Between the Biotech Waves

Today we talk to Vic Myer, xChief Technology Officer at Editas, currently President and CSO at Chroma Medicine. We discuss the state of genome editing and the potential for chromatin modification.

In this episode we are talking to Prof Eric Topol. Eric is a cardiologist by training, a basic scientist in the areas of personalized genomic medicine at the interface between genetics and digital health and is the author of the leading textbook in interventional cardiology in addition to authoring books on AI in medicine. He is the founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, a professor of molecular medicine at the scripps research institute and a snr consultant at the division of cardiovascular diseases at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla CA. Finally, he is editor in chief of Medscape and theheart.org

Since the COVID pandemic hit Eric has been an outspoken advocate of basic research and optimized paths for COVID drug discovery and development. He has written numerous pieces on COVID and our response to the pandemic in addition to calling out and correcting mis and dis information. His most recent piece, an editorial in the LA Times, continues to draw attention to the low vaccination and booster rates here in the US.

Today we discuss the evolution of COVID virus and the most recent BA5 variant. The data continues to be sobering with the increased emergence and dominance of new variants. Eric highlights the importance of the vaccine, boosters and the need to develop a universal vaccine to tackle this pandemic. We also discuss Paxlovid and the rebound that is being observed in around 20% of patients. Finally we touch on the issue regarding disinformation around scientific discoveries in todays world and the need to build systems to actively call this out and quickly correct before it becomes “fact”.

To lighten the mood, or so I thought,  at the end we turn to AI and its role in our health system. Touching on some key considerations around AI consciousness that has been in the news of late.

Today we are talking to Yaron Werber. Yaron is Managing Director of Healthcare Biotechnology at Cowen, he has over 20 years of experience as a research analyst and was a founding team member, chief business and financial officer of Ovid Therapeutics. Prior to Ovid Yaron was managing director and head of US healthcare and biotech equity research at Citi.

Please note - Between vacation, other work commitments and COVID this conversation was recorded over 2 weeks ago. During that time the tea leave reading of the biotech market has marched forward with people highlighting the double bottom and climb in the XBI. While some have hailed this as the end of the bears and seeing the dust of the raging bulls in the distance I am inclined to ask what hallucinogenic they took the night before. Down rounds and negotiated valuation resets in the private market are starting to become more of a central theme with continued uncertainty about timing to recovery, 2023 is now being discussed. The landslide of public SMID cap companies that need to finance has yet to be realized while the macro economic challenges remain in place with inflation out of control in a backdrop of global destabilization. On the micro side the Seagen life raft is starting to look like a potential mirage with M&A being limited and company consolidation a whisper.

In this episode Yaron and I discuss the current market metrics, what companies may want to consider and the challenges to the oft flagged oasis of consolidation, M&A and now the going private plan. We discuss his experience as an operating in a biotech company between his roles in equity research. This experience provides a unique insight into the vagaries of a biotech company and the market.

A Between the Biotech Waves conversation with John Hofffman, managing director & head of healthcare equity capital markets at Credit Suisse. John has nearly two decades of experience in supporting healthcare companies in the public markets. In this episode we discuss the current market dynamics from a equity capital market perspective.

A Between the Biotech Waves conversation with John Leonard, CEO of Intellia Therapeutics. John has over 30 years of experience in drug research & development. Prior to joining Intellia John was CSO at Abbvie. In this episode we discuss the formation of Intellia, some of the challenges and the recent data announced in ATTR.

Today I talk to William Hicks, co-chair of securities and capital markets at Mintz Levin. We discuss the state of the capital markets, financing options for companies and the challenges companies face in this market.