Life Sciences DNA Podcast

Chris Colucci, vice president of information technology at Insmed, sits down with Nagaraja Srivatsan to discuss the company’s shift from AI experimentation to enterprise-scale adoption, using the patient as its North Star guiding decisions across the drug development value chain. He outlines the evolution of Insmed’s AI journey and explains how the company now evaluates opportunities through clear...

Vikram Nair, chief information officer of Amneal Pharmaceuticals, joins Srivatsan Nagaraja to break down what it really takes to turn AI from boardroom buzz into real business impact. From early missteps and skeptical stakeholders to building smarter metrics, Nair shares lessons from the front lines of AI transformation—and introduces a practical control framework to help life sciences companies s...

Dennis Salotti, executive director and head of clinical outsourcing and innovation at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, joins Srivatsan Nagaraja to talk about what AI really looks like in day-to-inside a drug company. He explains how large language models and agentic tools can streamline contracting, budgeting, and risk management—mundane but high-impact work that speeds studies and improves trial-site experi...

Tris Pharma Chief Commercial Officer Manesh Naidu sits down with Nagaraja Srivatsan to discuss how the small but growing specialty pharma company is pursuing a deliberately incremental AI strategy, focusing on its biggest pain points rather than chasing grand, enterprise-wide transformations. He explains how the team is using off-the-shelf and vendor tools where possible, rigorously managing data...

Shweta Maniar, global strategy and market leader for life sciences at Google Cloud, sits down with Nagaraja Srivatsan to unpack what it takes to turn AI pilots into durable, enterprise-wide impact. A former biotech executive who now helps biopharma leaders modernize their data and AI strategy, Shweta argues that success starts with fixing fragmented data foundations and reshaping culture—not just...

Scotch McClure had a bold plan for Maxwell Biosciences to map and mine the roughly 3 percent of peptides circulating in human plasma. The company has harnessed AI to move from a massive and messy universe of human peptides to a small-molecule candidate that could offer a potential alternative to antibiotics, antifungals, and some antivirals. McClure, CEO of Maxwell, sat down with Nagaraja Srivatsa...

Drew McCormick, head of data and analytics at Eversana, sits down with Nagaraja Srivatsan to trace the company’s AI journey from classic predictive modeling in its data and analytics business to an enterprise-wide strategy. He describes how Eversana is building on a strong data foundation to tackle challenges such as patient identification, while also rethinking workflows, governance, and talent t...

Scott Cenci, chief information and data officer for Acadia Pharmaceuticals, sits down with Nagaraja Srivatsan to discuss how generative and agentic AI are reshaping biopharma throughout the enterprise from R&D and clinical development to the commercial field. He discusses how it is changing the roles of people like medical writers into medical editors, why every knowledge worker will soon mana...

Karthik Raman, co-founder and CEO of Persist AI, sits down with the Nagaraja Srivatsan to discuss how robotics, AI, and cloud tech are supercharging drug formulation to address a bottleneck in pharma R&D. He explains how robots outperform humans in consistency and scale, igniting a flywheel of faster prototyping, richer data, and AI-orchestrated workflows that will propel biopharma innovation...

Gabi Tarcic, vice president of product for Evogene, sits down with Srivatsan Nagaraja about applying AI to small molecule drug discovery, the cultural and operational changes required for researchers to adopt these tools, and how AI-driven platforms can improve the efficiency of pharma R&D.

Anita Modi, CEO and founder of Peer AI, joins Srivatsan Nagaraja to discuss the transformative impact of agentic AI on document creation for pharmaceutical companies. She discusses the cultural challenges of integrating AI into a traditionally cautious industry, the need for change management, and why it’s critical to embed human judgment alongside machine intelligence.​

Ronel Veksler, co-founder and CEO of PromiseBio, sits down with Amar Drawid to discuss the company’s AI-enabled proteomics platform, and how post-translational modifications of proteins represent a new frontier for precision medicine in autoimmune diseases; and how AI is enabling deep profiling of the epiproteome for better disease subtyping, improved prediction of drug response, and more personal...

Aaron Cohen, Head of Research Oncology, Clinical Data for Flatiron Health, sits down with Amar Drawid to discuss Flatiron’s use of large language models to extract and analyze unstructured data from electronic health records. Cohen discusses how AI‑extracted data can replicate human‑curated outcomes across multiple cancer types, paving the way for faster, richer insights to guide both clinical dec...

Manfred Stapff, founder and principal of Candid Advisory, sits down with Amar Drawid to discuss the potential of real-world data to accelerate drug development and improve regulatory strategies. He discusses why real-world data can provide insights may miss, shed light on treatment effects once approved, and how it may one day reshape the drug approval process.

Stephen Pyke, chief clinical data and digital officer at Parexel, sits down with Srivatsan Nagaraja to discuss the adoption of AI technologies in clinical development. He highlights the importance of workflow integration, the challenges of change management, and how to prepare organizations for an AI-driven future.

Mohan Uttarwar, CEO 1Cell. Ai, sits down with Amar Drawid to discuss how his company is transforming cancer diagnostics and care by combining cutting-edge molecular science with advanced AI. He talks about how the company’s single-cell multi-omics platform provides real-time, precision insights, enhances patient selection in clinical trials, and delivers actionable information for oncologists.

Amar Drawid, vice president and global head of data analytics, insights, and AI for BioNTech, sits down with Nagaraja Srivatsan to discuss the evolution, adoption, and challenges of AI in the biopharma sector. He discusses the real-world implementation challenges of generative AI, the iterative process of developing business solutions, and the necessity of effective change management for organizat...

Dimitris Agrafiotis, director of digital analytics and AI at Arsenal Capital Partners sits down with Nagaraja Srivatsan to discuss the current state of AI in clinical trials, the potential for AI to streamline operations, and the importance of user experience and change management in driving adoption of the technology.

Sunil Talathi, senior director and head of data insights, data sciences, and analytics for BeOne Medicines; sits down with Nagaraja Srivatsan to discuss his experience implementing AI in a biopharmaceutical company. He discusses cost considerations, prompt engineering, and the need for collaboration between humans and AI systems.

Craig Lipset, advisor and founder of Clinical Innovation Partners, sits down with Nagaraja Srivatsan to discuss how AI can bring greater predictability to clinical trials, how organizations can adopt the technology effectively, and the importance of having a culture of experimentation.

Ariel Katz, co-founder and CEO of H1, sits down with Amar Drawid to discuss how his company’s AI platform allows pharmaceutical companies to identify the right healthcare providers for their clinical trials, medical affairs, and commercial activities. He discusses the company’s unique datasets, the problem it solves for biopharmaceutical companies, and some unexpected ways the platform has been us...

Venky Iyer, director of data strategy and automation at Pfizer, sits down with Nagaraja Srivatsan to discuss the transformative role of AI and machine learning in the pharmaceutical industry. They discuss Iyer’s journey in implementing AI solutions to enhance operational efficiency at Pfizer. They talk about the importance of engaging operational teams, managing change effectively, and focusing on...

Scott Chetham, co-founder and CEO of Faro Health, sits down with Amar Drawid to discuss how AI transforms clinical trial design and drug development. He talks about how AI can enhance patient selection, feasibility assessments, and protocol writing to accelerate drug development cost-effectively.

Kannan Natarajan, senior vice president at Pfizer, discusses the potential of generative AI to streamline pharmaceutical documentation processes and improve efficiency, what he’s learned about implementing AI solutions, and the cultural challenges of adopting new technologies.

Vinod Das, Pharma R&D, Drug Innovation & AI Scouting for Bayer; sits down with Nagaraja Srivatsan to discuss the integration of generative AI in drug discovery and clinical development. He discusses the journey of AI adoption, the importance of prompt engineering, and the complexities of implementation.