Ori Spotlight

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes Hong-Ming Hu, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of ImmuXell Biotech, together with Ori's Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Farlan Veraitch, to explore what it takes to bring TCR-T cell therapy to solid tumors, from discovery science to the first patient dosed. Drawing on more than three decades in cancer immunology a...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes Ken Harris, CEO of Omnia Bio and former healthcare lead at Amazon Web Services, to explore what it will take to scale CAR-T from hundreds to millions. Drawing on 35 years in healthcare, Ken shares how AI, automation, and digital infrastructure can help streamline manufacturing and support consistent delivery. They unpack the ec...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes Joe DePinto, Head of Cell and Gene Advanced Therapies at McKesson, to explore how advanced therapies can be delivered through the same systems that support other complex medicines. Joe shares what he has learned from decades of speciality drug distribution and how those lessons are now being applied to cell and gene therapies a...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes Jonathan Gluck, an award-winning journalist and author of An Exercise in Uncertainty, for a deeply personal conversation about illness, identity, and the evolving promise of cell therapy. Jonathan shares his 20-year journey with multiple myeloma, from the early days of treatment to receiving CAR-T therapy, and reflects on what...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes John Khoury, Founder of Project Farma, to unpack how the standards for advanced therapies are shifting. John reflects on why infrastructure planning, automation, and comparability studies can’t be left until late-stage development. They explore how CGT companies can reduce manufacturing risk by running development activities in...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes Warner Biddle, CEO of Kyverna Therapeutics, to explore how autologous CAR-T therapies can be delivered safely, efficiently, and at scale in autoimmune disease. Warner shares Kyverna’s approach to designing a commercially viable treatment model — one that prioritizes outpatient care, streamlined manufacturing, and real-world pra...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes Lavakumar (Kumar) Karyampudi, Senior Director of Cell Therapies at Moffitt Cancer Center, to discuss how academic institutions are evolving to meet the demands of early-phase CGT trials. Kumar shares how Moffitt is building flexible, end-to-end infrastructure that supports the full development cycle – from translational researc...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes Henrik Andersen, former SVP and Head of Cell Therapy Technology Development at Bristol Myers Squibb, to explore how early planning, automation, and economic discipline can help scale the impact of cell therapies. Henrik draws on his experience in both biologics and cell therapy to discuss how platform thinking, target product p...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes Arsalan Arif, founder of Endpoints News, for a wide-ranging conversation on the business of biotech. From his early days bootstrapping a media company to Endpoints’ recent partnership with the Financial Times, Arsalan shares his journey and reflections on what it takes to build trust in an evolving industry. Together, they unpa...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes Dr. Julie Allickson, Chief Technology Officer for Mayo Clinic's Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics. With over 30 years pioneering regenerative medicine - from early bone marrow transplant programs to today's cutting-edge cell and gene therapies - Julie shares her journey and insights on translating innovative therapies fro...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes back Aaron Vernon, Chief Manufacturing Officer at Quell Therapeutics, for the second part of the discussion on building robust and scalable cell therapy manufacturing systems. Together, they explore how applying principles like the Theory of Constraints, designing smarter facility layouts, and implementing digital systems can r...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes Aaron Vernon, Chief Manufacturing Officer at Quell Therapeutics, for a two-part discussion on building robust and scalable cell therapy manufacturing systems. Together they explore how applying principles like the Theory of Constraints, designing smarter facility layouts, and implementing digital systems can reduce bottlenecks...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes Amritha Jaishankar, Executive Director of the Cell and Gene Therapy Center at IQVIA, to discuss how data integration and decentralized manufacturing are reshaping access to advanced therapies. Amritha shares her insights on how to overcome systemic challenges in cell and gene therapy, including data silos, workforce gaps, and m...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes Boro Dropulić, CEO of Vector Biomed and Executive Director at Caring Cross. Boro shares his vision of how decentralized manufacturing, low-cost vector production, and open-source workflows can make cell and gene therapies more accessible worldwide. They also discuss the role of digital technologies, partnerships, and innovativ...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason Foster is joined by Michael Krajewski, Director at Stand Back and an expert in engineering and scaling operations. Michael, with his background in aeronautics, brings a unique perspective on the Theory of Constraints and its role in CGT manufacturing processes. Michael and Jason dive into the complex dynamics of bottlenecks and discuss how unders...

In this episode, Jason C. Foster welcomes Carl Schoellhammer, Principal & Advanced Therapies Practice Lead at DeciBio, to discuss the importance of considering viability alongside safety and efficacy in cell and gene therapies (CGTs). Schoellhammer highlights the need for scalable and decentralized manufacturing approaches to ensure the commercial viability of these advanced therapies, as well...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes Anshul Mangal, President at Project Farma, to discuss the hurdles to scalable CGT development, the importance of early strategic planning, and the role of digitalization in improving efficiency and reducing costs. Together they also highlight the potential of distributed manufacturing and the evolution of regulatory standards....

In this episode, Omkar Kawalekar of Deloitte's NextGenTherapies practice joins Ori CEO Jason C. Foster, to explore the significance of technology and strategic collaborations in overcoming manufacturing challenges and developing advanced therapies at scale. Their conversation covers key industry hurdles like supply chain optimization and the strategic planning necessary for bringing innovative...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes Joe DePinto, head of Cell and Gene Advanced Therapies at McKesson, to discuss challenges and innovations in cell and gene therapy manufacturing and supply chains. Together they also highlight the importance of collaborative partnerships and digital innovations to enhance access and streamline processes within the CGT sector. Jo...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, Jason C. Foster welcomes Matthew Hewitt, Vice President and Technical Officer of Cell and Gene Therapy and Biologics at Charles River Laboratories, to discuss why industry collaboration is needed to experience the true impact of advanced therapies and develop them at a commercial scale. Together they also highlight the role of technology in closing, au...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, host Jason C. Foster is joined by Jeff Holder and Adam Siebert from LEK Consulting, who offer an in-depth exploration of the evolving cell and gene therapy (CGT) industry. LEK Consulting, a global leader in strategic advisory, aims to address the critical challenges of scalability and commercial viability within the CGT sector. Jeff and Adam, with thei...

In this episode of Ori Spotlight Podcast, we welcome Jim Faulkner, PhD, Independent Consultant at JDB BioConsulting and former SVP of Product Delivery at Autolus. Jim brings a wealth of experience from his remarkable career in biopharmaceutical development and his journey in the industry is marked by significant contributions, particularly in pioneering cell therapy at GSK. The episode offers a de...

In this episode of the Ori Spotlight Podcast, we're joined by Sanjay Srivastava, Managing Director of Accenture's Cell and Gene Therapy Practice. With his extensive background in consulting and a deep understanding of the biotechnology sector, Sanjay offers unique insights into the rapidly evolving world of cell and gene therapies. Sanjay and Jason C. Foster delve into the critical challen...

We’re joined by Tim Hunt, CEO of Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM). As an international advocacy organization, ARM is a global voice within the cell and gene therapy sector. They champion the benefits of engineered cell therapies and genetic medicines for patients, healthcare systems, and society as well as facilitating influential exchanges on policies and practices, and advances in narrat...

We’re joined by Vered Caplan, CEO of Orgenesis, as she shares her insights into the cell and gene therapy sector. With a background in engineering and business, Vered found her passion in the cell and gene therapy industry. She founded Orgenesis with a mission to bring innovative therapies to patients, by leveraging cutting-edge science to create a more efficient, scalable, and affordable pathway...