Biotech Matters

In this episode, Bluestar Principal Jeff Fineberg is joined by Dr. Howard Trachtman, a pediatric nephrologist and researcher, who has been a principal investigator on many NIH- and industry-sponsored clinical trials in glomerular diseases, including FSGS. Following a brief recap of the recent history of sparsentan in FSGS, and some recent developments in its hopeful path toward FDA approval, Jeff...

Bluestar is once again heading to ASN Kidney Week, this time in Houston, TX. Since our last episode, Otsuka, the manufacturer of sibeprenlimab, announced that the FDA has granted Priority Review of their BLA application; its PDUFA date is November 28 th of this year. Additionally, Vera Therapeutics, the manufacturer of atacicept put out a press release this past summer that the ORIGIN Phase 3 tria...

Principal Jeff Fineberg, PhD  sits down with Vlado Perkovic, MBBS, PhD, to discuss the IgA nephropathy trial data presented at Kidney Week 2024 in San Diego. Jeff begins by asking Dr. Perkovic to talk about why targeting B-cells is an attractive target, and why BAFF/APRIL might prove more promising than CD20. The two then discuss the data with two agents in development for the treatment of IgAN, a...

Principal Jeff Fineberg, PhD  welcomes back returning guest nephrologist Beatrice Goilav, MD, to discuss the program featured at Kidney Week 2024 in San Diego. Dr. Goilav reflects on what has happened in the field since last year's Kidney Week conference, as well as her hopes for what will be presented at a variety of sessions, including more data in IgA nephropathy, lupus nephritis, and FSGS. She...

Bluestar Managing Director Erin Olsen is back from the ASCO conference in Chicago and joins Principal Jeff Fineberg on the podcast again, this time to talk about all things antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) in oncology.  Given the number and value of deals in this space over the past couple of years, as well as the 170+ ADCs now in clinical development, Jeff asks Erin to take stock of what we've lea...

As the Bluestar team prepares to head to ASCO 2024 this upcoming weekend, Bluestar Principal Jeff Fineberg sits down with Bluestar Managing Director Erin Olsen to talk about interesting abstracts related to two topics: What are the unmet needs in 1L therapy? The KRAS G12C mutation landscape

After attending ASN Kidney Week, Bluestar Principal Jeff Fineberg sits down with Dr. Pietro Canetta to talk all things IgA nephropathy (IgAN). After Dr. Canetta provides a brief summary of his IgAN lecture at Kidney Week,   Emerging Therapeutic Options in IgA Nephropathy,   the two discuss the Filspari (sparsentan) data presented from both the PROTECT study, in IgAN, the DUPLEX study, in FSGS. Fro...

In the first ever Biotech Matters podcast episode, Principal Jeff Fineberg, PhD, sits down with nephrologist Beatrice Goilav, MD, to talk all things Kidney Week. Dr. Goilav offers her thoughts on an ideal day-by-day itinerary, as well as her hopes for what will be presented at a variety of sessions, including drug trials in IgAN, and new studies of SGLT2 inhibitors. She also offers her perspective...