Back Bay Life Science Report

Fifteen years ago, scientists discovered optogenetics, a technique of using light to stimulate light-sensitive receptors in order to turn brain cells “on” and “off" at the flip of a switch. Advances in optogenetics have allowed this technology to move from the laboratory to humans, and more recently biopharma companies have been quick to incorporate optogenetic therapies into their ophthalmology p...

Antibiotics act as a safety net for all of healthcare. They make medical procedures such as surgeries, childbirth and cancer treatments possible, but what happens when bacteria or other microorganisms become resistant to the drugs we use against them?  Back Bay Life Science Advisors’ Managing Director Peter Bak sits down with Marc Lemonnier, a molecular and cellular microbiologist and CEO of Antab...

Despite the heavy influx of capital over the past years, medtech or biopharma sell-side assignments can still be ripe with challenges. In this episode of Back Bay’s industry podcast, Back Bay Life Science Advisors’ investment banking team discuss best practices for successful sell-side licensing, partnering, and M&A, including:  Best practices for readying vital aspects of deal preparation  Id...

Cell and gene therapies are currently among the hottest investments in the biotech space, both in the public and private markets. In this episode, Back Bay’s Managing Director and host Pete Bak, PhD is joined by Kyle O’Neil and Brendan Wang, who are returning to the podcast after attending the 2021 Cell and Gene Meeting on the Mesa . Tune in to hear their discussion on emerging investment themes a...

“I have a deep belief that medtech and healthtech are going to carry us forward to markedly improve delivery and quality of healthcare.”  - Jonathan P. Gertler, MD   For years, biotech has been the dominant theme in life sciences development, offering a great deal in treatment advances and in terms of investing versatility and returns potential. But with promising system solutions serving broader...

One of the unexpected outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the rapid and widespread uptake of remote patient monitoring. Just ahead of the pandemic, investment in patient monitoring was booming; priming the system for quick uptake and innovation. As with vaccines, much groundwork had been done to prepare for dramatic innovation and widespread, rapid patient use, seemingly “overnight.” In thi...

In this episode of our life science industry podcast, Dr. Peter Bak sits down with Brendan Wang and Christian Thienel of Back Bay Life Science Advisors to discuss how pharmaceutical companies price their drugs.  They cover the ins and outs of health economics, how payers make sense of a high price, and ways this varies around the globe.  With a focus on Biogen’s recent Aduhelm approval, the discus...

In this episode Jonathan Gertler, Back Bay’s CEO and Managing Partner, sits down with Dr. Peter Bak, Managing Director at Back Bay, to discuss Dr. Bak’s latest article in STAT News and to talk about the world of anti-infectives. Dr. Bak has more than ten years of expertise in infection and treatment. He began his research at Dartmouth Medical School and later continued at MIT, where he was an Amer...

Welcome to Episode #2 of The Life Science Report. In this week’s episode Jonathan Gertler, Back Bay’s CEO and Managing Partner, is joined by Gregory Benning and Vasilios Kofitsas of Back Bay’s investment banking team to talk about the market of Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs). The feeling surrounding healthcare SPACs right now is almost...giddy. With enormous capital flowing into the...

Welcome to Episode 1 of The Life Science Report. In this episode our host, Dr. Peter Bak, sits down with Brendan Wang and Kyle O’Neil of Back Bay Life Science Advisors to discuss the field of gene therapies and insights from their recently authored piece in Cell & Gene, “The Next Decade In Gene Therapy Innovation — 6 Critical Questions (And Answers),” and their newly released white paper on BB...