolab. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/
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Jul 7, 2025 • 33min

BoB Live At BIO: Amber Salzman, Ph.D., Epicrispr Biotechnologies

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. This week's episode is one from the road, recorded in front of a live audience in Boston's Seaport neighborhood during the BIO conference (special thanks to MasterControl for making it happen). Amber Salzman, Ph.D., CEO of Epicrispr Biotechnologies (aka 'Epic Bio') explains how epigenetic editing is revolutionizing genetic medicine by controlling gene expression, without cutting DNA like traditional CRISPR technologies. Amber talks about FSHD, a progressive muscular dystrophy, how the company raised $68 million in Series B funding despite challenging market conditions, her partnership with Springbok Analytics for AI analysis of MRI images, working with a CDMO to manufacture a new treatment modality, and navigating the FDA during a time of disruption. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/
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Jun 30, 2025 • 57min

How To Be A Policy Advocate For Biotech With NewYorkBIO's Jennifer Hawks Bland

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. On this week's episode of the Business of Biotech, Jennifer Hawks Bland, CEO of NewYorkBIO, shares insights on New York State's life sciences ecosystem while reflecting on her journey from Capitol Hill to biotech advocacy. Her experiences in politics, law, and biopharma government affairs uniquely positions her to navigate complex policy challenges while creating opportunities for biotech upstarts across New York and beyond. Jennifer also highlights key programs, capabilities, and funding on offer to early-stage biotech companies.  This episode of the Business of Biotech is brought to you by Ecolab Life Sciences. Learn more at https://www.ecolab.com.Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/
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Jun 23, 2025 • 1h 5min

FDA Trials And Tribulations With Connect Biopharma's Barry Quart

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. On this week's episode, Barry Quart, CEO of Connect Biopharma, weighs in on the current state of engagement between drug developers and the FDA, and how that key relationship continues to evolve under new leadership. Barry also discusses moving the company from China to San Diego, why a U.S. financial reporting structure helps attract investors, and how Connect is finding the white spaces in respiratory disease -- the company's lead candidate is a biologic drug targeting acute asthma and COPD exacerbations. This episode of the Business of Biotech is brought to you by Ecolab.Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/
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13 snips
Jun 16, 2025 • 58min

Proactive Procurement Strategies For Biotech With Tom Wells

Tom Wells, Director of Life Sciences at 4C Associates, shares his expertise in procurement strategies tailored for emerging biotech firms. He discusses the transformative power of smart procurement during critical growth phases and argues that effective practices enhance investor confidence. Tom emphasizes viewing procurement as proactive demand flow rather than reactive supply management. His innovative ideas, including the 'Request for Outcome' approach, challenge traditional sourcing and aim to boost collaboration and creativity in supplier relationships.
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Jun 9, 2025 • 1h 6min

The Discovery Of Microbes And Implications For Public Health Today, With Science Writer Thomas Levenson

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. On this week's episode, Thomas Levenson, MIT professor and author of So Very Small: How Humans Discovered The Microcosmos, Defeated Germs — And May Still Lose The War Against Infectious Disease talks about what he learned in the writing of So Very Small, how cultural and political forces shape scientific progress, and what it means for drug developers, public health officials, and patients everywhere.   This episode of the Business of Biotech is brought to you by Avantor. For more information, visit avantorsciences.comAccess this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/
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Jun 2, 2025 • 56min

Psychedelics For Mental Health Disorders With atai's Srinivas Rao, M.D., Ph.D.

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. On this week's episode, Dr. Srinivas Rao, co-founder and CEO at atai Life Sciences, explains how his engineering background led him to the development of psychedelic compounds for treating depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. Internal drug development efforts at atai are focused on short-duration psychedelics that can work within existing healthcare infrastructure, with the potential to transform the treatment of mental health disorders. Rao also talks about atai's hub and spoke model for investing in other psychedelic companies, what MAPS/Lykos Therapeutics got wrong in the run-up to FDA's review of Lykos's MDMA candidate for PTSD, and whether psychedelic therapies need the "trip" to catalyze network disruption and neuroplasticity in the brain. This episode of the Business of Biotech is brought to you by Avantor. For more information, visit avantorsciences.comAccess this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/
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15 snips
May 26, 2025 • 56min

Biotech Angel Investing With Yaniv Sneor

Yaniv Sneor, founder of the Mid Atlantic Bio Angels and CEO at Native State Therapeutics, dives into the world of life science angel investing. He shares how investors evaluate biotech startups and the importance of crafting a compelling pitch. Yaniv discusses red flags for investors, the role of syndicates, and why biotech remains a strong investment sector. He highlights the intricacies of funding timelines and offers valuable insights for emerging drug developers seeking capital in a competitive landscape.

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