Xtalks Life Science Podcast

In this episode of the Xtalks Life Science Podcast, Vera Kovacevic speaks with Gene Mack, CEO and President of Gain Therapeutics , a company focused on AI-driven small molecule discovery for diseases with high unmet medical needs. With over 25 years of leadership across biopharma, capital markets and corporate strategy, Gene shares his unique perspective on the intersection of artificial intellige...

In this episode of the Xtalks Life Science Podcast, host Ayesha Rashid speaks with Edwin Tucker, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Jasper Therapeutics, about innovative approaches to treating chronic mast cell diseases such as asthma, food allergies and IBS. Dr. Tucker has over 30 years of clinical drug development experience, with past roles as CMO at Goldfinch Bio and Mirum Pharmaceuticals...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Adam Grant, PhD, Principal Scientist at CancerVax , to discuss the company’s Universal Cancer Treatment Platform. The immunotherapy tool uses AI to train the immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer cells by modifying those cells to resemble known pathogens like measles. This innovative approach prompts a stronger and more effective immune response compare...

In this episode, Vera spoke with Dr. Alessandra Maleddu, a medical oncologist and sarcoma specialist at the University of Colorado. Dr. Maleddu specializes in soft tissue and bone sarcomas, with a particular focus on desmoid tumors and advancing clinical trials in this rare disease area. Desmoid tumors are locally invasive soft tissue tumors that present unique diagnostic and treatment challenges,...

In this episode, Vera spoke with Jay Hartenbach, President and Chief Operating Officer of Diakonos Oncology , a company developing cancer immunotherapies to address the critical and unmet medical need of late-stage and aggressive cancers like glioblastoma. Jay is a passionate advocate for wellness and innovative healthcare, bringing a unique blend of scientific knowledge, entrepreneurial enthusias...

In this episode, Vera spoke with Chris Ehrlich, CEO at CERo Therapeutics, a company developing next-generation T cell immunotherapies, called chimeric engulfment receptor T cells (CER T). Chris has extensive experience in biotechnology, venture capital and strategic transactions, currently serving as CEO and Chairman of the board since February 2024 and previously as CEO of PBAX. He has held leade...

In this episode, Ayesha speaks with Ebrahim S. Delpassand, MD, Founder and CEO of RadioMedix , a company developing innovative radiopharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis, monitoring and treatment. With a focus on both PET imaging and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals labeled with alpha and beta emitters, RadioMedix is helping to shape the future of precision oncology. Dr. Delpassand brings a wealth...

In this episode, Ayesha speaks with Norman Putzki, MD, Senior Vice President and Global Development Head of Neuroscience and Gene Therapy at Novartis, about the complexities and real-world challenges of bringing new therapies to patients with neurological diseases. Dr. Putzki discusses the challenges and opportunities in developing treatments for complex brain disorders, and how gene therapy is be...

In this episode, Ayesha speaks with Sumita Bhatta, MD, Vice President and Global Development Therapeutic Head of Rare Disease at Amgen. In the conversation, Dr. Bhatta shares insights on how large pharmaceutical companies like Amgen are approaching innovation and patient-centricity in the rare disease space. She also discusses the unique challenges and opportunities in developing therapies for sma...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Paul Romness, MHP, chair and CEO of OS Therapies , a company developing novel immunotherapies for cancers like osteosarcoma and other solid tumors. Paul shares insights into OS Therapies’ lead program, the scientific rationale behind the company’s innovative immunotherapy approach and how the company is addressing unmet needs in osteosarcoma. Paul has over 25 yea...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Dr. Shaharyar Khan, co-founder and chief scientific officer at Rivus Pharmaceuticals . Rivus is developing a new class of investigational medicines called controlled metabolic accelerators (CMAs) for cardiometabolic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, heart failure and MASH by targeting obesity. Dr. Khan is an expert in the field of mitochondrial biology and t...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Marc Hedrick, MD, MBA, president and CEO of Plus Therapeutics, a company focused on developing a novel class of targeted radiotherapeutics. Prior to heading Plus Therapeutics, Dr. Hedrick served in a number of executive leadership roles including president, CEO and director at Cytori Therapeutics, and president and CEO of StemSource.  Dr. Hedrick is a trained gen...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Carlos Martin, MBA, chief commercial operations and revenue officer at Rocket Pharmaceuticals , a company developing gene therapy cures for rare diseases through innovative science and platforms. Carlos joined Rocket in April 2021 and established the company’s early commercial strategy and infrastructure as Chief Commercial Officer. Prior to joining Rocket, Carlo...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Marshall Fordyce, MD, founder and CEO of Vera Therapeutics , a company focused on developing treatments for autoimmune diseases. Dr. Fordyce founded Vera in 2016 as an entrepreneur in residence at Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, took the company public in 2021 and has advanced its lead molecule through a successful Phase II trial in IgA nephropathy. The compa...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Shalabh Gupta, MD, founder, chairman and CEO of Unicycive Therapeutics , a company focused on addressing unmet medical needs in renal diseases. Kidney diseases are a major global health concern. In the US, chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects more than one in seven individuals, and one in three adults with diabetes may have the condition. Before founding Unicyciv...

Join us as we celebrate a major milestone — the 200th episode of the Xtalks Life Science Podcast! From groundbreaking biotech innovations to exclusive interviews with life science industry innovators and leaders, we've covered it all. Thank you for tuning in each week! We look forward to continuing to bring the latest and greatest across the pharma, biotech and medical industries! In this episode,...

In this episode, Vera spoke with Ann Beliën, PhD, founder and CEO of Rejuvenate Biomed , a biotech company leveraging AI-driven platforms to develop therapies for age-related diseases and promote healthy aging. Rejuvenate Biomed is aiming to transform the treatment landscape for diseases such as sarcopenia, neuromuscular, metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Beliën founded Rejuvenate Bio...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Anthea Cherednichenko, MPH, MBA, Vice President, Hematology Franchise Head, Takeda, who discussed driving innovation in rare diseases through collaborations focused on better serving patients and their communities. Anthea has more than a decade of global experience serving the rare disease community, particularly those with blood and bleeding disorders, at Takeda...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Lee Honigberg, PhD, VP of Research & Development, ALZpath , a provider of diagnostic tools for Alzheimer’s disease.    This includes a blood-based biomarker assay, called the ALZpathDx assay, which measures pTau217 in the blood. Prior to joining ALZpath, Dr. Honigberg was most recently Senior Director and Distinguished Scientist in Translational Medicine at G...

In this episode, Vera speaks with Oded Kraft, Co-Founder, CEO and President of GrayMatters Health , a company transforming mental health care through evidence-based digital brain biomarker technology. Oded shares insights into GrayMatters Health’s mission to improve patient outcomes for mental health disorders like PTSD by leveraging their proprietary EEG-fMRI-Pattern (EFP) biomarker. He discusses...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Mario Marcondes, MD, PhD, VP Head of Clinical Development at Nektar Therapeutics , a company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapies for autoimmune disorders and cancer. Dr. Marcondes is a licensed and trained physician, specializing in oncology and immune oncology. He has more than 15 years of research and teaching experience in Bone Marrow T...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Sarah Averill Lott, MPH, CPH, Research Lead at Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) and Diane Stephenson, PhD, Executive Director at the Critical Path for Parkinson (CPP) at the Critical Path Institute . DiMe is a global non-profit and a professional home for digital medicine that aims to drive the broad adoption of digital approaches to advance medicine and public he...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Amit Etkin, Founder, President and CEO of Alto Neuroscience , a company developing precision treatments for neuropsychiatric conditions. Alto Neuroscience is focused on designing candidates that target core brain processes in patient populations not adequately treated by currently available medications. Alto is currently pursuing candidates in major depressive di...

In this episode, Vera spoke with Dr. Robert Den, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Alpha Tau Medical , a company developing cancer treatment with its highly potent alpha radiation technology. Dr. Den shared his journey to becoming CMO at Alpha Tau Medical and discussed the company’s mission to bring innovative cancer therapies to patients worldwide. Learn how Alpha Tau’s technology differs from tradi...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Judy Chou, PhD, CEO, President and Board member of AltruBio , a company developing first-in-class immunomodulators to target diseases of the immune system. AltruBio’s pipeline includes compounds being investigated for indications such as ulcerative colitis, psoriatic arthritis and acute graft vs. host disease. Prior to joining AltruBio, Dr. Chou headed the global...