Beyond Biotech - the podcast from Labiotech

Resalis Therapeutics is pursuing a groundbreaking approach to obesity treatment. Unlike current therapies that primarily focus on appetite suppression, Resalis’ lead program, RES-010, is a non-coding RNA drug candidate that targets underlying biological pathways to promote sustainable weight loss. By enhancing energy expenditure through white-to-brown adipose tissue conversion while preserving muscle mass, RES-010 is positioned as an ideal standalone therapy or a synergistic option for ...

02-21

29:56

CatalYm is preparing to initiate its broad phase 2b clinical development program for visugromab to tackle multiple solid tumor indications. Visugromab is a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes the tumor-derived growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), a locally acting immunosuppressant fostering immunotherapy resistance. Neutralizing GDF-15 with visugromab reverses key cancer resistance mechanisms to reinstate an efficient anti-tumor response by reenabling immune cell activation...

02-14

21:24

In the fall of 2024, Haya Therapeutics, based in Switzerland and San Diego, landed a $1bn deal with Eli Lilly to apply its long non-coding RNA (ncRNA) technology to obesity. The company’s lead candidate, HTX-001, is making progress towards the clinic in cardiomyopathy. CEO Samir is one of the first researchers to publish on lncRNA – which is also known as the Dark Genome This week, our podcast guest is Samir Ounzain, CEO and co-founder of Haya Therapeutics. Ounzain was one of the first resear...

02-07

32:32

Solid tumors present a big challenge for current treatments. However, a new approach might provide the answers - Tumor Activated Therapy. By targeting specific proteins common in all solid tumor micro-environments, Seekyo scientists think this can induce self-destruction of the tumor itself. Seekyo’s lead therapy, SKY01, can only be activated within the tumor, making it a highly-targeted solution. This differentiated approach overcomes the limits of existing treatments, such as small mo...

01-31

31:22

This week, we take a look at some of the highlights from the 43rd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, which took place in San Francisco recently. While there weren’t necessarily many financial blockbusters, there were plenty of announcements and discussions on everything from artificial intelligence to the rising influence of Chinese companies and research, to the potential ramifications of the incoming Trump administration in the U.S. To help us navigate some of the highlights of the e...

01-24

19:57

Jessica Owens and Iana Dimkova are co-founders of Initiate Ventures—a female-led venture capital firm and studio that launched recently with a $45 million debut fund. Initiate Ventures is shaking up the traditional venture capital model by blending investments in healthcare, life sciences, and technology with a company creation platform. The company is tackling some of the most pressing challenges in healthcare, and their innovative approach offers fresh insights into what it takes to scale t...

01-17

37:22

Brixton Biosciences, a clinical-stage life sciences company spun out from Massachusetts General Brigham, has been awarded $2m from the NIH HEAL Initiative to support the development of non-opioid, injectable pain relief solutions. As part of the NIH's efforts to tackle the U.S. opioid crisis, the funding will advance research into safer, drug-free alternatives to opioid pain management. Brixton’s Neural Ice is an injectable, drug-free pain management technology designed to provide long-lastin...

01-10

33:01

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 January 3rd, 2025! Have an awesome holiday season! On this podcast, we speak to Artiva Biotherapeutics’ CEO, Fred Aslan, M.D. The company has demonstrated the potential for efficacy and safety with natural killer (NK) cells in two cancer clinical trials. In August 2023, the company announced FDA clearance for an IND for lupus – marking a first for a...

12-27

28:59

Our guest on the podcast this week is John Cassidy, director of life sciences and healthtech investments at SoftBank Vision Fund. Softbank Vision Fund is the world’s largest technology-focused investment fund, with $166bn assets under management, and a portfolio of more than 250 companies. In the discussion, we cover investment trends within life sciences, the European health and biotech scene, as well as the precise applications of new and emerging AI technologies. We also look ahead to what...

12-20

39:04

There is a constant risk of severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reactions for individuals with peanut allergies, which leads to significant physical, social, and emotional burdens. IgGenix, a clinical-stage immunology biotechnology company, recently announced the first patient dosed in its phase 1 trial evaluating IGNX001, a novel monoclonal antibody-based therapeutic, for peanut allergy. Designed to neutralize the most clinically important peanut allergens and epitopes, IGNX0...

12-13

31:06

ambiom is a life science commercial-advisory business development company based in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava. The company helps its corporate clients with their product strategy, in- and out-licensing efforts, including asset valuation (NPV, rNPV), M&A scouting, complex due diligence and dealmaking. ambiom also provides input on regulatory matters, support in pricing and reimbursement decisions and communication with decision-making authorities. The company guides products from ...

12-06

37:43

Biological control company Oxitec recently launched Sparks, a new platform designed to rapidly scale Wolbachia replacement technology to take on dengue fever. Backed by a multi-million-dollar investment from the Gates Foundation, Sparks adds to Oxitec’s Aedes aegypti technology, called Friendly, which is taking on dengue fever in Brazil. With mosquito-borne diseases on the rise, Oxitec’s Friendly mosquitoes are designed to suppress populations of disease-spreading mosquitoes and, in tur...

11-29

35:59

Immunology is a key area in biotech and biopharma, both in terms of R&D and sales. However, according to UK-headquartered Greywolf Therapeutics, the industry has only focused on two-thirds of the puzzle. To have an immunological effect, you must activate the body’s T cells, which cells requires a chain of three key signals. The first is antigen recognition, i.e. the initial detection of a cell by a T-cell. The second is the co-stimulation of non-antigen presenting molecules, which enhance...

11-22

24:04

The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) is a non-profit medical research organization dedicated to the development and effective use of products like drugs, vaccines and monoclonal antibodies to address substantial global health concerns, for which investment incentives are limited, including malaria, tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases, and diseases that impact maternal, newborn, and child health. This week, our guest is Dr Claire Wagner, head of corporate strategy a...

11-15

38:10

This week, we are taking a look at an important subject, and that is women working as CEOs, or other senior roles, in the biotech space. Kate Yen is the CEO of oncology biotech Auron Therapeutics, and she has spent her entire career in science. Auron is working on the next generation of targeted cancer therapies by identifying and inhibiting the oncogenic cell states of cancer. Auron’s AURIGIN platform uses AI and machine learning to compare normal cell states with cancerous cell ...