Life Science Success

In this episode of Life Science Success, my guest is John Alderete. Dr. Alderete has successfully applied his wide range of experience and formal training to the evaluation, financing, formation, and operation of diagnostics and medical device technology companies.

• Don Davis and John Alderete discuss pitching scientific research to investors
• Davis emphasizes tailoring pitches to the audience and understanding investors' perspective
• Alderete stresses the importance of having the right team and being honest about limitations
• Alderete expresses concern about lack of progress in biological surveillance and potential for future pandemics
• Alderete is excited about modern tools and technologies available to younger generation of scientists
• The conversation offers insights on challenges of pitching research, importance of team, and need for better pandemic preparation
• It highlights exciting possibilities in modern tools and technologies for younger scientists.

In this episode of Life Science Success, my guest is Dr. Helen Torley. Dr. Torley is the President and CEO of Halozyme. Halozyme's innovative and disruptive solutions provide new therapeutic options that could significantly improve the patient experience by changing how treatments are delivered.

• Dr. Helen Torley, CEO of Halozyme, discusses the company's dedication to improving patient experiences and outcomes through their research and development of monoclonal antibodies and small molecules.
• Halozyme places a strong emphasis on corporate culture, including cross-functional collaboration and community outreach.
• Dr. Torley shares how the book "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" has influenced her leadership style.
• Dr. Torley is inspired by the innovative ideas and enthusiasm of her team members.
• She expresses concern about the impact of remote work on creativity, problem-solving, and personal development.
• The company is focused on putting patients at the center of their mission.
• They have a strong focus on community outreach, with 70% employee participation in volunteering events.
• She shares a personal story about a family member's experience with cancer treatment to underscore the importance of improving patient experiences.
• This episode of the Life Science Success podcast provides insight into the innovative solutions Halozyme is developing and their commitment to patient-centered care.

In this episode of Life Science Success my guest is Kristofer Mussar. Kristofer graduated from University of Georgia with a PhD in Molecular Genetics where he focused on Epigenetics and Evolution. He simultaneously obtained his MBA from the Terry College of Business. He is currently the Managing Director and COO of VectorBuilder Inc.

• Kristofer Mussar, PhD, discusses his company Vector Builder and their innovative gene delivery methods.
• Vector Builder's platform is free to use and includes a design team for gene delivery methods.
• They are working on several R&D projects, including a capsid evolution for novel capsids, a bacterial backbone-free plasmid, and antibody-conjugated lipo nanoparticles with mRNA.
• Vector Builder emphasizes collaboration and treating researchers as collaborators.
• Mussar believes in the importance of genetics and personalized medicine.
• Vector Builder has a new software-based platform called Vector B in development.

In this episode of Life Science Success my guest is Kent Wakeford. Kent is the co-founder and Co-CEO of Form Bio an organization that focuses on providing computational life sciences and AI solutions to biotech and biopharma companies.

• Form Bio was spun out of Colossal Bioscience, and focuses on providing computational life sciences and AI solutions to biotech and biopharma companies
• Form Bio announced a partnership with Google as part of the Google multi omic suite of products
• Form Bio's computational platform focuses specifically on cell and gene therapy, and is designed to optimize the manufacturability of these therapies
• Kent Wakeford is inspired by the potential of AI to transform the industry, and is concerned about the need to change the infrastructure to make drug development more efficient
• Kent Wakeford believes that collaboration is key to solving industry-wide problems, and that the speed of innovation is transformative

In this episode of Life Science Success my Guest is Alex Zhavoronkov. Alex is the CEO Insilico Medicine an AI-powered drug discovery company.

• Insilico Medicine has progressed three internally-derived assets into human clinical trials.
• Insilico Medicine has discovered over 30 other programs in different stages.
• Insilico Medicine incorporates three engines in their platform: biology, chemistry, and clinical.
• They generate normal molecules with desired properties using 42 generative engines.
• They have a system that predicts clinical trials outcomes.
• Insilico Medicine’s main strategy is partnering with pharma companies at the preclinical candidate stage.
• They value patient first, relentless innovation, and transparency and integrity.
• Alex's biggest concern is human tendency to prioritize unimportant things over important ones.
• Alex is excited about large language models, multimodal generative AI, robotics, and quantum computing.