

Business Of Biotech
Ben Comer
The Business of Biotech is the pod dedicated to leaders of emerging biopharma firms. SUBSCRIBE to our new newsletter at www.bioprocessonline.com/bob. We bring you insight into organizational, finance and funding, HR, clinical, manufacturing, regulatory, and commercial challenges you’ll face as you navigate your company from an idea to success in the clinic and beyond. Each episode features guest commentary and best practices from accomplished founders and biopharma industry luminaries. The Business of Biotech is produced by Life Science Connect.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 22, 2021 • 48min
Cornering The Antibody Market With Akesobio CEO Dr. Michelle Xia, Ph.D.
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. In business for just a decade, Akesobio's stats are mindboggling: 20 drug development programs, including 12 antibodies in clinical-stage development, six bi-specific antibodies (two at clinical stage), four antibodies with IND approvals from the FDA, and 22 clinical trials initiated. The company's CEO, Michelle Xia, Ph.D., sat down with the Business of Biotech for a conversation about how the company has managed such supercharged growth.Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

Nov 15, 2021 • 50min
Turning The Liver Into A mAb Factory With Homology's Arthur Tzianabos, Ph.D.
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Homology Medicines' approaches to gene therapy and gene editing have the potential to seriously disrupt both the cell/gene therapy space and the mAb manufacturing and administration paradigms as we know them. On this episode of the Business of Biotech, Homology President & CEO Arthur Tzianabos, Ph.D. shares the company's approach and supports its rationale for investing in its own development and manufacturing capacity. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

Nov 8, 2021 • 42min
Maximizing mRNA With Precision Nanosystems' James Taylor, Ph.D.
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Dr. James Taylor believes that genomic medicine will prove the most revolutionary thing the life sciences industries have ever seen, and that it will ultimately become the largest therapeutic class. Dr. Taylor is president an CEO at Precision Nanosystems. He chalks up the genomic nature of biology, the fact that genomes are information-based, the breadth and validation of the genomic medicine toolbox, and the democratization of genomic medicine development as reasons to be bullish. Join Dr. Taylor and me for a conversation on why RNA and DNA delivery are game-changers, and what Precision Nanosystems is doing to push the ball downfield. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

Nov 1, 2021 • 55min
Foundations Of Flexible Manufacturing With Sarepta Therapeutics' Brian Winstead
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Is "flexible manufacturing" just another empty buzz concept concocted by the biopharma equipment marketing community, or does it demonstrate real benefit to bioprocess pros and their companies? On this episode, we sit down with Sarepta Therapeutics Director of Pharmaceutical Engineering Brian Winstead and Project Farma VP Tony Khoury to discuss what flexible manufacturing means, where it works, and where it doesn't. Listen in as Winstead shares the flexible manufacturing philosophy at Sarepta. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

Oct 25, 2021 • 48min
The CDMO Capacity Crunch With Discovery Labs' Audrey Greenberg and Iovance Biotherapeutics' Sumit Verma
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. While nary a day goes by without a shovel breaking ground on a new CDMO buildout, biopharmas remain hard-pressed to secure the outsourced manufacturing space and expertise needed to meet timelines, satisfy investors, and drive competitive advantage. On this episode of the Business of Biotech, we're tackling the CDMO capacity crunch from every angle in a spirited discussion with Discovery Labs & Center for Breakthrough Medicines Co-Founder Audrey Greenberg, Iovance SVP of Commercial Manufacturing Sumit Verma, and Project Farma CEO Anshul Mangal.Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

Oct 18, 2021 • 37min
The Clinical Trials Conundrum with Allan Shaw
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. The clinical trials status quo is a roadblock. They're slow, they're inefficient, and they're expensive. On this episode of the Business of Biotech, friend and frequent guest Allan Shaw shares some strong opinions on what's wrong with clinical trials, and what the industry (read: you) and the FDA need to do to make them right. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

Oct 11, 2021 • 36min
CMC Developability Assessments For Rapid Ph.1 Entry with AltruBio's Gene Lee, Ph.D.
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Fresh on the heels of an outstanding talk with AltruBio President & CEO Judy Chou, Ph.D., the company's VP of Technology Development, Gene Lee, Ph.D., joins the Business of Biotech for a deep dive into the importance of CMC developability assessments. On this episode we cover the key points CMC developability assessments must address, when to begin them, how to go about them efficiently, and why they're integral to early milestones and rapid entry into Phase 1 clinical trials. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

Oct 4, 2021 • 35min
CDMO With A Pipeline with Forge Biologics President & CEO Dr. Timothy J. Miller
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Inspired to develop a treatment for Infantile Krabbe Disease, the founders of Forge Biologics picked a unique but strategic approach to funding the initiative. They built a CDMO that aims to become one of the largest on the planet in the cell and gene therapy space. On this week's episode of the Business of Biotech podcast, co-founder, President, & CEO Timothy J. Miller, Ph.D. joins us to discuss the strategy, why it was a no-brainer given the white-hot market for contract development and manufacturing space, the state of the biologics manufacturing capacity crunch, and what companies like Forge are doing about it. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

Sep 27, 2021 • 45min
Building A DNA Delivery System With Poseida Tx CEO Eric Ostertag, M.D., Ph.D.
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Eric Ostertag, M.D., Ph.D., wanted to launch a biotech. When University of Pennsylvania department heads said no to a licensing deal for lack of a CEO, Dr. Ostertag convinced them he could run the company. Many bold moves later, Dr. Ostertag is founder and CEO at Poseida Therapeutics, a company that's doing things never seen before in the field of CAR T-cell and gene therapies for multiple myeloma and prostate cancer. On this week's episode of The Business of Biotech, Dr. Ostertag gives us a tour of the architecture supporting Poseida's unique 3-tiered development and manufacturing platform. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

Sep 20, 2021 • 45min
From Bayer To Startup Bio With AltruBio's Dr. Judy Chou
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Judy Chou, Ph.D. was a big-pharma MVP. She earned her academic stripes in the hallowed halls of Yale, the Max Planck Institute, and Harvard Medical School before taking on principal scientist roles at AbbVie, Pfizer, and Genentech. That experience parlayed into SVP positions at Tanvex, Medvation, back to Pfizer, and on to Bayer, where she was most recently SVP and Global Head of Biotech before taking the leap into the startup scene as President & CEO at AltruBio in 2020. On today's episode of the Business of Biotech, Dr. Chou shares personal and professional insight into how she's applied what she learned in Big Bio to transform a clinical-stage developer of mAbs designed to treat a broad range of immunological diseases.Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/


