Part 1 of 4:
Jon Chee hosts our latest guest, Neela Patel, Chief Business Officer at Bonum Therapeutics who are developing protein therapeutics to be used to treat a wide range of diseases. Neela is a seasoned scientist and business development executive with over 30 years of leadership experience in drug discovery and development.
Before her time at Bonum Therapeutics Neela worked as the CBO at Good Therapeutics, a biotech company that develops cutting-edge protein-based drugs. Her impressive career also includes pivotal roles at Seattle Genetics, AbbVie, Abbott, and Genentech. Her extensive experience as both a scientist and business person give her unique insights you won’t want to miss.
Join us this week to hear about:- 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
Please enjoy Jon’s conversation with Neela Patel!
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Find Our Guest, Neela Patel, at these links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neela-patel-84b144/ https://bonumtx.com/
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links: 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/
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:Bell Labs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Labs Genentech: https://www.gene.com/ AMGEN: https://www.amgen.com/ C. Elegans: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caenorhabditis_elegans Mutagenesis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutagenesis DNAX Research Institute: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dnax-research-institute/Leptin Receptor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptin_receptor
How to Get Funding for Lab Research: https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-to-get-funding-for-lab-research Microbiology Lab Equipment & Instruments List: https://www.excedr.com/blog/microbiology-lab-equipment-list-to-open-your-new-lab Biotech Startup Support: https://www.excedr.com/resources-category/biotech-startup-support
People Mentioned:Sherie Morrison https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherie-morrison-8736217/ Bob Coffman: https://investors.dynavax.com/management/robert-coffman Martin McMahonn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-mcmahon-8643796/ Lewis Lanier https://lanierlab.ucsf.edu/node/3033
Timestamps:00:28 Intro02:31 Growing up in an intellectual household with engaged, socially aware parents07:08 How a college biology class lead to an internship at Genentech10:06 Finding that lab work at Genentech was a perfect balance of togetherness and independence13:05 Similarities between drug discovery and Neela’s cross disciplinary undergrad studies16:18 Getting inspired by Genentech to pursue her PhD at UCLA19:22 Choosing a lab focused on studying C. Elegans 20:48 Looking at the progress of technology and the overall business environment over her career25:18 Dealing with the steep learning curve of a PhD program and learning to not give up27:24 Contemplating her next steps into her professional life and finally settling on DNAX30:14 Working with influential scientists at DNAX Research Institute32:18 Joining an investment club while pursuing the intersection of science and business35:41 Transitioning out of DNAX and manually going through a directory searching for her next opportunity40:02 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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