Mahesh Karande is the President and CEO of Omega Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of a new class of programmable epigenomic mRNA medicines for unprecedented control of gene regulation and cellular function. Through its OMEGA platform, the company engineers mRNA therapeutics called Omega Epigenomic Controllers™ (OECs), with the goal of treating or curing a broad range of diseases. Mahesh discusses his early years in engineering and consulting before moving into the pharmaceutical industry. He talks about the transition from big pharma to biotech and the lessons he learned from his days in pharma. He discusses being a CEO and how he approaches the role differently the second time around. He talks about company culture and leadership at Omega and how he motivates team members in such a fast-paced environment. Finally, he dives into programmable approaches to biology, what it really means, and the intersection of biology and technology.

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Joseph Payne is the Founder, President and CEO of Arcturus Therapeutics, a global late-stage clinical messenger RNA medicines and vaccines company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutics for rare diseases and vaccines. Joseph discusses the founding story behind Arcturus and the impetus behind starting his own company. He talks about fundraising and what he would do differently now, and shares his perspective on the dynamic between entrepreneurs and VCs. He shares his thoughts on the evolution of messenger RNA over the last decade, the challenges the modality has faced and how we've overcome some of those challenges. Finally, he dives into the work Arcturus is pursuing now, where they are from a development perspective, and recent partnerships.

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Robert Blum and Fady Malik are the President & CEO and EVP, Research and Development, respectively, of Cytokinetics, ​​a late-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing potential medicines that impact the mechanics of muscle and may improve the lives of people living with debilitating diseases. Robert and Fady discuss how they have developed a company culture that embraces some of the learnings that come along with failure and the advice they would provide other leaders. They talk about how the current capital market environment shapes the way the company is operating. They also discuss the cardiovascular market and overall landscape, where Cytokinetics is from a development perspective, and some upcoming milestones. Finally, they each share a piece of advice they wish they could provide to their younger selves knowing what they now know.

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James McArthur is the CEO of PepGen, a biotech company creating a pipeline of disease-modifying therapeutics with the potential to safely and effectively target the root cause of serious genetic diseases, with an initial focus on neuromuscular diseases. James talks about his experience on the venture capital side and how that has influenced his management style and overall approach to company building. He shares his advice to others who may be interested in pursuing a leadership role at their company. He discusses drug development in the rare disease space and what motivates him and his team. Finally, he talks about some of the challenges involved in running a rare disease company.

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Paul Lammers, M.D., is the CEO of Triumvira Immunologics, a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing unique, targeted autologous and allogeneic T cell therapeutics that co-opt the natural biology of T cells to treat a broad range of patients with cancer. A Dutch-trained biologist and physician, Paul talks about starting his career in pharma and some of the commonalities between operating in pharma and biotech. He talks about being a CEO and how his approach to running a company has evolved over the years. He discusses the uncertainty in the market and how that’s informing how the company is approaching development activities. He dives into the fundamental challenges and opportunities within cell therapy and the work Triumvira is doing to treat cancer.

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Andrew Scharenberg is the Co-founder and CEO of Umoja Biopharma, a company pioneering the future of immunotherapy by reprogramming T cells in vivo. Umoja’s groundbreaking integrated platform therapeutics reprogram the immune system in the patient’s body to target cancer cells and generate lasting remissions. Andrew talks about the CAR T-cell therapy space, the opportunities he sees, and how he sees the space evolving over the next two decades. He discusses the work that his team is pursuing at Umoja to develop a new approach to cancer therapy that retools a patient’s immune system in vivo, enhancing the body’s natural capacity to fight cancer, and where the company is from a development perspective. He also talks about how he thinks about indication selection, particularly in the early stages of biotech. Finally, he shares how the pandemic impacted his approach to team building and his thoughts on distributed teams.

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Theresa Heah, M.D., is the CEO of Intergalactic Therapeutics. Intergalactic is overcoming the limitations of viral-based gene therapy and developing a best-in-class non-viral alternative. Intergalactic uses synthetic biology and engineered gene circuits to make covalently closed and circular DNA (“C3DNA”) molecules designed to provide a potentially safer and more effective solution for patients. Theresa has over two decades of global drug development and commercial experience. She talks about her choice to focus in ophthalmology, where ophthalmology as a therapeutic area is from a drug development perspective, and some of the opportunities she sees ahead for this space. She discusses the importance of having mentors and the emotional aspects of being a CEO. Finally, she dives into the work Intergalactic is doing, where they are from a company building perspective, and how she thinks about driving more access and scale for gene therapies given the high cost for development and scalability.

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Volker Herrmann is the President and CEO of Sonata Therapeutics, a Flagship Pioneering company revolutionizing the world’s understanding of the cellular microenvironment and its importance to human biology and disease. Sonata’s product-platform creates drugs based on a systematic, comprehensive characterization of the microenvironment in diseases with high unmet medical need. Volker discusses the arc of his career, starting with attending medical school in Germany, then training as a cardiologist and clinical pharmacologist before working at Pfizer. He talks about his transition from big pharma to biotech and how his approach to running a biotech has evolved. He discusses the importance of patient impact and how that drives him in this industry. He talks about their work at Sonata to develop therapeutics for cancer and other diseases, and how he thinks about indication selection.

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Greg Flesher is the President and CEO of Reneo Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development of therapies for patients with rare genetic mitochondrial diseases with significant unmet medical needs. Greg discusses beginning his career at Eli Lilly in the mid-1990s and how he approaches being a CEO differently the second time around. He talks about the rare mitochondrial disease landscape and the opportunities and challenges within it. He also dives into patient access for rare diseases and the difficulties around accessing the right patients for late-stage pivotal trials. Finally, he shares how the current environment impacts how he approaches execution against clinical programs and his advice to other leaders navigating the current times.

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Adrian Gottschalk is the president and CEO of Foghorn Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering a new class of medicines that treat cancers and other serious diseases by correcting abnormal gene expression. Adrian discusses his early beginnings at Biogen before joining Foghorn. He talks about the evolution of his role as CEO at Foghorn, particularly as the company has grown tremendously from a small biotech to a clinical-stage company. He discusses the work his team is pursuing at Foghorn, the overall landscape for therapeutic options in oncology, and what’s changed with our ability to modulate gene expression. He also dives into Foghorn’s pipeline of over 15 different programs and its two major collaborations with Merck and Loxo Lilly Oncology.

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Jim Brown is the President and CEO of DURECT Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company committed to transforming the treatment of acute organ injuries and chronic liver diseases by advancing novel and potentially lifesaving epigenetic therapies. Jim discusses how his early beginnings as a vet ultimately led him to the biotech industry. He talks about epigenetic regulation and how it ties into the work DURECT is leading. He dives into the unmet need for treatment of liver diseases such as alcohol-associated hepatitis and how he gets capital markets to understand the potential impact in an area where there isn’t a lot of awareness. He also discusses where the company is from a development perspective, their plans to commercialize, and his advice to other entrepreneurs and leaders as they navigate the inherent risk that’s involved in developing a new therapeutic.

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James Peyer, Ph.D., is the Founder and CEO of Cambrian Bio, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies to prevent and cure age-related diseases. James discusses the driving force behind his interest in aging biology and oncology, how his perspective on aging has changed over the years, and what he hopes to achieve over the next decade. He talks about his entrepreneurial journey and fundraising experience. He also discusses the inherent risk involved in drug development, how he manages the emotional aspects of that, and Cambrian’s unique approach to drug development.

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