Life Science Success

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.

Send us a textIn this episode of Life Science Success my guest is Alex Chen.  Alex is the President of Overseas Operations at uBriGene Biosciences Inc.   He has diversified experience, having worked in various industries such as mining, real estate, and investment banking before joining uBriGene Biosciences Inc. uBriGene Biosciences Inc. is a biotech company that provides services ranging from upstream to downstream, including QC testing The company is focused on innovation and utilizes the most up-to-date technologies to provide cost-effective and quality products uBriGene Biosciences Inc. has sites in the US and China, and its core competency is research and development The company aims to be a partner with its clients and grow with them uBriGene Biosciences Inc. has over 500 employees globally and has raised $100 million to date

Send us a textIn this episode my guest is Jason Bock PhD.  Jason is the CEO of CTMC / A joint venture between Resilience and MD Anderson Cancer Center. Jason Bock has been in biotech and biopharma for over 20 years, mostly in Biologics development. He founded Ctmc, a technology platform to industrialize cell therapies and bring them into the MD Anderson Clinic. Ctmc is a joint venture between MD Anderson and National Resilience. Ctmc partners with preclinical biotech, MD Anderson faculty, and Factus to provide a capital-efficient model to bring impactful single dose curative treatments to patients. Ctmc has filed three INDs in the first six months since it spun off on novel cell therapies brought into the clinic. Ctmc has progressed on the seven clinical studies that it supports. Ctmc recently announced that it was the recipient of a $9.1 million grant to help develop cell therapy platforms and improved ways of making these cell therapies. Jason is inspired by the patients and patient-centricity. He is concerned about the challenges, logistical and manufacturing challenges with autologous cell therapy. What excites him is the potential to transform healthcare and be single-dose curative treatments.

Send us a textIn this episode of Life Science Success my guest is Benedicta Durcan, CEO of Afrobodies. Her work experience has been in complex industries and environments spanning 12 years in Private Sector globally and 8 years in Public Sector in South Africa. I am an Upstream Oil & Gas and Maritime industry Specialist. I am an innovator and contributor in the field of STEM. Benedicta Durcan is the co-founder and CEO of Afro Body, a biotechnology company in South Africa that produces biological products for global consumption, including novel antibodies. Benedicta's background is in chemical engineering, and she has worked in the oil and gas and energy sectors before starting Afro Body with co-founder Dr. Peter Durkin. Afro Body's antibodies are recombinant alpaca antibodies used in life science research, diagnostics, and therapeutics for various diseases. Benedicta's role involves stakeholder management and engagement, raising initial grant funding, building a team, finding collaborators and partnerships, and expanding the company's global reach. Companies and researchers come to Afro Body for custom antibodies to study specific proteins, detect or test for the presence of molecules or bacteria, or develop treatments for diseases. Benedicta is inspired by the passing it on philosophy and believes in leaving a legacy for her children. Benedicta is concerned about the geo policies, global economics, and competing priorities that exacerbate inequalities, particularly in access to lifesaving medicine. Benedicta is excited about traveling and continually expanding her world and perspective.

Send us a textIn this episode of Life Science Success my guest is Jason Mundin, MBA who is the CEO of Ubiquigent.  Jason has over 30 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He joined Ubiquigent in 2015 as Commercial Director, becoming Managing Director in 2018 and CEO in 2021.  Jason Mundin is the CEO of Ubiquigent, a biotech company that focuses on drug discovery They have taken the company from a loss-making biotech to a profitable one. They are now focused on becoming a drug discovery-focused therapeutics company. They are actively engaged in securing inward investment. They are concerned about the state of funding for the life sciences industry. They are excited about the potential of their programs and the value they can bring to the industry. They believe that innovation is necessary due to limited resources and are constantly looking for ways to be innovative. They are excited to attend conferences and connect with people who are interested in their work.

Send us a textIn this episode of the Life Science Success Podcast my guest is Pavel Printsev.  Pavel is the Director of Business Development at Bridge Biotherapeutics. Prior to joining Bridge in early 2021 he was working at a South Korean VC firm. Pavel’s academic background is in Organic Chemistry and worked as a Research Scientist for several years. Since then, he has been active in advancing scientific development through global partnership, collaboration and investment between South Korea and the rest of the world.   Bridge Biotherapeutics is a small to mid-size Biotherapeutics company founded in 2015. They have clinical-stage assets in nonsmall cell lung cancer, ulcerative colitis, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. They also acquired a next-generation biosensor detection company, which is a thousand times more sensitive than the current commercial ECL biosensor device. Bridge Biotherapeutics is focused on maximizing resources and following the path where they see the most opportunity. Pavel Printsev is inspired by people who have become masters in their respective fields and are dedicated, motivated, ambitious, and do not give up. Concerns include the gap in research and unmet medical needs for indications that may not be profitable. Pavel is excited about the advancements in AI and deep learning, gene editing, and precision medicine.