The Bio Report

The convergence of technology and life sciences, changing consumer behavior, and increasing pricing pressures on drug and device makers are forcing these companies to rethink business models and how they derive value from their products, according to a new EY Progressions 2018 report. The report argues that life sciences companies will no longer be able to rely exclusively on product-centric innovations, which face diminishing returns as health systems wrestle with cost constraints. We spoke to Pamela Spence, EY global life sciences industry leader, about the report, what a growing trend in collaborations between technology and healthcare companies may say about where the industry is heading, and why the future of life sciences companies may be as health technology companies.

Matthew Levy worked in the biopharmaceutical industry in human resources when he was confronted with a life-changing event. A doctor told him he had advanced cancer and just 90 days to live. An aggressive treatment regimen saved him, but it also led Levy to rethink his life. Now a motivational speaker and executive coach, Levy is trying to help others who may have settled into safe and comfortable jobs but find them unfulfilling. We spoke to Levy about his experiences, how it changed him, and what others could do to make turning points in their lives without having to face death.

Despite the often remarkable advances in cancer therapies, radiation is still widely used to treat a variety of cancers. Nanobiotix believes it can make radiation therapy more effective by injecting its nanomedicines into tumors to amplify the effects of radiation without damaging healthy tissue. We spoke to Laurent Levy, CEO of Nanobiotix, about the company’s technology, how it works, and why it may be broadly applicable to a wide range of cancers.

As medical advances have helped extend lifespans, older people still experience a decline in quality of life in their later years as a result of diseases associated with aging. This can cause a loss of independence, isolation, and suffering. The Biogerontology Research Foundation, a United Kingdom-based nonprofit, is funding work to understand the molecular and cellular processes of aging and develop biotechnological interventions to halt or reverse damage from it. We spoke to Franco Cortese, deputy director of The Biogerontology Research Foundation, about a new report it’s issued that characterizes the longevity and geroscience landscape today, areas of research that hold promise, and why aging might best be thought of as a disease.

Caelum Biosciences, a Fortress Biotech company, is a clinical-stage biotech developing treatments for rare and life-threatening diseases. It’s lead therapeutic in development is a novel antibody to treat patients with amyloid light chain amyloidosis, a rare disorder of the bone marrow that causes misfolded proteins to accumulate in tissue and organs throughout the body and cause damage. We spoke to Michael Spector, president and CEO of Caelum, about the company’s business model, its lead therapeutic, and how the competitive landscape for a rare disease therapy may shape development strategies.

Incubators create success stories, but usually aren’t thought of as success stories themselves. The newly renamed MBC Biolabs, which started with humble beginnings in a utility closet as the first technology incubator in the University of California system, has been a big success by meeting the needs of entrepreneurial scientists. We spoke to Doug Crawford, managing director of Mission Bay Capital and General Manager MBC Biolabs, about its recent rebranding, how it operates, and its plans for expansion.

Across the continuum of drug discovery, development, and delivery there’s a growing effort to incorporate the patient perspective into the process. Last year FasterCures, the nonprofit focused on accelerating and improving medical research, held a multi-stakeholder workshop to discuss the challenges and opportunities of patient reported outcomes and how to make them a more powerful tool for incorporating patients’ perspectives into R&D and care decision-making. A new report from the organization captures the results of that workshop. We spoke to Cynthia Grossman, director of science of patient input at FasterCures, about the report, why patient reported outcome measures and patient-centric outcomes are not one and the same, and what can be done to better reflect what matters to patients.

CellMax Life believes it can transform cancer diagnostics with its affordable non-invasive tests for early cancer detection. The company says with its platform it has been able to overcome the challenge of detecting rare circulating tumor cells in pre-cancer and early-stage cancer patients when the disease can be successfully treated. We spoke to Atul Sharan, co-founder and CEO of CellMax, about the challenges of liquid biopsies, how the company’s technology works, and why he thinks it has the potential to change the way cancer is diagnosed today.

The development of a biomarker to identify people with prostate cancer increased the diagnosis of the disease, but did little to suggest the appropriate course of treatment for individual patients. Kenneth Pienta, professor of urology and co-director of the Johns Hopkins University InHealth Signature Initiative, is trying to change that by using surveillance and extensive data gathering to continuously stratify patients and refine treatment approaches. Pienta, who will be speaking at the Precision Medicine World Conference in Mountain View, California January 22 to 24, discussed InHealth, how its transforming the treatment of prostate cancer patients, and why it may be a model for applying precision medicine approaches to a broad range of diseases.

A surge in merger and acquisition activity in the life sciences is expected this year, according to a new report from EY. The company annual M&A Firepower Report says increased competition, new sources of capital, and the change in U.S. corporate tax laws will drive greater dealmaking in the sector. We spoke to Jeff Greene, EY global life sciences transaction advisory services leader, about the report, the drivers of the activity, and why nontraditional players in the sector may be in a better position to make a splash in 2018.