Hopkins Biotech Podcast

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.

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.

Carina Clingman, Ph.D., 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.

About this episode: 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Adrian is an advisor for several biotech companies in Argentina. Before joining CITES, a venture builder from Argentina, he worked as an advisor for RedCrow VC in San Francisco, and has more than 10 years working in the pharmaceutical industry in companies like Novartis and Merck KGaA. In this episode, we discuss his path from academia to big pharma companies and how he made it to the world of Venture Capital and Venture Building. He also shared his thoughts about the role of big pharma in ecosystems like Latin America and the importance of collaboration between local and international institutions. Finally, Adrian told us how he started his own newsletter in LinkedIn called “BioBusiness” where a growing community of entrepreneurs from all over the world are engaging in meaningful discussions around a variety of topics like the future of Biotech and Healthcare, deep analysis into investment strategies acquisition and exit, strategic partnerships, and more. Hosted by Gustavo Carrizo

Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage, biopharmaceutical company, developing innovative cancer medicines based on cell cycle, transcriptional regulation, and mitosis biology with a focus on oncology and hematology indications. Their lead drug candidate, fadraciclib is a dual CDK2/9 inhibitor currently undergoing investigation of dose escalation in a Phase 1/2 trial.Spiro Rombotis is the founding CEO of Cyclacel. Prior to joining Cyclacel, Spiro served in a number of management positions at public and private biotechs including Centocor, Bristol Myers Squibb, and the Liposome Company. He earned his MBA at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Business.In this episode, we discuss cell cycle dysregulation in cancer, precision targeting of proteins in the drug design process, and unique clinical trial design.Hosted by Joe Varriale.

Radamés Cordero is the CEO of Melatech and an associate scientist and junior faculty in the department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where he studies the biology of fungal melanin.As a spin-off of his research, Melatech is a biotech company dedicated to the production of melanin at industrial scales and the research and development of melanin-based technologies for a variety of commercial applications like shielding and harvesting radiation on earth and space.In this episode, we discuss how he co-founded Melatech and became a CEO while running an academic lab. We also discussed what makes melanin so special, the manufacturing challenges and melanin's multiple applications. Finally, he shared his perspective as a scientist coming from Latin America and his dream to make Melatech a place and resource that creates opportunities for young scientists interested in biotech from anywhere in the world!Hosted by Gustavo Carrizo

 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 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 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

Dr. Anupam Chakravarty is a researcher whose research interests have straddled the disciplines of biochemistry and genomics with a keen focus on the biology of cancer. Currently, he is a senior scientist developing liquid biopsy assays and products in the precision oncology space at Guardant Health. Prior to joining Guardant Health, he ran his own lab as an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. He obtained his Ph.D. from Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City and was a Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation fellow at Stanford University. Anupam is motivated by a strong sense of community building and being deeply invested in the graduate education landscape. He is building and managing a global community of graduate students - GradGrid on Linkedin. He lives in the Bay area with his wife and a cat, enjoys the outdoors, and has a strong academic interest in learning about the world through the lens of postage stamps. In this episode, we discuss the nuances of leaving a professorship to pursue industry research, the landscape of careers in graduate education, and the benefits of being a part of the GradGrid community.Hosted by Joe Varriale.

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.

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.

Dr. Shelley Ackerman is an Associate Director & Program Team Lead at Bolt Biotherapeutics. Bolt is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering a new class of immuno-oncology agents that combine the targeting precision of antibodies with the power of both the innate and adaptive immune systems. Bolt Biotherapeutics' proprietary Boltbody™ Immune-stimulating Antibody Conjugates (ISACs) are designed to target tumor cells for elimination by the immune system. BDC-1001 is a HER2-targeting Boltbody ISAC in an ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial enrolling patients with HER2-expressing solid tumors. Shelley was a Ph.D. student in the lab of Dr. Edgar Engleman at Stanford, directly involved with the development of the technology that led to the foundation of Bolt. Dr. Ackerman finished her degree prior to joining the company. She has received recognition for her achievements, having been named to MIT Technology Reviews 35 Innovators under 35 and STAT News' Wundekind list. Shelley did her undergraduate work at MIT.In this episode, we discuss Bolt's proprietary drug development platform, technology commercialization in graduate school, and finding creative inspiration in the realm of science.Hosted by Joe Varriale.

 Dr. James Coates is currently the Principal for Health & Human Performance at Decisive Point, an East coast venture capital firm that invests in and supports startups with deep tech and government use cases. James holds a Ph.D. in Cancer Drug Discovery and MSc in Radiation Biology and Oncology, both from the University of Oxford, and he conducted technical diligence for Bain Capital Life Sciences prior to joining Decisive Point. In this episode, we discuss his career path and transition from academia to private equity. We also highlight the unique advantages of non-dilutive funding sources, which may be unfamiliar to new startup founders. Additionally, James shares his perspective on working with various accelerator programs and his advice for young founders looking to connect with investment firms. Hosted by Joe Varriale and Jenna Glatzer.

Dr. Phil Kantoff is the CEO and Co-Founder of Convergent Therapeutics, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing next-generation radiopharmaceutical therapies for prostate and other cancers. The company's proprietary technology involves dual-targeted radionuclide therapy developed by Dr. Neil Bander, Professor of Urologic Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine. Prior to founding the company, Dr. Kantoff spent six years as Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, caring for cancer patients and developing improved cancer testing and cancer therapies. He is the Emeritus Jerome and Nancy Kohlberg Chair in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and he was the Chief of the Solid Tumor Oncology Division and Director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.In this episode, we discuss Phil's transition out of academic medicine, the field of radiopharmaceuticals, Convergent's approach to drug development, and specific business considerations for a unique class of molecules.Hosted by Joe Varriale.

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

 Dr. Daniel Elgort currently serves as the Chief Data and Analytics Officer for M2GEN, a bioinformatics company focused on the acceleration of oncology research discoveries through superior data and analytics services. The company was formed as a spin-off of the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, serving as the technological hub for an alliance of 18 NCI-designated cancer centers across the country called the ORIEN network. Prior to M2GEN, Dan was Chief Scientific Officer at Covera Health, where he built a unique healthcare data platform that collects cancer diagnosis data, and links that information to longitudinal clinical data including pharmaceutical and surgical interventions. Dan is a JHU alum, having received his bachelor's in both biomedical engineering and computer science, and he holds a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University.In this episode, we discuss how bioinformatics shapes the drug development ecosystem, M2GEN's process for moving clinical science forward, and trends in data processing and sequence technology.Hosted by Joe Varriale.

Hong Tang is the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of OnQuality Pharmaceuticals, a targeted cancer supportive care (TCSC) pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of treatments to address specific side effects of cancer therapies- to improve the quality of life and outcomes for patients fighting cancer. Prior to founding OnQuality, she worked as a Physician-Scientist in numerous medical affairs and leadership roles at the NIH, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Astellas Pharma, Dendreon, and Juno Therapeutics. She studied medicine at Guangzhou University and studied pharmacology at the University of Texas-San Antonio. In this episode, we discuss OnQuality's clinical pipeline of TCSC drugs, the field of medical affairs, the inspiration we draw to pursue science and medicine, and the role of clinical conferences.Hosted by Joe Varriale.

Laura Jacoby is currently an Application Specialist at Apprentice.io, an innovative tech company that offers cloud-based solutions that impact pharmaceutical production at every stage of development. Their goal is to introduce digitization of records in an industry that until recently has operated mainly in a paper and pen world. Laura has a career trajectory deeply rooted in pharmaceutical process development and manufacturing sciences working both at the bench and in her capacity as an account manager for major industry players including Millepore Sigma and GE. She received her bachelor's degree from Rutgers University and an MBA from Oxford Brookes University.Hosted by Joe Varriale

Alex Harding is a  Senior Vice President of Business Development and Corporate Strategy at Remix Therapeutics, a Boston-based biotech company developing small molecules that alter RNA processing prior to protein translation. Their REMaster platform “enables the design of molecules that can selectively degrade RNA, enhance RNA expression, induce exon skipping or rescue genetic lesions.” Their technology “can address undrugged disease drivers across therapeutic areas to rapidly bring new medicines to patients.”Alex came to Remix from VC firm Atlas Venture, where he served as a Senior Associate and Entrepreneur-in-Residence following the completion of his Medical Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to his full-time role at Remix, Alex continues to practice medicine and serves foundations dedicated to the advancement of healthcare.Alex is a Baltimore native, and Hopkins alum- having received his MD from JHU-SOM and an MBA from Harvard Business School.Hosted by Jenna Glatzer and Gustavo Carrizo.

The crab season is here! If you are a Baltimore resident, you might have enjoyed dozens of our famous blue crabs, perhaps dozens of dozens every year. If you are new to Baltimore, you must have been encouraged to try them. Blue crabs are indeed tasty, but other than their nice savor, what do we know about them? This week on Sci'more podcast, crab biologist Shaun Miller from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (Twitter: @MarylandDNR) and Maryland fishery scientist Dr. Allison Colden from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (Twitter: @chesapeakebay) shares with us fun facts about blue crabs, what we can do to preserve them (so that, well, we can enjoy them with our children and grandchildren), and a concerning tale of a lone blue crab recently found in Ireland. ------ We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, call us at 443-776-1282, or messages us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast). Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episode releases! ------ Useful information: The website of Chesapeake Bay Foundation The website of Maryland Department of Natural Resources ------ Music: "Lucky Massive Dangerous" by Speck Editing: Yun-Fei Liu Intro & Outro: Yun-Fei Liu Interviewers: Sebastian Markert and Michael Xie With help from Chris Seong Yeol An, Michael Dryzer, Emily Han, and Ashton Omdahl 

Our episode features two leaders at the global specialty pharmaceutical company Kyowa Kirin. Kyowa Kirin has a particular focus on the discovery and development of novel, first-in-class medicines that have a profound impact on patients in multiple therapeutic areas. Rachel Soloff is an executive director of research with expertise in immunology and the discovery of novel monoclonal antibodies and small molecule therapeutic compounds for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. She oversees the KK US-Research activities, which are focused on target discovery and validation, and leads candidate discovery for multiple innovative pipeline projects. Andrew McKnight currently holds the position of president and CSO at Kyowa Kirin Pharmaceutical Research. He is responsible for early-stage drug discovery within Kyowa Kirin's Immunology & Allergy division. In this episode, we discuss the various clinical and commercial products discovered and developed at Kyowa Kirin. Through Innovative approaches to antibody engineering, KK has been able to consistently maintain a pipeline of products to treat a wide variety of disorders.Hosted by Joe Varriale and Gustavo Carrizo.

McKane is a 5th year PhD student in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health She is conducting her PhD project under supervision of Dr. Terri Powell (https://www.researchbypowell.com/) trying to identify how multiple levels of support interact to influence positive sexual health among U.S. adolescents by analyzing nationally representative surveys.McKane is also a mother of two young children, both born during her PhD and has been actively involved with the department of PFRH (population, family and reproductive health) advocating for diversity/inclusion, student parents and has also been involved with PH students for reproductive justice She very kindly shared with us her personal experience dealing with mental health crisis before and during her PhD and the resources that helped her to overcome episodes of depression and anxiety.Join us to hear about her journey and if you are going through similar experiences, you can find McKane contact and some relevant resources.email (msharff1@jhmi.edu), LinkedIn or twitter (@McKaneSharff).Link for mental health resources: https://wellbeing.jhu.edu/resources/mental/ Link for parent/family resources: https://wellbeing.jhu.edu/know-your-childcare-benefits/ Episode hosted by Gustavo Carrizo.We are looking for PhD students from Hopkins, as well as other Institutions in and outside the US!If you are interested in being interviewed for My PhD please complete the following form and we will get in touch with you: MyPhD podcast application form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNA8TVvuajm9PeNJT9J0KnOLhOWluCegECALe_XSEWFQBWSQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Dr. Michael Nedelcovych is a Vice President of Equity Research at Cowen Inc., a diversified financial services firm that operates as a broker dealer and investment manager. Mike works on the large cap pharma equity research team – covering large, multinational pharmaceutical organizations –  evaluating the performance of those companies in order to make investment decisions. Prior to his role at Cowen, Mike was a Scientist in the Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery Program, working in the lab of Dr. Barbara Slusher on drug targets in neurological applications. During his time at Hopkins, he co-founded a company, Adarga Pharmaceuticals, and additionally served as an Analyst at Johns Hopkins Tech Ventures in the Commercialization Strategy Group. In this episode, we discuss Mike's career trajectory, focusing on the work and career paths available to an equity analyst. Mike additionally shares his advice for early career scientists on diversifying their experiences to be a competitive candidate for these positions. Hosted by Jenna Glatzer and Joe Varriale.

Eric Vivier is an SVP, CSO, and co-founder of Innate Pharma, a company developing innovative immunotherapy approaches with the goal of eradicating solid and metastatic tumors in the body. Eric is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from the Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Maisons-Alfort and holds a Ph.D. in Immunology from the Paris University (Paris XI). After completing his post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School (Dana Farber Cancer Institute), Pr. Vivier joined the Center of Immunology at Marseille-Luminy (CIML) in 1993, becoming its director in 2008 until 2017. He has twice been laureate of the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) advanced grants. During his career, Pr. Vivier has been a visiting professor at The Scripps Research Institute, The Rockefeller University, and The Walter and Elisa Hall Institute. He is a member of the French National Academy of Medicine and the Institut Universitaire de France.In this episode, we discuss the innovative antibody platform called ANKET being developed at Innate Pharma. Through high avidity binding, ANKET allows for the modulation of NK cell activation state to allow for response to various cancers.Hosted by Joe Varriale and Gustavo Carrizo.

Dr. Michelle Ols is a Director and the Head of Cell Therapy at Obsidian Therapeutics. Obsidian Therapeutics is a private, Cambridge-based biotech company focused on the development of engineered cell and gene therapies for a range of indications. Obsidian has also pioneered their proprietary cytoDRiVE™ technology platform that leverages drug-responsive domains (DRDs) to control protein function using an FDA-approved small molecule. Prior to joining Obsidian, Michelle held several R&D positions in both small and large biotech companies, focusing on drug discovery for immunological applications. Michelle completed her Ph.D. from the Cellular and Molecular Medicine program at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and later went on to complete postdoctoral training at both JHSOM and later Yale studying B cell activation in models of lupus.In this episode, we have an in-depth scientific discussion about Obsidian's cutting-edge technology platform, and Michelle offers insights into how she built up the skills necessary to find success in a biotech career. Hosted by Jenna Glatzer and Joe Varriale.

Peter is a 5th-year PhD student from the Pathobiology program at Johns Hopkins School of medicine.As part of Dr. Laura D. Wood's lab, his thesis is focused on to understanding new mechanisms of invasion of pancreatic cancer by using patient derived samples in organoid models.The decision to follow the Academic or Industry path has been always in his mind. During his undergrad Peter worked in industry as a chemist and during his PhD, he worked as pro bono consultant at the Johns Hopkins Graduate Consulting Club (JHGCC) as well as participated in consulting competitions.We were happy to hear that he recently accepted a position as Consultant for after his PhD! Join us to hear about how is to work in a cancer research lab in close contact with the hospital and patient samples as well as the journey to pursue a career as a Consultant. Episode hosted by Gustavo Carrizo. We are looking for PhD students from Hopkins, as well as other Institutions in and outside the US!If you are interested in being interviewed for MyPhD please complete the following form and we will get in touch with you: MyPhD podcast application form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNA8TVvuajm9PeNJT9J0KnOLhOWluCegECALe_XSEWFQBWSQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Marisa is a fourth-year PhD candidate at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Laboratory of Dr. Drew Pardoll. After her undergrad, she worked as a technician in industry for almost 6 years before deciding to go back to Academia to Pursue a PhD.Her thesis involves studying the role of AMPA receptors in T cells in the context of autoimmune disease.She is as well the leader of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Immunology graduate program with the goals of increasing representation of minorities and gender diversity in the program as well as making it more visible to undergrad studentsHosted by Gustavo Carrizo.We are looking for PhD students from Hopkins, as well as other Institutions in and outside the US!If you are interested in being interviewed for MyPhD please complete the following form and we will get in touch with you: MyPhD podcast application form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNA8TVvuajm9PeNJT9J0KnOLhOWluCegECALe_XSEWFQBWSQ/viewform?usp=sf_linkYou can find more information about the Immunology program in Instagram and twitter:https://www.instagram.com/hopkinsimmunology/https://twitter.com/HopkinsImmuno

 Dr. Greg Verdine is an eminent serial entrepreneur and investor in the life sciences industry. He has founded a number of companies and currently serves as President, CEO, and CSO of both Fog Pharma and LifeMine Therapeutics. Greg also worked in the venture capital industry as a Venture Partner with Apple Tree Partners, Third Rock Ventures, WuXi Healthcare Ventures, and Texas Pacific Group. Prior to his career in the biotech industry, Greg had an academic career that spanned 3 decades and he was named the Erving Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University. He has made significant contributions to the study of epigenetics and DNA damage repair and has more recently pioneered a new therapeutic modality termed “stapled peptides” that are poised to expand the space of druggable targets. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Columbia University.In this episode, we discuss the development of new drug modalities, the transition from academic science to entrepreneurship and investing, and the changing biotechnology landscape.

Beyond the Horizons is a mini podcast series about different career paths and relevant professional development topics to discover what lies beyond. Join Ken Igarza (MS Neuroscience), to learn more about his career journey as a NSF-GRFP Graduate Researcher. Hosted by Ona Ambrozaite, Chemistry Ph.D. candidate at Johns Hopkins University, Co-Chair for the Graduate Representative Organization (GRO) and Senior PHutures Fellow. Brought to you by PHutures, an innovative and empathy-driven career hub focused on creating equitable and accessible opportunities for doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows at Johns Hopkins University and beyond. 

Beyond the Horizons is a mini podcast series about different career paths and relevant professional development topics to discover what lies beyond. Join Dr. Smiti Nathan (PhD Anthropology), Senior User Experience Researcher, to learn more about careers in UX Research. Hosted by Dr. Roshni Rao, Director of PHutures at Johns Hopkins University. Brought to you by PHutures, an innovative and empathy-driven career hub focused on creating equitable and accessible opportunities for doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows at Johns Hopkins University and beyond. 

Beyond the Horizons is a mini podcast series about different career paths and relevant professional development topics to discover what lies beyond. Join Dr. Abeer Saha (PhD History), Curator at the National Museum of American History, to learn more about careers in museums. Hosted by Dr. Christine Kelly, Associate Director of PHutures at Johns Hopkins University. Brought to you by PHutures, an innovative and empathy-driven career hub focused on creating equitable and accessible opportunities for doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows at Johns Hopkins University and beyond. 

Beyond the Horizons is a mini podcast series about different career paths and relevant professional development topics to discover what lies beyond. Join Dr. Samantha Black (PhD Nutrition Sciences), Editor-in-Chief at Science Board, to learn more about careers in writing and publishing. Hosted by Marta Sliwa, Chemistry Ph.D. candidate at Johns Hopkins University and Project Operations Associate at HireHopkins. Brought to you by PHutures, an innovative and empathy-driven career hub focused on creating equitable and accessible opportunities for doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows at Johns Hopkins University and beyond. 

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.

Dave is the CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of BioPhy, a healthcare fintech company committed to enhancing outcomes for patients and creating value for investors using their proprietary AI technology. Prior to starting BioPhy with his co-founders at the The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he received his MBA, Dave was a Senior Scientist in the Advanced Analytics and Technology group at Johnson and Johnson. Dave earned a PhD. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from North Carolina State University.In this episode we had the pleasure to hear about how his experience in Industry and MBA changed his perspectives, and inspired him to start BioPhy to challenge inefficiencies in the Healthcare system, mainly in clinical trial outcomes. Join us to learn how engineering, finance and medicine found each other, and together created this exciting Healthcare fintech company.BioPhy WebsiteHosted by Jenna Glatzer and Joe Varriale

Soufiane Aboulhouda is the co-founder and co-president of Nucleate, a new, student-run, non-profit activator program for the next generation of biotech founders. The mission of Nucleate is to train graduate students (PhDs, MBAs, Post-Docs, JDs, MDs, and Master's) in company creation through a world-class network of advisors plus access to education, networking, and mentorship. The idea for Nucleate began while Soufiane was the President of the Harvard Biotech Club, when the group was intended as a ‘training camp' for academic students interested in commercializing their projects. Today, Nucleate has expanded to reach trainees in over 60+ universities in 10 cities (including Baltimore), and consists of both its activator program as well as a broader education initiative (coming soon). In addition to his role at Nucleate, Soufiane is also a PhD Candidate at the Wyss Institute, conducting his research in synthetic biology under the mentorship of scientist-entrepreneur Dr. George Church. In this interview, Soufiane explains the philosophy behind Nucleate and how it is uniquely poised to foster community across different academic ecosystems. Hosted by Jenna Glatzer and Joe Varriale.

Joe is a fourth-year PhD candidate at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Laboratory of Dr. J.N. and R.F. Siliciano. If you are a Hopkins Biotech Podcast follower,  you know Joe as the podcast co-director, producer and host. This time we have the pleasure to have him as a guest and to know more about his exciting career.His PhD thesis involves characterizing the reservoir of latently infected cells that render HIV infection a lifelong illness. In line with his Entrepreneurial mind set, Joe is a Fellow of the Commercialization Academy program at Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures (JHTV) and a Pro bono Consultant in the Johns Hopkins Graduate Consulting Club (JHGCC).Hosted by Jenna Glatzer and Gustavo Carrizo.We are looking for PhD students from Hopkins, as well as other Institutions in and outside the US!If you are interested  in being interviewed for My PhD please complete the following form and we will get in touch with you:MyPhD podcast application form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNA8TVvuajm9PeNJT9J0KnOLhOWluCegECALe_XSEWFQBWSQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

C.G. Moore, Ph.D., J.D., is a Partner at McBee Moore Woodward & Vanik IP, LLC., a boutique law firm based in Alexandria, Virginia, that specializes in intellectual property management in biotech, pharma, medical devices, and other life sciences-related industries. In this episode, C.G. describes his career path from experiencing the patenting process as a research assistant, to pursuing a Ph.D. in neuroscience at Johns Hopkins, then earning a J.D. and eventually co-founding his own law firm. We also discuss some of the challenges associated with learning to telework, as C.G. originally designed his firm (MMV IP Law) to function mostly remotely, preparing them well for the past year. He also generously shares his advice on navigating the patent process, from deciding when to file, to the necessary components that should be included for a successful application.Hosted by Roshan Chikarmane and Jenna Glatzer.

Gian is a fourth-year PhD candidate at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience. His thesis under the supervision of Dr. Dwight Bergles focuses on studying the dynamics and functional significance of cortical remyelination in diverse mouse models of multiple sclerosis. Gian is a Senior Fellow at PHutures, a career and professional development hub for doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. In July 2021, he received the 2021 Diversity Recognition Award from the Diversity Leadership Council of Johns Hopkins University. Hosted by Joe Varriale and Gustavo Carrizo. We are looking for PhD students from Hopkins, as well as other Institutions in and outside the US! If you are interested  in being interviewed for My PhD please complete the following form and we will contact you:                                                          MyPhD podcast application form

 Christy Wyskiel is the Senior Advisor to the President of Johns Hopkins University for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and the Executive Director of Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures. JHTV is the division of the university responsible for technology transfer, industry research partnerships, and startup acceleration under the brand ‘FastForward.' Prior to her appointment at JHTV in 2013, Christy co-founded two startups and had an extensive career as an institutional investor in the life sciences and healthcare space.In this episode we discuss the process of Tech Transfer at the university level- detailing how basic research can be translated into practical technologies that can impact individuals. Additionally, we discuss the future of the biotech industry in Baltimore and the role of JHU in that development. Furthermore, Christy offers a look at opportunities for students at JHU interested in entrepreneurship or commercialization. Check those out at the links below.Fast Forward UCommercialization AcademyJHTV Yearly Report Hosted by Jenna Glatzer and Joe Varriale.

Ben Portney, Ph.D. is a Senior Associate at Flagship Pioneering, a life sciences venture capital firm specializing in company creation for transformational technologies. Ben is an entrepreneur-scientist, having previously worked in several ventures during his time as a graduate student including NSF I-Corps, an equity research externship at T. Rowe Price, and co-founding the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Network club at the University of Maryland. Ben received his PhD from the University of Maryland, focusing on cancer stem cell biology. In this episode, we discuss Ben's career at Flagship starting from his time as a Venture Labs Fellow, as well as the unique model Flagship uses to found companies. Ben additionally shares lessons from his entrepreneurial experiences in graduate school, particularly relating to trying different careers and being open to exploration. We also touch on how graduate education has evolved to meet students' increasing interest in biotech and entrepreneurial ventures. Hosted by Roshan Chikarmane and Jenna Glatzer.

Patricia Phelps, PhD is the Associate Director of Academic Career Services at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where she oversees professional development training for graduate students and postdocs. Pat has had an extensive career in biomedical PhD career training, previously serving as the Associate Director for the Professional Development and Career Office (PDCO) at Hopkins, and establishing the Office for Science, Training and Diversity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In this episode, we discuss her early work in the animal health industry, and how she followed her passions to start her career in PhD professional development. Pat generously shares her advice for effective communication to help early career scientists stand out in their resumes and CVs, for preparation in both academic and industry applications. Additionally, we touch on helpful resources and tips researchers can use to showcase their skills and accomplishments. Hosted by Jenna Glatzer.

Caroline Loew, Ph.D.  is the President and CEO of Glympse Bio, an MIT spin out company trying to change the paradigm of in vivo diagnostic and prognostic monitoring for a wide range of disease indications. Prior to running Glympse Bio, Caroline held a number of high-level positions within some of the top global pharmaceutical companies including Merck and most recently Bristol Myers-Squibb. Her roles spanned a number of business units related to market access, commercialization, strategy, and planning. Dr. Loew earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Imperial College London.In this episode, Caroline shares her insights learned from a fruitful career in biotech and pharma. She highlights the idea of building the base of your career following your Ph.D.. Additionally, Caroline discusses the founding and development of Glympse Bio- and shares some of the key areas of development for the company and their technology over the next 5 years.Hosted by Joe Varriale.

Sam Semenkow, Ph.D. is a Director of Portfolio Intelligence at Bridge Bio, a unique biotechnology company that develops drugs in several modalities for a number of diverse disease areas. Prior to joining Bridge Bio, Sam was an Associate in the equity research group at Citi, a multinational bank. As an equity research associate, Sam covered a number of public biotech companies- applying valuations and building financial models for commercial and clinical stage drug candidates. Sam holds a Ph.D from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. In this episode, Sam discusses the hiring process for equity research groups for individuals with advanced degrees. She also describes the type of work one would do while working in equity research. We finish the episode with a description of Bridge Bio, and a discussion on assessing risk in biotech.Hosted by Roshan Chikarmane, Jenna Glatzer, and Joe Varriale. 

Carina Clingman, PhD is a Principal and Founder of Recruitomics Biotalent Consulting, a biotechnology hiring and recruitment agency based in Cambridge, MA. Carina originally trained as a biochemist, earning her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. At Recruitomics, she leverages her expertise to find the best candidates for biotech positions, with a special focus on staffing roles and working with hiring managers in biotech startups. In this episode, Carina discusses her motivation behind starting her own consulting firm, and she generously shares a wealth of information about hiring trends for the life sciences both broadly and locally in Boston. Additionally, we discuss how candidates can prepare for the process of interviewing and negotiating salaries, and touch on the differences in expectations when working for startups or a larger pharmaceutical company. Hosted by Joe Varriale and Jenna Glatzer.

In this episode, members of the Johns Hopkins Alternative Protein Project - Norah Sadowski, Lauren Blake, Mackenzie Simon-Collins, Mc Millan Ching, Jacquelyn Bedsaul, and Christine Wang- discuss a nontraditional application of biotech: alternative proteins. We explore the motivations, basic principles, challenges, and risks behind alternative protein technologies such as plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cultured animal products.The JHAPP is a new university group which launched in February 2021 under an umbrella organization called The Good Food Institute (GFI). The group aims to advance alternative protein tech via education, research, and business development initiatives. Join our Slack Workspace or email us at jhualtprotein@gmail.com to get involved. Produced by Norah Sadowski.