The Long Game

In this episode, Sandy and Ross delve into the world of peptides, discussing their uses, risks, and the burgeoning market surrounding them. They explore specific peptides like BPC 157 and Melanotan, highlighting the lack of regulation and scientific backing for many products available online. The conversation delves into the complexities of peptide medicines, their market dynamics, regulatory chal...

The NHS has some of the most valuable health data in the world and that makes it both a goldmine and a battleground. In the latest episode of The Long Game, Sandy Weir and Ross Cagan pull apart the promise, the politics, and the very real risks of letting Silicon Valley companies help run the systems behind your care. They start with the Royal Free and DeepMind case, where 1.6 million patient reco...

The future of newborn screening sounds simple until you ask the hard question: should every baby have their whole genome sequenced at birth? Sandy Weir and Ross Cagan unpack the promise, the technology, and the uncomfortable trade-offs behind one of the biggest shifts in modern healthcare. With the NHS Generation Study already sequencing newborns across England, this episode explores how ultra-fas...

Women’s health is not a niche market, it’s a massive blind spot in medicine, investment, and product design. Ross Cagan and Sandy Weir unpack how decades of male-default research created real-world harm, from delayed diagnoses to missed heart attacks, and why that neglect is now becoming one of the biggest opportunities in health. They break down the data problem at the centre of the women’s healt...

Private full-body MRIs are booming - but are you buying peace of mind or simply new things to worry about? Healthy people are lining up for scans that promise certainty, early detection, and control. Sandy Weir and Ross Cagan reveal why that promise can backfire, turning reassurance into anxiety, follow-up tests, and overdiagnosis. This episode unpacks the private scan boom and the uncomfortable t...

Most longevity clinics are selling a seductive story, not proven results. If you care about biological age tests, rapamycin, supplements, or the booming market for “optimization,” this episode separates the real science from the expensive theatre. Ross Cagan and Sandy Weir take on the new body economy and ask the question at the centre of the longevity clinic boom: what actually improves health sp...

The Ozempic economy is already reshaping what people eat, how companies sell, and which health systems can afford to keep up. Sandy Weir and Ross Kagan kick off The Body Economy, a six-part series that starts with the drugs behind the headlines and ends with a much bigger question: what happens when appetite itself becomes medically adjustable?

One contaminated lab plate helped launch a multi-billion-dollar industry, save hundreds of millions of lives, and trigger one of the biggest IP blunders in British history. Ross Cagan and Sandy Weir trace the penicillin story from Alexander Fleming's messy "failed" experiment to the commercialisation race that changed medicine forever. They unpack how Fleming spotted the blue-green mould that kill...

A doctor tried to erase two murders so completely that he turned the crime scene into a puzzle. What finally exposed the truth was not a confession, but forensic ingenuity; skull reconstruction, photographic superimposition, and insects that could timestamp death with uncanny precision. Ross Cagan and Sandy Weir unpack the infamous Buck Ruxton case, known as the Jigsaw Murders and Bodies Under the...

The placebo effect is far more powerful, and potentially more dangerous, than most people realise. Expectation can trigger real biochemical changes in the brain, ease symptoms, and even nudge dopamine release in Parkinson's disease, but it can also create side effects out of thin air and quietly distort treatment decisions. In the second part of their examination of the placebo effect, Sandy Weir...

A fake surgery that performed as well as the real thing. That’s the kind of result that changes how you think about pain, healing, and what medicine actually is. In this episode Ross and Sandy break down why the placebo effect is not “mind over matter” trivia, but real biology shaped by expectation, trust, ritual, and meaning. They use one of the most famous knee surgery studies to expose the gap...

Unlock the secrets to launching a biotech startup from Scotland’s leading experts; avoid common pitfalls, tap into critical funding sources, and learn when and how to scale beyond borders. Most founders rush into company formation without the right foundation. Prof Ross Cagan, Director of the McNabb Center, and Dr Sandy Weir, Tech Innovation Leader, expose the biggest mistakes biotech entrepreneur...

Unlock the secrets to turning innovative Scotland-based life sciences ideas into global success stories. This episode dives into the practical steps, funding strategies, legal hurdles, and insider tips, needed to transform early research into a thriving company, all while avoiding costly mistakes. Whether you're a scientist at the start of your entrepreneurial journey or an investor looking to spo...

Most biotech founders in Scotland and beyond don’t understand the complex world of venture capital. This episode reveals the insider secrets to navigating early-stage biotech funding, from bootstrap beginnings to Series C success, with insights you won’t find anywhere else. Whether you're a scientist dreaming of transforming your research into a life-changing medicine or an investor eager to unloc...

In this episode Ross and Sandy discuss the complexities of dementia, exploring its impact, the science behind it, the economic costs, and the biotech industry's efforts in prevention and early detection. The conversation covers the future of disease treatment, encouraging industry to explore opportunities, practical and personal advice for disease prevention. We close with our 'wee bit of joy' and...

Most companies overlook a massive opportunity in early diagnosis for cardiovascular disease, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. On this episode of The Long Game , Ross and Sandy reveal how Scotland’s thriving biotech ecosystem is turning understanding of the “broken heart” into ground breaking tech that could save lives and billions in healthcare costs. Right now, Scotland faces an alarming crisis...

Most medical trust is based on a simple signature, until it isn’t. A 19th-century Glasgow doctor’s deadly misuse of that trust not only shocked the nation but also helped shape the foundation of modern forensic science. Discover how one man’s dark deeds as the "Glasgow Poisoner" exposed horrifying weaknesses in a system that still challenges us today and why verifying trust has never been more cru...

In this episode we attempt to uncover how AI is transforming the human mind, from decoding thoughts to rewriting emotions. Imagine a future where your dreams, memories, and even your emotional states are not private. We delve into the mind-bending capabilities of cutting-edge AI that’s learning to read, modify, and potentially control our inner worlds. From neural implants that detect and influenc...

In this episode Ross and Sandy delve into the applications of AI in biology, drug discovery, and clinical trials, highlighting the potential of AI to revolutionize the healthcare industry. It explores the role of AI in drug design, protein modelling, gene editing, and cancer vaccines, as well as the challenges and opportunities in clinical trials and drug approval. The conversation delves into the...

In part 2 of this episode, Ross and Sandy continue their conversation with Dr. Deborah O'Neill where we discusses her leadership in the biotech industry, the challenges in biotech infrastructure, the economic impact of life sciences, regional investment and opportunities, and creative problem solving in the industry.

In this episode, join Ross and Sandy in discussion with Dr. Deborah O'Neill, CEO of NovaBiotics. Released in two parts, in this first part of the interview Deborah discusses her journey from academia to entrepreneurship, sharing insights into the science and story behind the formation of NovaBiotics. We hear about the fascinating work they are doing to combat microbial resistance and the potential...

In this episode, the principal themes revolve around the application of AI in healthcare, focusing on efficiency, productivity, and patient care. The discussion also delves into the concept of virtual hospitals, the impact of AI on radiology imaging, and its role in emergency services.

In this episode Ross and Sandy explore the history and impact of MRI technology, highlighting its development in Scotland and its global significance. It delves into the challenges and breakthroughs in medical imaging, emphasising the contributions of Scottish scientists and the commercial impact of their innovations.

Most biotech start-ups struggle just to find space, but Scotland is pioneering a solution that could revolutionise how life sciences companies grow and thrive. In this episode Ross and Sandy peel back the curtain on the critical infrastructure bottleneck threatening Scotland’s $25 billion biotech ambitions, revealing how innovative models and hefty public investment are building state-of-the-art s...

In this episode we explore the economics of the health data revolution and learn about how a surprising and relatively unknown archive in Scotland could change everything. What if your genetic history, kept since 1965 in a vault, is the ultimate resource for life sciences innovation? This episode reveals how Scotland’s hidden DNA archive (over 2.5 million newborn blood cards) may be the key to rev...