Episodes
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Sitryx Therapeutics is a private UK biopharma company founded in 2018. It is a leader in the field of immunometabolism, an area of immunology that looks to rebalance the immune system to achieve sustained disease remission in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Sitryx already has big pharma validation following a deal with Eli Lilly in 2020 worth in excess of $1 billion and is focused on advancing its pipeline of potentially first- and best-in-class therapies, which could address a wide range of chronic conditions, including SYX-5219 for atopic dermatitis.
The company has a broad pipeline of small molecules against novel targets in major autoimmune indications with high unmet need.
To talk about immunometabolism, our guest on the podcast this week is CEO of Sitryx Therapeutics, Iain Kilty.
00:52-01:48: About Sitryx
01:48-02:32: What is immunometabolism?
02:32-05:01: Approaches to address autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
05:01-06:46: Drug development
06:46-08:29: What is Sitryx’s approach?
08:29-11:02: Finding diseases to treat
11:02-13:09: About SYX-5219
13:09-16:08: Inflammatory response
16:08-18:40: About SYX-1042 and Eli Lilly
18:40-19:54: Mode of delivery
19:54-20:49: The Sitryx pipeline
20:49-22:08: Research on immune cell function and other companies’ work
22:08-23:53: Increased interest in the field
23:53-25:06: More investment and deals
25:06-26:30: Future treatments of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
26:30-27:59: The future of immunometabolism
27:59-29:26: Sitryx’s goalsInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!
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LinkGevity, founded by two sisters, is developing anti-necrotic technologies, especially for application in kidney disease.
Carina Kern is the CEO of the company, while Serena Kern-Libera is the chief operating officer. After reading an article about how space-travel is especially damaging to the kidneys, they applied for a place on the inaugural NASA Space-H Accelerator program, and how medicine can support human deep-space missions.
LinkGevity was selected for the program, which is in its inaugural year. LinkGevity was selected as its research has uncovered technology with significant potential to minimize the health and performance risks in human spaceflight.
LinkGevity’s anti-necrotics applications cover four major areas: organoid preservation and growth; cryopreservation; organ growth and preservation; and kidney protection.
LinkGevity’s novel proprietary Blueprint Theory of Aging, developed by Kern, offers a multi-disciplinary framework for understanding the development of age-related diseases and deterioration. The theory enables the company’s AI to accurately identify and target key biological pathways involved in aging and deterioration, with necrosis being one of the most critical processes addressed.
To talk about the company’s technology, and its application to space, we had a conversation with Carina Kern and Serena Kern-Libera.
01:48-05:45: About LinkGevity
05:45-06:39: What is the goal for LinkGevity?
06:39-09:07: Is early intervention important?
09:07-11:10: What is the Blueprint Theory of Aging, and how do you identify and target key biological pathways involved in aging and deterioration?
11:10-13:51: Applying the theory
13:51-15:03: Necrosis and LinkGevity’s Anti-Necrotic technology
15:03-18:37: Blocking necrosis and treating disease
18:37-19:06: Drug delivery
19:06-20:54: The importance of AI
20:54-24:43: Connecting LinkGevity’s work with space
24:43-26:24: The SPACE-H program
27:18-28:13: Other biotech involvement in the program
28:13-30:13: LinkGevity’s presentation at Space-Comm
30:13-31:00: Keeping space medicine simple
31:00-32:18: The future for LinkGevity
32:18-33:14: LinkGevity’s timescale
33:14-33:47: Clinical trials
33:47-34:53: LinkGevity’s future space work
34:53-35:30: Different space opportunities
35:30-38:12: LinkGevity fundingInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!
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Episodes manquant?
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Today, gene therapy is at an exciting inflection point as the industry moves beyond the first generation of these therapies. However, challenges and barriers remain in bringing gene therapies to market, particularly as they expand into more prevalent diseases.
Spur Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech company dedicated to developing next generation gene therapies for people living with chronic, debilitating diseases.
Its lead candidate, FLT201, is an AAV gene therapy for Gaucher disease that is poised to enter phase 3 development in 2025.
This week, we have a conversation with Michael Parini, CEO of Spur Therapeutics, about the future of gene therapy.
01:56-04:01: About Spur Therapeutics
04:01-06:49: Where is the gene therapy field at currently?
06:49-10:44: The biggest challenges for gene therapies, and potential solutions
10:44-13:21: What is the next generation of gene therapy?
13:21-18:08: How can gene therapy be used to take on more diseases? How can it be cheaper?
18:08-19:14: Are other companies working on next-generation gene therapies?
19:14-21:07: What is Gaucher disease?
21:07-22:32: How are you tackling Gaucher disease?
22:32-26:07: What is the measure of success?
26:07-28:18: About adrenomyeloneuropathy
28:18-29:32: Upcoming approvals in gene therapy
29:32-31:40: How quickly is gene therapy evolving?
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Antibody-drug conjugates have been an area of great interest in the oncology space in recent years, with a record rate of FDA approvals and dealmaking activity. However balancing efficacy and off-site toxicity has remained a challenge.
Some biopharma companies are investing in what they hope will be the next-generation approach to ADCs – bispecific ADCs.
More than a dozen early-stage clinical trials are evaluating whether adding a second targeting functionality can improve the preciseness of ADCs’ tumor-targeting, as well as potentially overcome the challenge of heterogeneity in solid tumor target expression.
Bispecific ADCs have been a hot area for dealmaking over the past year, including BMS’ $8.4 billion purchase of a bispecific ADC candidate in December, a $690 million deal between Biotheus and Hansoh this spring, and the recently announced $325 million deal between Prague-based SOTIO Biotech and Biocytogen.
SOTIO’s most advanced ADC, SOT102, is now in a phase 1/2 clinical study in the U.S. and Europe.
To talk about biotechs in Czechia, and bispecific ADCs, our conversation this week is with Radek Špíšek, CEO of SOTIO.
01:22-03:17: About SOTIO
03:17-06:12: Are there many biotech or biopharma companies in Prague?
06:12-08:16: Are there any challenges or opportunities being in Prague?
08:16-13:21: What are bispecific ADCs and how do they differ from regular ADCs?
13:21-15:37: Are there any challenges using bispecific ADCs?
15:37-17:07: What are the benefits of bispecific ADCs?
17:07-18:40: Do bispecific ADCs address the challenge of balancing efficacy and off-site toxicity?
18:40-19:42: Why are bispecific ADCs such a hot topic?
19:42-21:35: Deals involving bispecific ADCs, and SOTIO’s partnership with Biocytogen
21:35-24:15: What is SOT102?
24:15-26:41: What else is in SOTIO’s pipeline?
26:41-27:47: What is the future for bispecific ADCs?
27:47-29:01: What does this mean for patients?
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Telomeres are structures made from DNA sequences and proteins, and they are found at the ends of chromosomes.
In effect, they cap and protect the end of a chromosome. Telomerase is an enzyme that adds DNA to the ends of chromosomes, and it is reactivated in most cancers. Most human tumors not only express telomerase but also have very short telomeres. This makes telomerase a prime target for cancer therapies.MAIA Biotechnology is focused on the pioneering approach of telomere targeting through its lead therapeutic strategy, THIO.
Currently, MAIA is making strides with THIO in a phase 2 clinical trial aimed at combating high-risk non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). THIO targets telomerase, thus disrupting cancer cells’ vital structures, leading to their rapid demise.
To tell us about MAIA’s groundbreaking work, and the relationships between telomeres, telomerase and cancer, is the CEO and chairman of the company, Vlad Vitoc.
01:16-02:13: About MAIA Biotechnology
02:13-06:24: What is the role of telomerase in cancer?
06:24-07:02: Do other factors affect telomeres?
07:02-08:42: How does your therapy, THIO, work?
08:42-09:08: Safety of THIO
09:08-10:54: How is it administered?
10:54-11:04: Are there other companies working on this?
11:04-12;14: What else is in the MAIA pipeline?
12:14-17:18: MAIA clinical trials
17:18-18:19: Could THIO be a preventative treatment?
18:19-19:46: Is there a lot of research on telomeres and telomerase?
19:46-21:06: Are there cancers that are not telomerase positive?
21:06-21:41: What is the future for telomere-targeting therapies?
21:41-23:14: Are there any challenges?
23:14-25:40: Is word spreading about your treatments?Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!
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C4 Therapeutics (C4T) is a leader in the targeted protein degradation (TPD) field, with two oncology drug candidates currently in clinical trials and collaborations with pharma companies like Merck, Biogen and Roche.
The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company is dedicated to creating a new generation of medicines using its TORPEDO platform to design and optimize small-molecule medicines to address difficult-to-treat diseases.
TORPEDO can design molecular glues and heterobifunctional degraders, giving C4T the capability of targeting almost any disease-causing protein.
C4T’s degrader medicines are designed to harness the body’s natural protein recycling system to rapidly degrade disease-causing proteins, offering the potential to overcome drug resistance, drug undruggable targets and improve patient outcomes.
C4T is led by CEO and president Andrew Hirsch, who is this week’s guest on the podcast.
01:17-03:01: About C4 Therapeutics
03:01-05:07: What is targeted protein degradation?
05:07-06:21: What kind of diseases can TPD be used to address?
06:21-10:53: What are the different TPD strategies: PROTAC, molecular glue, lysosome-targeting chimaera (LYTAC), and antibody-based PROTAC?
10:53-12:43: How are those strategies applied?
12:43-13:59: How is TPD improving on current treatments?
15:39-18:24: What is your discovery program, TORPEDO, and how does it work?
18:24-25:19: About C4T clinical trials
25:19-26:13: Reaction to the ESMO presentation
26:13-28:50: Partnerships with pharma companies
28:50-31:26: Are there any hurdles or challenges in using TPD?
31:26-33:23: The future of TPDInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!
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Estonia is working on becoming the first country to implement personalized health at scale through the Estonian National Biobank.
The biobank uses genetic data to create a picture of the Estonian population, leading to the potential adaptation of public health systems.
The Estonian Biobank has samples from 20% of the adult population; in comparison, UK biobanks only represent 0.7% of the population. With so much data, Estonia can determine risk factors for cancer, cardiovascular disease, mental and reproductive health, informing health investments to improves patient outcomes.
The project seeks to predict patients’ responses to certain medications based on their genetic makeup. As well as better patient outcomes, this approach could save health systems millions on ineffective prescriptions in the long run. It could also be a blueprint for other national health systems, including the NHS, to personalize healthcare at scale.
Earlier this year, the Estonian Biobank announced the next phase of its European Commission funded project in collaboration with sequencing firm PacBio.
On the podcast this week, we have Professor Lili Milani, head of the Estonian National Biobank, and Neil Ward, VP of EMEA at PacBio.
01:27-04:06: What is the Estonian National Biobank?
04:06-05:15: Background on PacBio
05:15-06:43: What are the benefits of using genetic data to create a picture of the Estonian population?
06:43-08:24: What data is collected, and how is it used?
08:24-09:54: Protecting individual privacy
09:54-11:24: Is the databank used regularly by Estonian citizens?
11:24-12:35: Can the biobank help address disease earlier?
12:35-16:30: Are there economic savings?
16:30-17:16: How to expand the biobank program
17:16-19:44: How does the biobank help personalize medicine?
19:44-20:26: Are there regional differences?
20:26-21:57: How can Estonia’s system be applied to other countries?
21:57-22:57: Has there been international interest in the biobank?
22:27-22:52: Are pharma companies interested in the biobank?
22:52-24:05: The partnership with PacBio
24:05-26:15: Is AI being used in conjunction with the biobank?
26:15-27:26: Is the biobank project similar to other PacBio work?
27:26-29:00: What is the future for the biobank relationship with PacBio?
29:00-31:30: What is the future for the biobank?Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!
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Inflammation appears to affect almost every part of the human body as we age, including cancer, type-2 diabetes, obesity, and neurodegenerative disorders.
NLRP3 inflammasome-induced inflammation is at the root of nearly all disease pathologies including fibrotic, dermatological, rheumatological diseases as well as neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Halia Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel class of small molecule medications designed to combat inflammation.
Halia Therapeutics’ candidates are the first drugs to target the protein NEK7 to inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activity to resolve chronic inflammation in multiple diseases.
Its lead candidate, HT-6184 is currently being evaluated in two phase II studies – for the treatment of post-procedure inflammatory pain response and cancer (lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (LR-MDS).
The company also recently announced a new collaboration to leverage AI in the clinical development of its new Alzheimer's disease drug, HT-4253, targeting a mediator of neuroinflammation called leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2).
This week, or guest is Dave Bearss, CEO of Halia Therapeutics.
01:09-05:49: About Halia Therapeutics
05:49-08:59: What is the difference between acute inflammation and chronic inflammation?
08:59-12:02: What is NLRP3 inflammasome-induced inflammation?
12:02-15:37: What is NEK7 and how does targeting it help inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activity?
15:37-18:51: What diseases are related to NLRP3 inflammasome activity?
18:51-22:11: What does reducing NLRP3 activity address in these conditions?
22:11-26:46: With Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s is inflammation reduction being investigated by other companies?
26:46-24:14: What is Halia’s lead candidate, HT-6184?
34:14-37:03: What is the balance between normal inflammation and reducing chronic inflammation?
37:03-38:34: Is early intervention the key?
38:34-42:18: Would your treatment be good as a preventative measure?Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!
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Tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy uses a person’s own immune cells to fight advanced melanoma, offering new hope for patients who have limited treatment options.
This week, we have a conversation with Brian Gastman, EVP of medical affairs at Iovance Biotherapeutics, about TILs and the company’s pipeline.
Iovance recently submitted a marketing authorization application to the European Medicines Agency for lifileucel, a TIL cell therapy, for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma previously treated with a PD-1 blocking antibody, and if BRAF V600 mutation positive, a BRAF inhibitor with or without a MEK inhibitor.
If approved, lifileucel will be the first and only approved therapy in this treatment setting in all European Union member states.
The submission is supported by positive clinical data from the C-144-01 clinical trial in patients with advanced post-anti-PD1 melanoma.
Iovance’s Amtagvi is the first FDA-approved T cell therapy for a solid tumor indication.
00:47-04:44: About Iovance Biotherapeutics
04:44-07:57: What is polyclonal tumor infiltrating lymphocyte treatment?
07:57-14:55: What is the production process for TILs?
14:55-18:32: Are there any limiting factors for TIL treatment?
18:32-20:59: Is early intervention important?
20:59-21:22: Does better psychology help?
21:22-22:06: Are other companies working on TILs?
22:06-27:25: Clinical trials
27:25-29:25: How do you address cost?
29:25-34:21: Iovance’s pipeline
34:21-35:30: Can TILs be improved?
35:30-37:21: Where does the TIL space go from here?Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!
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The development of combination vaccines could represent a significant advancement in the fight against infectious diseases. With the potential to streamline the vaccination process and provide broader protection, these vaccines could greatly improve public health preparedness.
Moderna is harnessing the power of its mRNA platform to develop vaccines that target multiple respiratory viruses at once, including COVID-19, RSV, and influenza. The breakthrough technology enables the immune system to combat multiple pathogens simultaneously, revolutionizing immunization efforts and enhancing public health preparedness.
To look at combination vaccines, their usefulness and potential for the future, we had an in-depth conversation with Cesar Sanz Rodriguez, vice president, Europe & Switzerland, medical affairs, at Moderna.
00:45-02:53: What is combination vaccine technology?
02:53-05:33: What are the advantages of targeting multiple respiratory diseases simultaneously?
05:33-06:02: Making vaccinations more friendly
06:02-07:57: How does the immune system handle tackling many pathogens at the same time?
07:57-10:23: Is there an effect of efficacy with combination vaccines?
10:23-12:50: How do you manage different times between boosters?
12:50-13:57: Are many companies working on combination vaccines?
13:57-17:45: How easy is it to add vaccines, for example to tackle avian flu, into combination vaccines?
17:45-19:06: Is there a limit to the number of vaccines in a combination vaccine?
19:06-20:46: How easily can vaccines be updated to address variants?
20:46-22:30: What is the future of combination vaccines?
22:30-23:56: What is in Moderna’s pipeline related to vaccines?Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!
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Pentixapharm is a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical development company targeting a range of diseases.
While it is currently owned by the Eckert & Ziegler Group, it will soon be spun off as a separate company. Pentixapharm’s clinical pipeline includes PENTIXATHER, am Yttrium-90 based therapeutic against CNS lymphoma, and PENTIXAFOR, a Gallium-68 based companion diagnostic. Additionally, PENTIXAFOR is being developed as a diagnostic tool for primary aldosteronism (PA), a significant cause of hypertension.
Recently, the company announced the acquisition of the target discovery business of Glycotope.
The deal includes a portfolio of preclinical antibodies against multiple oncology targets that can be developed into radiopharmaceuticals. It also includes Glycotope’s laboratories, cell banks, tumor target data base, and the equipment needed to exploit the discovery platform, along with a range of patents, licenses, and other tangible assets.
This week, we had a conversation with Andreas Eckert, founder and chairman of the supervisory board at Pentixapharm.
00:57-03:07: About the Pentixapharm spinout
03:07-05:19: What is Pentixapharm’s pipeline?
05:19-06:01: What is the CXCR4 ligand approach?
06:01-08:51: What are the development plans for tackling primary aldosteronism?
08:51-10:28: Is the process fast, and what about cost?
10:28-11:47: The bigger economic picture
11:47-14:12: About Glycotope
14:12-14:44: How synergistic are Pentixapharm and Glycotope?
14:44-15:32: Is the entire company being acquired?
15:32-16:27: Will outsourcing still be important to the company?
16:27-17:55: What does the future hold for Pentixapharm?Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!
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There are many questions when it comes to setting up a biotech company, and raising funds.
Currently, many companies are concerned about fundraising, but there are things that can be done to maximize efforts. Does a company’s location affect fundraising? What is the best approach to successfully raise funds? What are the current trends in biotech funding?To look at questions surrounding the state of European biotech funding, and how it compares with the global scene, intellectual property, and how to challenge the status quo, we have a conversation with Dima Kuzmin, managing partner at 4BIO Capital.
4BIO is an international venture capital firm unlocking the treatments of the future by investing in advanced therapies and other emerging technologies.
00:45-02:36: About 4BIO
02:36-07:39: What are the trends in biotech investments currently?
07:39-09:30: Is being in a well-known biotech hub necessary to raise funds?
09:30-14:14: Is relocation necessary for companies starting up if they aren’t near a biotech hub?
14:14-17:57: What differences are there in investment patterns between Europe, the US and Asia?
17:57-21:35: How can funding match the research strength there is in Europe?
21:35-25:07: Are there any emerging hubs in Europe, or opportunities to create new hubs?
25:07-26:36: Are Spain and Italy good locations for biotech?
26:36-28:32: What are the best ways for European companies to attract US and Asian capital?
28:32-35:47: How do you see the European biotech space evolving?Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!
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While our podcast takes a brief break, Labiotech invites you to enjoy some of our favorite episodes. We will return with a brand-new episode on August 16, 2024! Have an awesome summer!
Epic Bio is an epigenetic editing company, leveraging the power of CRISPR without cutting DNA.
The company’s proprietary Gene Expression Modulation System (GEMS) includes the smallest Cas protein known to work in human cells, enabling in vivo or ex vivo delivery via a single viral vector.This week, we discuss epigenetic editing, why it’s reversible, and how it can treat FSHD and other conditions, with Epic Bio’s founder, Dr Stanley Qi, one of the original inventors of CRISPR.
01:15-02:51: Dr Xi’s background
02:51-05:11: The beginning of Epic Bio
05:12-09:23: What is epigenetic editing?
09:23-10:47: What is the Gene Expression Modulation System?
10:47-12:47: How is the editing reversible?
12:47-18:01: How will epigenetic editing advance treatments?
18:01-21:24: Tackling multiple conditions
21:24-22:46: How will your platform tackle FSHD?
22:46-24:18: FSHD clinical trial
24:18-25:51: How will you address costs?
25:51-27:18: Are other companies working on epigenetics?
27:18-29:27: What else is in the pipeline?
29:27-31:58: What are the next steps?Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!
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While our podcast takes a brief break, Labiotech invites you to enjoy some of our favorite episodes. We will return with a brand-new episode on August 16, 2024! Have an awesome summer!
Artificial intelligence (AI) is certainly in the news constantly; however, it’s been used in drug discovery for some time.A new collaboration between artificial intelligence drug discovery company Insilico Medicine and University of Toronto biochemist and molecular geneticist Igor Stagljar will test AI-designed molecules against "undruggable" cancer targets.
The research will test 15 to 20 undruggable targets - but are they undruggable? And how does AI work in the drug discovery process?
This week, we have a conversation with Kyle Tretina, Alliance Manager of AI Platforms at Insilico Medicine, on a wide range of subjects including drug discovery, undruggable targets, the collaboration with the University of Toronto, and more.
00:58-05:11: About Insilico Medicine
05:11-06:09: Why is AI in the news?
06:09-07:39: Helping people through AI
07:39-09:10: What is Insilico Medicine doing with AI?
09:10-10:15: Does Insilico Medicine take drugs from idea to trials?
10:15-11:32: How do your partnerships come about?
11:32-19:34: How does drug development start with AI?
19:34-24:43: Can AI address undruggable targets?
24:43-25:05: What do you need to do after finding a potential drug?
25:05-27:57: Can quantum computing aid drug development?
27:57-30:13: How can AI help reduce costs and save time?
30:13-32:56: What is your partnership with the University of Toronto?
32:56-36:24: What is the timescale for introducing drugs from AI?
36:24-37:29: What conditions are you working on?Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!
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Aurion Biotech is a US biotech with a regenerative medicine platform, developing novel therapies to restore vision to millions of people in need.
This week on the podcast, we have a conversation with CEO Greg Kunst about Aurion’s pipeline, and how the company’s treatment could be the first mass-market cell therapy available.
The FDA has granted the company BTD and RMAT designations for AURN001 -- the first-ever allogeneic cell therapy candidate in development to restore vision in patients with corneal endothelial disease. This is a condition with around 16 million patients in the US, Japan and Europe alone. The current standard of care is currently transplant surgery.
Aurion's proprietary process can turn cells from one donor cornea into more than treatments, with the potential to scale to more than 1,000, closing the gap on the global shortage of donor corneas.
Aurion recently completed enrollment of a phase 1/2 trial in the US and Canada.
00:43-01:53: About Aurion
01:53-03:12: What are allogeneic cell therapies?
03:12-04:11: Why is the eye a good target for allogeneic cell therapy?
04:11-06:16: What is corneal endothelial disease?
06:16-07:18: Is corneal endothelial disease genetic or just age related?
07:18-09:22: Is transplant surgery the only option?
09:22-10:58: Are other companies working on corneal endothelial disease treatments?
10:58-12:26: How does your treatment work?
12:26-13:36: Does your treatment alleviate the shortage of corneas?
13:36-15:47: How would you get your treatments around the world?
15:47-17:02: Could these treatments extend to other diseases?
17:02-18:36: What do you need for a mass market treatment?
18:36-19:36: Will there always be a need for this treatment?
19:36-21:12: Is your treatment easy to administer?
21:12-22:41: What do the FDA designations mean for Aurion?
22:41-24:38: Where are you with clinical trials?Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!
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LabGenius is a drug discovery company developing next-generation therapeutic antibodies.
The company’s discovery platform, EVA, integrates several technologies drawn from the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), robotic automation and synthetic biology.
LabGenius operates under a hybrid business model that involves partnering with large biotech and pharma companies while pursuing its own wholly-owned therapeutic pipeline.
The company recently closed a £35 million Series B financing round, bringing its total funding to date to £58 million.
The hype around generative AI and machine learning is driving unprecedented investor interest in AI. But are investors, and other drug discovery biotech companies, knowledgeable about AI and its role in drug discovery? To look at how AI is making a difference in medicine, and where the hype doesn’t meet expectations, we had a conversation with LabGenius founder and CEO, Dr. James Field.
01:09-02:38: About LabGenius
02:38-05:45: What does your recent funding mean for your AI platform and pipeline?
05:45-08:14: Do the terms AI and ML create and confusion?
08:14-10:06: The positives of AI in drug discovery
10:06-11:07: How to ask the right questions for AI to work
11:07-12:44: Are investors up to speed on the use of AI in medicine?
12:44-14:09: Where can AI help the most in the drug discovery process?
14:09-15:18: Are there any areas where AI is just hype?
15:18-16:37: Are you working towards clinical trials?
16:37-19:16: How do companies plan an AI strategy?
19:16-19:57: How useful are results from AI?
19:57-21:48: Should companies outsource AI?
21:48-23:02: Do investors need advice on investment in AI companies?
23:02-24:02: How do you see the evolution of AI in drug discovery?
24:02-25:27: And how do you see the evolution of LabGenius?Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!
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Acute on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a significant healthcare issue with high unmet needs for patients and clinicians, and a massive burden for healthcare systems. It cost more than $6bn in the US alone in 2021, with a drastic increase over the last 10 years.
Genfit is a late-stage biopharma company taking on rare, life-threatening liver diseases with a range of therapeutic targets based on pathophysiology. The company has five assets in its portfolio, from preclinical up to phase 2.
Its ACLF portfolio includes five assets under development: VS-01, NTZ, SRT-015, CLM-022 and VS-02-HE, based on complementary mechanisms of action using different routes of administration. Other assets target other diseases, such as cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), urea cycle disorder (UCD) and organic acidemia (OA).
Genfit carried out a successful 52-week phase 3 ELATIVE study evaluating elafibranor in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC).
It also has a diagnostic franchise including NIS2+ in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH, formerly known as NASH or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) and TS-01 focusing on blood ammonia levels.
On the podcast this week to talk to us about the latest in liver disease treatment is Dean Hum, the chief scientific officer at Genfit.
00:45-05:09: About Genfit
05:09-06:59: What is acute on-chronic liver disease (ACLF)?
06:59-08:30: What is the prognosis for those with ACLF?
08:30-08:52: Are there any current treatments for ACLF?
08:52-10:13: What is EF-CLIF?
10:13-12:41: What is the EASL-CLIF general assembly?
12:41-14:01: What is your connection to Ipsen’s work with elafibrinor?
14:01-16:00: Why has there been so little work on ACLF?
16:00-16:46: Are others working on ACLF?
16:46-19:25: What is your approach to developing ACLF treatments?
19:25-24:31: How do your ACLF treatments work?
24:31-25:08: Will you need to do trials on the effect of the combination of your assets?
25:08-28:37: What are your hopes for patients with ACLF? -
The field of radiotherapeutics is a hot topic currently, and so who better to talk about the subject than Ken Herrmann, a radiopharmaceutical academic expert, who is Professor of Nuclear Medicine at the Universitätsklinikum Essen, in Essen Germany, and two people from the company Molecular Partners: Patrick Amstutz, who is a co-founder and the CEO, and Dani Steiner, SVP of R&D.
Molecular Partners recently shared a preclinical package supporting MP0712, its radioligand candidate. Based on the small protein class they pioneered, DARPins, the company is looking to tackle the historic kidney toxicity of small protein vectors while preserving a good binding and specificity profile.
This will have repercussions across its radioligand (or Radio-DARPin) portfolio, which has programs in partnership with Novartis and (in the case of MP0712) Orano Med. MP0712's key tumor target is DLL3, also the target of tarlatamab, the first bispecific against DLL3, which was approved recently.
The program is focused on small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC), a highly aggressive lung cancer with a five-year survival rate of about 3%. Molecular Partners said its data show strong and homogenous tumor uptake of 212PB-DLL3 targeted MP0712, as well as significant and durable inhibition of tumor growth.
The data also show good tolerance at all dosing levels and an enhanced tumor-to-kidney uptake ratio. MP0712 is the first Radio-DARPin expected to enter the clinic with first-in-human data expected in 2025.
01:12-04:20: About Molecular Partners
04:20-06:34: What are radiotherapeutics, and what can they treat?
06:34-11:36: What are some of the challenges facing radiopharma?
11:36-13:20: Has there been a shortage of radioligands?
13:20-16:38: How has Molecular Partners addressed challenges?
16:38-27:59: What was the SNMMI conference, and what did it address?
27:59-32:50: Where are you at with clinical trials?
32:50-34:11: What do you see as the current trends?
34:11-35:54: How are the treatments delivered to patients?
35:54-36:50: How frequently are treatments needed?
36:50-39:03: Where is radiotherapy headed?
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US-based biotech company Priovant Therapeutics is dedicated to developing novel therapies for autoimmune diseases with high morbidity and few available treatment options.
The company's lead asset, brepocitinib, is a dual selective inhibitor of TYK2 and JAK1. Through dual TYK2/JAK1 inhibition, brepocitinib suppresses key cytokines linked to autoimmunity—including type I IFN, type II IFN, IL6, IL12, and IL23—with a single, targeted therapy.
Brepocitinib has generated positive data in seven phase 2 studies with oral once-daily administration. It is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 program for dermatomyositis and is entering a phase 3 program for non-infectious uveitis.
This week on the podcast we have a conversation with Priovant’s CEO Benjamin Zimmer about dermatomyositis, non-infectious uveitis, current treatments, potential options, and how brepocitinib is making a difference.
00:55-02:34: About Priovant
02:34-06:38: What are dermatomyositis and non-infectious uveitis?
06:38-08:35: What are the current treatments?
08:35-12:32: What is brepocitinib?
12:32-15:36: Are there other treatments in development?
15:36-17:50: What is your relationship with Pfizer?
17:50-20:48: Brepocitinib clinical trials
20:48-24:06: Future plans and timeline
24:06-27:59: Finding patients for clinical trials
27:59-29:19: Future opportunities
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Heidelberg Pharma is a clinical stage biotech company developing antibody drug conjugates (ADCs).
Its lead amanitin-based ADC product candidate, HDP-101, targets relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. HDP-101 recently received orphan drug designation; it is currently in a phase I/IIa clinical trial, demonstrating first signs of clinical efficacy.
The company is also expanding its therapeutic product pipeline with a further four programs across a variety of malignant hematologic and solid tumors.To tell us about how HDP-101 works, and what Heidelberg Pharma is doing in the space, we had a conversation with the company’s CEO, Prof. Andreas Pahl.
00:55-02:05: About Heidelberg Pharma
02:05-03:41: What are antibody-drug conjugates?
03:41-05:27: Why are antibody-drug conjugates in the news currently?
05:27-06:15: What is big pharma’s involvement in the field?
06:15-07:04: Will there be more antibody-drug conjugate approvals?
07:04-08:42: What can antibody-drug conjugates be used to treat?
08:42-09:48: How do you avoid toxicity issues?
09:48-10:31: How important is the linker?
10:31-12:06: What is alpha-amanitin?
12:06-13:28: How do you make a toxin not toxic?
13:28-14:11: What tumor types can be targeted?
14:11-15:59: How do you discover a toxin can treat a disease?
15:59-17:38: How is alpha-amanitin delivered?
17:38-19:27: Is alpha-amanitin a monotherapy?
19:27-22:16: What clinical trials are you doing?
22:16-23:31: What are the next steps now you have orphan drug designation?
23:31-24:14: What are the timelines?
24:14-25:36: Where are antibody-drug conjugates headed?
25:36-27:14: Are AI and machine learning making an impact?Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here!
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