The Business Of Biotech Podcast

1. The Discovery Of Microbes And Implications For Public Health Today, With Science Writer Thomas Levenson 6/4/2025

   On this week's Business of Biotech, Thomas Levenson, MIT professor and author of So Very Small: How Humans Discovered The Microcosmos, Defeated Germs — And May Still Lose The War Against Infectious Disease talks about what he learned in the writing of So Very Small, how cultural and political forces shape scientific progress, and what it means for drug developers, public health officials, and patients everywhere.

2. Psychedelics For Mental Health Disorders With atai's Srinivas Rao, M.D., Ph.D. 5/28/2025

   On this week's Business of Biotech episode, Dr. Srinivas Rao, co-founder and CEO at atai Life Sciences, explains how his engineering background led him to the development of psychedelic compounds for treating depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. Internal drug development efforts at atai are focused on short-duration psychedelics that can work within existing healthcare infrastructure, with the potential to transform the treatment of mental health disorders.

3. Biotech Angel Investing With Yaniv Sneor 5/21/2025

   On this week's Business of Biotech episode, Yaniv Sneor, founder of the Mid Atlantic Bio Angels and CEO at Native State Therapeutics, explains how life science angel investors evaluate biotech startups, and offers tips for young drug developers in search of funding. The conversation covers how to create a successful pitch, red flags for potential investors, the importance of angel investing syndicates, the sweet spots for exit timelines and funding amounts, and why it still makes sense to invest in biotech over other industry sectors.

4. Leading A tRNA Startup With Alltrna's Michelle Werner 5/14/2025

   On this week's Business of Biotech, Michelle Werner, CEO at Alltrna, talks transfer RNA (tRNA) therapy with host Ben Comer and guest co-host Anna Rose Welch, editorial and community director at Advancing RNA. Werner explains why a single engineered tRNA therapy has the potential to treat "hundreds, if not thousands," of rare genetic diseases, and how her own child's rare disease diagnosis shaped her career and approach to drug development. Werner also discusses Alltrna's use of AI and machine learning for drug optimization, the company's planned use of basket trials, and more.

5. Executing A Product Pivot With Vir's Mark Eisner, MD 5/7/2025

   On this week's episode of the Business of Biotech, Dr. Mark Eisner, EVP and Chief Medical Officer at Vir Biotechnology, talks about the company's post-COVID pivot into infectious diseases (Hepatitis Delta and Hepatitis B) and oncology (solid tumors), how he reprioritized the company's development candidates and assimilated Sanofi's acquired T cell engager platform, and his own transition from healthcare provider to clinical research.

6. Commercializing RNAi Therapies With Alnylam's Tolga Tanguler 5/1/2025

   On today's episode, Tolga Tanguler, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, talks about commercializing RNAi therapies, how they fit into health insurance reimbursement systems, the company's use of value-based contracts, and building therapeutic franchise "skyscrapers." Tanguler also shares his thoughts on commercializing RNAi therapies for larger patient populations, compared with rare disease populations, and reflects on changes in the biopharmaceutical sales and promotion model.

7. Big Pharma Insights For Building Biotech Startups With Uniquity Bio's Brian Lortie 4/24/2025

   On this episode of the Business of Biotech, host Ben Comer speaks with Brian Lortie, President and CEO of Uniquity Bio, about his "no jerk" policy and how his experience building teams at GSK, Endo Pharmaceuticals, and Onspira Therapeutics informs his leadership at Uniquity, a clinical-stage immunology startup backed by Blackstone Life Sciences.

8. The Implications Of China's Growing Biotech Industry With Allan Shaw 4/16/2025

   Business of Biotech MVP Allan Shaw is back to talk about the rise of China's biotech sector, and its evolution from fast follower to global innovation powerhouse.

9. How To Be A CFO With Insmed's Sara Bonstein 4/9/2025

   On today's episode of the Business of Biotech, we're speaking with Sara Bonstein, Chief Financial Officer at Insmed, about what it takes to be a successful CFO. Sara provides useful insights on how to lead teams, especially when those teams have deeper subject matter expertise.

10. Deal And Investment Trends With Investment Banker David Sans 4/2/2025

    Today we're talking life sciences investment trends and risks with David Sans, an investment banker with an academic background in chemical engineering and molecular modeling, and a professional background that began in Big Pharma and shifted to investing over 15 years ago.