VibeCast - A Vibe Bio Podcast

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine, about his journey to starting the company in 2014. Insilico Medicine's mission is to extend healthy productive longevity by transforming drug discovery and development with generative artificial intelligence. Key Moments: 00:00:08 - Introduction 00:01:14 - Dr. Zhavoronkov's Journey from Computer Science to Longevity Research 00:05:24 - Application of Deep Neural Networks in Biomedical Research 00:08:33 - Overcoming Challenges in AI Adoption in Biotech 00:17:07 - Ensuring Ethical and Unbiased AI in Healthcare 00:18:32 - Importance of Safety in Drug Development 00:21:53 - FDA Regulations and Drug Approval 00:26:42 - Global Collaboration and Opportunities in Africa 00:30:03 - Democratization of AI Technology 00:35:18 - Future of Biotech and AI 00:37:22 - The Future of Longevity Research 00:37:54 - Psychological Aging 00:38:22 - Conclusion and Call to Action Guest Bio: Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine (insilico.com), a leading clinical-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation generative artificial intelligence and robotics platforms for drug discovery. Since 2014, he has invented critical technologies in the field of generative artificial intelligence and reinforcement learning (RL) for the generation of novel molecular structures with the desired properties and the generation of synthetic biological and patient data. He also pioneered the applications of transformers and other deep learning technologies for the prediction of human biological age using multiple data types, transfer learning from aging into disease, target identification, and signaling pathway modeling. Under his leadership, Insilico raised over $400 million in multiple rounds from expert biotechnology, healthcare, and financial investors, opened R&D centers in 6 countries and regions, and partnered with multiple pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic institutions. Since 2021, the company nominated 18 preclinical candidates, started 6 human clinical trials, and entered Phase II with an AI-discovered novel target and AI-designed novel molecule. By 2023, 11 out of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies used a part of the Pharma.AI software suite, and the IND-stage cancer program was sold in a deal with $80 million upfront as a testament to the quality and novelty of the AI-generated molecule. Guest Links: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zhavoronkov/ X: https://x.com/biogerontologyAdnexi Website: https://insilico.com/ About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and AI. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech financing and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, investors, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, you will be able to discover the untapped potential of African fintech startups and how to capitalize on these emerging opportunities. Gain insights into the unique challenges that African entrepreneurs face and how venture capital can help navigate and overcome them. Key moments: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:04:22 - Tony's Journey from Africa to the US 00:06:51 - Formative Experiences at Bessemer Venture Partners 00:10:50 - Kinfolk VC Investment Thesis and Impact 00:13:52 - State of Innovation in Africa 00:18:12 - Impact Investing 00:22:06 - Supporting Small Businesses 00:25:00 - Focus on B2B Software 00:27:41 - VC Perspectives 00:32:06 - Diversifying Risk 00:32:45 - Venture Backable Businesses 00:33:29 - Audience Engagement 00:34:15 - Conclusion and Future Opportunities Guest Bio: Toni Campbell serves as a General Partner at Kinfolk Venture Capital, a fund focused on Africa and headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. This fund specializes in pre-seed and seed-stage investments, targeting companies led by the continent's burgeoning technology entrepreneurs. A native of Nigeria, Campbell later relocated to the U.S., where he nurtured a dedication to extending the principles of the "American Dream" to everyone, particularly the upcoming generation of African entrepreneurs. Prior to founding Kinfolk, he accumulated experience at notable investment firms, including Bessemer Venture Partners and Arcadia Funds, investing in and collaborating with a wide array of portfolio companies throughout North America, Western Europe, and Africa. A Harvard University alumnus, Toni holds a BA in Social Studies and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Beyond his professional pursuits, he has a passion for contemporary African art and harbors a lifelong ambition to try out for the Nigerian National Football Team. Guest Links: Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/oluwatonic Twitter: twitter.com/oluwatonic Instagram: instagram.com/oluwatonic Kinfolk VC Website: https://kinfolk.vc/ About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, investors, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Sandra Shpilberg, Co-founder and CEO of Adnexi, about using AI to develop effective strategies for biopharma key expert and digital opinion leader selection to elevate your product launch. Key moments: 00:00:07 - Introducing Sandra Shpilberg 00:01:45 - Transitioning into Biopharma 00:06:06 - Starting Adnexi 00:10:29 - Importance of Finding Key Opinion Leaders 00:14:08 - Understanding Key Opinion Leaders 00:15:22 - Identifying Key Opinion Leaders 00:18:20 - Traditional Approach to Finding Experts 00:23:15 - Pros and Cons of Digital Opinion Leaders 00:26:03 - Adnexi's Unique Approach 00:29:17 - Effective Social Media Platforms 00:30:52 - Impact of Demographics on Platform Selection 00:32:33 - Changes in Biotech Funding Environment 00:33:59 - Adapting to Market Changes 00:35:35 - Global Reach 00:36:20 - Conclusion Guest Bio: Sandra Shpilberg is the CEO & co-founder of Adnexi, a software platform that helps biopharma identify Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) and Digital Opinion Leaders (DOL) and influential HCPs who can accelerate treatment development and launch. Adnexi provides rapid, accurate, tech-enabled, customized, complete and continuously updating identification of KOLs and DOLs for any disease. Before this, Sandra was the Founder and CEO of Seeker Health, a breakthrough digital patient-finding platform, which accelerated clinical trial and patient recruitment. Seeker Health grew to enroll over 60 clinical trials in 3 years. EVERSANA acquired Seeker Health in September 2018. Prior to her entrepreneurial pursuits, Sandra held executive roles at biopharmaceutical companies, including Nora Therapeutics, and BioMarin Pharmaceutical where she led the commercial launches of NAGLAZYME and KUVAN, and advanced PALINZIQ from Phase 2 to Phase 3. She’s originally from Uruguay, speaks fluent Spanish, and brings a global and diverse approach to her work and impact. She holds a BBA in Accounting from Pace University and an MBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Guest Links: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-shpilberg-b7b334/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SandraShpilberg Adnexi Website: https://www.adnexi.com/ About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, investors, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Roy de Souza, Founder and CEO of BreakBio, about personalized cancer vaccines. -------------------------------------- Key moments: 00:00:07 - Introduction to Vibecast 00:01:01 - Roy de Souza's Journey into Cancer Care and Biotech 00:04:21 - Exploring Theories of Cancer 00:06:32 - Problem Solving in Cancer Treatment 00:12:57 - BreakBio's Drug Pipeline 00:14:41 - Breakthrough Therapy Designation and Target Indications 00:15:33 - The Power of T Cells in Targeting Solid Tumors 00:17:48 - Combination Therapy and FDA Approval 00:20:29 - Patient Treatment Timeline 00:22:11 - Leveraging AI and Machine Learning 00:28:55 - The Importance of Colon Cancer Vaccines 00:29:42 - Funding Landscape in the Biotech Industry 00:30:44 - Seeking Partnerships 00:32:42 - Future Outlook Guest Bio: Roy de Souza is solving a big problem of our lifetimes: curing solid cancers. BreakBio uses AI/ML to find 30 targets on a patient’s cancer cells from various patient data sets especially mass spectrometry per patient (an industry first). Mass spectrometry provides accurate AI training per patient. It then manufactures a 30 peptide personalized immunotherapy which is also known as a cancer vaccine. Clinical trials in the first indication are starting this year at top academic centres like MD Anderson. Roy received a Masters in Engineering at Oxford, an MBA from the Kellogg School and worked for Elon Musk's first company. He founded ZEDO Inc. that became the 3rd largest ad server in the world and used AI to determine which user sees which ad. He sold ZEDO to Warner Bros Discovery, the world's largest media company which owns CNN and HBO. Roy became determined to get to cures when his wife was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2017. She later passed away. He has 3 young children and is moving to Miami, FL. He is also a Director of SaveGroundwater.org in India and loves skiing and audiobook Guest Links: Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/roydesouza Twitter: https://twitter.com/roydesouza BreakBio Website: https://breakbio.com/ About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Frank Gleeson, Co-Founder and CEO of Satellos Bioscience, about groundbreaking small molecule therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. ----------------------------------------------------------- Key moments: 00:00:05 - Introducing Satellos Bioscience 00:03:26 - Stem Cells and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 00:09:15 - Potential Treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 00:13:22 - Research Discovery and Company Formation 00:15:59 - Clinical Trial Planning and Future Development 00:17:33 - Company Inflection Points 00:19:08 - Drug Impact and Potential 00:20:10 - Potential Indications 00:22:38 - Funding and Financial Strategy 00:24:35 - Biotech Ecosystem and Growth Guest Bio: During his career, Mr. Gleeson has been a key party to building more than 20 biomedical companies from breakthrough research and technologies and has negotiated numerous financing and M&A transactions valued in excess of $500 million. Prior to co-founding Satellos, he and Dr. Rudnicki co-founded Verio Therapeutics, where Mr. Gleeson was CEO and managed the acquisition by Fate Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FATE). Previous to Verio, he was Chief Commercial Operations at Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization (CPDC), where he played a principal role in building a global radiopharmaceutical manufacturing business and supporting the creation of two spin-out companies. Prior to CPDC, he served as an Executive-in-Residence with the Fight Against Cancer Innovation Trust (FACIT), an innovative nucleator, where he supported or led the creation, financing and exits of three new entities. Previously, Mr. Gleeson was founding CEO of MDS Proteomics Inc., where he made and integrated three acquisitions, built leading-edge sequencing infrastructure, a 200-person team, and raised in excess of $100 million. He was also Senior Vice President and Venture Partner with MDS Capital Corp. (now Lumira), where he was lead partner on a fund with more than $250 million under management focused on creating drug discovery companies based on novel Canadian science. Prior to his tenure with MDS, he enjoyed a 17-year operational career with ICI plc (now AstraZeneca), a global chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and advanced materials company, during which he was involved in technology commercialization in several fields both in Canada and internationally. Mr. Gleeson has served on numerous boards of private and public companies and not-for-profit entities. Guest Links: Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/satellos-bioscience-inc Satellos Bioscience Twitter: https://twitter.com/satellosbio Satellos Bioscience Website: https://satellos.com/ About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Dr. Alex Federation, Co-Founder and CEO of Talus Bioscience, about leveraging machine learning to unlock the potential of the undruggable genome for groundbreaking therapies. ----------------------------------------------------- Key moments: 00:00:06 - Introduction to Vibecast 00:01:01 - Background and Early Inspiration 00:05:55 - Tackling the Undruggable Genome 00:09:14 - Specific Work in the Pipeline 00:13:26 - Leveraging AI in Biotech 00:15:09 - Using Machine Learning for Drug Development 00:16:40 - Leveraging Epigenome Profiling Data 00:17:18 - Seeking Partnerships for Drug Development 00:18:53 - Current Fundraising and Biotech Economy 00:21:33 - Tackling the Undruggable Problem Guest Bio: Alex Federation, Ph.D. is the co-founder and CEO of Talus Bio. Dr. Federation invented the MARMOT platform during his postdoctoral fellowship at the Altius Institute for Biomedical Research in Seattle where he trained in computational epigenomics and cancer biology with John Stamatoyannopoulos and Fyodor Urnov. Prior to that, Dr. Federation received his Ph.D. in chemical biology from Harvard, training with Jay Bradner in drug development for genome regulators. Guest Links: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afederation/ Talus Bio Twitter: https://twitter.com/talusbio Talus Bio Website: https://talus.bio/ About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Rahul Chaturvedi, Founder and CEO of Clora, about rethinking biotech's operating model, how AI is revolutionizing biotech innovation, and more. ------------------------------ Key moments: 00:00:06 - Introducing Vibecast 00:02:35 - Biotech 2050 Podcast 00:06:48 - Clora's Vision 00:09:52 - Uberification of Life Sciences Experts 00:13:40 - Nurturing Talent in Biotechs 00:15:50 - Flexible Work Arrangements in Biotech 00:17:23 - Accessing Top Tier Talent in Biotech 00:18:29 - The Role of AI in Biotech 00:20:52 - Career Advice in Biotech 00:22:20 - Evolution of the Boston Biotech Scene Guest Bio: Rahul Chaturvedi is the Founder and CEO of Clora, the leading marketplace where people go to discover, build, and manage on-demand life science teams. Prior to founding Clora in 2017, Rahul was the head of clinical development at several biopharma companies, such as Kaleido Biosciences (NSDQ: KLDO) and Avedro (acquired by Glaukos). Rahul has successfully led the development activities for 20+ Phase II/III programs that have resulted in 6 product approvals to date. Rahul holds a bachelor of science degree from Brandeis University. Guest Links: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulchaturvedi/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/rahulc Clora Website: https://www.clora.com/ Biotech2050 Podcast: https://on.soundcloud.com/icFqc About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Max Shapiro, CEO of PeopleConnect and PitchForce, about the questions investors want answered before they will invest and how to build a great startup team. ------------------------------------------------- Key moments: 00:00:06 - Introduction to Vibecast 00:00:47 - Max Shapiro's Background 00:03:33 - Impact of COVID-19 00:08:51 - The Influence of AI and Technology 00:10:28 - Supporting Startups and Examples 00:14:20 - Supporting Startups 00:15:56 - Importance of Team in Investments 00:18:21 - Innovations in Due Diligence 00:20:29 - Future of Investor Partnerships 00:24:40 - Embracing Entrepreneurship Guest Bio: Max is the founder and CEO of PeopleConnect, bringing remarkable energy, a rare blend of experience, a sense of creativity, and a tenaciousness that has made it possible for many startups and established companies to add key talent to their teams. A lifelong entrepreneur, a consummate networker and a business strategist, Max understands the minds and passions of startups and companies focused on growth. Max has always been an expert in finding talent; he was the youngest talent scout in the history of the NBA, serving as Chief Scout for the Phoenix Suns. He owned and operated a company that produced sports camps for children, and baseball and basketball fantasy camps for adults, where he partnered with some of the biggest names in sports, including Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Pat Riley, Magic Johnson, John Wooden, and Billy Casper. Max founded PeopleConnect in 1999, where he currently focuses on business development and client relations. He is an active member of several angel investment groups, and his passion for finding talent extends to introducing PeopleConnect clients to the professional resources they need to bring their company to the next level. Guest Links: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxshapiro/ PeopleConnect Website: https://peopleconnect.us/ PitchForce Website: https://pitch-force.com/ About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with William Smith, PhD, Senior Fellow of Pioneer Institute, about the 340B Drug Program and its challenges. -------------------------------------------------- Key moments: 00:00:06 - Intro 00:06:16 - Impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) 00:10:19 - Orphan Cures Act and its Implications 00:13:19 - 340B Drug Program and its Challenges 00:13:32 - Tie-in to "Rationing Medicine" Book 00:14:53 - Issues with the 340B program 00:15:33 - Transparency and Reform 00:17:57 - The Quality Metric 00:20:53 - Single Payer System and Innovation 00:23:50 - Future of Biopharma Guest Bio: Dr. William S. Smith is Senior Fellow & Director of Pioneer Life Sciences Initiative. Bill has 25 years of experience in government and in corporate roles. His career includes senior staff positions for the Republican House leadership on Capitol Hill, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the Massachusetts Governor’s office where he served under Governors Weld and Cellucci. He spent ten years at Pfizer Inc as Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy where he was responsible for Pfizer’s corporate strategies for the U.S. policy environment. He later served as a consultant to major pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies. Dr. Smith earned his PhD in political science with distinction at The Catholic University of America Guest Links: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-smith-phd-54628b18/ Pioneer Institute Website: ttps://pioneerinstitute.org Rationing Medicine Book: https://pioneerinstitute.org/pioneer-research/life-sciences-pioneer-research/new-book-highlights-the-negative-impacts-of-controversial-qaly-value-assessment-framework-on-patient-access-affordability/. About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Omid Moghadam, Founder & CEO of Namida Lab, about the remarkable journey and the profound impact Namida Lab is making in diagnosing breast cancer from tears. Omid's insights into leveraging tears as a unique biomarker for cancer detection are truly eye-opening! ------------------------------------------------------- Key moments: 00:00:06 - Introducing Vibecast 00:00:56 - Omid's Career Journey 00:06:31 - Namida Lab's Inspiration 00:09:42 - Challenges in Tear-Based Testing 00:12:44 - Potential of Tear-Based Testing 00:15:41 - Innovative Cancer Screening 00:17:51 - Affordable Diagnostic Tests 00:21:46 - Company Fundraising Journey 00:23:25 - Seeking Partnerships 00:26:11 - Evolution of Breast Cancer Screening Guest Bio: Omid Moghadam is the founder and CEO of Namida Lab. He is an inventor, entrepreneur, venture investor, and educator. He specializes in launching new ventures with social impact in health and technology. Moghadam has inventions in medical imaging, cryptography, microprocessor design, medical devices, diagnostics, digital photography, data science, and communications. He is currently the Chairman of RAPID Dosimetry, a precision medicine company he also co-founded and a board member of The Diary Corporation. He is the past founder or co-founder of nine companies in Healthcare IT, genomics, diagnostics, and medical imaging, and has held executive positions at Intel, Eastman Kodak, and CTG-AMS Corporations. He formerly served on the advisory boards of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Children's Hospital Boston, and California Healthcare Foundation, and has held academic positions at Harvard Medical School Department of Biomedical Informatics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Lally School of Business as well as an EIR position at UCLA. Mr. Moghadam’s past approaches to innovation have been highlighted in two books: Grabbing Lightning, and The Innovators Prescription. Omid loves art, history, languages, and travel. Most Sundays he can be found sweating over FT’s Polymath crossword puzzle. Guest Links: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omidmoghadam/ Namida Lab Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/namidalab/ Namida Lab Website: https://namidalab.com/ About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Bryan Vought, PhD and John McShane from the Boston Epigenics Society about advancing epigenetics and revolutionizing technology in biotech. -------------------------- Key moments: 00:00:06 - Introduction to Vibecast 00:01:47 - The Genesis of the Boston Epigenetics Society 00:04:20 - Understanding Epigenetics 00:07:52 - Value of the Boston Epigenetics Society 00:10:34 - Unique Qualities of Boston for Biotechs 00:15:34 - Job Market Trends 00:17:45 - Industry Shifts 00:18:28 - Strategic Partnerships 00:21:27 - Biotech Financing 00:24:00 - Event Promotion Guest Bios: Bryan Vought- I completed my PhD in biophysics at Syracuse University. I came to Boston in 2000 to do my post-doc research at Harvard Medical School. From there I was hired as a protein biochemist/biophysicist at Vertex Pharmaceuticals to focus on membrane proteins. Later in my career, I became Director of in vitro biology at Ring Therapeutics where we use human primary and IPSC cell models to better understand how anellovirus can be harnessed to provide genetic therapy to patients. While I was at Alkermes, I met John McShane. We were both passionate about epigenetics. The pandemic was keeping people apart, and we thought about how we might bring people together to talk about and promote epigenetics. We talked through different ideas about how we might do that. From that, the Boston Epigenetics Society was born. We would host webinars and bring together people while promoting epigenetics. John McShane has worked the last 12 years in biotech commercialization and business development focusing on epigenetic and next generation sequencing. He holds a Masters in Biotech Management from the Katz School of Science and Health at Yeshiva University and a Bachelors Degree in Molecular Biology from Lehigh University. He is currently the director of business development at Biomodal, a precision multiomics company backed by google ventures. John is a co-founder and steering committee member of the Boston Epigenetics Society. The Boston Epigenetic Society has been founded to: - Promote epigenetics and epitranscriptomics research - Foster connections between academics and industry epigenetics scientists - Help promote new methods - Create a support system for experimental epigenetics research Guest Links: Bryan Vought Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bwvought/ John McShane Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-mcshane-ms-32764b39/ About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Rafael Rosengarten, PhD, CEO of Genialis, about biomarker discovery and drug development. ----------------------------------------------------------- Key Moments: 00:00:33 - Exploring Raphael's Background and Journey 00:04:50 - Favorite Guest on "Talking Precision Medicine" 00:07:02 - Joining Genialis as a Co-founder 00:10:18 - Genialis' Mission in Precision Medicine 00:12:04 - Evolution of Cancer and Predictive Biomarker Space 00:14:17 - Importance of AI in Biomarker Discovery 00:17:29 - Risks and Challenges in AI Drug Discovery 00:19:59 - Genialis's Competitive Advantage in AI Drug Discovery 00:22:48 - Genialis's Funding Journey 00:24:42 - Introduction to Responder ID 00:25:26 - Building a Supermodel 00:27:14 - Strategic Partnerships 00:28:34 - Setting Genialis Apart 00:31:36 - Genialis' Vision Guest Bio: Rafael leads Genialis’ effort to realize the promise of precision medicine, and to build a company that puts people first as a guiding principle. Prior to Genialis, he spent nearly 20 years in biomedical research, publishing on the evolution of innate immune systems, bioengineering of microbes, and genetics of development. Rafael co-invented the j5 DNA assembly design automation software for high-throughput molecular design and analyses (since commercialized by TeselaGen). Rafael earned his doctorate at Yale University, and conducted his postdoctoral research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) and Baylor College of Medicine. In his free time, Rafael enjoys beaches and mountains, coffee and kettlebells, and exploring the world with his wife and two children. Guest Links: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rrosengarten/ Genialis Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/genialis/ Genialis Website: https://www.genialis.com/ About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Travis Stiles, PhD, CEO of Novoron Biosciences, about Uncovering Protein Dysregulation in Neurodegenerative Disease. -------------------------------------------------------- Key moments: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:14 - Career Shift to Neuroscience 00:05:19 - Founding Novoron Biosciences 00:09:07 - Drug Development Focus 00:11:53 - Clinical Studies and Drug Pipeline 00:13:07 - Understanding Alzheimer's Disease Components 00:14:08 - Targeting Amyloid and Tau Pathology 00:15:51 - Precision Drug Discovery for Tauopathy 00:17:44 - Route of Administration and Modality 00:22:28 - Strategic Partnerships and Collaborations 00:26:09 - Exploring New Frontiers in Biotech 00:27:05 - Advancements in Spinal Cord Therapy 00:27:47 - Ethical Concerns in Brain-Computer Interfaces 00:29:46 - Integration of Technologies in Biotech 00:32:08 - The Entrepreneurial Journey in Biotech Guest Bio: For more than a decade, Dr. Travis Stiles has studied the mechanisms underlying regenerative failure in the CNS. His work led to the discovery that the LRP1 receptor was a novel therapeutic target for neuronal regeneration after CNS damage or disease. To best translate his work into viable therapies, Dr. Stiles co-founded Novoron Bioscience early in 2014. Novoron's work developing drugs against LRP1 has opened the door to the discovery of an entirely new class of drugs capable of targeting LRP1 and other members of the low-density lipoprotein receptor family, which play critical roles in multiple diseases, but have been long considered untargetable by conventional means. Dr. Stiles holds a PhD in Biomedical Science from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). His outstanding contributions have earned him recognition as a top innovator by esteemed groups such as J&J and Biocom, along with over $3 million in federal grants. Additionally, Dr. Stiles has actively served on multiple scientific review boards for the National Institute of Health and recently completed a four-year Federal Advisory Committee appointment to the Scientific Merit Review Board subcommittee for Regenerative Medicine in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Guest Links: Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-stiles-00812a23 Twitter: https://twitter.com/titostiles Novoron Biosciences Twitter: https://twitter.com/NovoronBio Novoron Biosciences Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/novoron-bioscience/ Novoron Biosciences Website: https://novoron.com/ About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Jason Park, Co-Founder and CEO of Empress Therapeutics, about Finding Small Molecule Drugs Encoded in DNA. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Key Moments: 00:00:00 - Introduction                     00:01:01 - Jason's Journey into Biotech                     00:03:14 - Mission of Empress Therapeutics                     00:03:49 - Small Molecules vs. Biologics                     00:09:13 - Empress' Approach to Small Molecule Discovery  00:16:20 -  Company Progression and Fundraising Journey  00:19:31 -  Leveraging Nature's Chemistry 00:21:58 -  Partnerships and Accessing a Pool of Medicines 00:24:14 - Value Inflection Points and Clinical Trials                     00:33:16 - The Opportunity of AI in Biotech                     Guest Bio: Jason Park, PhD, is CEO and co-founder of Empress Therapeutics. He is also an Operating Partner at Flagship Pioneering and was a member of the founding team of Sonata Therapeutics, where he served as COO. Prior to joining Flagship in 2015, Jason was a core member of the Boston Consulting Group’s Health Care and Technology practices, operating out of BCG’s New York, Mumbai, and Paris offices. His projects include multiple large life science M&A opportunities and the design and implementation of a new funding model for a multinational Global Health organization focused on innovative technologies and interventions. Previously. Jason was a director at any early-stage biotech start-up focused on targeted drug delivery as well as the co-founder of an internet advertising firm. Jason earned a Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Yale University where his research focused on the use of nanotechnology for immunomodulatory purposes and culminated in the invention of and clinical use of a nanoparticle drug delivery platform. He is the author of multiple patents, book chapters, and over a dozen peer-reviewed papers in journals like Nature and Cell. Guest Links: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-park-8a3216a/ Empress Therapeutics Twitter: https://twitter.com/Empress_Tx Empress Therapeutics Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empresstx/ Empress Therapeutics Website: https://www.empresstx.com/ About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Justin Olshavsky, General Partner of Pioneer Fund, about the Advantages of Founders Backing Founders in Biotech. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Key moments: 00:00:05 - Introduction 00:00:38 - Background and Y Combinator Experience 00:02:00 - Starting Pioneer Bio + Health Fund 00:07:25 - Responsibilities and Goals as a General Partner 00:10:22 - Excitement and Curiosity in Venture Investing 00:14:41 - The Future of Consumer Applications for Neuralink 00:16:25 - The Potential of BCIs and Other Interfaces 00:18:15 - Treating Mental Health with Neurotechnology 00:19:35 - The Ethical Responsibility of Investors 00:21:20 - Bio+Health Fund and Partnership Opportunities 00:30:48 - Excitement for Working with Next Generation of Founders 00:31:13 - Call to Action and Appreciation Guest Bio: Justin Olshavsky is a Founder and General Partner of the Pioneer Bio+Health Fund, where he invests in early stage biotechnology, life science, and healthcare companies. Please reach out if you're building in bio+health! He previously founded Voyage Bio (YC S19) at 23 years old, which was later acquired by a public medtech company. At Voyage, he pioneered a novel therapeutic using cooling to prevent brain damage during stroke. Justin was the CTO / Co-founder, and the only engineer at the company from inception to acquisition. He is an award-winning product designer and has a background in mechanical engineering and bioengineering (UC Berkeley / UCSF / Clemson). Guest Links Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolshavsky/ Twitter Pioneer Fund Linkedin Pioneer Fund Website About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Dawn Mattoon, PhD, CEO of Mercy BioAnalytics, about Breakthroughs in Early-Stage Cancer Detection. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Key moments 00:00:06 - Introduction to Vibecast 00:00:43 - Background and Journey into Biotech 00:05:51 - Mercy BioAnalytics' Mission 00:06:51 - Transition to CEO 00:09:08 - Series A Financing and Investors 00:16:54 - The Importance of Velocity in Cancer Screening 00:18:07 - Challenges and Frictions in Accessing Screening Technology 00:19:57 - Addressing Friction in the Screening Process through Blood-Based Tests 00:24:04 - Partnerships and Collaboration in Cancer Screening Guest Bio: Dr. Dawn Mattoon is the Chief Executive Officer at Mercy Bioanalytics. She brings nearly 20 years of experience in the biotechnology industry and has held leadership positions in R&D, Strategy, and General Management for a series of exceptional companies including Invitrogen, Life Technologies, Thermo Fisher, and Cell Signaling Technology. Prior to joining Mercy, Dr. Mattoon served as the Senior Vice President for Clinical Diagnostics at Quanterix, where she led the development and commercialization of the company’s first two FDA authorized diagnostic tests for COVID-19, and received Breakthrough Device designations from the FDA for diagnostic tests in Alzheimer’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. She has developed and commercialized products across a range of proteomic and genomic technologies and is thrilled by the opportunity to bring the highly innovative Mercy Halo diagnostic test portfolio to patients. Dr. Mattoon earned her Ph.D. in Genetics with a focus in signal transduction from Yale University, where she also completed her postdoctoral fellowship. Dawn and her husband of 27 years, Scott, are ten-year residents of greater Boston where they enjoy hiking, paddling, and occasional visits from their children Ryland (Junior, Davidson College), and Avery (Sophomore, Emory University). Guest Links: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-mattoon-792511a/ Mercy BioAnalytics Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mercy-bioanalytics/ Mercy BioAnalytics Website: https://mercybio.com/ About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Jon Chee, Co-Founder and CEO of Excedr, about Lab Equipment Financing Strategies for Biotechs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Key moments: 00:00:06 - Introduction 00:01:39 - Inspiration from Teachers 00:04:27 - Frustrations in the Lab 00:07:00 - Founding Excedr 00:09:10 - Traditional vs Independent Leasing Companies 00:16:23 - Types of Equipment Needed at Different Stages 00:18:55 - Shared Equipment and Facilities 00:19:30 - Industry Inflection Points 00:23:57 - The Biotech Startup Podcast 00:33:14 - Importance of Tech Transfer 00:34:22 - Building a Cohesive Team 00:36:07 - Going from Zero to One 00:36:40 - Key Considerations for Early Stage Biotech Companies 00:38:03 - Final Thoughts and Contact Information Guest Bio: Jon Chee is the CEO and Co-founder of Excedr, and has spent more than a decade working in the life sciences industry. Before founding Excedr, he spent his academic career in molecular toxicology wet labs at the University of California, Berkeley. During his time in the lab, Jon realized that his research could easily slow down or grind to a halt if there wasn't access to proper laboratory equipment. With this bottleneck in mind, he began brainstorming with a friend and soon-to-be Co-founder about possible solutions for researchers. The lack of access to mission critical instrumentation eventually led to the founding of Excedr. Excedr is a laboratory support program that provides scientists with cutting-edge instrument leases and comprehensive coverage plans at an affordable price. Excedr's goal is simple: save researchers time and money. They replace the high cost and inconvenience of buying and maintaining lab equipment with a smarter, more efficient means of conducting research. Guest Links: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee/ The Biotech Startups Podcast: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/ Excedr Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc Excedr Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/ Excedr Website: https://www.excedr.com/ About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ ⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Ashish Diwan, Founder and CEO of Cartago, about revolutionizing back pain treatment. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:05 - Introduction to Vibecast and Guest Introduction 00:01:00 - Dr. Diwan's Background and Career 00:05:05 - The Importance of Cartilage in Development and Growth 00:08:43 - The Formation of Cartago and its Potential 00:15:39 - The Impact of Back Pain on Productivity and Society 00:16:32 - Cartago's Therapy as a Solution for Back Pain 00:18:55 - Clinical Research Plans for Cartago's Therapy 00:21:03 - Company Structure and Investment Plans Guest Bio: A surgeon and scientist, Dr. Ashish Diwan has pursued molecular therapies to speed up tissue healing. He was awarded the Merrill Lynch Global innovation award for his Doctoral work and also the prestigious Phillip D Wilson award when at Hospital for Special Surgery, Cornell University. Both awards were for single molecule strategies for fracture repair (Nitric oxide) and for spinal fusion (rhBMP-2). His work using a recombinant protein CBT005 received the very prestigious Basic Science award from the International Society for the Study of Lumbar Spine (ISSLS) and is the key molecule being commercialized by Cartago Biotech. Guest Links: Ashish Diwan Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashish-diwan-74366316/ Ashish Diwan Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrAshishDiwan Cartago Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cartago-biotech/ Cartago Website: https://cartago-biotech.com/ About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: ⁠Twitter⁠ LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠TikTok⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Andy Hall, Founder and CSO of RareCan, about mRNA Cancer Research and Development. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Key moments: 00:00:05 - Introduction 00:00:46 - Andy's Background 00:03:31 - RareCan's Solution 00:06:05 - Current Membership 00:09:13 - Understanding Rare Cancers 00:14:43 - Introduction to Molecularly Targeted Therapies 00:15:58 - Optimism for mRNA Vaccines 00:17:27 - mRNA Vaccine Trials for Cancer Patients 00:19:35 - The Role of Bioresource Program in Cancer Research 00:23:13 - Patient Perspectives and Metaphors of Cancer 00:30:23 - The Impact of Political Instability on Investors 00:30:57 - Strategic Investors as a Solution 00:31:21 - Goals for 2023 and 2024 00:31:53 - Importance of US Partnership 00:32:23 - Conclusion and Call to Action Guest Bio: I originally trained as a physician- looking after patients with leukemia and other malignant diseases of the blood. At an early stage I became interested in how some patients responded well to treatment whilst others didn’t so I decided to spend a few months in the laboratory studying drug resistance in childhood cancer. The few months became nearly 20 years, initially as a lab-based scientist and later as the director of the Northern institute of Cancer Research in Newcastle in the North East of England. During my time working in the University I frequently had great difficulty in assembling cohorts big enough to convince journal editors, and myself, that my laboratory observations were robust. At the same time I had the privilege of discussing my work with patients and was struck by how often they were keen to take part in research but were unable to make their wishes known. When I left the public sector in 2016 I set about finding a way for patients with rare forms of cancer who want to take part in research to be put in touch with groups who are undertaking primary research or setting up clinical trials. With 3 co-founders I set up RareCan in August 2020. We have attracted funding from an enlightened group of angel investors and are about to launch another funding round in a few months time to support our rapid expansion to other markets including the US and Australia. Guest Links: Andy Hall's Linkedin RareCan Linkedin About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: Twitter LinkedIn Instagram TikTok Facebook Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.

In this episode, VibeCast host Ray Dogum speaks with Christopher Reyes, PhD and Eyram Adjogatse, PhD from Bloom Science, about Harnessing the Gut-Brain axis to Treat Neurological Disorders. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:05 - Introduction 00:00:56 - Background and Founding of Bloom Science 00:05:06 - Understanding the Gut-Brain Axis 00:09:23 - Developing Therapies for the Gut-Brain Axis 00:14:49 - The Origins and Utility of the Ketogenic Diet 00:16:01 - Delivery Methods for BL One and ALS Treatment One 00:16:59 - Microbiome Applications and Alternate Delivery Methods 00:17:38 - Funding History and Future Funding Plans 00:20:55 - Partnerships and Collaborations 00:29:33 - Importance of Alignment in Investor Relationships 00:30:00 - Potential Setback in Accepting Non-Traditional Biotech Investors 00:30:18 - Appreciation for the Advice 00:30:54 - Plug for Bloom Science 00:31:15 - Conclusion and Gratitude Guest Bios: Christopher Reyes, PhD: Dr. Reyes is a biophysicist and entrepreneur with a passion for creating solutions to improve our health, environment and economic sustainability. He has founded two companies focused on developing therapeutics to address serious medical needs as well as a tech company focused on connecting people and companies to socially conscious data solutions. His first company Eclipse Therapeutics, a City Hill-backed Biogen spinout focusing on cancer stem cell targeting therapeutics, resulted in a successful acquisition in 18 months. He has a Ph.D. in Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco and B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology, Biophysics from the University of California, Berkeley. Eyram Adjogatse, PhD: Dr. Adjogatse connects early-stage pharma R&D candidates with partners and other supporters. He ensures that new healthcare products are developed to their full potential. Having worked in pharmacy, in drug discovery research and as a consultant, he's gained a unique perspective on the challenges of bringing healthcare products to market. He's collaborated with biotech startups, Fortune 100 pharma companies and academic labs all over the world, and that's given him a better idea of the big picture. Guest Links: Christopher Reyes Linkedin Eyram Adjogatse Linkedin Bloom Twitter Bloom Linkedin About VibeCast VibeCast is our weekly informational podcast and content series exploring the hottest topics in drug development and Web3 with some of the dynamic people that make up the Vibe community. VibeCast is a collection of long-form and short-form video content intended to help our community learn about the current opportunities and challenges in biotech fundraising and community engagement innovation. Guests include biotech founders, regulatory experts, drug development executives, blockchain technologists, web3 community builders, patient community advocates, and many other Vibe Bio community members seeking to accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments. Follow Vibe Bio's Socials: https://twitter.com/VibeBio https://www.linkedin.com/company/vibe-bio/ https://www.instagram.com/vibebiotechnology/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vibebio https://www.facebook.com/VibeBiotechnology/ Disclaimer: VibeCast is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes, and no information or opinions shared constitute advice or services. While guests are invited to listen, listeners acknowledge they are not being provided professional advice from the podcast or the guests. The podcast is for private non-commercial use and the statements of our guests reflect their personal views only and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any agency, organization, or company that they work for or are affiliated with.