Today I’m delighted to welcome Andy Parker, CEO of Step Pharma.

With over 25 years of experience across AstraZeneca, Shire, Zealand Pharma, and
venture capital, Andy has led Step Pharma since 2019. The company is pioneering
a targeted approach to cancer and blood disorders by inhibiting the enzyme
CTPS1. Their lead candidate, dencatistat, blocks this pathway that certain
cancer cells and activated immune cells rely on, while sparing healthy cells
that use the related CTPS2 enzyme.

In this episode, we’ll dive into the science behind this mechanism, explore Step
Pharma’s expanding pipeline from lymphomas and solid tumours to essential
thrombocythaemia, and discuss their recent €38 million Series C financing.
We’ll also look ahead to the future of precision oncology.

• 01:17 Meet Andy Parker
• 06:12 The biotech ecosystem around Geneva
• 07:51 The CTPS1 enzyme and why cancer cells depend on it
• 14:08 Pipeline-in-a-product strategy across three indications
• 20:14 The series C: €38 million raise
• 25:41 Partnering with big pharma: possibilities and limits
• 28:11 The future of precision oncology and metabolic targeting

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Step Pharma and Concr to partner on cancer treatment
• Step Pharma moves into oncology clinical trials
• Step Pharma announces promising pre-clinical cancer data

Today I'm sitting down with Randy Teel, Ph.D., President and CEO of Arvinas, a clinical-stage biotech based in New Haven, Connecticut, that is doing something genuinely new in medicine.

Arvinas is pioneering a technology called PROTAC protein degradation. It's a platform that doesn't just block disease-causing proteins, but eliminates them entirely using the body's own disposal system to do it. It's a fundamental shift in how we think about drug design, and it's now reached a historic milestone: the first PROTAC ever to succeed in a Phase 3 clinical trial, with a regulatory filing now in front of the FDA.

• 01:19     Meet Randy Teel 
• 03:41     Stepping into the CEO role in February 2026 
• 13:17     What is a PROTAC and how it works 
• 17:37     Vepdegestrant and the first PROTAC approval 
• 23:43     Balancing partnerships versus keeping control of assets 
• 31:57     Key milestones to watch in the next 12–18 months

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• From undruggable to oral therapy: The rise of STAT6 degraders
• Big Pharma Strikes Megadeals In Targeted Protein Degradation
• This Biotech Destroys Cancer Proteins by Introducing Them to ‘Executioner’ Proteins

Today we welcome Brandy Wilkinson, CEO of GemPharmatech, and Rikki Feng, the company’s Neuroscience Pipeline Leader. 

Our discussion focuses on a persistent challenge in drug development: neurology’s stubbornly high clinical failure rates. GemPharmatech is tackling this head-on with proprietary models for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and blood-brain barrier transport that better mirror human disease biology.

We explore why mouse models matter more in neurology than in other fields, the design principles behind these next-generation tools, and how smarter preclinical partnerships can help therapeutic developers de-risk programs earlier. 

• 00:00 Welcome Brandy Wilkinson and Rikki Feng
• 03:17 GemPharmatech's mission
• 06:26 Why mouse models matter in neurology
• 11:11 Common translation gaps in neurology
• 18:09 Designing proprietary neurological disease models
• 25:45 Building stronger CRO strategic partnerships
• 33:58 An optimistic future of neuroscience research

This episode was produced with the support of GemPharmatech. 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: 

• Neurological diseases R&D trends and breakthrough innovations
• Brain Awareness Week: could ongoing R&D spur neuroscience breakthroughs?
• 11 neuroscience biotech companies you should know about

This week we preview the BIO International Convention, starting next week in San Diego. This is the key partnering event of the year where biotechs connect with pharmaceutical companies and investors in partnering meetings, all to advance and fund innovative therapies.

My guest is Werner Lanthaler, Founder and CEO of WLAN Holding. Werner spent 15 years as CEO of Evotec SE, scaling the company from 200 employees and €40 million revenue to over 5,000 staff and €800 million. He previously served as CFO of Intercell AG, overseeing its IPO and vaccine launch and today he leads investments and advisory in high-tech life sciences.

Werner explains why partnering events like BIO are critical to advancing science in biopharma. He shares practical advice on how biotechs can prepare before the event, succeed on site, and follow up to turn meetings into partnerships. He offers clear, actionable strategies to optimize your BIO experience.

• 01:36              Meet Werner Lanthaler
• 06:48              The power of partnering
• 08:55              Uncovering unexpected value
• 13:43              Irreplaceable in-person trust
• 17:06              Smart pre-event planning
• 21:00              Strategic targeting
• 24:02              Relationship-first meetings
• 30:18              The importance of prompt, persistent follow-up

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Special Episode: The 2025 BIO International Convention
• The ABC of biotech partnerships
• How to optimize your biotech company for partnering, licensing, and business success

Today we’re diving into the world of corticosteroids and hormonal therapies — essential APIs that treat everything from asthma and autoimmune diseases to diabetes and endocrine disorders. These molecules may be decades old, but their manufacturing remains highly complex and critical to patients worldwide.

Our guest is Olivier Roux, a Senior Director at Curia. He shares how Curia partners with both startups and big pharma to simplify steroid API challenges, solve supply issues, and prepare for next-generation innovations. If you want to understand what it really takes to bring these life-changing therapies to patients, stay tuned — this conversation is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.

• 01:39 Meet Olivier Roux
• 02:20 What corticosteroids and hormonal therapies are
• 04:40 Evolution of steroidal hormonal therapies
• 05:50 Common uses of corticosteroids today
• 07:40 Key drivers of market growth
• 10:06 Curia’s agile outsourcing solutions for steroids
• 16:05 Importance of particle size control for steroids
• 17:18 Aseptic processing and high potency handling

This episode was produced with the support of Curia. 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: 

• Eight rare autoimmune diseases biotechs are fighting to treat
• A clearer path to relief: sinusitis treatments on the way
• Asthma study suggests lung scarring may be reversible 

Welcome to episode 200!

Today I’m delighted to welcome back a very special guest: Joachim Eeckhout, the co-founder of Labiotech, co-owner of Knowbio, and founder of The Science Marketer.

Joachim tells the Labiotech story, one of vision, persistence, and a deep belief that the European life-sciences sector deserved better storytelling. We go back to the very beginning with someone who was there: the frustrations, a bike tour of France that became legendary, the leap to Berlin, the fundraising rounds, the acquisition, and the launch of this very podcast.

We’ll also hear where Joachim is today with his new ventures, his candid take on the current biotech media landscape in Europe, and what he sees coming next for science communication and media in our industry.

• 01:30: Meet Joachim Eeckhout
• 02:19: Early attraction to media creation
• 04:32: Founding story of Labiotech platform
• 06:35: Bike tour visiting biotech CEOs
• 11:21: Identifying larger European market opportunity
• 19:55: Raising seed funding for growth
• 24:20: Acquisition by Inpart in 2021
• 30:48: Current work with Knowbio
• 38:57: Future plans for Knowbio and biotech media

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Connecting the R&D ecosystem: 150 days into the integration of Inova, IN-PART and Labiotech
• We raised our second financing round to become the largest biotech media 🚀
• How you can get involved in helping the industry–academia community solve global challenges

Today we welcome Dr. Daniel Vitt, CEO of Immunic Therapeutics. 

With World MS Day being tomorrow, the 30th of May, this is the perfect moment to focus on multiple sclerosis — a disease that affects nearly three million people worldwide and still leaves many patients searching for better options.

In today’s episode Daniel shares his own journey into biotechnology, walk us through what life with MS really looks like for patients, and explain the science behind Immunic’s most advanced program, IMU-838. We discuss what makes Immunic’s oral therapy different from today’s treatments, uncover the latest data from the CALLIPER and ENSURE trials, and talk about what the future of MS care could look like.

• 01:22 Meet Daniel Vitt
• 04:54 Understanding multiple sclerosis
• 07:53 Evolution of the MS treatment landscape
• 12:08 Immunic’s lead MS therapy explained
• 22:57 World MS Day and what's next for Immunic

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: 

• 11 neuroscience biotech companies you should know about
• The emergence of BTK inhibitors in multiple sclerosis treatment: Companies close in on approval
• Six biotech companies advancing multiple sclerosis therapies

Today I am welcoming two guests: Quin Wills, CEO of Ochre Bio, a biotech developing RNA therapies for chronic liver disease using AI models, and Stéphane Barges, CEO of Lexogen, an RNA transcriptomics company and NGS service provider. It’s a deep dive into cutting edge transcriptomics, human-first data, and artificial intelligence.

00:55: The challenges of liver disease

04:44: How Lexogen supports NGS drug discovery

07:29: Major transcriptomics developments

10:05: Designing high quality AI data

15:47: How the Ochre-Lexogen partnership began

17:17: Why a specialist partner is essential for scale

18:21: Lexogen delivers on the massive sequencing project

21:50: Why high quality data is crucial

27:02: Lexogen's role in AI discovery

34:51: Future plans and directions

This episode was produced with the support of Lexogen. 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: 

• Deep phenotyping brings accuracy to precision medicine
• Spatial Transcriptomics: A window into disease
• Spatial Transcriptomics Landscape Shifts With Two Major Acquisitions

Today, we're digging into a topic that's getting a lot more attention lately, how early decisions in cell therapy end up shaping or complicating everything that comes later. Our episode today is Freeze Variability, Not Progress, How to Strengthen Your Cell Therapy Supply Chain from the Start, and we're going to challenge a few long-held beliefs about how starting material should be handled. 

My guest today is Dominic Clarke, Vice President of Technical Operations for IntegriCell at Cryoport Systems. Dominic has spent years in the trenches building and scaling cell therapy processes from early development through commercialization. So, he's seen where things break and what actually works. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dominic Clark.

• 01:07    Meet Dominic Clarke and Cryoport Systems
• 06:24   Fresh cells versus frozen cells
• 08:21    Why teams switch to cryopreservation late
• 12:37    The challenge of variability
• 16:47    IntegriCell when you already have a process in place
• 22:17    An argument for cryopreservation based on data
• 25:56   The future of IntegriCell and Cryoport Systems

This episode is brought to you with the support of Cryoport Systems.

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: 

• IntegriCell® Cryopreservation
• Cryoport Systems on the state of the ATMP market and the importance of supply chain resilience
• Cracking the code: Delivering biotherapeutics successfully across EMEA

Today, we dive into the future of lab management with Ryan Cawood, CEO and co-founder of Lab Thread. Ryan's journey spans groundbreaking work in virotherapy and gene delivery during his D.Phil at Oxford, to founding OXGENE, a cell and gene therapy innovator acquired by WuXi Advanced Therapies in 2021.

We'll explore the frustrations of fragmented lab tools that inspired Lab Thread's integrated digital solution—combining ELN, LIMS, molecular biology, and collaboration in one seamless platform. We’ll uncover how it boosts reproducibility, ensures compliance, and frees scientists for innovation, with accessible pricing for academics and biotechs.

I hope you enjoy Ryan’s insights on evolving digital workflows and accelerating breakthroughs in the lab.

01:51: Meet Ryan Cawood

02:31: Frustrations with early digital tools.

03:19: Daily lab organization challenges.

06:50: Time lost to admin tasks.

11:09: Genesis of the Lab Thread concept.

13:53: Integrated workflow functionality explained.

17:23: Enhancing experiment reproducibility methods.

20:37: Achieving compliance standards easily.

26:10: The future of digital lab management.

28:33: Accelerating scientific breakthroughs.

This episode is brought to you with the support of Lab Thread.

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• Lab Thread - Your Lab, Connected
• Hiding in plain sight: how to solve bioscience’s software problem
• Lab chaos and digital dreams