Business Of Biotech

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. The latest in our series of Business of Biotech podcasts recorded in-person at JPM in San Francisco features an inspiring conversation with Affinia Therapeutics CEO Rick Modi. Modi shares on how his upbringing in Kenya shaped his adversity-embracing worldview, and how that worldview contributes to his biotech leadership. We cover his transition from pharmaceutical work in Iowa to a career in biotech, the gene therapy advances Affinia is building on, the company's investment approach, its upcoming clinical trials, and much more. The 2025 BoB@JPM series is supported by Alston & Bird, whose national health care and life sciences practice has more than 100 attorneys actively involved and integrated across the full spectrum of legal disciplines including regulatory, compliance, public policy, transactional, corporate governance, securities, FDA, biotechnology, intellectual property, government investigations, and litigation practice areas. Learn more at www.alston.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/

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. On this episode of the Business of Biotech, recorded on-site at the 2025 JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, we explore a new approach to biotech financing with XOMA Royalty's Owen Hughes and Brad Sitko. The CEO and CIO, respectively, share an innovative royalty aggregation model that mitigates risk while enabling immediate capital access to biotech firms. We learn the differences between royalty financing and equity-based funding, how the model addresses traditional risk in biotech financing, the evolution of XOMA's business model, and much more. The 2025 BoB@JPM series is supported by Alston & Bird, whose national health care and life sciences practice has more than 100 attorneys actively involved and integrated across the full spectrum of legal disciplines including regulatory, compliance, public policy, transactional, corporate governance, securities, FDA, biotechnology, intellectual property, government investigations, and litigation practice areas. Learn more at www.alston.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/

In a captivating discussion, Tom Chalberg, Founder and CEO of Genascence, shares his journey from academia to leading innovations in gene therapy. He dives into the evolution of gene treatment, focusing on addressing widespread conditions like osteoarthritis. The conversation reveals the complexities of navigating regulatory landscapes for common vs. rare diseases. Chalberg also discusses the exciting breakthroughs in gene therapy and the strategic partnerships critical for funding in today’s biotech climate, painting a vivid picture of the industry's future.

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Ran Zhang was hire number one at Landmark Bio back in 2021. Today, she's CEO of the 70+ employee cell and gene therapy manufacturer. We caught up with her and Life Science Leader chief editor Ben Comer at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco for a discussion on Landmark's role in addressing the ATMP patient access and cost reduction challenges. Along the way, we cover innovations in distributed manufacturing, non-viral gene delivery, and the importance of collaboration with academia to make these transformative therapies widely available.The 2025 BoB@JPM series is supported by Alston & Bird, whose national health care and life sciences practice has more than 100 attorneys actively involved and integrated across the full spectrum of legal disciplines including regulatory, compliance, public policy, transactional, corporate governance, securities, FDA, biotechnology, intellectual property, government investigations, and litigation practice areas. Learn more at www.alston.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/

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. From the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, Peter Anastasiou, CEO of Capsida Biotherapeutics, discusses his journey from big pharma to biotech and the challenges he's faces on the leading edge of first-gneration gene therapies. Anastasiou discusses the in-house manufacturing quality advantage, how building that capacity opened the door to important partnering opportunities, the company's preparation for clinical trials and IND submissions, and more. From mastering in-house manufacturing to forging strategic partnerships, Capsida aims to redefine genetic medicine.The 2025 BoB@JPM series is supported by Alston & Bird, whose national health care and life sciences practice has more than 100 attorneys actively involved and integrated across the full spectrum of legal disciplines including regulatory, compliance, public policy, transactional, corporate governance, securities, FDA, biotechnology, intellectual property, government investigations, and litigation practice areas. Learn more at www.alston.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/

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. From the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, Dr. Stefan Scherer shares insight from 3T Bioscience's transition from clinical medicine to drug development, and his experiences in biotech leadership along the way. Dr. Scherer discusses the balance between promising advances in T-cell therapy and the challenges associated with navigating a biotech from platform development to lead candidate status -- including staffing up for and funding the journey. Don't miss this episode, recorded in-person in San Francisco. The 2025 BoB@JPM series is supported by Aslton & Bird, whose national health care and life sciences practice has more than 100 attorneys actively involved and integrated across the full spectrum of legal disciplines including regulatory, compliance, public policy, transactional, corporate governance, securities, FDA, biotechnology, intellectual property, government investigations, and litigation practice areas. Learn more at www.alston.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/

Jim Doherty, President and Chief Development Officer at Acumen Pharmaceuticals, shares his extensive experience in developing therapies for CNS diseases. He discusses the historical challenges of Alzheimer’s treatment, the controversies over new amyloid-targeting drugs, and the pivotal role of biomarkers in personalized medicine. Highlighting Acumen's promising candidate, Sobernatug, he reveals its innovative approach to targeting soluble A-beta oligomers, while emphasizing the importance of collaboration and evolving strategies in CNS drug development.

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Andrey Doronichev, known to many simply as Dobry, is perhaps best known for taking YouTube mobile. You heard that right. If it weren't for him and the teams he led, YouTube might still be a desktop experience. He went on to lead product strategy at Google before launching the startup Optic in 2022. What's that got to do with biotech, you ask? Well, it's Optic where he feels his greatest contributions are to come, and his sights are set squarely on disrupting the way we discover therapeutic targets. On this episode of the Business of Biotech, Dobry, Life Science Leader Chief Editor Ben Comer, and I explore the intersection of AI and biotech, discuss Bioptic's beginnings and its approach to leveraging advanced screening technologies for drug discovery, and address Bioptic's biggest challenges -- data access and industry skepticism. 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/

Jeff Coller, Ph.D., a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of RNA Biology at Johns Hopkins, and Michelle Kim, Ph.D., Managing Director of the Johns Hopkins RNA Innovation Center, share insights into the rapid growth of RNA therapeutics. They discuss the Center's role in supporting RNA innovators, the collaborative approach to improve access to cheaper RNA materials, and the transformative potential of mRNA technology in healthcare. The conversation also touches on the evolving partnerships between academia and industry, emphasizing the importance of addressing challenges in RNA technology.

Dr. Tal Zaks, CEO of Exsilio Therapeutics and former CMO at Moderna, shares insights on navigating the biotech landscape, including his transition from the COVID-19 crisis to launching his mRNA startup. He discusses the integration of cutting-edge gene therapy technologies and the challenges of moving from academic concepts to therapeutic applications. Zaks emphasizes the importance of public education on mRNA safety, the dual role of medicine in healing and wellness, and the future potential of AI in biotech innovation.