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Part 4 of 4: Jon Chee hosts Barry Ticho, Founder of Verve Therapeutics and Chief Medical Officer at Stoke Therapeutics, a biotech company addressing the underlying cause of severe diseases by upregulating protein expression with RNA-based medicines.
With an MD PhD from the University of Chicago and extensive experience across academia and industry, Barry brings over two decades of expertise in clinical development. His journey includes roles as Head of Development at Moderna, Head of External R&D Innovation at Pfizer, and VP of Clinical Development at Biogen, where he's been instrumental in advancing numerous therapeutic programs across multiple disease areas.
Barry's unique perspective spanning academic medicine and biotechnology innovation makes his insights invaluable for aspiring leaders in the field.
Join us this week to hear about:- 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
Please enjoy Jon’s conversation with Barry Ticho.
Subscribe to the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biotech-startups-podcast/id1679591994
Find Our Guest, Barry Ticho, at these links:Â https://www.linkedin.com/in/barryticho/Â https://www.stoketherapeutics.com/Â https://www.vervetherapeutics.com/Â
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:Â https://www.linkedin.com/in/joncheehttps://www.excedr.com
Excedr Socials & WebsiteLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@excedr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excedr_inc Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExcedrInc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excedr TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@excedr Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/Â
Enriched Notes:Â
Topics Mentioned:Verve Therapeutics: https://www.vervetx.com/Stoke Therapeutics: https://www.stoketherapeutics.com/Google Ventures: https://www.gv.com/Mass General Hospital: https://www.massgeneral.org/Brigham and Women’s Hospital: https://www.brighamandwomens.org/Biogen: https://www.biogen.com/ University of Pennsylvania: https://www.upenn.edu/Gene Editing and Its Impact on Cardiovascular Disease: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/gene-therapy-for-cardiovascular-diseaseRNA-Based Medicines for Rare Disease Treatment: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41419-022-05075-2Biotech Partnerships With Big Pharma: https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-biotech-partnerships-support-researchBusiness Development in Biotech: https://www.excedr.com/resources/business-development-in-the-life-sciencesBiotech Funding Options: https://www.excedr.com/resources/biotech-startup-funding-optionsScaling Biotechs to Meet Key Milestones with Leasing: https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-leasing-helps-biotechs-scale-efficiently
People Mentioned:Sekar Kathiresan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sekar-sek-kathiresan-3501846/
Timestamps:00:00 Intro02:15 Founding Verve Therapeutics over breakfast05:31 Gene editing for cardiovascular disease: The PCSK9 story07:49 Barry’s experience as a first-time CEO12:01 Joining Stoke Therapeutics and exploring RNA-based medicines16:56 Building strong networks and the value of professional connections22:09 Transitioning Stoke from private to public company26:29 Hiring wisely and making difficult decisions quickly30:09 Chief medical officer lessons: patient focus and team amplification33:25 Stoke’s future: Dravet syndrome trials and pipeline expansion35:12 Shouts and advice to younger self37:23 OutroThe Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business
and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.
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