The Best Of BioTech IQ

Bryan Kobel decided to pursue a career in biotech after seeing its massive opportunities to change the world. He sits down with Ammon Rivera to share how he translated his background as an investment banker into his role as the CEO of TC BioPharm , a company that develops cancer therapy. He opens up about finding his purpose in this space that allows him to save lives and molds him into a compassi...

Science will only get you so far in biotech. No matter how ingenious your products are, you will never succeed as a company if you don’t have all the pieces if business development in place. And there is no greater piece than the people piece. As the Chief People Officer of Biomea Fusion, Naomi Cretcher knows that company culture is what is going to make or break her company’s success. Despite eve...

There isn’t a cure for cancer yet, but if everyone can come together, we may find that cure sooner rather than later. One biotech company that is trying to solve cancer is  Qualigen Therapeutics . With their oncology therapeutics pipeline, they could be onto something with their leading asset QN-302.  Join Ammon Rivera as he talks to the Chief Medical Officer of Qualigen Therapeutics,  Tariq Arsha...

Qualigen Therapeutics  is a biotechnology company that develops novel therapeutic products to treat adult and pediatric patients with rare cancers. A leading name in the industry, they have decided to build a therapeutics pipeline within the last few years. In this first episode of a three-part series featuring top executives of Qualigen Therapeutics, Ammon interviews  Amy Broidrick , the firm’s P...

AI has gone so far as to potentially change drug development, and these developments have the potential to make a difference in people’s lives. On this episode of BioTech IQ, Ammon interviews Noam Solomon, the CEO of Immunai. Immunai is developing an AI platform that leverages big data, single cell multiomics, and machine learning to bridge the gap between casual immunology and translational disea...

Social anxiety disorder is the third most common mental health disorder. Over 23 million Americans alone are affected by it. This disorder can continue to grow into depression and drug abuse, so it's very important to catch it early so it can be stopped. But how can it be stopped? Shawn Singh , the CEO and Director of VistaGen Therapeutics , and his team are creating a nasal spray to help people w...

Companies in the biotech space are making contributions to help find a cure for cancer. Today’s guest is no exception. In today’s episode, Ammon Rivera sits down with  Daniel Teper , Co-Founder and CEO of  Cytovia Therapeutics , to talk about the unique technology they’re using to develop a treatment for cancer. Daniel discusses how they’ve developed three types of iPSC-Derived Natural Killer Cell...

Cell cycle biology is key to understanding cancer. You have to hit the cancer cells early before they become smart and adapt. There is a stage in the cell cycle called mitosis. This is where, if done right, can cause cancer cells to suicide. This is where the biotech company, Cyclacel comes in with all their research into the cell cycle of cancer. Join Ammon Rivera as he talks to Spiro Rombotis ab...

Have you ever thought about having replacement parts for your body? It sounds like science fiction, but it’s now as real as the eyes you’re using to read this, thanks to cell-based therapy. Brian Culley is one of the leaders in this field. He is the CEO of Lineage Cell Therapeutics , a company developing treatments for multiple indications based on their proprietary cell-based therapy platform. Le...

The biotech industry has been bombarded with disruptions in recent years, from a global pandemic to rising global tensions. How are they dealing with the supply chain issues and how else has it impacted the industry? In this episode, Ammon Rivera sits down with two-peat guest, Guillermo Morales, PhD , CEO of Innoventyx . Guillermo makes us privy to the issues brought on by COVID-19 and the geopoli...

On this episode of BioTech IQ, Ammon Rivera interviews Robert Foster Pharm D, PhD , CEO of Hepion Pharmaceuticals . Robert brings 30 years of experience to this discussion and shares with us details of his background that led him to where he is today. We also discuss Hepion Pharmacetuicals current clinical trials to development treatments targeting chronic liver diseases including NASH, cancer, an...

Some of the main problems with sequencing in identifying mutations are its cost and the time it takes. Fortunately, with the rapid growth of technology, revolutionary products that simplify processes are being made. One of those is from  DiaCarta , a diagnostics company using translational genomics and molecular precision technology to develop ways of detecting disease. In this episode of BioTech...

TNF is a protein that contributes to inflammation. Anti-TNFs can be used to stabilize this and stop the inflammation. It’s used for diseases like arthritis and psoriasis. Discover how clinical trials are done so these medicines and anti-TNFs can be utilized. Join Ammon Rivera as he talks to M.D., Ph. D. and CEO of  180 Life Sciences ,  Jim Woody  about anti-TNFs and the trial process behind them....

Tom shares with us some of his journey and how that led him to co-found Biomea Fusion. We discuss some of the science behind irreversible drugs and covalent bonding. Using their fusion system there is greater potential for high selectivity, deep inactivation of target, and a greater therapeutic window. https://biomeafusion.com/ https://thebiotechiqpodcast.com/podcast/

CliniStart launched to provide innovative tech-enabled solutions focused on global investigator contracts, budgets, and payments. And they did all of this just as the COVID-19 pandemic was hitting. This gave them an opportunity to shift and adapt. In this episode we address the challenges causing friction at during clinical trial start-up and what it takes to launch a start-up company. https://cli...

On this episode we have Brenda Sousa, previously the Chief Human Resources Officer with Constellation Pharmaceuticals. Brenda shares with us part of her backstory and entry into the world of Biotech. We discuss people, culture, the function of HR, and how the industry requires a unique yet similar approach. Ammon also shares past experiences with Brenda and gets her take on them. #BiotechIQ #Biote...

In this episode of BioTech IQ Ammon interviews Stewart Hallet the COO of SFJ Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company with a unique business model. The discussion touches on a number of things in clinical operations including working with CROs, leadership, and resourcing.  #BioTechIQ #ClinicalOperations #DrugDevelopment #Podcasts

Co-founders Shawn Carbonell and Brent Witgen discuss the progress of the 1st cohort (BRZN1) as they are well into the Brazen Bio program. We also get the chance to interview one of the founders currently in the program. We discuss what he is working on and what his experience has been in the program. Do you have a project that needs acceleration? Then don't hesitate, go to brazen.bio and get your...

Kathleen shares fantastic insights on understanding behavioral psychology and how it applies to successful clinical trials. We had a great conversation that touched on increasing diversity in trials to understanding our own behavior and how we can potentially understand patients better. This can be applied in a way to close the gap between intention and action. Kathleen co-authored a Book called "...

Seth Lederman is the CEO of Tonix Pharmaceuticals and a physician scientist with a two decades of research experience. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, he was an Associate Professor at Columbia University. Dr. Lederman’s groundbreaking research led to the discovery of the CD-40 ligand and its role in T cell helper function. Currently, Dr. Lederman oversees Tonix Pharmaceuticals and its diverse p...

Doug Looker is the VP of Operations with Validus Cellular Therapeutics. Validus is using cellular therapy to target infections by fighting the biology of antimicrobial resistance by activating the biology of the mammalian immune system. Doug walks us the through the process of establishing the CMC process that will drive success at every stage of the clinical trial process. And we have a brief dis...

Mike is the CEO of IDEA Pharma and author of the Pharmaceutical Innovation Index . He just launched a new company, Protodigm , that’s mission is to act as a pharma/biotech skunkworks that can test and troubleshoot drug development and avoid failure by determining the best possible development paths. Here’s the release.  He is an expert on all things drug development and has positioned 8 of the 15...

Grant is the Chief Business Officer with Bolt BioTherapeutics. Bolt Bio recently went public in February this year and announced a partnership with Genmab. Grant talks business development strategy and helping to navigate Bolt through their recent milestones. Bolt Bio focuses on the development of ISACs – immune-stimulating antibody conjugates – which are anti-cancer drugs comprised of two main pa...

The founders of Brazen Bio discuss how their program is helping potential biotech founders prove their concepts and launch their company. Be Brazen! Shawn Carbonell, MD, PhD quit his neurosurgery residency to found his first biotech startup a decade ago. He had invented and developed a first-in-class cancer drug which is currently in phase 1 clinical trial. Brent Witgen, PhD had been in big pharma...

Mike discusses the advancements that OnQuality Pharmaceuticals is making toward to the treatment of toxicities caused by cancer treatments. Mike also shares with us the challenges and importance of strong leadership in our evolving workforce.  https://twitter.com/onquality_rx https://www.linkedin.com/company/onquality-pharmaceuticals-ltd/ https://www.onqualityrx.com/