Life Science Success

Send us a textIn this episode of Life Science Success my guests are Rahul Sharma, the co-founder and CSO of Scienetix, a company dedicated to enabling Molecular Diagnosis. Dr. Sharma is a board-certified laboratory director and technical lead for Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and PCR-based assay development and clinical testing. He has developed multiple Molecular Diagnosis tests and translated them into clinical testing.    Additionally, We are joined by Rob Carpenter PhD, MBA the CEO of Scienetix.  Rob is a healthcare executive and educator with over 25 years’ experience in developing, managing, and assimilating healthcare companies. He is distinctly skilled in business development and various business growth strategies. He is founder and current CEO of Advanta Genetics, a highly complex clinical and research laboratory accredited by the College of American Pathologists with concentration in infectious disease molecular genomics and Scienetix, a bioscientific company centered around products to optimize molecular genomic workflows.     In the podcast, Dr. Sharma and Dr. Carpenter talk about the healthcare industry's need to optimize workflow and reduce costs in laboratory testing. Their company, Scienetix, is working on developing extraction-free tests that will eliminate the need for sample pre-processing and make testing more accessible and cheaper for labs. They are also focused on increasing the multiplex capability of PCR reactions, which will allow labs to test for more targets in a single reaction. Dr. Sharma and Dr. Carpenter also discuss their leadership styles and offer advice on being reliable, thinking about the application of science, and staying creative. They express concern about the growing distrust of science and the spread of misinformation, particularly in the age of social media. What excites them most is the opportunity to solve scientific challenges and create products that have a societal impact.

Send us a textIn this episode of Life Sciences Success, my guest is Sharon Rogers the CEO of AmyriAD.  Sharon brings the strength of her 35 years of pharmaceutical experience to AmyriAD. She is best known as the worldwide leader and development strategist for the highly successful AD treatment, Aricept. Aricept has been the standard of care for more than 20 years, and no other AD program has produced more compelling results.   Sharon L. Rogers, a research scientist, talks about a new drug for Alzheimer's disease The drug, AD101, is designed to improve cognition and global function in Alzheimer's patients It is a cholinergic drug, but its action is limited to the brain, making it more effective than other cholinergic drugs The drug has gone through phase two trials and is now moving into phase three Rogers also discusses her experience as an expat in Japan and the importance of resilience and leadership She expresses concern about complacency and outrage fatigue Rogers is excited about the potential of Gen Z to effect change

Send us a textToday on the Life Science Success podcast my guest is Sal Buscemi.  Sal is a notable figure in the world of finance and real estate, has made a name for himself through his impressive portfolio of investments and his leadership roles in various investment offices. Currently serving as the CEO and Co-Founding Partner of HRN, a private multi-family investment office, as well as the CEO for Dandrew Partners Capital Management.   Sal Buscemi discusses the importance of understanding the science and evaluating user feedback effectively He advises making investment opportunities attractive to investors, as they are unlikely to focus on the math Sal emphasizes the significance of building relationships and networking, as it is important for building a brand and reputation He expresses concerns about the potential destabilization of the petro dollar and the impact it might have on the strength of the country Sal mentions that he enjoys building things, meeting new people, and making an impact in the life sciences industry  

Send us a texthis week on the Life Science Success Podcast, my guest is Surekha Karudapuram, VP Commercial Operations - Isolation Bio Inc.  Surekha is an innovative, technically-savvy and accomplished product & marketing executive with 15+ years of experience, including leading the development and execution of corporate product management and marketing programs to support long term strategic, commercial, and financial goals.   Surekha Karudapuram is a product manager who leads marketing, product management, and commercial operations teams. Isolation Bio provides a high throughput microbial cultivation platform and services to accelerate the time to discovery for microbiome R&D and product development. Isolation Bio's platform is automated, scalable, and helps to generate microbes that could be used in therapeutics or bio fertilizers. Surekha is concerned about the ethical and regulatory guardrails in the fast-moving life sciences space and the communication of scientific discoveries to the general public. Surekha is excited about the possibilities in the microbiome space and believes that microbiome scientists in both academia and industry are going to make exciting discoveries that will translate into great benefits for humanity.    

Send us a textIn this episode of the Life Science Success podcast my guest is Jeremy Stackawitz.  Jeremy has over 25 years of healthcare industry experience and 15 years of diagnostics experience. Before joining Senzo as CEO, from 2009-2021 Mr. Stackawitz held roles of CCO, President, and CEO at Quotient (QTNT), helping lead the company from start-up to IPO.    Jeremy Stackawitz, CEO of Senzo Biosciences, recently discussed the current state of the diagnostic industry. The industry faces several challenges and opportunities, including the need for accessibility and cost reduction. Stackawitz notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the industry, with many companies struggling to stay afloat. One of the key topics Stackawitz discussed was the advantages and disadvantages of small versus large companies in the industry. While smaller companies may have more agility and flexibility, larger companies may have more resources and established relationships with key players in the industry. When asked to share his favorite leadership advice, Stackawitz emphasized the importance of building a strong team and fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation. He also shared what inspires and concerns him in his work, including the potential to make a positive impact on people's lives through improved diagnostics, as well as the challenges of navigating a complex and constantly evolving industry. Overall, Stackawitz's insights provide a valuable perspective on the diagnostic industry and the opportunities and challenges it faces. By addressing issues such as accessibility, cost reduction, and the advantages and disadvantages of different types of companies, the industry can continue to innovate and improve the lives of people around the world.    

Send us a textIn this episode of Life Science Success I interviewed Samantha Dale Strasser - CSO & Cofounder at Pepper Bio at #bio2023.     Samantha Dale Strasser is the Chief Science Officer and co-founder of PEPPER Bio. PEPPER Bio is the world's first trans omics analysis company. Trans omics involves analyzing a wealth of biological information from genomics all the way up to more functional data of phospho proteomics. PEPPER Bio is able to see more relevant disease insights about how to best treat disease and how to characterize potential drugs that can be used as therapeutics. PEPPER Bio has four contracts and is actively seeking partnerships with pharma. The Compass platform is PEPPER Bio's computational technology that provides the computational ability to analyze genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and phos proteomic data in a novel way through trans omics to best support partners' drug discovery questions as well as our own pipeline. PEPPER Bio can work with partners early on from characterizing the disease to answer what targets are best to go after for it to staying with them through the drug discovery process to bring the power of Ranomics all the way through to the clinic. PEPPER Bio sees potential for shortening the timelines for drug discovery, notably around the ability to very early on select drug candidates that are most likely to be successful in the clinic. Trans omics can have an impact on the massive failure rate at the very end of the drug discovery process by allowing for early identification of potential concerns of toxicity.

Send us a textToday on the Life Science Success podcast my guest is Oksana Bovt.  Oksana is the founder of Theoria Creative, an agency that develops unique fundraising materials enabling biotech and life sciences clients to clearly and succinctly articulate their unique message and value when raising funds, soliciting partnerships, pitching at roadshows, or presenting to prospective buyers.   Oksana Bovt helps biotech companies communicate their scientific innovations to investors and potential partners. She emphasizes the importance of crafting an interesting story to grab investors' attention. Her company, Theoria Creative, is known for translating complex science and creating visual and illustrative materials, such as investor decks, scientific illustrations, and scientific animations. Theoria Creative works mostly on referral and helps companies that are ready to communicate effectively and have a clear direction. Oksana Bovt's background in science and advertising helps her to understand and communicate complex scientific concepts effectively. Theoria Creative helped a company with a broad oncology pipeline clarify their story and focus on approaching oncology and cancer holistically, resulting in a successful oversubscribed round and public offering. Oksana Bovt's best career advice is to understand oneself first and pursue what one is good at and passionate about. She is inspired by her clients and concerned about the global economy and the safety of her team in Ukraine. Her dog excites her and reminds her to take breaks and enjoy the outdoors.

Send us a textIn this episode of Life Science Success my guest is Mason Ailstock the CEO of Rowen Foundation.  The mission of Rowen is to be a catalyst for education, research, innovation and transformation through the creation of a global destination which recognizes stewardship of the land as the cornerstone of an inspired community. Mason Ailstock is part of a foundation that oversees the covenants, the programming, the partnerships, attracting investors, and more. They want to create a place for companies and people to grow, and for startups to have access to opportunities. Rowan is a 50+ year project that aims to create a platform for other people to step up and have greater access to opportunities and the vision that they have. They are working on infrastructure and doing things that are very different from what the Department of Transportation typically does. They are hoping to create a place where implementation is a primary objective of doing as part of the culture, and where implementation is a primary objective of doing. The initial infrastructure will be finished in the second quarter of 2024, which will include the first two miles of complete streets designed in construction, ribbon cutting, opening of the roadway. They are working towards a sustainable and environmentally friendly development. They have been meeting with companies that have existing relationships or an interest in Georgia, and most of the companies they're talking to are internationally based. They have sites that could be 2 acres to 50+ acres, and most of the companies they're talking to are looking for a North America, either headquarters or R&D innovation, foothold. They are looking to connect startups to Georgia, locate, grow, attract investments, scale up. They are hoping to have multi-tenant buildings, multi-tenant lab space, and mixed-use components in the future.

Send us a textIn this episode of Life Science Success my guest is Kent Wakeford.  Kent is the co-founder and Co-CEO of Form Bio an organization that focuses on providing computational life sciences and AI solutions to biotech and biopharma companies.   Form Bio was spun out of Colossal Bioscience, and focuses on providing computational life sciences and AI solutions to biotech and biopharma companies Form Bio announced a partnership with Google as part of the Google multi omic suite of products Form Bio's computational platform focuses specifically on cell and gene therapy, and is designed to optimize the manufacturability of these therapies Kent Wakeford is inspired by the potential of AI to transform the industry, and is concerned about the need to change the infrastructure to make drug development more efficient Kent Wakeford believes that collaboration is key to solving industry-wide problems, and that the speed of innovation is transformative

Alex Zhavoronkov, CEO of Insilico Medicine, discusses the progress and capabilities of Insilico Medicine, an AI-powered drug discovery company. They emphasize the need for validation and optimizing success probability in using AI tools in drug discovery. They also explore the evolution of Insilico Medicine into a software company and the importance of partnering with pharmaceutical companies. Furthermore, they discuss how In Silico aligns with the theme of science and innovation and their commitment to maximizing life through advancements in AI and future technologies.