WTR Healthcare Happenings

In this episode of WTR Healthcare Happenings, host Tim Gerdeman is joined by healthcare equity research analyst Robert Sassoon to discuss the rebound in biotech and pharma M&A. Robert explains why 2026 is shaping up as the strongest M&A environment since 2019, with 35 disclosed-value deals totaling roughly $97 billion in just over six months.  The discussion covers rising deal sizes, the p...

In this episode, Christer Rosen, Founder and CEO of Jupiter Neurosciences (Nasdaq: JUNS), and President & COO Alison Silva join Water Tower Research’s Tim Gerdeman and Healthcare Analyst Robert Sassoon to discuss Jotrol, the company’s proprietary micellar formulation of resveratrol engineered to overcome long‑standing bioavailability and tolerability limitations. Jotrol has demonstrated a nine...

In this episode of Healthcare Happenings, Robert Sassoon, WTR healthcare equity analyst, joins host Tim Gerdeman to discuss his initiation of coverage on NurExone Biologic (TSXV: NRX / OTCQB: NRXBF), a preclinical biopharma company advancing a novel exosome platform targeting CNS regeneration. Sassoon walks through the science behind exosome therapeutics, NurExone's differentiated ExoTherapy...

In this episode of Healthcare Happenings, Nick Kadysh, Founding CEO and President of PharmAla Biotech (CSE: MDMA / OTCQB: MDXXF), joins host Tim Gerdeman and WTR healthcare analyst Robert Sassoon to discuss two recently announced transactions. The first is the formation of Restora Neuroscience, a special purpose vehicle created to advance APA01, a non-controlled neurology molecule, through a precl...

In this special episode of the WTR Healthcare Happenings podcast, the second in a two-part series, Professor David Nutt, Chief Science Officer of Solvonis Therapeutics (LSE: SVNS), talks to host Tim Gerdeman and WTR analyst Robert Sassoon about addiction and why he believes Solvonis' novel approach offers potentially better solutions than are currently available. The discussion also covers pe...

In this special episode of Healthcare Happenings , the first in a two‑part series, Anthony Tennyson, CEO of Solvonis Therapeutics (LSE: SVNS), joins host Tim Gerdeman and WTR analyst Robert Sassoon to discuss the company’s strategy in addiction and psychiatry — a field with significant unmet need and limited effective treatment options. Anthony walks through SVN‑001, a ketamine‑based therapy for s...

In this episode of Healthcare Happenings, John Lai, CEO of PetVivo Holdings (PETV), joins host Tim Gerdeman and WTR analyst Robert Sassoon to discuss the company's regenerative medicine platform for companion animals. The conversation covers PetVivo's product suite led by Spryng, its cartilage-mimicking protein particle matrix; the off-the-shelf Precise PRP product; and a BioPiezo collab...

 In this episode of the WTR Healthcare Happenings podcast, Stephen Rodgers, Head of Global Planning and Strategy at SBC Medical Group Holdings (NASDAQ: SBC), joins WTR’s Tim Gerdeman and Robert Sassoon. Rodgers discusses how SBC’s 26‑year build‑out into a 283‑location platform serving 2.1 million customers with a 72% repeat rate has created a scale, data, and trust advantage that competitors have...

ExoZymes (NASDAQ: EXOZ) CEO Michael Heltzen joins Tim Gerdeman and Robert Sassoon in this episode of the WTR Healthcare Happenings podcast to discuss the company’s AI-driven, cell-free biomanufacturing platform and how it aims to overcome longstanding scalability challenges in synthetic biology. The conversation covers the scientific differentiation of its “exozyme” enzyme engineering approach, th...

On the latest WTR Healthcare Happenings podcast, we were joined by David Sans, PhD, a healthcare investment banker, and our host, Tim Gerdeman, WTR’s Vice-Chair, Co-Founder, and Chief Marketing Officer . Over the past two years, Sans has focused on a corner of the market most investors overlook: publicly listed companies with low or negative shareholders’ equity and stock prices trading below $1....

On this episode, Vivos Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VVOS) CEO Kirk Huntsman joins WTR’s Tim Gerdeman and Robert Sassoon on Healthcare Happenings to discuss the company’s 2025 results and the momentum behind its shift from a dentist‑led model to a medically integrated strategy centered on sleep centers and physician referrals, anchored by the Sleep Center of Nevada acquisition. Huntsman highlights strong...

Water Tower Research's healthcare equity analyst Robert Sassoon breaks down President Trump's executive order on therapeutic psychedelics, examining the five key mechanisms it puts in place — from accelerated FDA review vouchers and right-to-try expansion to federal funding and ibogaine pathway clearance. Sassoon explains what the order gets right, where it falls short (namely on reimbur...

In this special preview episode of WTR Healthcare Happenings, Robert Sassoon spotlights two biotechs presenting on Day 1 of the WTR Insights Conference (April 14–15) . Nurexone Biologic (TSX-V: NRX | OTCQB: NRXBF) is pioneering an exosome-based therapy for spinal cord injury and other CNS conditions, with Phase 1/2A trials expected to initiate within 12 months. Anixa Biosciences (NASDAQ: ANIX) is...

In this episode of the WTR Healthcare Happenings podcast, Water Tower Research’s Shawn Severson and Robert Sassoon are joined by Dr. Paul Sargeant, President and CEO of Circular Genomics, a privately held molecular diagnostics company developing next‑generation blood tests based on circular RNA biomarkers. The conversation explores the science behind circular RNA, the company’s product pipeline, i...

Robert Sassoon, WTR Senior Healthcare Analyst, joins Tim Gerdeman to discuss obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the rapidly evolving treatment landscape for this widespread yet often undiagnosed and potentially fatal condition. The conversation explores the shift away from CPAP amid high non‑adherence rates toward emerging alternatives, including neurostimulation, pharmacotherapy, and oral applianc...

Robert Sassoon, WTR Senior Healthcare Analyst, joins Shawn Severson, CEO of WTR, to break down the latest clinical readouts in advanced psychedelics — including Compass Pathways’ Phase III progress in treatment-resistant depression, new anxiety data from Helus, and the upcoming milestones that could shape the future of mental health treatment. From durability and dosing models to regulatory moment...

In this episode of the WTR Healthcare Happenings , we welcome back Dr. Amit Kumar, Chairman and CEO of Anixa Biosciences (NASDAQ: ANIX) who explains why 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for the company. Building on the momentum of 2025, Dr. Kumar walks us through key developments across Anixa’ clinical pipeline and strategic direction. He outlines the company’s plans as its breast cancer va...

In this episode of the WTR Healthcare Happenings, Adam Fraser, COO of Omniscient Neurotechnology—a privately held, Australian‑based but U.S.-focused company pioneering AI‑driven brain mapping—joins Water Tower Research Co‑Founder Tim Gerdeman and Healthcare Analyst Robert Sassoon for a deep dive into the future of clinical connectomics. The discussion explores how Omniscient’s flagship platform, Q...

In this episode of the WTR Healthcare Happenings podcast, Rick Pierce, CEO of Decoy Therapeutics (NASDAQ: DCOY), joins Tim Gerdeman, Vice Chair, Co‑Founder, and CMO of Water Tower Research, and Robert Sassoon, WTR’s Healthcare Research Analyst. The conversation explores Decoy’s innovative business model for developing peptide‑conjugate antivirals designed to target multiple respiratory viruses. Pi...

In this episode of WTR Healthcare Happenings , Dr. Lior Shaltiel , CEO of NurExone Biologic (OTCQB: NRXBF / TSXV: NRX) , joins Tim Gerdeman and Robert Sassoon to discuss how the company is positioning itself as a standout early‑clinical‑stage biotech. Dr. Shaltiel breaks down NurExone’s focus on developing a first‑of‑its‑kind, non‑invasive therapy platform aimed at large markets with significant u...

In this episode of the WTR Healthcare Happenings Podcast , Tim Gerdeman and Robert Sassoon speak with Jim Martin, Co‑CEO and CFO of Cocrystal Pharma (NASDAQ: COCP). Martin explains the company’s Nobel Laureate‑developed drug discovery platform, which uses high-resolution crystallography to target viral regions resistant to mutation, enabling broad‑spectrum antivirals. The discussion highlights Coc...

In this episode of the WTR Healthcare Happenings Podcast, host Tim Gerdeman and healthcare analyst Robert Sassoon are joined by Dr. Jim Gilligan, President and Chief Science Officer of Entropy Neurodynamics (ASX: ENP), formerly Tryptamine Therapeutics. Dr. Gilligan explains the motivation behind the company’s rebrand and its decision to prioritize three core therapeutic targets: Binge Eating Disor...

In this special Flashcast episode of the WTR Healthcare Happenings podcast, Tim Gerdeman sits down with WTR Healthcare analyst Robert Sassoon to discuss his Initiation of Coverage Report on Anixa Biosciences. Their conversation explores Anixa’s two clinical‑stage programs—one, an innovative CAR‑T cell therapy for terminal ovarian cancer patients, and the other, a breast cancer vaccine designed for...

In this special Flashcast episode of the WTR Healthcare Happenings podcast, Tim Gerdeman and WTR Healthcare analyst Robert Sassoon break down why more than 90% of biotech companies listed on a U.S. exchange choose NASDAQ over the NYSE.

In this episode of WTR Healthcare Happenings , host Tim Gerdeman and analyst Robert Sassoon speak with Eric Poma PhD, CEO of Calidi Biotherapeutics Inc (NYSE American: CLDI) .  The discussion focuses on how Calidi is solving the "delivery problem" in cancer treatment, and specifically how to transport cancer-killing oncolytic viruses systemically through the bloodstream without the body’...