Personalized Medicine Podcast

Dear listeners,This is a bittersweet moment for us. With this episode, we conclude the Personalized Medicine Podcast series. We would like to thank all of you for staying with us over the last 3 years! This has been an amazing ride and we appreciate your constant support and feedback. We hope you enjoyed listening to this show as much as we enjoyed making it for you.In this final episode, our team sits down once more to remember how it all started and how the team came together over these years. We share our most memorable podcast moments and words of gratitude to our guests and listeners. Thank you so much for being with us on this journey! Stay tuned for our next projects.Sincerely yours,Oleksandr (aka Sasha), Luisa, Aradhana, Ivana, Ting and Mehar

In this episode of the Personalized Medicine Podcast we sat down with Dr. Victor Bustos, the co-founder and COO of Refoxy Pharma, a pharmaceutical company focused on new therapies for age-related diseases.Victor is a molecular biologist by training and dedicated his research career to understanding the biology of aging. In this interview, we discuss the role of FOXO transcription factors in regulating lifespan, Victor's transition from academia to the world of biotech start-ups and his progress with Refoxy Pharma.

Welcome to the next episode of the Personalized Medicine Podcast. In this episode, our host Aradhana sat down for a conversation with Dr Ali Aghebat Rafat, Scientist at Tilibit Nanosystems. Aradhana and Ali discussed DNA nanostructures, DNA self-assembly, barcoding, biochips and their potential applications in Personalized Medicine.Tune in to this episode to learn more about:  ◦ Tilibit Nanosystems and their mission  ◦ Application areas of DNA origami in diagnostics  ◦ What is DNA Paint  ◦ A day in a life of a start-up scientist  ◦ Role of nucleic acid nanostructures in Personalized Medicine   ◦ The outlook on the future of DNA origami technology

Welcome to the next episode of the Personalized Medicine Podcast. In this episode, our host Aradhana talked to Martin Rabel, the Field Application Scientist at Precision Nanosystems, about nanoparticles, microfluidics, gene delivery in the context of personalized medicine.Tune in to this episode to learn more about: ◦ Precision Nanosystems and their mission ◦ Role of nanoparticles and microfluidics in Personalized Medicine ◦ Next-Gen microfluidics technologies ◦ Application of nanoparticles in pharmaceutical applications ◦ Challenges in developing RNA-based lipid nanoparticles ◦ Role of regulatory bodies in implementation of personalized medicine approaches ◦ The outlook on the future of personalized medicineGet in touch with Martin: ◦ LinkedIn: Martin Rabel ◦ Twitter: @rabel_martin

In this episode we dive deep into the world of structural biology. We discuss the role of cryogenic electron microscopy in the development of precision medicines with the founder and CEO of Gandeeva Therapeutics, Dr. Sriram Subramaniam. Cryo-EM opened a new way to study drug-target interactions and is changing the way we develop new therapies.Tune into our interview with Sriram to learn more about: ◦ The founding story of Gandeeva Therapeutics ◦ The evolution of Cryo-EM technology ◦ Application of Cryo-EM in drug discovery ◦ Advantages of Cryo-EM over crystallography im mapping protein structures ◦ Making sense of experimental data with AI and machine learning ◦ The future of personalized medicine and role of structural biology in it ◦ Sriram’s advice for budding life science entrepreneurs

In this next podcast episode we dive into a topic of personalized skincare. Our host Oleksandr is joined by the co-founders of Mitra Bio, Dr. Shakiba Kaveh and Dr. Cristiana Banila. Pharmaceutical and personal care companies have been trying to unlock personalized skincare for decades. Shakiba and Cristiana bring a special key to the table, and it is epigenetics. Tune in into our interview to learn more about: ◦ The founding story of Mitra Bio ◦ The role of genetic and epigenetic factors in skin health ◦ Cracking epigenetic code ◦ Role of reliable models in understanding skin diseases ◦ Skin aging and personalized approaches to reverse it ◦ The future of personalized skincare ◦ Advice to young biotech entrepreneurs from Shakiba and Cristiana

Welcome to the next episode of the Personalized Medicine Podcast. In this episode, we have talked about a variety of topics ranging from exploring space and microgravity for applications in biotechnology and physical science to developing pathogen detection systems. Our guest today is Dr. Daniela Bezdan, the Chief Scientific Officer of Yuri Gravity and co-founder of Poppy. Daniela is also the co-chair at several space-associated organizations such as ISSOP (International Space Standards Operation Procedure) and NASA GeneLabs that foster international cooperation, and support educational citizen science projects. Together with Daniela we discussed: ◦ Evolution of microgravity in biotech ◦ Yuri Gravity and its space mission ◦ Key factors in designing space biotech experiments ◦ Poppy and its pathogen detection system ◦ Challenges of starting a start-up ◦ Advice to budding biotech entrepreneurs ◦ The outlook on the next decade of personalized medicineGet in touch with Daniela: ◦ LinkedIn: Daniela Bezdan ◦ Twitter: @Daniela_Bezdan, @yurigravity, @poppy_health ◦ Web: https://www.yurigravity.com/, https://poppy.com/

Welcome to the next episode of the Personalized Medicine Podcast. On this podcast we have talked extensively about antibody, vaccine and CAR-T cell based approaches to treat cancer. Today we will be talking about a new approach in oncology that is based on invariant Natural Killer T Cells, or iNKTs. Our guest today is Dr. Jennifer Buell, the founder, CEO and President of MiNK Therapeutics and the former President and COO of Agenus. Jennifer has over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical space, having held multiple leadership positions at biotech companies. In her tenure at Agenus, she transformed a neoantigen vaccine development startup into a multifaceted company with a strong global footing. She is now leading MiNK therapeutics, the precision oncology company that develops targeted iNKT cells for treatment of various types of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Together with Jennifer we discussed: ◦ Evolution of immunooncology over the the last two decades ◦ Role of immune system in fighting cancer ◦ Neoantigen vaccines as a tool for personalized cancer treatment ◦ Invariant Natural Killer T Cells (iNKTs) and their role in combating cancer ◦ Advantage of iNKTs over other cancer treatments ◦ Potential of combination therapies in oncology ◦ Challenges in bringing novel cell-based therapies to the market ◦ Advice to budding biotech entrepreneurs ◦ The outlook on the next decade of cancer treatmentGet in touch with Jennifer:LinkedIn: Jennifer S. BuellTwitter: @jbuell01Web: https://minktherapeutics.com/

In this episode we dive deep again into the topic of protein degradation and how it can be leveraged to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Our guest today is Dr. Beth Hoffman, the founder, CEO and President to Origami Therapeutics. Beth's career is a showcase of remarkable success in the biotech industry. She spent almost 25 years working in CNS drug discovery and was involved in the development of over 30 therapeutic molecules. Most notably she led the discovery and development of a few first-in-class blockbuster drugs for cystic fibrosis at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Her most recent venture, Origami Therapeutics, is focusing on developing protein degraders aiming at neurodegenerative disorders and, specifically, Huntington’s Disease.Together with Beth we discussed: ◦ The evolution of drug discovery & development over the last 30 years ◦ How protein degraders work ◦ Role of protein structure prediction algorithms in therapy design ◦ Possibility of using targeted protein degradation for treatment of Huntington’s diseases ◦ Differences between treating familial vs sporadic neurodegenerative disorders ◦ The future of personalized medicine ◦ Actionable advice for young biotech entrepreneursMake sure to download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work, and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at pmedcast.com

Thank you very much for tuning into this special episode of the Personalized Medicine Podcast. Some of you might know that our founder and host Oleksandr (a.k.a. Sasha) is Ukrainian. In this difficult moment for his country, Sasha shares his thoughts on current situation in Ukraine and explains how anyone in the world can help and support people of Ukraine and its scientific community.Out team has prepared a list of trusted organizations and charitable foundations supporting Ukraine at the moment:Support Ukrainian military (Official Bank Account of Ukrainian Ministry of Defense): https://bit.ly/35Kl4GyHumanitarian aid organizations providing aid for Ukrainians affected by war: ◦ Ukraine Humanitarian Fund managed by United Nations https://crisisrelief.un.org/t/ukraine - The Ukraine Humanitarian Fund is one of the UN's country-based pooled funds. Contributions are collected into a single, unearmarked fund and managed locally under UN leadership. As crises evolve, funds are made directly and immediately available to a wide range of partner organizations at the front lines of response. This way, funding reaches the people most in need when they need it ◦ Voices of Children - https://voices.org.ua/en/ - Charitable Foundation Voices of Children helps children affected by the war in (eastern) Ukraine. They provide psychological and psychosocial support to children. It helps them overcome the consequences of armed conflict ◦ Vostok-SOS - https://vostok-sos.org/en/ - Non-profit organization focused on comprehensive assistance to conflict-affected persons and IDPs, promoting democratic transformation and human rights values in UkraineIf you would like to host a refugee, you can register at one of the following platforms: ◦ https://www.eu4ua.org/ ◦ https://www.unterkunft-ukraine.de/ ◦ https://www.ukraineshelter.com/en/The global list of research groups and labs that are supporting Ukrainian scientists. Feel free to add your group or share this list with fellow Ukrainian scientists in need of help: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HqTKukfJGpmowQnSh4CoFn3T6HXcNS1T1pK-Xx9CknQ/edit?usp=sharingThank you very much for your support! You are awesome!Stay safePeace

In this episode we are returning to a very exciting topic of immunooncology and we will talk in detail about novel approaches to treat cancer, based on CAR-T cell technology.Please welcome Dr. Eric von Hofe, the Senior Advisor and former President of Affyimmune Therapeutics. Eric’s story is a showcase of a remarkable career in the biotech industry. Eric studied Biology at UC Berkeley and received his PhD from the University of Southern California. HEric continued his career in cancer research doing two PostDocs at ETH Zurich and Harvard and then taking a position of Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. In 1992 Eric made a transition to the biopharmaceutical industry leading the development of antisense oligonucleotide therapies at Hybridon. Eric subsequently led multidisciplinary drug development programs at Millennium Pharmaceuticals as a Director of Drug Discovery Research. Eric has been fundamental for two prominent immuno-oncology companies: Antigen Express, a company focusing on peptide-based cancer vaccines; and Affyimmune Therapeutics, a biotech startup developing novel approaches for CAR-T cell based therapies. With about 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals and four patents Eric is a true expert in the field of oncologyTogether with Eric we discussed:Differences between career in academia and industryEvolution of therapeutic landscape in oncology over the last 30 yearsRole of immunology in development of novel cancer therapiesCAR-T cells and their role in combating cancerAffinity tuning of CAR-T cells as mechanism to decrease off-target effectCancer vaccines: peptide vs mRNAThe future of immunooncologyGet in touch with Eric:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericvonhofe/ Email: evhlfe@gmail.comWeb: https://affyimmune.com/ Make sure to download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work, and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at pmedcast.com

Welcome to the next episode of the Personalized Medicine Podcast. On this show we typically talk about science and technology driving the progress in personalized medicine. But the policy side of things and patient access are equally important.We are happy to welcome on our podcast Christopher Wells, the Vice President of Public Affairs at the Personalized Medicine Coalition. Chris has recently published an article in STAT in which he eloquently described why we cannot narrow down personalized medicine just to cancer and need to look at it through a larger lens. And this is what we have discussed with Chris in this interview.Tune in to this episode to learn more about:Personalized Medicine beyond #genomics and #cancerWhat is the Personalized Medicine Coalition and what are its goals?Difficulties and success stories of bringing healthcare stakeholders togetherThe role of government in driving personalized medicine agendaRole of physician education in implementation of personalized medicine approachesGeneration of reliable clinical data to support personalized medicine implementationChallenge of equal patient access to personalized therapiesThe outlook on the future of personalized medicineGet in touch with Chris:LinkedIn: Christopher Wells, M.P.A. Twitter: @permedcoalition Web: https://www.personalizedmedicinecoalition.org/ Make sure to download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work, and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at pmedcast.com

Welcome to Season 3 of the Personalized Medicine Podcast! We hope you all head a good start in 2022 and are ready to dive deep into the world of personalized medicine with us again.In this first episode of Season 3, we address a very important and, frankly speaking, underappreciated topic of sepsis, commonly known as bacterial blood poisoning. Did you know that last year, sepsis killed more people than 5 most common types of cancer combined? For this episode, our host Oleksandr Yagensky sat down with the co-founder and CEO of Noscendo, Dr. Philip Stevens. Philip and his team are developing diagnostic workflows based on detection of bacterial and fungal cell-free DNA from blood to detect infections.Listen to this episode to learn more about: ◦ The founding story of Noscendo ◦ Building a successful diagnostics startup in Europe ◦ Generation of clinical evidence for early stage startups ◦ Misconceptions about sepsis and sepsis diagnostics ◦ How NGS can help detect sepsis early ◦ Role of DNA sequencing in determining antibiotic resistance ◦ Philip’s advice to aspiring life science entrepreneursGet in touch with Philip: ◦ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-stevens-4ab68213b/ ◦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/noscendo ◦ Web: https://noscendo.com/Make sure to download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work, and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at pmedcast.com

Welcome to the final episode of 2021! This one was long in the making. We are happy to present the crossover episode between the Genetics Podcast and the Personalized Medicine Podcast. In this episode our host Oleksandr (Sasha) Yagensky wraps up 2021 with one and only Patrick Short, the CEO of Sano Genetics and host of the Genetics Podcast. Listen to Patrick and Sasha as they share their 2021 highlights from the world of Personalized Medicine.Together with Patrick we focused on 6 highlights in 2021: ◦ Large scale liquid biopsy trial for presymptomatic cancer detection ◦ Whole genome sequencing making its entry into newborn screening programs for rare diseases ◦ Advances in application of autologous iPSCs for treatment of Parkinson’s disease ◦ Progress in one-time treatments to reverse genetic disorders ◦ Launch of the first FDA approved diagnostic test based on glycoprotein biomarkers for cancer detection ◦ Rise of AI in drug discovery & developmentListen and let us know if you agree with our list? Which important 2021 event did we miss? Let us know on our Twitter or LinkedIn channels.Make sure to check the Genetics Podcast. Patrick is a fantastic host and puts together great interviews with the thought-leaders in the fields of personalized medicine, rare diseases and genetics research.Download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work, and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at pmedcast.com

In this episode of the Personalized Medicine Podcast we are returning to the topic of aging. It is our pleasure to introduce to you the co-founder & CEO of Rejuvenate Bio, Daniel Oliver. Dan studied Mechanical Engineering & Business at Caltech and obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School. After completing his studies, Dan has co-founded several successful companies in very diverse industries. With Rejuvenate Bio Dan and his co-founder Noah Davidsohn are developing new gene therapies to address aging and age-related diseases.In our conversation with Dan we discussed: ◦ The founding story of Rejuvenate Bio ◦ Role of serendipity in founding successful start-ups ◦ George Church and his support in starting Rejuvenate Bio ◦ Gene therapy as a new way to reverse aging ◦ Epigenetic approach to aging ◦ Tackling aging in dogs ◦ Dan’s view on the future of aging research ◦ Bias towards action as an important trait of successful startup foundersGet in touch with Dan: ◦ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielcoliver/ ◦ Twitter: @DanielCOliver ◦ Web: https://www.rejuvenatebio.com/Make sure to download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work, and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at pmedcast.com

This is officially one of the most fun episodes of the Personalized Medicine Podcast. This time we sat down not just with one, but with two amazing guests. Please welcome the co-founders of Ochre Bio, Jack O’Meara and Quin Wills. Together we talked about livers, drug development for metabolic diseases and biotech entrepreneurship. This episode is full of funny anecdotes, contrarian ideas and inspirational thoughts. Give it a listen!Together with Jack and Quin we discussed: ◦ Mission of Ochre Bio ◦ Taking a biotech startup off the ground ◦ Differences in building a biotech companies in the US vs Europe ◦ Deep phenomics and its application in decoding liver disorders ◦ In silico models of human diseases ◦ What do we mean when we talk about personalized medicine ◦ How to handle career & professional adviceGet in touch with Jack and Quin: ◦ Twitter: @Jack_O_Meara, @OchreBio, @dnatieclub ◦ LinkedIn: Jack O'Meara, Quin Wills ◦ Website (Ochre Bio): https://www.ochre-bio.com/Make sure to download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work, and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at pmedcast.com

In this episode we are focusing on cancer, oncolytic viruses and how investor mindset helps building successful biotech companies. Our guest today is Arthur Kuan, the CEO of CG Oncology. Arthur is a molecular biologist by training. After completing his undergraduate training, Arthur started his career as a venture investor working at several prominent Shanghai-based funds focusing on the Healthcare industry. In 2016, Arthur became the CEO of CG Oncology, one of the portfolio companies of Ally Bridge, the investment fund he was working at the time. In this interview, Arhtur shares his story of becoming a CEO and explains the challenges of bringing a promising scientific idea into clinics.Together with Arthur we discussed:◦ Arthur’s journey from investor to CEO◦ The place of oncolytic viruses on the map of cancer therapeutics◦ Combinational therapies for cancer◦ Partnerships between emerging biotech startups and large pharma◦ Differences in the mindset between investors and founders◦ What it takes to lead a successful biotech company today◦ Arthur’s vision for the future of personalized cancer treatmentGet in touch with Arthur:◦ Twitter: https://twitter.com/cgoncology, https://twitter.com/KuanArthur ◦ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthurkuan/ ◦ Web (CG Oncology): https://www.cgoncology.com/Make sure to download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work, and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at pmedcast.com

In this episode of the Personalized Medicine Podcast we talk about precision oncology with a scientist and serial entrepreneur, Dr. Gang Song. Gang completed his PhD degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University and then moved to Harvard where he did a PostDoc at the lab of Tim Springer where he was studying structure and function of cell adhesion molecules. Gang has extensive experience in the life science industry working at various positions at IQuum, which was acquired by Roche, Genzyme Genetics and LabCorp. In 2014, Gang founded Pillar Biosciences, a precision medicine company developing genomics tests for various types of cancer. Gang also co-founded another venture, AffyImmune Therapeutics which is focusing on developing novel cell therapies for cancer based on CAR-T technologies.Together with Gang we discussed:◦ His career from PhD in China to founding multiple successful biotech companies in the US◦ Mentorship lessons from Professor Tim Springer◦ Founding story of Pillar Biosciences◦ Novel NGS approaches for early cancer detection◦ Differences in business models pursued by diagnostics companies in oncology◦ Next generation of CAR-T cell therapeutics◦ Future of precision oncology◦ Gang’s advice to aspiring biotech entrepreneursGet in touch with Gang: ◦ LinkedIn: Gang Song, Pillar Biosciences, Affyimmune ◦ Twitter: @pillar_bio, @affyimmune ◦ Web: https://affyimmune.com/, https://pillar-biosciences.com/ Make sure to download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work, and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at pmedcast.com

On this episode we take a look at the role induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) are playing in drug discovery and development for neurodegenerative diseases. Our host Oleksandr sat down with Professor Evangelos Kiskinis, who is leading his own research group at the Northwestern University in Chicago. Evangelos and his team are leading the way on the development of novel cell-based models for ALS, epilepsy and other types of neurological conditions.Check out this episode to learn more about:◦ Evangelos’s career story and what got him excited in stem cell research◦ Challenges in modeling neurodegenerative diseases in a dish◦ iPSC based models for inherited vs sporadic diseases◦ Transitioning promising in vitro discoveries into clinical trials◦ iPSC based cell replacement therapies for Parkinsons and Alzheimers disease◦ The future of iPSC based models in drug discovery◦ Evangelos’s advice to young scientists pursuing academic career◦ Get in touch with Evangelos:◦ LinkedIn: Evangelos Kiskinis ◦ Web: http://evangeloskiskinislab.org/index.htmlMake sure to download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work, and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at pmedcast.com

In this episode, we are diving deep into the world of the non-coding genome and, more specifically, an exciting new class of biomolecules - the long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA). Welcome, Dr. Samir Ounzain, the co-founder and CEO of HAYA Therapeutics. Samir and his startup HAYA are developing first-in-class therapies to target lncRNA responsible for the manifestation of various diseases. Samir and HAYA are aiming at fibrosis first, but have in mind a plethora of other conditions that can be treated by their approach. Join us for an insightful conversation on the non-coding genome, the journey from basic science to entrepreneurship, and the future of precision therapeutics.Together with Samir, we discussed:◦ The founding story of HAYA Therapeutics◦ The role of non-coding genome in human health◦ Ability to tweak non-coding genome to treat diseases◦ Postponing aging using lncRNAs◦ Impact on the future of precision medicine◦ Prerequisites for founding a successful biotech companyGet in touch with Samir:◦ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samirounzain/◦ Twitter: @ispiyou◦ Website: https://www.hayatx.com/Make sure to download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work, and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at pmedcast.com