This is part two of a Q&A with Michael Byrnes, CFO at eFFECTOR Therapeutics, a company currently in the process of de-SPAC-ing a May 2021 announced SPAC with Locust Walk Acquisition Corp.

Lisa Conte’s idea was to do more efficient drug discovery and development by leveraging the knowledge of “traditional healers.” However, like most entrepreneurial climbs, it would prove arduous, with plenty of slips, trips, and spills along the way.

While we should give thanks for all the blessings brought forth by so many life science companies, let us not forget to give thanks to those that matter most — the life science entrepreneurs.

Saqib Islam was one of the five founding members of SpringWorks Therapeutics, which was spun out of Pfizer in 2017. An atypical startup, the company launched with the rights to four clinical-stage experimental therapies and grew quickly in the next few years.

While it’s debatable why exactly so much has been able to be accomplished in such a short time regarding COVID vaccine development, to me, this shift was driven by two key factors.

Part one of a Q&A with Michael Byrnes, CFO at eFFECTOR Therapeutics, a company (as of this writing) currently in the process of de-SPAC-ing a May 2021 announced SPAC with Locust Walk Acquisition Corp. (LWAC).

During our executive virtual roundtable, “From Academia To The Biopharma C-Suite,” we asked three biopharma entrepreneurs, “What did you do when the COVID-19 lockdowns hit?” Their responses were insightful.

Three biopharmaceutical executives discuss plans around their company getting back to in-office operations.

Norbert Bischofberger, Ph.D., had a good job at Gilead where he had worked for nearly two decades. Then, out of the blue, he found out he was being considered for a CEO position at a small startup called Kronos Bio.