Beyond Biotech - the podcast from Labiotech

Labiotech
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May 30, 2025 • 39min

The state of biotech finance and fundraising in Q2 2025 with Baker McKenzie

Biotechnology has always been a dynamic domain, but the world of finance that provides the fuel for the fire is just as vibrant. Trying to predict where the market for biotech investment is heading is always risky but for experts like Baker McKenzie’s Roel Meers, understanding where the market is moving is where he eats.I spoke to Roel this week to unpack just where biotech funding stands in Q2 2025, to get a feel for the sorts of M&As, IPOs, and licensing deals we should be looking for in the second half of the year. We also talk about some alternative financing options for innovators and early-stage firms.01:09                      Introducing Roel Meers02:18                     Corporate finance and the life sciences04:53                      Brussels, Europe, and beyond: Baker McKenzie’s global footprint06:21                      Navigating life science regulations and regulators10:33                      De-risking biotech investments in uncertain times11:57                      How investors are minimizing risk in 202513:35                      Funding trends for biotechs in emerging hubs, including Benelux15:58                      The deal types that will dominate 202517:35                      The therapeutic areas where deals are being done19:16                      Trends in biotech in Europe, in North America, and in the Asia-Pacific20:36                      Macroeconomics and biotechnology finance22:54                      De-risking deals by lowering upfronts, increasing milestones26:38                      What to consider when choosing alternative financing options30:35                      When should biotechs bring in outside finance experts33:47                      Looking beyond 2025 – what’s coming, and why36:38                      How European biotechs can position themselves for funding successInterested 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: 2025 biotech funding tracker: recent highlightsThe ABC of biotech startup fundingTop biotech grants and campaigns
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May 23, 2025 • 35min

How generative AI and 'Photoshop for proteins' are transforming biopharma R&D

Elise de Reus, co-founder of Cradle, brings her passion for biotech and innovative spirit to the forefront. She discusses how generative AI is revolutionizing protein design, making it as user-friendly as 'Photoshop for proteins.' Elise highlights Cradle's platform speeding up R&D processes and aiding major pharma companies in delivering therapies quicker. The conversation also explores applications in animal-free food and sustainable materials, showcasing how AI can not just enhance biopharma but foster eco-friendly solutions.
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May 16, 2025 • 34min

Fighting mucopolysaccharidosis type I, a rare disease, by reprogramming B-cells

There are cell therapies, gene therapies, and biologics – and then there is Immusoft. Immusoft sits at the nexus point of some of the most innovative approaches in biopharma, and their Immune System Programming platform is unique in its capacity to address the rare disease, MPS I. This week we talk with Immusoft CEO Sean Ainsworth to learn more about his journey in biotechnology, the work that Immusoft is doing in B-cell reprogramming and unpack some of the positive results that the company recently shared at the WORLD Symposium.01:08                      Early interests in biotechnology03:21                      First experiences in biotech entrepreneurship04:29                      Startup exits and liquidity events07:32                      Influences and mentors08:43                      Immusoft and its mission09:28                      Programming B-cells13:08                      Disease targets14:55                      Encountering and overcoming technical challenges15:53                      MPS I17:38                      Differentiation for MPS I patients19:42                      WORLD Symposium 202520:23                      What’s next in the clinic21:25                      Urgency vs safety 24:26                      At the nexus of cell therapy, gene therapy, and biologics27:20                      Manufacturing, scaling, and funding30:31                      Next on the horizon for ImmusoftInterested 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: Rare Disease Day: seven drugs awaiting approval in 202510 biotech companies making a difference in rare diseases
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May 9, 2025 • 44min

Inside Flagship Pioneering's strategy: How this VC turns ideas into biotech giants

Flagship Pioneering doesn't go out to find the next big thing in biotech when investing their billions in fund capital - instead, they take a different route.Flagship Pioneering has founded more than 100 companies in the life sciences worth in total an estimated $75 billion. With a proven model for biotech startup success and a culture designed to surface new and interesting ideas, Flagship offers a different approach to biotech funding that is paying off time and again.In this episode I talk with Lovisa Afzelius, a General Partner at Flagship, uncover the ways in which Flagship is shaking up the biotech funding model, and come to understand the reasons why others will have a hard time imitating its success.This episode is brought to you by Jubilant Biosys.01:52                      Meet Lovisa Afzelius03:37                      Learning lessons in big pharma04:56                      From top pharma to startup biotech07:23                      Two different worlds and ways of thinking08:29                      Flagship Pioneering13:39                      Finding the right people18:13                      Deploying capital to create value21:06                      Expanding into new markets21:55                      How does the Flagship model identify disruptors so well?24:20                      Why don’t others emulate the Flagship model?25:36                      Building a culture of ‘yes, and…’27:47                      Learning from the companies that don’t succeed30:49                      Artificial intelligence and biology35:19                      Lessons from business that never found market fit37:29                      The future for Flagship39:55                      The importance of diversity 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:The ABC of biotech startup fundingMeet the ‘biotech mafia’: how specialized biotech VC firms are dominating industry funding once again2025 biotech funding tracker: recent highlights
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May 2, 2025 • 34min

TCR-NK: A novel cell therapy transforming cancer treatment

Are TCR-NK treatments the next big thing in cell therapies for cancer patients?As biotechs and pharma companies continue to innovate to address patient needs in oncology, T-cell receptor therapies, or TCR-Ts, are attracting significant interest and investment. There are already some promising results for TCR-Ts tackling solid tumors – but one Norwegian biotech is taking a slightly different track.This week, we sit down with Namir Hassan, CEO of Zelluna, a company with a mission to eliminate solid cancers by pioneering the development of T cell receptor guided natural killer, or TCR-NK, cell therapies.01:45                      Introducing Namir Hassan03:37                      Working at Immunocore04:40                      Lessons learned06:56                      Joining Zelluna as CSO08:44                      Becoming Zelluna CEO10:20                      Taking a biotech company public12:54                      TCR-T and TCR-NK therapies15:30                      Targets for TCR-NK therapies16:38                      Comparing TCR-NK to alternatives20:16                      Early success21:58                      An off-the-shelf-solution for cancer patients24:16                      Manufacturing and scaling25:13                      Partnering with top pharma, accelerating innovation27:05                      Milestones ahead for Zelluna28:52                      The landscape of TCR therapies in oncology31:38                      A 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: Future of cancer treatment: what will therapy look like in 2034?Trends in cancer therapeutics to look forward to in 2025Oncology R&D trends and breakthrough innovations
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Apr 25, 2025 • 40min

AI in biotech today, and how it will impact the industry tomorrow

AI is driving innovation across industries, including biotech, but where is its influence felt most and what opportunities for future impact are emerging?David del Bourgo is the co-founder and CEO of WhiteLab Genomics, an innovative biotech that is leveraging the power of AI to accelerate drug discovery and development from its Paris, Boston, and Montreal bases. In this episode he explains how WhiteLab uses AI technologies to identify targets and engineer vectors, but also offers a wider view of how and where AI is impacting the biotech industry generally.01:04               Introducing David del Bourgo04:06               The WhiteLab Genomics mission10:54               AI in biotech: what’s working now14:07               AI in biotech: emerging applications15:58               Regulating AI in biotech and in general17:21               Acceleration and cost savings thanks to AI19:09               AI’s impact on accuracy and precision21:07               The trade-off with AI in biotech22:38               Why top pharma companies aren’t building their own AI tools24:43               AI and biomanufacturing26:58               AI in biotech and pharma operations28:40               The next impacts of AI in biotech30:38               Accelerating regulatory review with AI32:24               Emerging AI techniques in biotech33:59               The pace of AI innovation35:21               The next challenge for AI in biotech36:10               A word for the AI skeptics 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: 12 AI drug discovery companies you should know aboutThe AI boom in cancer: Game-changer or just hype?Are we in an AI bubble? Biotech AI startups’ value plummet and leads to restructuration
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Apr 11, 2025 • 41min

How nanobodies will revolutionize immunotherapy

From llamas and camels to humans worldwide. Nanobodies are enjoying success in the clinic and experts are hailing these camelid-derived biologics as one of the next big things in immunotherapy.Kristian Reich is co-founder and CSO of MoonLake Immunotherapeutics. After a long and distinguished career as a clinician and researcher, Kristian helped to launch MoonLake in 2021 and quickly helped move their lead candidate to the clinic. Now, on the verge of Phase III trials, he joins 'Beyond Biotech' to talk nanobodies, innovation, serendipitous science, and the power that comes from never stopping to dream.01:04               Meet Kristian Reich05:26               Excited by the science of nanobodies07:13               MoonLake’s mission13:12               Milestones at MoonLake15:24               Introduction to nanobodies17:55               Serendipitous science19:46               How nanobodies work23:18               Global prevelance of immune conditions24:31               The impact on patients27:09               Nanobodies in the clinic31:19               Manufacturing challenges, regulatory challenges34:04               Working with top pharma35:55               The future of nanobodies37:42               The future of MoonLake39:10               Don’t stop dreamingInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter
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Apr 4, 2025 • 40min

Meeting the global demand for cell therapies: scaling with smart manufacturing

Cell therapies are at the cutting edge of personalized medicine but as demand for these therapies grows, how will the industry scale manufacturing to meet patient needs?Fabian Gerlinghaus is co-founder and CEO of Cellares. He and his team have developed the Cell Shuttle, an advanced cell manufacturing technology that is already demonstrating the potential to 10x cell yields while halving costs for pharmaceuticals companies and innovators. Is this the future for smart cell manufacturing?0:52     A starting point in aeronautical engineering2:43     First steps into biotech5:25     Co-founding Cellares6:30     The problem that Cellares addresses11:02   Best practice bio manufacturing17:14   Differentiation in automation18:15   What does success look like for Cellares19:38   Smart factories21:58   Inside the Cellares smart factory26:34   Manufacturing CAR-T and stem cell therapies27:54   Mass production vs personalized medicine31:39   Global ambitions and regional regulators35:07   Positioning Cellares in the marketInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter
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Mar 28, 2025 • 34min

Treating spinal cord injuries with stem cells

Spinal cord injuries impact millions of people worldwide and, unlike many chronic injuries, they usually arrive with no forewarning, impacting the young and old alike.Brian Culley is CEO of Lineage Cell Therapeutics and his company is now in the clinic with a stem cell therapy for spinal cord injuries. Learn why stem cells could be promising for these devastating injuries and how Brian and his team plan to overcome the challenges of manufacturing at scale and succeeding in a highly regulated space.00:57              Meet Brian Culley02:15               Lineage Cell Therapeutics and its mission04:56              Spinal cord injuries06:40              Costs beyond the Individual08:15               Current treatment options10:48               The place for stem cell therapies12:57                Lineage in the clinic16:27                The DOSED program18:37                The advantages of DOSED20:29               Timelines for results21:35               Scaling manufacturing24:28               Partnering with pharma on stem cell therapies26:38               Other applications for stem cell therapies28:49               Mainstreaming stem cell therapies30:52               Challenges ahead32:43               The future for Lineage Cell TherapeuticsInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter
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Mar 21, 2025 • 38min

Are mitochondrial therapeutics about to go mainstream?

Mitochondria are famously the powerhouse of the cell, but will mitochondrial therapeutics power the next big mainstream medical breakthrough?Klaus Dugi is CEO of Vandria, a biotech that develops mitophagy inducers that rejuvenate cells to treat age-related and chronic diseases. He joins 'Beyond Biotech' to talk cell mitophagy, biotech agility, and innovation in tackling neurodegenerative disease.00:42    Introducing Klaus Dugi02:51    Lessons learned in top pharma05:10    The gap that Vandria seeks to fill06:21    Mitochondrial therapeutics07:45    Mitophagy inducers and how they work14:53    Comparing approaches to treating neurodegenerative diseases17:20    Aging, longevity, and healthy life years25:26    Challenges ahead27:31    Performance enhancement and resilience31:15    Towards the mainstream?34:35    Looking forward for Vandria36:02    Developments to watch out for in mitochondrial therapeuticsInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter

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