In this episode, an esteemed panel of four from Bain & Company - Bobbi Lambros (Recruiting Manager, North America), Amir Niaki (Consultant, DC), Nik Hoffman (Consultant, DC), and Jackie Flanagan (Associate Partner, DC - shares Bain's interview process & evaluation strategy, walks us through a sample case, and talks about applying to Bain.

Hosted by Ikbal Choudhury.

JHGCC: Cracking the Case with Bain & Co.

About this episode: Cindy Hoots is the Chief Digital Officer and CIO at AstraZeneca, a world leader in biopharmaceutical drug development. Cindy shares her thoughts on how the digital revolution will impact every aspect of drug development from R&D to clinical testing to delivery to patients.

Hosted by Farai Sikipa.

Hopkins Biotech Network: Digitalization of Biotechnology

Paul Yourik, Ph.D., is a Scientist at Moderna, a pioneering mRNA technology platform company specializing in vaccine and therapeutic development for a range of disease areas. Prior to Moderna, Paul received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, training as an RNA biochemist. He later completed an industry postdoc at New England Biolabs, where he characterized different CRISPR products with commercialization potential. In this episode, we discuss his unique perspective on working in various research environments from academia, to government, and industry. We also dive into more detail about some of the techniques he uses in his work, such as next generation sequencing (NGS). Paul additionally discusses the value he found in completing an industry postdoc, and shares his advice in finding an industry position. 

Hosted by Joe Varriale and Jenna Glatzer.

Boston Biotech Series: Industry Postdocs

Wei-Chiang Chen, PhD is an Associate Director of Bioprocess Analytics in the Genome Medicine Unit at Sanofi, developing cell and gene therapies for areas of high unmet need. Prior to joining Sanofi, Wei-Chiang held positions at several large and small biotech companies including Biogen, Solid Biosciences, and Flexion Therapeutics. Additionally, he earned his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins, developing and patenting a high throughput screening assay to study various features of cellular biology and protein expression in response to small molecule drugs. In this episode, Wei-Chiang shares his advice for navigating the biotech R&D interview process, including preparing for the research presentation portion and communicating science effectively. We discuss the differences between working for biotech startups and larger pharma companies, and touch on the value of having a strong network when applying for positions. 

Hosted by Joe Varriale and Jenna Glatzer.

Boston Biotech Series: Interviewing for Biotech R&D Positions

Dr. Steve Doberstein has had a long career leading Research groups at a number of biotech companies, like “XOMA”- a monoclonal antibody discovery and development company, “Five Prime Therapeutics”- a protein and antibody discovery and development company, “Xencor”- a leader in protein engineering and “Exelixis”-a genomics-based drug discovery company.
Today is the founder and CEO of Kahiliholo Consulting (based in San Francisco), that supports biotech enterprises and early-stage founders. Prior his current venture, he worked for several years in Nektar Therapeutics, a company that he joined in 2010 as Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer to lead all aspects of discovery research and where he has been responsible for all R&D efforts, supervising more than 300 scientists, physicians and support personnel.
Steve received his Ph.D. from the Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and completed his postdoctoral work at UC Berkeley.
In this episode we learned about his extensive experience in management, how to lead research groups of all sizes, develop successful R&D programs and being part of a board of directors. We also heard about his passion for biotech and how his new venture is supporting early-stage Biotech Entrepreneurs.

Hosted by Joe Varriale and Gustavo Carrizo

Steve Doberstein: Scaling Technologies from idea to clinical development

Dr. Robert Hollingsworth is the current Chief Scientific Officer of Shoreline Biosciences, a biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation cellular immunotherapies based on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)- utilizing its proprietary platforms. Dr. Hollingsworth joins Shoreline from Pfizer, where he served as Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President of Cancer Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics. Prior to Pfizer, he was Senior Director of Oncology Research at MedImmune where he led and advanced a large portfolio of more than twenty programs, including CAR-T programs, and contributed to the approval of durvalumab.  Before that, he held several R&D positions at GSK, Pharmacia, and Upjohn.
In this episode, we discuss Robert’s long career in biopharma, the platform technology being developed at Shoreline, and the role of strategic partnerships in early-stage development.

Hosted by Gustavo Carrizo and Joe Varriale.

Robert Hollingsworth: The Future of iPSC-based Cell Therapy Technology

Dr. Tony Russo Ph.D. is the Chairman, CEO, and founder of Russo Partners, a leading public and investor relations firm. He has been a member of the healthcare and technology PR and IR community for more than three decades. As a founder of Noonan/Russo in 1988, he and his colleagues have helped build signature healthcare brands worldwide. A frequent speaker at industry conferences, Tony has published articles and chapters in numerous scientific magazines, medical journals, and books. He holds an M.A. from Columbia University and a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University.
In this episode, we discuss the formation of the modern biotech industry, the changing landscape we know now, and how communications and investor relations are key to the maintenance of companies of all sizes.

Hosted by Joe Varriale.

Tony Russo: A Multi-Decade View of the Biotechnology Industry

Ratio Therapeutics is a Boston-based pharmaceutical company with the mission to accelerate the development of best-in-class targeted radiotherapeutics for the treatment of cancers. By employing a suite of innovative technologies the company is developing innovative and proprietary Pharmacokinetics (PK) Modulation technology for the construction of improved therapeutic agents and transforming oncology treatment paradigms.
Dr. Jack Hoppin is the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer (CEO) of Ratio Tx. 
Prior to joining Ratio Tx Jack was the President of Konica-Minolta Precision Medicine and Co-founded InviCRO LLC and Emit Imaging. Jack is a leader in the molecular imaging research and drug development community and brings more than 15 years of experience in the design, development, and commercialization of pre-clinical instrumentation, analytical software, and imaging-based assays.
Dr. John Babich is the co-founder, president, and chief scientific officer (CSO) of Ratio Tx. Prior to Ratio Tx he co-founded Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, Inc (NASDAQ: MIPI) where he served as the CEO and chairman of the board, and Noria Therapeutics- a radiotherapy company developing targeted therapeutic and imaging radiopharmaceuticals  (alpha-emitting)  for use in oncology- acquired by Bayer.
In this episode, we discuss the growing field of targeted radiotherapeutics, company founding from the perspective of serial founders, and strategic partnerships in drug development.

Hosted by Joe Varriale.

Ratio Therapeutics: Math Meets Medicine in the Design of Radiotherapies

In this episode, we talk with our panel about updates their company gave at the recent JP Morgan Healthcare Conference that took place earlier this year. This once-yearly conference is the epicenter for biotech deal-making and groundbreaking data releases. 
Alejandro Dorenbaum is the Chief Medical Officer of Reneo Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage company developing drugs for rare mitochondrial disorders. Their lead clinical candidate REN-001 is currently being investigated in the treatment of primary mitochondrial myopathies (PMM) and long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorders (LC-FAOD). Alejandro is a seasoned biotech executive, having served as Chief Medical Officer at Allakos and Lumena Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Shire. Prior to those roles, he held senior positions at Genentech and Biomarin.
Amy Grover is Senior Director of Patient Advocacy at Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, a commercial-stage rare disease drug development company with an approved product for the treatment of Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS). Amy works to ensure that the patient's voice is heard and well-represented. She is a seasoned patient advocate, having served as director of operations and senior manager of patient engagement at Global Genes, a rare disease patient advocacy organization that supports the 7,000 plus rare diseases. Amy led multiple efforts during her tenure at Global Genes, including patient meetups and education, advocacy outreach, communication activities, and overall operations and financial management. Before joining Global Genes, she worked in both the commercial and health insurance industries.
Hosted by Joe Varriale.

JPM Highlights: Overcoming Complications in Rare Disease Drug Development

Brian Culley is the CEO of Lineage Cell Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech company whose mission is to pioneer a new branch of medicine based on transplanting specific cell types to patients with serious medical conditions. Lineage currently has several programs undergoing clinical and preclinical investigation for indications in ophthalmology, neurology, and oncology. Prior to joining Lineage in 2018, Brian held a number of senior leadership and executive roles at various biotech companies, including Artemis Therapeutics and Mast Therapeutics. Brian has more than 25 years of business and scientific experience in the life sciences industry and started at the bench, working in drug development research at Neurocrine Biosciences. He received a B.S. in biology from Boston College, a master's in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an M.B.A. from The Johnson School of Business at Cornell University.
In this episode, we discuss Brian’s path to biotech senior leadership, Lineage’s proprietary platform technology, and bringing partnered programs to the clinic.
Hosted by Joe Varriale.

This episode was recorded on September 27th, 2022.

Lineage Cell Therapeutics: Building an Allogeneic Cell Transplant Therapy Platform

In this episode, we talk with our panel about updates their company gave at the recent JP Morgan Healthcare Conference that took place earlier this year. This once-yearly conference is the epicenter for biotech deal-making and groundbreaking data releases. 
Dr. Robert Ross is the Chief Executive Officer of Surface Oncology. Surface Oncology’s mission is to deliver transformative outcomes for people with cancer by breaking through the frontiers of immuno-oncology research. Before becoming CEO, Rob served as Chief Medical Officer at Surface. Prior to joining Surface, he led several programs in hematology and oncology at Bluebird Bio, including the anti-BCMA CAR T cell therapy program. Rob received his MD from Columbia University and has received extensive training in hematology and oncology at top institutions including the University of California San Francisco, Dana Farber, and Mass General Hospital.
Dr. Paul Lammers is the Chief Executive Officer of Triumvira Immunologics. Triumvira is leveraging its proprietary T-cell antigen coupling technology to enhance engineered cell therapy to target solid tumors. Paul has a rich background in biotech management, having served as President & CEO at Mirna Therapeutics and Chief Medical Officer and Head of US Product Development for EMD Serono. Paul received his MD from Radboud University in the Netherlands.

Hosted by Joe Varriale.

JPM Highlights: What’s Next in ImmunoOncology

Dr. Adam Jenkins is the Regional Site Director for the Massachusetts sites of Biolabs. BioLabs is an international, membership-based network of shared lab and office facilities located in key biotech innovation clusters. Since 2009, over 230 companies have launched from Biolabs facilities, and those member companies have collectively raised more than 1 billion dollars in private financing. With a growing number of sites across the globe, Biolabs is enabling company formation and promoting the biotech revolution. Prior to joining Biolabs in 2022, Adam worked at Biogen for seven years in various data science roles and eventually held the title of Associate Director of Corporate Strategy and Partnerships for Insights and Analytics. Adam holds a Ph.D. in Genomics from Boston College.
In this episode, we discuss Biolabs’ unique business model that facilitates biotech company founding, the influence of biotech hubs, and the future of data science in biotech. 
Hosted by Joe Varriale.

Boston Biotech Series: Facilitating Start-up Company Formation with Adam Jenkins of Biolabs

Dr. Isaac Klein is the Chief Scientific Officer at Dewpoint Therapeutics. Dewpoint Therapeutics is leveraging condensate biology to impact a wide range of therapeutic targets across diverse disease areas. Armed with significant funding from venture capital and several big pharma partnerships, Dewpoint is poised to lead the generation of medicines targeting biomolecular condensates.
Prior to joining Dewpoint, Isaac was on the faculty at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, as well as a scientist at the Whitehead Institute of MIT. He holds a Ph.D. in Biology from The Rockefeller University and an MD from Weill Cornell Medical College. He trained in Internal Medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital of Harvard Medical School and in Medical Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2022, Isaac was named one of Endpoints News 20 under 40 in Biopharma.

Hosted by Joe Varriale.

Building a Drug Development Platform on New Biology with Isaac Klein of Dewpoint Therapeutics

Emily Gransky is the Vice President of Recruiting at RA Ventures (RAVen). RAVen is the early-stage venture arm of the multi-stage investment firm RA Capital. In this role, Emily works closely with senior leaders, venture partners, and managing directors within the Venture Team at RA Capital and within RAVen. Her primary responsibility is leading and executing full-cycle recruiting across all newcos and portfolio companies. Prior to RAVen, Emily worked as Director, Talent Acquisition, at Generation Bio, leading hiring across all functions and building out systems to support that growth. Prior to this, she served as Director, Talent Acquisition and Operations at Flagship Pioneering, a role in which she built talent systems to support the growth of 30+ pre-series B biotech startup companies. Prior to Flagship, Emily held roles as Associate Director, Head of Global Talent Acquisition at bluebird bio. While in these roles, Emily helped Bluebird grow from 300 to 1000 employees. Emily received her BS in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in NY.
In this episode, we discuss crucial factors that drive the hiring process for start-up biotech companies, and how to stand out as a candidate while recruiting in this competitive environment. 

Hosted by Joe Varriale.

Boston Biotech Series: Standing out in the Competitive Recruiting Process for Early Stage Biotech

David Dornan is the Chief Scientific Officer of Elevation Oncology, a clinical-stage biotech company developing targeted cancer therapeutics, with a focus on antibody-drug conjugates. David brings to Elevation over two decades of industry and academic oncology drug discovery and development experience. His research spans multiple therapeutic modalities targeting cancer susceptibilities and modulating the immune system to translate into meaningful therapeutic interventions for patients. As Chief Scientific Officer, he is responsible for scientific strategy and building of the company’s portfolio in targeted immunotherapies. Before leading these efforts at Elevation Oncology, David was the CSO at Bolt Biotherapeutics. Prior to this he was the head of Oncology Research at Gilead. David began his career at Genentech, where he spent 10 years serving in positions of increasing responsibility and played key roles in target discovery and validation, as well as translational research programs.
David received his Ph.D. from the University of Dundee in Molecular Oncology and Biochemistry and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Genentech. In this episode, we discuss Elevation’s ongoing clinical development of antibody-drug conjugate molecules to treat cancer and David’s wealth of experience in biotech and pharma.

Hosted by Joe Varriale.

Antibody-Drug Conjugates: Targeting Cancer Where it is Vulnerable with David Dornan

Carina Clingman, PhD, is the Founder and CEO of Recruitomics Consulting, a niche talent acquisition and talent strategy firm specializing in biotech startups. She recently founded The Collaboratory Career Hub to help biotech job seekers find confidence and success in their job search. If you're exploring careers in biotech, join the free Collaboratory Slack Community to work directly with Carina and her team. 
In this episode, we discuss the state of the biotech job market and offer advice to job seekers and those considering careers in the biotech industry.
Hosted by Joe Varriale.

What You Should Know About the Biotech Job Market in 2023 with Carina Clingman

Dr. Ignacio Guerrero-Ros is an immunologist turned scientific communicator and biotech media innovator. Currently, he is an Assistant Vice President at Russo Partners, providing public and investor relations services to clients in the healthcare and technology industries. Originally from Spain, Ignacio earned his PhD in Immunology from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Ignacio embraces the Hopkins Biotech Podcast's mission of the pursuit of alternative careers for PhD holders. 
In this episode, we discuss his ideas for how to find success beyond grad school and how he found a passion for science communication.

Hosted by Joe Varriale.

Public Relations and Scientific Communications for Biotechnology with Ignacio Guerrero-Ros

Roivant Pharma is reinventing the discovery, development, and commercialization of new medicines. Mayukh Sukhatme, M.D. was recently appointed to Roivant's board of directors and has served as Roivant’s President and Chief Investment Officer since January 2021. He is responsible for identifying, performing diligence on, devising development strategies for, and transacting on new therapeutic programs for the company. He also informs Roivant’s view of its existing biopharmaceutical subsidiary companies for capital allocation decisions across the Roivant portfolio. 
Mayukh joined Roivant in 2015 and previously served as President of Roivant Pharma and as Chief Business Officer. Programs that he has in-licensed or acquired for Roivant have produced all 10 of Roivant’s positive Phase 3 studies and have garnered 6 FDA approvals. Before joining Roivant, Mayukh was a healthcare-focused analyst and portfolio manager for several large institutional investment firms, including both public markets and venture capital firms. He earned his M.D. from Harvard Medical School and his B.S. in Biology and B.S. in Literature from MIT.
Hosted by Joe Varriale.

Roivant: Reinventing the Paradigm of Conventional Drug Development

Roshni Rao, PhD is Director of the PHutures Office at Johns Hopkins University, where she works with PhDs and postdocs to supplement academic training with coaching in translational and relational skills that are essential for preparedness in various industries. Roshni is a fantastic resource to turn to and we strongly encourage students at Johns Hopkins to contact her at the PHutures Office for career guidance. During this episode we discuss the concept of ‘life design’, a multi-faced methodology for planning a fulfilling future that extensively utilizes your skills, values, personality, and interests. Furthermore, we explore how international students can overcome social & emotional obstacles, start planning for work visa applications, and approach the job application process in order to confidently embark on a journey of career development.

Roshni Rao - International Students & Life Design

Evan Guggenheim, PhD is Executive Director & Head of Research Operations at Sana Biotechnology, a startup dedicated to developing stem cell therapies and methods for in vivo delivery of gene therapy components to treat a variety of diseases. Prior to joining Sana, Evan worked as a Scientist at a sequencing company called Intelligent Bio-Systems (acquired by Qiagen in 2012) as well as at the large biotechnology company Biogen, where he rose through the ranks from the position of Scientist to ultimately become the Director of R&D Strategy and Portfolio Leadership. In this episode, we discuss ways that you can ‘de-risk yourself’ when you’re first entering the job market and how you can climb the corporate ladder at a large biotech/pharma company. We also talk about how your role as an employee, long-term job stability, and work-life balance can vary based on your particular work environment. Furthermore, we discuss the current state of cell & gene therapies and pinpoint key growth opportunities.

Hosted by Roshan Chikarmane and Jenna Glatzer.

Evan Guggenheim - Emerging Cell & Gene Therapies

Illuminating life science career opportunities outside of academia through the experiences of those who have been there before.

Popular tracks by Hopkins Biotech Podcast