Welcome to our final episode for 2025. We’re taking a little break for the holidays but we’ll be back again on Friday 9th of January to kick off our year with the Managing Director of Merck KGaA’s M Ventures, Hakan Goker.

Today, though, I’m joined by Ester in t’Groen of Johnson & Johnson.

Fresh off the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in Orlando, where J&J presented over 60 abstracts, Ester shares insights into the company's portfolio and the advances that the company has made over recent years in the hematology space.

She walks us through the real-world evidence for some pretty significant results from the thousands of patients in their clinical trials, and explain what's next for J&J in hematology in 2026—including some exciting readouts.

01:14 - Meet Ester in t'Groen    

02:37 - Winning the Kilmer Medal

06:32 - J&J's key focus areas

07:32 - The hematology portfolio

19:07 - All about ASH 2025

23:49 - The MajesTEC-3 data

27:43 - The value of real-world datasets

32:06 - Looking forward into 2026

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Blood Cancer Awareness Month: What biotech holds in store 
• 10 oncology deals in 2025 spotlight where industry leaders are betting big
• T cell engagers: A promising, fast-growing field for cancer and autoimmune disease treatments

In this episode we sit down with Martin Beck, Senior Vice President and Head of the Inflammation Business Unit at Boehringer Ingelheim. Martin grew up just down the road from the company’s headquarters in Germany, joined as a scholarship student more than 20 years ago, and never really left – and you’ll hear why he still loves it.

We spend most of the episode focused on a disease that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: idiopathic and progressive pulmonary fibrosis. These are rare, fatal lung-scarring conditions that kill faster than many cancers, yet patients often shrug off the first symptoms as “just aging.” 

Martin walks us through why half the people on today’s treatments stop taking them, how BI just brought the first new medicine in over a decade to the U.S. market, and why an AI tool that spots microscopic changes on lung scans might finally help doctors diagnose and treat these patients’ years earlier. 

01:24   Meet Martin Beck

04:21   About Boehringer Ingelheim

07:12   Understanding idiopathic & progressive pulmonary fibrosis

10:16   Current treatments & high discontinuation rates

12:25   BI’s long-term investment in PF

16:02   eLung AI tool for earlier diagnosis

22:16   A new oral PDE4B inhibitor

28:13   Key data highlights from the recent ERS congress

30:31   FDA approval & global rollout plans

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Refoxy, Boehringer, Insilico, and more on the hunt for curative treatments
• Eight respiratory disease companies advancing innovative therapies in 2025
• BI: Life with pulmonary fibrosis 

Cancer is one of the biggest health challenges worldwide. While progress has been made, millions of patients are still in need of new treatment options that better address the complexities of their disease.

BeOne Medicines is creating the world’s next-generation cancer treatments with relentless innovation, aiming to deliver therapies to more people around the globe. This week, I'm sitting down with Mark Lanasa, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Solid Tumors, at BeOne Medicines, to learn more about how their novel cancer models and unique in-house R&D approach is pushing them closer to cracking the cancer code.

This episode is sponsored by BeOne Medicines.

01:06              Meet Mark Lanasa

04:56              Cancer as a differentiated and adaptative disease

07:35              BeOne’s approach to cancer research and development

10:30              Accelerating cancer research by bringing it all in-house

15:24              Making progress and signs of success

17:41              Exciting investigational stage programs

23:51              The advantage of hierarchical thinking in R&D

28:13              Keep up with new research from BeOne

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To dive deeper into the topic:

• How can treatment strategies evolve to address the challenges in chronic lymphocytic leukemia?

Daiichi Sankyo has been pioneering ADCs since 2010, with a pipeline targeting over 30 indications and potentially reaching 400,000 patients.

In today’s episode I’m joined by Dr. Markus Kosch, Head of the EU Oncology Business Division at Daiichi Sankyo. A physician by training with a deep academic background in oncology, Markus has spent over two decades advancing cancer care, from clinical practice to leadership roles shaping strategy across Europe and Canada. Since joining Daiichi Sankyo in 2021, he has been at the forefront of one of the industry’s most ambitious ADC pipelines, overseeing more than 60 clinical trials across 24 countries and driving landmark approvals that are redefining treatment in breast, lung, and gastric cancers.

This week's episode is brought to you with the support of Kadans. 

Looking for the perfect space to grow your Life Sciences company? Kadans Science Partner is Europe’s leading provider of cutting-edge lab and offices spaces, tailored to your needs. Kadans puts you at the centre of innovation, giving you the chance to connect with top researchers, universities, and investors through its international network. Here, you’ll join a vibrant community of innovators driving real change. Are you ready to take your research to the next level? Learn more at kadans.com – where innovation thrives. 

01:45.         Meet Markus Kosch

03:12.         Clinical background shaping an industry role

04:46.         Daiichi Sankyo’s 40-year oncology legacy

06:19.         European investments and Munich hub

10:34.         ADC platform strengths explained

14:20.         Key ESMO 2025 trial data

Clarification: The reference to ‘TB01’ at 16:24 refers to the TROPION-Breast02 clinical trial, not TB01.

19:43.         Managing risks and partnerships

23:35.         Patient advocacy in trial design

33:59.         Future of oncology and ADCs

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• 10 oncology deals in 2025 spotlight where industry leaders are betting big
• AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s Enhertu recommended for approval
• Ten drugs to watch in 2025: will these therapies become blockbusters?

Two weeks ago, the biopharma industry gathered in Vienna, Austria, for BIO-Europe. Tens of thousands of one-on-one meetings were organized between innovators and out-licensors with top pharma companies and venture capitalists eager to partner and invest. 

For the large pharma firms, it’s a chance to learn about new science and keep tabs on evolving assets. For smaller biotechs, though, it can be three-days of high-pressure networking where a lot is riding on making the right pitch to the right company at just the right time. Get it right, and you walk away with a clear path forward and the cash to fund it. But get unlucky and you might find yourself with few options in the New Year.

This year, we decided to follow one biotech heading into their first BIO-Europe partnering conference. We met with DISCO Pharma three times over the last month to follow their BIO-Europe journey:

• Before the event to learn about the science behind DISCO and understand what their goals were heading into BIO-Europe. 
• At the event itself to talk about how the partnering meetings had been going and how the event had shaped up for DISCO. 
• A week after BIO-Europe had closed, diving into the follow-up activities and learning about the next steps for this German biotech.

I hope you enjoy my conversations with Ajla Hrle, Chief Business Officer at DISCO, and this behind the scenes look at BIO-Europe from an innovator’s perspective.

02:25          Preparing for BIO-Europe

16:51           On the floor at BIO-Europe

22:23          Following up from BIO-Europe

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• BIO-Europe partnering: Australian biotech companies share their experiences
• Practical partnering at BIOSPAIN: on the ground with biotech innovators ready to take the next step
• Biotech in Vienna: a budding life science hub 

Last week saw more than 5,900 people from 3,200 companies gather in Vienna, Austria, for the continent’s largest biopharma partnering conference, BIO-Europe. Over three days the world’s top pharma companies, most innovative biotechs, and life science professionals from 60 countries took more than 32,000 one-on-one meetings, made the connections, and sealed deals that will drive the industry forward into 2026 and beyond.

Among the highlights of BIO-Europe this year was the Startup Spotlight contest. This exciting competition offers biotech entrepreneurs an affordable opportunity to engage with top-tier investors and other important players in the biotech industry and to take their business to the next level. Eight finalists made their pitches at BIO Europe and one, Fusix Biotech from Germany, came out on top.

This week on Beyond Biotech I’m joined by Fusix Biotech’s Managing Director and co-founder, Jennifer Altomonte, who tells me about her journey through the industry, Fusix’s InFUSE platform, and what it’s like to pitch – and win – one of the most important biopharma startup competitions of the year.

01:34               Meet Jennifer Altomonte

05:12               Co-founding Fusix Biotech

10:37               Fusix Biotech and the InFUSE platform

18:50               Intellectual property for a young company

20:04               The BIO-Europe Startup Spotlight

23:47               The impact of the competition win

29:05               The milestones ahead

30:33               What does a successful 2026 look like for Fusix Biotech?

31:56               Learn more about Fusix Biotech

This episode is supported by EBD Group.

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• BIO-Europe partnering: Australian biotech companies share their experiences
• Four New Technologies That Will Change Cancer Treatment
• Why is the immunology and inflammation market suddenly attracting a wave of investment?

Urinary Tract infections, or UTIs, affect millions worldwide, driving sepsis, antibiotic overuse, and microbial resistance. Current diagnostics rely on either slow lab cultures or unreliable dipsticks, and often lead to delayed or unnecessary treatment. Llusern’s Lodestar DX changes that: a point-of-care test that detects 96% of key UTI pathogens in just 35 minutes, no lab required.

In this episode I’m joined by Emma Hayhurst who shares her journey into diagnostics, Llusern’s mission, and the emergence of Wales as a biotech hub with a growing life sciences sector fueling local innovation. We discuss UTI prevalence, diagnostic gaps, and how rapid, accurate testing can transform patient care and antimicrobial stewardship. 

02:14               Meet Emma Hayhurst

04:37               Introducing Llusern Scientific

07:21               Collaboration between Llusern and the academy

08:50               The life science ecosystem in Wales

12:10               Urinary tract infections (UTIs)

15:45               UTI patient demographics

16:54               Health impacts of UTIs: sepsis, antibiotic resistance, and more

19:01               Existing UTI diagnostic options and their shortcomings

24:41               Llusern’s Lodestar DX

29:03               A point-of-care test, not a lab test

31:44               Applications beyond UTIs

36:03               Looking forward at Llusern

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Life sciences in Wales: biotechs in the scene in 2025
• Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance with Fast Molecular Diagnostics
• Ultra-Fast Diagnostics Could Transform Sexual Health

Today, I’m joined by Héctor García Martín, a Staff Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. A pioneer in metabolic engineering and computational biology, Héctor has spent over a decade decoding microbial systems, everything from termite guts to genome-scale flux models, to unlock sustainable biomanufacturing.

Now, he’s leading the charge in self-driving labs: AI-powered, robotic systems that automate experiments, predict biological behavior, and accelerate the design of microbes that produce fuels, medicines, and materials.

In this episode, we’ll dive into why biology has traditionally proven so hard to engineer, how AI and robotics are changing that, and where this revolution is headed next. I hope you enjoy my discussion with Hector Garcia Martin.

01:12              Meet Hector Garcia Martin

12:47              Introduction to the Berkeley National Laboratory

14:42              Challenges in synthetic biology

17:21              How unpredictability complicates biomanufacturing

19:30              Self-driving labs at the nexus of AI, robotics, and biomanufacturing

22:23               How is AI integrated into optimize enzyme expression

28:01               Where is the market for self-driving labs?

28:47               The future of synthetic biology

32:24               The most exciting trends in AI-driven biomanufacturing

34:10               The expected impacts of self-driving labs on everyday life

35:28               Advice for aspiring scientists

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Synthetic Biology @ Labiotech
• European biotech: trends to watch in 2025
• The coming of age of European synthetic biology

Today we’re diving into the world of expression systems with Iskandar Dib, of Validogen and we’ll explore the remarkable potential of Pichia pastoris, a methylotrophic yeast that’s revolutionizing pharmaceutical protein production and beyond. 

From industrial enzymes to biomaterials, food, feed, and diagnostics, Pichia offers a reliable, scalable, and cost-efficient platform for recombinant protein expression. 

Iskandar explains how biotechs can unlock Pichia’s full potential through Validogen’s sophisticated tools and strategies, fine-tuning protein expression with innovative genetic approaches and robust screening systems to deliver unmatched yields and quality. 

01:06               Why Pichia is often overlooked or underestimated

03:29               The basics of Pichia pastoris

05:25               How Pichia compares to microbial hosts like E.coli

08:14               Key advantages over mammalian cell systems

10:21               Pichia as a system for secreted production

11:30               Pichia and post-translational modifications

14:30               The challenges of working with Pichia

16:25               Strain optimization and genetic engineering

17:29               Meet Iskandar Dib and Validogen

19:03               The UNLOCK PICHIA platform

24:00               Real-world applications of Pichia pastoris in biopharma

27:19               When Pichia outperforms expectations

28:25               Adapting Pichia for emerging fields

30:23               Advice for those considering Pichia pastoris for protein expression

33:23               Learn more about Validogen

This episode is sponsored by Validogen.

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Pichia case studies
• Unlocking Pichia for industry

In today's episode, we welcome Clarke Futch, Chairman and CEO of HealthCare Royalty Partners, or HCRx. HCRx are pioneers in royalty-based financing, with a thirty year track record in biopharma investing. Clarke has led more than 60 royalty acquisitions totaling nearly $4 billion and raised over $8 billion across various vehicles, executing more than 165 transactions that have fueled breakthroughs in life sciences.

In this interview we examine the evolution of alternative funding models, the transformative impact of alternative funding models on biotech innovation, partnerships, and M&A, and take a macro view on the financial health of the industry amid economic shifts. 

02:10               Meet Clarke Futch

07:58               HCRx and its mission

18:55               Differences between a royalty firm and a venture firm

21:34               Alternative funding models in biotech

24:49               Are VCs pulling back? Are alternatives rising?

30:20               How royalty financing impacts partnerships and M&A

33:02               Do alternative financing models risk stifling innovation?

36:33               A macro look at the health of the biotech sector

41:33               What areas of biotech are underfunded right now?

46:22               Looking forward: the 6-12 months ahead?

48:10               Advice for founders navigating financial uncertainty

Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Moving with the times: biopharma royalty deals on the rise
• The ABC of biotech startup funding
• 2025 biotech deals tracker