Harlan Robins, Ph.D., is the CSO and Co-Founder of Adaptive Biotechnologies, a pioneer and leader in immune-driven medicine that aims to improve people’s lives by learning from the wisdom of their adaptive immune systems. Adaptive’s proprietary immune profiling platform reveals and translates insights from our adaptive immune systems with unprecedented scale and precision. Harlan discusses how he navigated the ups and downs of co-founding a company. He talks about the adaptive immune system, why it’s important, and what Adaptive is currently working on from a development perspective. He also discusses Adaptive’s partnership with Genentech to create personalized cancer therapies.

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Dr. Paul Bolno is the President and CEO of Wave Life Sciences, a clinical-stage RNA medicines company committed to delivering life-changing treatments for people battling devastating diseases including Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Paul discusses his early years at GSK and the events that led him to join Wave as CEO, and some of his early learnings during that transition from big pharma to a biotech. He also talks about the role and opportunity that RNA presents in medicine, where he sees RNA therapeutics going next, and what excites him about the emerging field of RNA editing.

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Garo Armen, Ph.D., is the Chairman and CEO of Agenus, an immuno-oncology company with the goal of treating cancers with novel combinations utilizing its unique portfolio of checkpoint antibodies, tumor microenvironment modifiers, vaccines and adjuvants. After receiving his Ph.D. in chemistry, Dr. Armen worked on Wall Street where he specialized in specialty pharmaceutical companies as well as biotech. Dr. Armen discusses how his personal history was a driving force behind founding Agenus, as well as his perspective on immunology and immunotherapy. He talks about Agenus’s approach to bringing curative therapies to cancer patients by harnessing the power of the immune system. He also discusses his approach to hiring, leveraging external providers and team building. 

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Craig Thompson is the CEO of Cerevance, a clinical-stage drug discovery and development company focused on developing novel therapeutics for central nervous system diseases. He discusses the arc of his career, beginning at big pharma at Merck and Pfizer before transitioning to biotech, and his learnings along the way. As CEO, he shares what he’s learned about developing a relationship with his board and the value they bring to his company. He also talks about the current CNS landscape, where Cerevance is from a development perspective, and the unique way the company approaches AI. 

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We recorded this episode in December 2022 with Florian Brand and Srinivas Rao, the Co-Founders and CEO & CSO, respectively, of atai Life Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company that leverages a decentralized platform approach to incubate and accelerate the development of highly effective mental health treatments that address the unmet needs of patients, including psychedelics and digital therapeutics. Florian and Srinivas provide an overview of the neuropsychiatry landscape, the history of psychedelics within mental health, and the role COVID played in increasing mental health awareness. They also discuss the model at atai around drug development and how they approach tackling such a massive unmet need. Finally, Florian talks about how self-awareness can lead to healthier habits and decision-making, and the importance of investing in therapy.

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Kevin Judice is the Co-Founder and CEO of DICE Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing transformative medicines for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Kevin trained as an organic chemist in graduate school before beginning his career at Genentech in the early 90s. He talks about stepping into the CEO role for the first time at DICE, the challenges of maintaining a lean startup while avoiding burnout, and how he approaches fundraising. He also shares insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and advice he would give to his younger self.

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Tariq Kassum, M.D. is the CEO of Celsius Therapeutics, a company pioneering new precision medicines in inflammatory disease by harnessing the power of single-cell RNA sequencing and human biology at scale. Tariq shares his unique journey from med school, to working in Wall Street as a biotech investment banker and stock analyst, to the corporate side working at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Takeda, and finally the innovative biotech world. He discusses the importance of learning to adapt to each environment in order to remain productive and successful, and building meaningful relationships with coworkers and mentors. He also talks about what it will take for the biopharma executive of the future to be successful.  

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Prakash Raman, Ph.D., is the President and CEO of Ribon Therapeutics, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development of novel small molecules targeting stress support pathways in cancer and inflammation. A medicinal chemist by training, Prakash discusses his professional development and the evolution of his strategic thinking as he went from chemist, to research project management at Novartis, to Senior Partner at Flagship Pioneering, and now CEO of a venture-backed biotech. He shares his advice for scientists in biotech and pharma and the best method he’s found for communicating with and motivating his team. He also discusses the inherent risk involved in biotech and his perspective on how failure can be a teaching moment. 

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Joel Schneider, Ph.D. and Robert Kotin, Ph.D. are the President & CEO and Founder & Chief Technology Advisor, respectively, of Carbon Biosciences, an emerging leader in the development of novel parvovirus-derived gene therapies. Joel and Robert sit down with host Rahul Chaturvedi to discuss the arc of their careers, how the AAV field has changed over the last decade, and how they approach building out their team at Carbon. They also talk about Carbon’s focus on cystic fibrosis and the implications of The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation investing in their Series A. Finally, they both weigh in on what excites them when thinking about the future of gene therapy. 

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Matt Gline is the CEO of Roivant Sciences, a company that delivers innovative medicines and technologies to patients by building Vants – nimble, entrepreneurial biotech and healthcare technology companies. Matt discusses his transition from CFO to CEO at Roivant and how he prepared to step into the CEO role for the first time. He talks about Roivant’s model and how it’s different from other biotech companies, and how the current market conditions inform how Roivant operates across its portfolio. He also discusses some of the inefficiencies across biotech and where he sees room for improvement, how telemedicine emerged as a silver lining from the pandemic, and his thoughts on the current labor market.

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Jack Bailey is the CEO of G1 Therapeutics, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and delivery of next generation therapies that improve the lives of those affected by cancer. Jack worked at Eli Lilly for 19 years followed by GSK for 12 years, and served on the company board at G1 Therapeutics before stepping into the role of CEO. Jack provides his perspective on the state of the industry and how the current macro environment is affecting financing, the supply chain, and attracting and retaining talent. He talks about his team’s work at G1, the proactive approach they’re taking to combat cancer, and the unique commercial aspect of the company. He also discusses the current legislative and regulatory environment, concerns he has, and opportunities for the future.

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Nabiha Saklayen, PhD, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Cellino Biotech, a company working to democratize access to personalized stem cell-based therapies for patients at scale. Nabiha joins host Rahul Chaturvedi for a discussion about her entrepreneurial journey and her learning process in the early days of building a start-up. She talks about opportunities and challenges in the field of regenerative medicine and the exciting science her team is pursuing at Cellino to use stem cell-derived regenerative medicines to treat diseases such as Parkinson’s, diabetes, and heart disease. She also touches on changes and trends in biotech she’s observed over the years. Nabiha first appeared on the Biotech2050 podcast for its 100th episode - listen here.

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