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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Andrew Allen is the Co-Founder, President and CEO of Gritstone bio, a clinical-stage biotech company developing groundbreaking immunotherapies for cancers and infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and HIV. Gristone seeks to generate a therapeutic immune response by leveraging insights into the immune system’s ability to recognize and destroy diseased cells by targeting select antigens. Andrew joins host Rahul Chaturvedi for a conversation about his entrepreneurial journey founding a biotech, the state of biotech right now and how he manages his team during times of volatility. He also discusses the exciting science they’re pursuing at Gritstone and the role T cells play in engaging the immune system against cancer and infectious diseases.

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Nicki Thompson is the CEO of Amphista Therapeutics, a company identifying and advancing novel approaches in targeted protein degradation to develop a new generation of innovative therapies. Nicki spent the first 20 years of her career in big pharma at GSK before joining the biotech industry. She shares her thoughts on how the interaction points between biotech and pharma have changed over the last 10 years. She also talks about target protein degradation as a treatment modality and the opportunities and challenges it brings, as well as Amphista’s novel approach to targeted protein degradation to treat diseases with high unmet need in oncology, immunology and CNS disorders.

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Michael Rosenblatt is the Vice President of Clinical Operations at Roche, leading their organization to reduce hierarchy, embrace agility, and increase engagement. Michael has spent the last 11 years between regulatory and clinical operations in late stage development at Roche/Genentech and is currently leading its GI indications from an operational standpoint. He provides his perspective on the clinical operations landscape now and what’s changed over the last five-seven years. He shares the technology he’s excited by that has the potential to transform R&D and clinical operations. He discusses his role at Roche and some of the transformation underway bringing more treatments and better outcomes to patients everywhere!

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Josh Mandel-Brehm is the President and CEO of CAMP4 Therapeutics, a company pioneering mRNA amplification by using programmable ASO therapeutics to control gene expression. He joins host Rahul Chaturverdi to discuss the arc of his career and his interest in the intersection of business and science. They dive into the origins of CAMP4 and the inspiration behind the company’s name. He also talks about where CAMP4 is from a pipeline development perspective and how he approaches fundraising.

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This special episode features a panel discussion with three biotech leaders about drug development for rare diseases. James Mackay, Ph.D., is the Founder, President and CEO of Aristea Therapeutics, an immunology-focused clinical stage biotech that is focused on inflammatory diseases. Arthur T. Suckow, Ph.D., is the Co-Founder and CEO of DTx Pharma, which is focused on developing novel technology for delivery of RNA medicines. Eslie Dennis is the SVP and CMO of Kyowa Kirin North America, a Japan-based global specialty pharmaceutical company. Our guests discuss the patient journey for those living with rare diseases, the importance of driving awareness for this patient population, important points to consider when partnering with big pharma, clinical trial design for patients with rare diseases, and best practices for driving awareness and inclusion of people of color in rare disease trials.

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