• Scaling Genialis during COVID-19 and refining the company’s mission
• The importance of company culture and building a motivated, cohesive team
• Developing krasID and the Genialis supermodel to advance cancer diagnostics
• Raising Series A funding amid biotech market challenges
• The role of leadership and innovation in driving biotech success and shaping the future of precision oncology.

• Rafael’s move to Baylor College of Medicine and Houston’s vibrant medical community
• Innovations in molecular cloning and synthetic biology tools at Baylor
• Bridging biology and AI through collaborations with University of Ljubljana researchers
• Founding Genialis and shifting its focus to predictive biomarker development
• Lessons from biotech pivots that shaped Genialis as a leader in precision oncology

• Rafael's graduate studies at Yale, where mentors fostered his independent research approach
• His diverse marine biology and genomics projects, preparing him for synthetic biology
• Rafael's transition to the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) for synthetic biology and biofuels research
• The collaborative environment at JBEI, including access to cutting-edge technology and bioinformatics tool development
• Rafael's insights on choosing the right lab environment and the growing acceptance of entrepreneurship in academia
  
  

• Rafael's upbringing in rural South Carolina, influenced by his parents' intellectual hippie activist background and nature
• How his French cell biologist uncle sparked his love for science through snorkeling 
• Rafael's journey at Dartmouth, initially pursuing chemistry but ultimately finding his passion in evolutionary biology and ecology
• His post-college experiences alternating between scientific research and culinary pursuits
• The pivotal decision to attend a marine biology program at Friday Harbor instead of accepting an offer to cook on a private yacht
  
  

• How a Thanksgiving article about Dr. Sam Gambhir inspired the founding of Earli
• Earli’s groundbreaking approach to revolutionizing cancer detection using synthetic biology
• The challenges of translating scientific discoveries into real-world clinical applications
• Overcoming obstacles and achieving breakthroughs in diagnostics and therapeutics
• Cyriac’s unwavering commitment to transforming cancer into a manageable condition

• Launching Shopkick during the 2008 financial crisis and securing funding against the odds
• Partnering with Best Buy, Macy’s, and Target to pioneer in-store rewards using ultrasound technology
• Overcoming GPS limitations with innovative hardware solutions
• Switching from retail tech to life sciences, with a focus on AI and engineering
• Cyriac’s vision for digital clinical trials to accelerate drug development

• How Cyriac's early fascination with technology manifested through building a digital clock from scratch
• The transformative experience in Tokyo that served as a "reset button," exposing him to radical cultural differences
• His strategic career progression from Roland Berger to McKinsey
• The pivotal move from a failing mobile auction business to pioneering "mobile marketing" 
• The challenging transition to CBS Mobile, where starting from zero employees allowed him to leapfrog competitors by implementing innovative features 
  
  

• How Cyriac's entrepreneurial journey began at age 8 selling at flea markets, leading to selling his first computer program at 15 to a newspaper company
• His transformative exchange year in Texas at age 16 and how it allowed Cyriac to reset his identity
• How his graduation event transformed his school into a beach with Coca-Cola sponsorship and TV coverage
• How he created and hosted a late-night radio show, balancing academic demands with creative pursuits
• How his experience studying in Japan revealed valuable lessons about cultural perspectives
  
  

• Why securing a patent is only the first step in IP protection
• Weighing litigation versus licensing to safeguard your IP
• Leveraging technology transfer and academic collaborations for innovation
• Driving innovation through incremental advancements in your IP portfolio
• Kate’s journey from scientist to partner, with insightful advice for those navigating career transitions

• Building a strong foundation for your IP and the importance of well-crafted provisional applications.
• Aligning scientific advancements with proactive patent strategies to maximize long-term value.
• The critical timing for startups to address IP concerns, from tech transfer to scaling operations.
• The nuances of international patenting and strategic decisions on global protections.
• Practical tips for founders on prioritizing IP investments to strengthen their company and attract investors.
  
  

• Kate's transition from patent agent to lawyer, highlighting challenges of pursuing a law degree while working full-time
• The culture shock scientists face in law school, adjusting to ambiguity and lack of definitive answers
• The extensive reading required in law school compared to scientific literature, requiring a different approach
• The collegial culture at Kate's law firm, fostering an environment where former scientists can thrive
• How patent law work provides exposure to diverse scientific fields, offering continuous learning opportunities

• How growing up as youngest of six influenced Kate's leadership style of giving autonomy while providing guidance
• How early exposure to science through her father's engineering and a chemistry set ignited her scientific interests
• The research at Michigan's yeast lab and Northwestern's MS research that developed key multitasking abilities
• Kate’s unexpected shift from bench science to patent law through colleagues at Marshall Gerstein
• How career paths in science evolved from strictly academic to broader acceptance of industry and alternative paths

Enriched Notes:

• Founding Verve Therapeutics and pioneering gene editing for cardiovascular disease
• Tackling medicine adherence with one-and-done gene therapies
• Leadership lessons from starting and scaling biotech startups
• How patient stories inspire innovation in genetic medicine
• Stoke’s vision for genetic medicine and transformative treatments for diseases like Dravet syndrome

• Barry’s switch from academia to industry, and the challenges of his role at Merck
• Navigating drug development and the rigorous standards of pharmaceutical research
• Leading patient-centered clinical development at Biogen to create impactful therapies
• Exploring the potential of RNA medicine at Pfizer and Moderna
• Working on Moderna’s lipid nanoparticle technology, the basis for the COVID-19 vaccine

• Pioneering research using transparent zebrafish embryos to study cardiac development
• Helping establish the myCHOICE program at University of Chicago
• Managing concurrent roles at Harvard Medical School and Mass General
• Gaining invaluable crisis management experience as a pediatric cardiologist leading emergency resuscitations
• Making the strategic career transition to biopharma to combine basic science with clinical work

• Barry's upbringing as one of five boys in a family of physicians
• A transformative moment watching a child regain sight that crystallized his career path
• His foundational experiences at Haverford College where he discovered his passion for biology
• His journey through the MD-PhD program at the University of Chicago
• How education, critical thinking, and resilience shaped his leadership approach

• The complexities of building partnerships with Big Pharma as a startup
• Insights on developing relationships with larger organizations and patient foundations
• The importance of mutual goals and the art of aligning incentives 
• Transcripta’s progress with their groundbreaking Drug-Gene Atlas, combining genetics, AI, and high-throughput data to redefine the future of drug discovery

• Chris’ transition from Eli Lilly to the startup world, embracing the excitement and uncertainty of a smaller company.
• Navigating investor relations and honing the skill of translating science into business language.
• Developing Transcripta Bio’s discovery engine, a scalable approach to drug discovery.
• Leveraging AI, genetics, and high-throughput data to reduce failure points in drug development.

• How he got recruited to Eli Lilly through persistent outreach by VP Jose Caro, who recognized Chris's potential 
• How Chris advanced rapidly from obesity research to heading lead generation biology at Lilly Indianapolis
• His experience successfully leading a complex $20M lab buildout in NYC after Lilly's ImClone acquisition
• Transitioning to biotech as CSO at Fulcrum Therapeutics, where he gained valuable experience in investor relations and helped raise $200M in public markets
• What it means to serve as CEO developing an innovative "drug machine" platform that combines machine learning with wet lab approaches 

• Chris’ childhood growing up on Long Island and his experience with early heart surgery at 12 years old
• How those early experiences shaped his passion for science and medicine 
• His pivotal experiences at Cornell University, where a summer fellowship studying insulin signaling sparked his transition from pre-med to research 
• His groundbreaking PhD research at SUNY Stony Brook developing transgenic mice, leading to publications in Science and Nature 
• The strategic decision to pursue pharmaceutical research over academia, leveraging key connections to launch his industry career at Wyeth 
• His leadership philosophy’s emphasis on respect, teamwork, and balancing immediate results with long-term vision

• Michael’s journey from graduate studies to co-founding Nuclera
• The unique challenges scientists encounter in the business world
• The importance of adaptability and key lessons in developing/marketing a breakthrough product
• Michael’s insights into navigating big pharma’s lengthy sales cycles and building successful partnerships
• Creating a Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy for a biotech and identifying early adopters

Links:

Enriched Notes:

Timestamps:

• The influence of growing up in a data-driven family
• Learning to do the damn dishes in the lab
• Getting into the NIH Oxford Cambridge Scholarship Program
• Learning that what got us here won’t get us to where we need to be
• Differences between lab work in the UK versus the US

Timestamps:

• Neela’s transition from AbbVie to Seattle Genetics and business development
• Her meeting with Good Therapeutics CEO and how it changed her career trajectory
• Her move to Good Therapeutics as Chief Business Development Officer
• Neela’s experience leading Good through its acquisition by Roche, and the importance of strategic deal structuring
• Her current role as CBO of Bonum Therapeutics and focus on developing cytokine therapies for oncology

• Neela’s transition from Genentech to Poniard Pharmaceuticals
• Her collaboration with Greg Hageman on age-related macular degeneration
• Raising $37 million in Series A financing
• Neela’s role at Poniard developing pipeline strategy with the head of chemistry
• Her experiences at Abbott and AbbVie as Director of Global External Research and Search & Evaluation, respectively.

• Choosing Roche to help make small molecule drugs
• Reflecting on first major management role
• The communication required to work as an advisor to biotech companies
• Working for SUGEN but getting a different job than the one she applied for
• Dealing with the volatility of an acquisition

• How a college biology class lead to a Genentech internship
• Getting inspired to pursue her PhD 
• Working with influential scientists at DNAX
• Joining an investment club and pursuing the intersection of science and business
• Transitioning out of DNAX and cold calling people for her next opportunity

• Ecotone AI's mission: leveraging AI to decode the human genome and address rare genetic diseases.
• Ecotone's approach: using diffusion transformers to model genomes and generate synthetic genomic data.
• eMalick’s focus on intentional company building to ensure sustainable growth.
• Ecotone’s upcoming advancements in AI and genetics.

• Founding Genetic Intelligence and its mission to combine AI and genetics
• Challenges of founding a company, personal sacrifices, and breakthroughs leading to NSF recognition
• How company culture and leadership shifts led eMalick to leave Genetic Intelligence
• The importance of building teams aligned with the original vision
• Discovering population genetics through AI and the birth of Ecotone

• Answering the question “What is memory?”
• How playing “Stump the Professor” led eMalick to Columbia
• Studying C Eligans in a sandals-wearing lab
• The wide applicable uses for AI and ML in research
• Wanting to help people at scale

• Growing up with hippie parents in the Gambia
• Being in the first neuroscience class in the country at Northeastern University
• Lessons learned in one on one conversations with a CEO
• Experience working with Dr. Alice Ting while at MIT
• Sticking to his principles and leaving MIT

• Barbara’s unexpected pivot into banking
• Her transition from SVB to J.P. Morgan
• Her unique life sciences and entrepreneurial backgrounds
• The importance of mentorship, resilience, and seizing unexpected opportunities
• Navigating the challenges of building a career in both science and finance

• Barbara’s transition from academia to entrepreneurship and industry 
• Her experience co-founding Biochron, which built technologies to track biological aging using AI/ML
• The challenges of early-stage company building
• Her time as a mentor at the Manos Accelerator, and investment experience in early-stage ventures as a Senior Fellow at Life Science Angels
• Advice for improving your investor pitch and connecting with the right people

• Barbara’s academic journey and graduate school lab experience at UC Irvine
• Her insights from her time at the Beckman Laser Institute and her groundbreaking research on DNA repair using lasers
• Her international fellowship at King's College London, where she explored stem cell biology
• How her transition to entrepreneurship was shaped by navigating different lab environments and overcoming funding challenges

• Barbara’s immigrant journey and how her upbringing played an important role in her lead-up to becoming a scientist-entrepreneur. 
• Her path from community college to UC Irvine, where she gained essential lab experience, secured a research position in Plant Biology.
• Her travels abroad to the National Autonomous University of Mexico.