Beyond Biotech - the podcast from Labiotech

The UK is preparing to change the game for healthcare - but why, how, and what will it cost?Recently the UK government announced plans to sequence the DNA of every baby born in that country. A part of the country’s 10 Year Health Plan, the program aims to identify rare genetic diseases early, prevent harms from delayed treatment and reduce future healthcare costs for the NHS. Yet along with those potential upsides come a range of ethical and practical questions, too: who guards the sequenced data, who can access it, how can consent be informed, managed and withdrawn years later, and what is the best way to gather the genetic material required to fully sequence the DNA of 700,000 infants each year?This week, I spoke to Neil Ward of PacBio to understand more about this program, compare it to other national genome sequencing programs in Europe and Asia, and discuss the promise of unlocking the ‘language of life’.02:02               Meet Neil Ward09:10               PacBio, its mission, and its current focus17:13               The UK national newborn gene sequencing effort21:20               Ethical and practical challenges for national newborn sequencing24:34               Short-read versus long-read sequencing30:48               Dried blood spots versus cord blood35:57               Lessons for the UK from Thailand38:58               Trends in national newborn screening programs worldwide41:46               What parents and policymakers must know45:20               Exciting things in the genomics space on the horizonThis episode is brought to you by MedChemExpress.Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletterTo dive deeper into the topic: The past, present, and future of genome sequencingThe next frontier in genomic technologies for rare diseasesSeven genome sequencing companies to look out for

Is cultivated meat the future of pet food? And is there a place for cultivated meat on human dinner tables, too?Traditional agricultural methods are slow, require large tracts of land, significant energy and environmental inputs, and – somewhat obviously – the slaughter of hundreds of millions of animals every year. Cultivated meat – that is meat that is grown in a lab – requires little land, less energy, and in the case of Meatly, nothing more than a single cell from a single chicken egg, once. This week I sat down with Owen Ensor, CEO of UK biotech startup Meatly, to talk all things cultivated meat. He explains the science behind his company’s cultivated meat process, the significant cost savings that Meatly has made to bring down prices for their product, and how his company became the very first in Europe to have a cultivated meat product approved for sale, in the hands of consumers, and in the bellies of beloved cats and dogs.01:29               Meet Owen Ensor05:10               Meatly and its mission10:12               The science of cultivated meat19:41               Common criticisms of cultivated meat25:33               Regulation, and geographical diversity in regulation32:24               Looking forward: from pets to human consumption?Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletterTo dive deeper into the topic: Cultured Meat Is Coming Soon: Here’s What You Need to Know10 cultured meat companies driving sustainable food in 2025The future of food: what’s behind the cell-cultured meat industry regulations?

With supply chain management and optimization, risk management, and the capacity to address global markets efficiently and effectively top of mind for all growing biotechs, I'm excited to be joined by Alison Pritchard, Vice President, Business Development at Cryoport Systems, to learn more about how they support life science innovators worldwide.Cryoport Systems evolved alongside the life science  industry and expanded its capabilities into full-scale supply chain management solutions that support the critical journeys of the biopharmaceutical, reproductive medicine, and animal health markets.In this episode we look at the ATMP market, the regulatory landscape in EMEA, and the importance of supply chain resilience for cutting edge therapies, whether from established pharmaceutical companies or emerging biotechs and startups.00:02:14   The state of the ATMP market in 202500:07:20    Regulatory trends in EMEA00:13:53    Operational and supply chain challenges00:22:13    Lessons in supply chain resilience00:28:56   Outsourcing trends in biotech00:37:34    Geopolitical influences on the ATMP supply chain00:40:39    Cryoport Systems' plans for the future00:45:53    Final wordInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletterTo dive deeper into the topic: Cracking the code: Delivering biotherapeutics successfully across EMEAUnlocking consistency in ATMP development: How cryopreservation strengthens Europe’s cell therapy supply chain

Inflammatory diseases involve excessive or ongoing inflammation that damages tissues and affects many different human systems, including digestion, immunity, circulation, breathing, and the nervous system. The demand for anti-inflammatory treatments is growing quickly and is tipped to top a quarter of a trillion dollars within the decade as cases increase and new approaches to address inflammation emerge.This week, I had the chance to talk to Niels Riedemann, CEO and Founder of InflaRx, about his company’s first-in-class approach to fighting inflammation, and what the future might hold for his “pipeline in a product”.01:26   Introducing Niels Riedemann04:28   InflaRx and its mission06:37   The competitive landscape in anti-inflammatory therapeutics07:21   The market for anti-inflammatories08:40   The challenge of taking a drug from R&D to commercialization11:06   The science behind the C5a and C5aR approach14:37   Why is InflaRx the first to focus on these selective inhibitors?19:18   The importance of the MAC formation21:05   InflaRx and its disease targets25:46   Applications beyond anti-inflammatories27:50   Lessons learned from the clinic29:54   Growth forecasts for InflaRx31:48   Different approaches to addressing inflammation33:51   The role of academia in breakthrough therapies36:11   Beyond Europe and North America, addressing the global demand for therapeuticsInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletterTo dive deeper into the topic: Why is the immunology and inflammation market suddenly attracting a wave of investment?Let’s Take a Closer Look at 7 Autoimmune Diseases Biotechs are Fighting to TreatJAK inhibitors: Are they a good option for treating inflammatory diseases and cancer?

Ros Deegan is an industry leader and the CEO of OMass Therapeutics, an Oxford-based biotechnology company discovering medicines against highly-validated target ecosystems, such as membrane proteins or intracellular complexes.  OMass’s MC2 program targeting Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, or CAH, is set to enter the clinic this year and in our interview today she walks me through how the company is preparing for their trials, how their approach differs to existing treatment options, and the impact on patient lives they hope to have. A leader in the UK biopharma industry, she also explains the strengths of the UK industry and how it can maintain an edge in the face of competition from Europe and the US.01:07   Meet Ros Deegan02:36   Cambridge and INSEAD04:24   Building industry experience05:16   Biotech in the US vs Biotech in the UK06:19   OMass: mission and ambition07:16   Funding the mission08:18   The importance of partnerships09:17   Industry and government10:37   OMass and CAH13:11   The differentiator for patient outcomes14:49   Into the clinic in 202516:31   CAH patients and patient groups19:29   The importance of hiring the right people20:55   The Oxford ‘brand’ in biotechnology22:17   Preparing for the clinic23:43   Regulation and manufacturing26:17   Partnering with top pharma27:35   The importance of building value28:41   How the UK can compete on a global scale30:39   What’s next for OMass32:59   The future of targeting rare diseaseInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletterTo dive deeper into the topic: 10 biotech companies making a difference in rare diseasesRare Disease Day: seven drugs awaiting approval in 2025

The World Health Organization reports that more than 600 million people suffer from lower back pain globally, making it the leading cause of disability worldwide. Chronic lower back pain – where the pain persists for more than 3 months – develops in between 5 and 10% of all lower back pain cases, with life-altering impacts for patients.And that’s where today’s guest, Steve Ruston, of Persica Pharmaceuticals comes in. Persica is developing a groundbreaking and transformative treatment for chronic Low Back Pain. Persica is targeting the cause of chronic lower back pain: the underlying bacterial infection. Unlike conventional approaches that manage symptoms, Persica’s drug enables the infection to clear, reducing inflammation, pain and disability at the source.1:20     Introducing Steve Ruston of Persica Pharmaceuticals3:53     Lessons learnt from developing blockbuster drugs6:35     Global experiences in the biopharma industry8:32     Persica Pharmaceuticals and its mission10:26   Collaborations with a network of partners11:48   A non-opioid approach to addressing lower back pain13:35   Treating the cause, not the symptoms15:05   How Persica’s treatment work18:59   Practical impacts of Persica’s treatment21:07   Identifying patients for cLBP treatment23:24   How Persica is changing the treatment landscape28:10   Regulatory hurdles to overcome34:37   Securing funding for Persica’s innovation36:16   The future of treating painInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletterTo dive deeper into the topic: New non-opioid pain medication: How is the biotech industry fighting pain after the opioid crisis?Developing non-opioid pain drugsRedefining chronic pain treatment

Trauma surgeons in Ukraine operating theaters saved lives and limbs thanks to the innovative lab-grown blood vessels from US biotech, Humacyte.Humacyte is pioneering a platform that enables the investigation, development, and manufacture of bioengineered human tissues and organs that are designed to be universally implantable, off-the-shelf, and regenerative, with the goal of treating a wide variety of diseases, injuries, and chronic conditions.This week I had the chance to speak to Humacyte founder, President and Chief Executive Laura Niklason about the company she has built, the science she is driving forward, and the real-world applications for Humacyte’s lab-grown blood vessels in some of the most devastating and dangerous conflicts.1:00     Introducing Laura Niklason4:50     Humacyte and its mission6:27     Competitive landscape7:45     Partnering for scale9:49     How to grow blood vessels in the lab11:47   Implanting the vessels13:32   Human vessels vs synthetic vessels15:10   The manufacturing process16:23   Overcoming skepticism, demonstrating value19:01   Navigating the regulatory approval process21:17   The role of the Department of Defense in innovative biotech22:30   Using Humacyte vessels in the field23:20   Humacyte vessels in the Ukraine War28:22   Lessons from the Ukraine War30:09   Goals for the coming years33:35   Scaling manufacturingInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletterTo dive deeper into the topic:Current trends & innovations in 3D organoidsThe future of organ transplants: Xenotransplantation, 3D bioprinting and stem cells

Much of the attention of the biotech industry has been focused on the city of Boston this week as the annual BIO International Convention hit town. BIO is the world’s largest partnering conference for the biopharma industry and thousands of innovators, out-licensors, venture capitalists, top pharma dealmakers, thought leaders and more than a few politicians gathered for three days of meetings, presentations, and networking.In this week’s episode we meet three innovators on the floor in Boston and find out what their BIO experience has been like, how their partnering meetings have progressed, what’s surprised them, and how it feels to be in the middle of the biggest biopharma conference of the year.---This week’s episode is brought to you by Inpart.If you're in life sciences, you know how complex partnering can be — whether you're searching for the right innovation, managing a portfolio of alliances, or navigating the path from first meeting to signed deal. That’s where Inpart comes in.Inpart is a platform built specifically for partnering in pharma, biotech, and research. It brings together the tools, data, and workflows teams need to scout opportunities, manage submissions, and keep partnerships on track: from discovery through to alliance execution.Whether you're on the lookout for external innovation or trying to simplify internal coordination, Inpart helps you partner more strategically and move faster.To learn more, visit inpart.io.---0:00  The ‘Beyond Biotech’ BIO International Convention Special01:58   Purespring Therapeutics CEO Haseeb Ahmad14:10   Inpart Chief Business Officer Patrick Speedie25:44  Newbiologix CEO Igor FischInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter---To dive deeper into the topic: The hottest biotech companies in the Boston areaNine tips to succeed in pharma-biotech partnershipsThe ABC of biotech partnerships

What are the most interesting questions in biotech, and is it even possible to find answers to those questions?Alex Telford is the co-founder of Convoke and a biotech blogger from the San Francisco Bay Area. His blog post, 'Some questions about biotech that I find interesting' provoked conversations online as readers engaged with questions about topics as diverse as the impacts of regulation, the role of serendipity in drug discovery, clinical trial failure rates, and the best structure for governing large pharmaceutical companies companies.In this episode Alex explains the work he is doing at Convoke before opening the door to his insatiable curiosity about the biotech industry.01:17               Introducing Alex Telford04:28              The business of biotech09:02              Convoke and its mission14:21               ‘Some questions about biotech that I find interesting’16:57               Why founders should be writing and blogging18:44               Generating good questions about biotech20:50              AI and its role in drug discovery26:21               Will AI mean the end of serendipitous drug discovery?28:15               Regulatory challenges for biotech34:17               Is the FDA a net positive or net negative for the industry?36:56              The unanswerable questions in biotech39:00              Digital twins in biotechnology42:15               The next interesting questions in biotechInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletterTo dive deeper into the topic: 12 AI drug discovery companies you should know aboutDoes the FDA need to tighten its grip on drug trials in the U.S.?2025 predictions: Which trends are set to shape the biotech industry this year?

When biotechs start fundraising they regularly turn to the venture capital market seeking investment. The pool of VC money can be large, and part of that pool is corporate venture capital. Backed by firms keen to identify the next big thing in biotechnology, corporate VC money can be an attractive way for biotechs to raise funds privately while benefiting from the support and expertise of corporate supporters.This week I talked with Paolo Di Giorgio and Regina Hodits of Angelini Ventures, the corporate VC arm of Angelini Industries, itself the parent company of Angelini Pharma. Paolo and Regina lay out their perspective on the current fundraising landscape, identify the trends and opportunities for innovative biotechs in Europe, and walk me though the biggest threats to the biotech investment market they see on the near horizon.01:15               Introducing Paolo Di Giorgio04:00               Introducing Regine Hodits05:31               The mission of Angelini Ventures09:55               Focus areas and investments in early stage science14:30               The state of venture capital investment in biotech in 202517:48               Why biotechs should favor corporate venture capital20:43               Why networking and expertise matter in fundraising26:05               The therapeutic areas and modalities that are hot right now29:19               Geographic focus for corporate venture capital33:28               Threats on the horizon36:36               What keeps a corporate VC investor up at night?40:13               Keep in touch with Angelini VenturesInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter