Biotech 2050 Podcast

Rachel Meyers serves as the chief scientific officer at Faze Medicines. She was most recently an entrepreneur-in-residence at Third Rock Ventures (TRV), where she helped drive the creation of Faze Medicines. Rachel brings more than twenty years of drug discovery and development expertise to Faze and is an expert in the development of RNAi therapeutics. Prior to joining Faze and TRV, she served as a biotech consultant in the Greater Boston area and served as SVP Research and RNAi Lead Development at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals where she spent over 13 years. Prior to Alnylam, Rachel was a senior scientist at Millennium Pharmaceuticals. She also serves on several scientific advisory boards, consults on nucleic acid therapeutic development, is listed as an inventor on many patents and patent applications, and has numerous peer-reviewed publications. She completed her postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School in the field of signal transduction and received her PhD from MIT in the field of in vitro transcription. Rachel also enjoys participating in women-in-science panels and events, teaching at Harvard and Brandeis, contributing in ED&I initiatives and playing a variety of sports, particularly racket sports. When Rachel isn’t engaged in one of the many things above, she is traipsing around the world with her husband and 2 kids.

Mr. Culley joined Lineage as Chief Executive Officer in September 2018. Prior to joining Lineage, Mr. Culley served from August 2017 to September 2018 as interim Chief Executive Officer at Artemis Therapeutics, Inc. (ATMS). Mr. Culley previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Mast Therapeutics, Inc. (MSTX), from 2010, and was also a member of its board of directors from 2011, until Mast’s merger with Savara, Inc. (SVRA) in April 2017. Mr. Culley served from 2007 to 2010 as Mast’s Chief Business Officer and Senior Vice President, from 2006 to 2007 as Mast’s Senior Vice President, Business Development, and from 2004 to 2006 as Mast’s Vice President, Business Development. From 2002 until 2004, Mr. Culley was Director of Business Development and Marketing for Immusol, Inc. From 1999 until 2000, he worked at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Department of Technology Transfer & Intellectual Property Services and from 1996 to 1999 he conducted drug development research for Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NBIX). Mr. Culley has also served on the Board of Orphagen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. since May 2017. Mr. Culley has more than 25 years of business and scientific experience in the life sciences industry. He received a B.S. in biology from Boston College, a masters in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an M.B.A. from The Johnson School of Business at Cornell University. Mr. Culley brings to our Board significant knowledge of the biotechnology industry and extensive experience as an executive and board member of publicly traded pharmaceutical companies.

Timothy Kieffer Dr. Kieffer has a deep knowledge of gene and cell therapies, regenerative medicine, diabetes applied research, and industry experience. As Chief Scientific Officer, he leads ViaCyte’s scientific team focused on delivering and commercializing clinical interventions for diabetes. Prior to joining ViaCyte, Dr. Kieffer oversaw the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Medicine with a focus on the development of novel gene and cell therapy approaches to treat diabetes at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Kieffer holds patents in the field and has co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications that collectively have been cited more than 20,000 times. He co-founded enGene, a biotech developing non-viral gene therapies. He received his Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of British Columbia and completed his post-doctoral training in Molecular Endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kieffer received the Diabetes Canada Young Scientist Award and was elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Previously, he spent a year on sabbatical at the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, Japan. Manasi Sinha Jaiman Dr. Jaiman has significant expertise in both drug and device development. Prior to joining ViaCyte as Vice President, Head of Clinical Development, Dr. Jaiman was Senior Medical Director at Covance/LabCorp working on clinical trials in diabetes as well as building the medical device department. She was also an attending physician at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where she was responsible for the clinical care of type 1 and type 2 diabetes pediatric patients. Dr. Jaiman remains on faculty at MGH. Before joining Covance, she was involved in a variety of diabetes and obesity-related clinical research activities. In particular, she served as a co-investigator for the development of a closed-loop system at MGH for several adult and pediatric trials, evaluating improvements in glycemic control using a bihormonal, dual-chambered “bionic pancreas” programmed to deliver insulin and glucagon in response to real-time glucose sensor monitoring data. She was also a co-investigator in the development of a stable glucagon formulation using hyperinsulinemic-normoglycemic clamp techniques. Other research contributions included development of intradermal delivery of insulin and glucagon using a novel microneedle device, metabolic effects of gastric bypass surgery in young patients, and pharmacokinetic studies on multiple insulin types. Dr. Jaiman received her M.D. from Medical University of South Carolina and M.P.H. from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine with a focus on Health Systems Management. She completed her pediatric residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and endocrinology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, with a focus on type 1 diabetes research.

Dr. Ying Huang currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Legend Biotech. He sits on the Board of Directors of Legend, as well as Quanta Therapeutics. Dr. Huang brings over 9 years of experience in research and development at major multi-national pharmaceutical companies and 12 years of experience as a biotechnology analyst on Wall Street. Dr. Huang was a Managing Director and Head of Biotech Equity Research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch where he led a team of analysts covering more than 30 biotechnology companies that encompass a wide range of therapeutic areas. His knowledge and expertise have been recognized by the Institutional Investor survey as a top ranked biotechnology analyst on Wall Street. Dr. Huang previously worked at Wachovia, Credit Suisse, Gleacher and Barclays before joining Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Besides providing investment research to investors, Dr. Huang and his team conducted due diligence for numerous successful initial public offerings (IPOs) and follow-on offerings in the biotechnology sector. Prior to his Wall Street career, Dr. Huang was a Principal Scientist at Schering-Plough in the Department of Chemical Research focusing on small molecule drug discovery in the therapeutic areas of cardiovascular and central nervous system. He is the co-author of multiple patents and peer reviewed publications. Dr. Huang received his Doctor of Philosophy in Bio-organic Chemistry from Columbia University. He also studied in the Special Class for the Gifted Young at the University of Science and Technology of China and Columbia Business School.

Eli de los Pinos is the founding CEO of Aura, which she has created from the ground up: She developed the company concept and has spearheaded fundraising efforts, and today, she continues to lead Aura’s strategy and operations. Prior to founding Aura, she worked in Eli Lilly & Co.’s oncology business unit, where she was part of the leadership team responsible for the market launch in Europe of Alimta, a drug for the treatment of lung cancer. Earlier in her career, Eli worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute of Cancer Research in London. She previously completed fellowships at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine Institute of Molecular Medicine and at the Georgetown School of Medicine. Eli holds a Ph.D., magna cum laude, in Molecular Biology from the University of Barcelona and an MBA from IE Business School. She is a member of the board of overseers at the Museum of Science, Boston. Eli has also been named to Boston Business Journal’s 2009 “Top 40 under 40” list; as a Mass High Tech “Woman to Watch” in 2010; as a “Technology Pioneer” by the World Economic Forum in 2010; and as one of Goldman Sachs’ “100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs” in 2014.

Brad Margus is co-founder and Executive Chairman of Cerevance, a drug discovery company advancing a robust pipeline of targeted treatments for patients with neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. The company's lead program, CVN424, has recently shown significant and clinically meaningful efficacy and safety in a 135-patient, phase 2 clinical study for Parkinson’s Disease. Investors include Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Google Ventures, Bill Gates, Casdin Capital, Lightstone Ventures, Foresite Capital, UPMC Enterprises, Dolby Ventures and the Dementia Discovery Fund. In 2013, Margus started Genome Bridge, a non-profit subsidiary of the Broad Institute of Harvard and M.I.T., to build a computational platform for sharing genomic data. From 2009 to 2012, as co-founder and CEO of Envoy Therapeutics, Margus led the discovery of therapeutics for brain diseases and then sold the company to Takeda Pharmaceuticals. From 2000 to 2007, Margus was co-founder and CEO of Perlegen Sciences, a leader in analyzing genetic variation. Concurrent with his business career, for the last 25+ years, Margus has worked as a volunteer in founding and leading the A-T Children’s Project, a non-profit that orchestrates and funds research on a rare disease - ataxia telangiectasia or "A-T" - that two of his sons have. A-T causes progressive loss of muscle control, cancer and immune system problems. One supported project involves testing an antisense oligonucleotide gene therapy approach for A-T. Margus currently serves on the Boards of Arvinas (Nasdaq: ARVN), a protein degradation company; Presage Bio, an oncology company; and Neurona, a cell therapy company. He also serves as Co-chair of the Network for Excellence in Neuroscience Clinical Trials External Oversight Board at the Nat'l. Institutes of Health. Margus previously served on the Advisory Council to the National Inst. of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; the Secretary of HHS's Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health and Society; the Board of the Genetic Alliance, representing hundreds of genetic disease advocacy organizations; the Nat'l. Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Advisory Council at the NIH, the Cure Acceleration Network Review Board; as a Harvard Business School Global Advisor, as an advisor to Counsyl (acquired by Myriad Genetics); on the Board of Children’s Neurobiological Solutions; the Board of Cellular Research, a molecular biology tool company (acquired by Becton Dickinson); the Board of Second Genome, a microbiome company; the Board of Global Genes, a non-profit supporting all rare diseases; and on the Stanford University School of Medicine’s Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee. Margus holds an MBA from Harvard.

Dr. Aoife Brennan is an experienced physician scientist and drug developer responsible for the successful clinical development and registration of multiple transformative medicines. Aoife has served as Synlogic’s president and chief executive officer since May 2018. She joined Synlogic in September 2016 as chief medical officer. Prior to Synlogic, Aoife spent six years at Biogen, most recently as vice president and head of the Rare Disease Innovation Unit, developing programs from pre-clinical to commercial. She has led programs across multiple therapeutic areas including the successful late phase development & registration of SPINRAZA® (nusinersen) for spinal muscular atrophy and ALPROLIX® and ELOCTATE® for Hemophilia B and Hemophilia A, respectively. Aoife serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Cerevance and Fibrogen, Inc, and previously served on the Board of Directors of Ra Pharmaceuticals until it’s acquisition by UCB. Earlier in her career, Aoife led clinical development at Tolerx, a start-up biotech company focusing on immunotherapy for Type 1 diabetes. Aoife holds a medical degree from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and has completed post-graduate training in internal medicine, endocrinology and metabolism. She has completed post-doctoral training in clinical research and metabolism at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and is a graduate of the Harvard Medical School Scholars in Clinical Science Program.

Mr. Gergen was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Poseida in February 2022. He joined Poseida in February 2018, initially serving as Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer before being named President and Chief Business Officer in July 2020. He has been a member of the Company’s board of directors since 2018. Mr. Gergen was previously the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Halozyme, Inc. and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Mirati Therapeutics, Inc. Previously he served in senior management positions, including as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, at Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He also served in senior management positions at CardioNet Inc., Advanced Tissue Sciences, Inc., and Medtronic, Inc. Mr. Gergen received a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School and a B.A. in business administration from Minot State University.

Timothy J. Miller, Ph.D. CEO, President and Co-Founder Timothy Miller is CEO, President and Co-Founder of Forge Biologics, Inc., a VC-backed gene therapy development engine focused on accelerating access to potentially life-saving AAV gene therapies. Prior to founding Forge, Dr. Miller co-founded Abeona Therapeutics, a rare disease gene and cell therapy company. He served as Abeona’s CEO and President from 2012-early 2018, taking the company public in 2015. He is a proven biotech leader with experience in driving gene therapy pipeline development, regulatory strategy, investor relations, M&A activities, licensing, GMP manufacturing, clinical development, and leading stakeholder/shareholder engagement. Dr. Miller has over 20+ years of business development, scientific research, product development and clinical operations expertise, with a focus on transitioning novel gene and cell therapies through pre-clinical and Phase 3 human clinical trials. He is an avid patient-centric drug developer and entrepreneur. Dr. Miller earned degrees in Pharmacology (Ph.D.) and Biology/Molecular Science (M.S. and B.S.) from John Carroll University. Erandi De Silva, Ph.D. Co-Founder & Senior Vice President of Product Development Erandi De Silva is Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Product Development at Forge Biologics. She is an experienced scientist and entrepreneur, with 10+ years of experience in discovery research, therapeutic development, and partnering across oncology, infectious disease, and gene therapy. Prior to founding Forge, Dr. De Silva held leadership roles in both academic and industry settings, including at Myonexus Therapeutics. She earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Princeton University, where she was awarded the Procter Fellowship in recognition of exceptional research, and her B.S., with honors, from Stanford University. Dr. De Silva was also a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Genentech.

Our guest this week is one of our hosts, Alok Tayi, and he has some exciting news. The official launch of his new company, Vibe Biotechnology, building a global community of patients, scientists, and partners around a shared mission to cure rare diseases. Vibe Bio's novel approach seeks to scale the development of treatments sustainably and provides patient communities unprecedented ownership over the results. Alok is a scientist by trade, with over 15 years under his belt including a PhD at Northwestern - and time spent at Harvard under a successful biotech founder. He then went on to start multiple biotech software companies - securing over $100M in total venture funding along the way. Through his own personal and professional experience, Alok has realized that the families of patients with rare diseases have plenty of hope - but what they need is help. Not necessarily finding the right potential therapeutic option - but actually funding it. That’s where the Vibe community steps in - vetting out which drug development programs have the highest potential and financing the process via crypto token sales. Tapping into the crypto market opens up a wealth of new opportunities when it comes to tackling some of these major rare diseases. Vibe’s aim is to give families not only the community of support - but the genuine power to pursue a cure for any rare disease at scale - an issue that impacts 1 in 10 Americans. Sit back, relax, and we hope you enjoy this enlightening conversation between Alok and our wonderful guest host Susanna Harris, PhD.