Dr. Goh Wei Jiang is the Co-founder and CEO of CraftHealth, a pioneering Singapore-based startup revolutionizing personalized medicine through 3D printing. With a background in pharmacy and a PhD-MBA from NUS, Dr. Goh brings both scientific expertise and commercial insight to the forefront of MedTech innovation. Drawing on his clinical experience and translational research, he co-founded CraftHealth to solve a real-world challenge: simplifying polypharmacy and improving drug compliance through customizable, on-demand medications.

In this episode, Dr. Goh Wei Jiang shares his journey from hospital pharmacist to a Healthtech founder. Motivated by the challenge of polypharmacy and the pill burden faced by patients, Dr. Goh and his co-founder developed a 3D printing platform that enables personalized medicine—combining multiple drugs into a single, tailored pill with customized release profiles.

He walks us through the early ideation phase, shaped by his experiences in Stanford Biodesign, GRIP, Lean Launchpad, and other innovation ecosystems, and how they tested their first 3D printed pill using a small grant. Dr. Goh explains how CraftHealth's proprietary platform integrates hardware, software, and material science to create a modular, scalable approach to medication production.

Dr. Goh also explores real-world applications: from improving precision dosing in pediatric or renal patients to enabling compounding pharmacies and supplement companies to rapidly prototype and personalize products. He discusses regulatory challenges, automation, hospital partnerships, and long-term visions for decentralised drug manufacturing. Finally, he shares his reflections on entrepreneurship, emphasising the importance of customer validation and building what people are willing to pay for.

Host: Dillon Chew

Editors: Hana Maldivita Tambrin, Aakash S/O Naresh Kumar, Dillon Chew

Chapters:

• 01:15 – Dr. Goh’s Background & Identifying the Problem of Polypharmacy

• 08:50 – CraftHealth’s 3D Printing Platform (Hardware, Software, Materials, Data)

• 13:15 – Use Cases

• 15:15 – Addressing Challenges, Regulatory & Commercial Fit

• 24:00 – Expansion and growth strategies

• 34:00 – Vision for Decentralized Drug Manufacturing and Closing

Dr. Abbas Sahili is the CTO of Singzyme, a biotechnology company pioneering next-generation bioconjugation technologies. With a strong background in biochemistry and structural biology, Abbas brings deep scientific expertise and entrepreneurial vision to the field of precision medicine. His transition from academia to biotech leadership is marked by a commitment to developing antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) that are more efficient, effective, and accessible. Under his leadership, Singzyme has developed a proprietary platform leveraging Peptide Asparaginyl Ligase (PAL) technology, setting a new standard in ADC manufacturing and performance.

In this episode, Dr. Abbas Sahili walks us through his unique journey from academic research in structural biology to founding Singzyme, a cutting-edge biotech startup. He shares the motivations that led him to pivot from lab-based research to real-world therapeutic development and the founding story of Singzyme.

Dr. Sahili breaks down complex concepts like antibody-drug conjugates and bioconjugation in a way that’s easy to understand. He discusses Singzyme’s PAL technology, a novel enzymatic platform that offers significant advantages over traditional methods, particularly in oncology and diagnostic imaging. He explains how PAL improves efficiency and precision in linking payloads to antibodies, unlocking new possibilities in targeted therapies and radiodiagnostics.

He also sheds light on the operational and strategic challenges faced by a young biotech company and outlines how Singzyme is overcoming them through innovation, industry partnerships, and a strong vision. Looking ahead, Abbas discusses the potential for expanding beyond cancer into other areas like autoimmune and infectious diseases, and the roadmap for product development and partnerships.

Host: Dillon Chew Editors: Hana Maldivita Tambrin, Aakash S/O Naresh Kumar, Dillon Chew

• 01:10 Dr. Sahili’s Background and Academic Journey
• 04:30 Transition from Research to Entrepreneurship
• 07:00 Founding Story of Singzyme
• 10:15 Overview of Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs)
• 13:45 What Makes PAL Technology Unique
• 17:30 Challenges in Traditional Bioconjugation Methods
• 21:00 Application of PAL in Radiodiagnostics
• 24:45 Singzyme’s Milestones Since 2021
• 28:30 Partnerships and Industry Collaboration
• 32:15 Future Expansion Beyond Oncology
• 36:00 Roadmap for the Next 3–5 Years
• 40:20 Advice for Young Scientists and Aspiring Founders

Dr. Hoa Giang is the Co-founder and Data Science Lead of Gene Solutions. His background boasts a broad range of experience in the global therapeutics industry. His technical background includes computational biology, bioinformatics analysis and understanding genetic interactions and how they affect the cellular functions. This experience and immense knowledge inform his mindful and robust approach to founding Gene Solutions. Hoa’s experience spans the globe having lived, studied and worked in Vietnam and USA.

In this episode, Hoa shares his journey of how he moved to the USA to pursue an advanced degree in computational biology. Starting from having an interest in biotech, he also shares how he was able to work with Professor Jun Hyong Kim at the University of Pennsylvania and broaden his expertise to bioinformatics. This knowledge helped him to develop new methods of combining wet lab protocol and dry lab analysis for next generation sequencing (NGS). He goes on to mention that he is very passionate about making new technology available to all and thus brought these new novel methods of NGS back to Vietnam in the form of Gene Solutions. In this episode, Hoa also shares about the groundbreaking work being done at Gene Solutions, including their way of staying ahead of competition while aiming to keep solutions affordable and accessible to the masses. He also briefly talks about Gene Solution’s technology, focusing on their two main pillars of reproductive health and clinical oncology, and how it varies from older tests and their strategies of expansion into various new geographical markets. Lastly, he describes the typical challenges that a company would face when they are first starting up and the importance of good teamwork.

Host: Aakash S/O Naresh Kumar Editors: Hana Maldivita Tambrin, Aakash S/O Naresh Kumar, Dillon Chew, John Joson Ng

• 01:30 Hoa's Background and Early Career

• 03:58 Founding of Gene Solutions

• 07:05 Gaps that Gene Solutions Aims to Solve

• 12:03 Differences Between Gene Solutions’ New Methods and Old Methods

• 20:17 Challenges Faced by Gene Solutions in Expansion to New Markets

• 26:32 Importance of Partnerships

• 37:03 Advice for Aspiring Scientists and Entrepreneurs

Dr. Ivan Horak is currently the CEO and founder of Tikva Allocell, a biotech company whose mission is to develop safe, effective, readily available and affordable “off-the-shelf” T cell therapies by leveraging excellent safety profile of proprietary technologies that enhance the T cell's performance to treat cancer.

In this episode, Ivan shares his journey from having an interest in becoming a medical oncologist. He also shares how his experience in working in some of the top oncology institutes in Central Europe to working in the United States helped shape his early career before moving into Singapore, where he worked with Tessa and finally set out to develop Tikva Allocell. Tikva Allocell is focused on creating therapy using proprietary IP protected platform to drive the next breakthrough in cancer therapy. In this episode, Ivan also shares about the groundbreaking work being done at Tikva, and also the typical challenges that a company would face when they are first starting up. He goes on to talk about making therapies affordable, how to manage scaling up and also the importance of collaboration. He also mentions the intricacies of VCs and also how they function.

Host: John Joson Ng Editors: Hana Maldivita Tambrin, Aakash S/O Naresh Kumar, Dillon Chew, John Joson Ng

01:37 Ivan's Background and Early Career

04:46 Founding of Tikva

11:41 Importance of Collaborations

14:26 Tikva's recent milestones

15:36 VC mindset

20:20 Advice for Aspiring Bioentrepreneurs and Final Thoughts

Dr. Joshua Wang is currently the CEO and founder of VerImmune, a biotech company focused on developing novel virus inspired particle technology platform that can be used as a delivery system to target cancers.

In this episode, Josh shares his journey from having an interest in infectious diseases to leading a biotech startup that spans across the US and Singapore. VerImmune specializes in developing Virus-Inspired Particle (VIP) technology for targeting cancers. Josh discusses his academic background, including his PhD work at Johns Hopkins, and how serendipitous events led him from vaccine research to entrepreneurship. He explains the mechanics and advantages of VerImmune's VIP technology, its application in cancer treatment, and its potential for other therapeutic areas. The episode also covers challenges in biotech entrepreneurship, the importance of manufacturing and scalability, and the strategic decisions behind relocating some operations to Singapore. Dr. Wang offers valuable advice for aspiring biotech founders, emphasizing the significance of discernment, persistence, and leveraging global opportunities.

Host: Dillon Chew
Editors: Hana Maldivita Tambrin, Aakash S/O Naresh Kumar, Dillon Chew, John Joson Ng

00:00 Josh's Background and Early Career

05:13 Founding his first Startup

06:27 Challenges in the Vaccine Business

07:46 VerImmune and their VIP Technology

21:24 Collaborations and Global Expansion

29:48 Advice for Aspiring Bioentrepreneurs

32:38 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Ritika Khetawat is the founder of MissionBridge, a fundraising advisory firm that empowers Singapore’s biotech and medtech ventures to secure the capital they need.

In this episode, Ritika discusses her transition from investment banking at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to supporting healthcare startups through MissionBridge. She shares her insights into the unique challenges of biotech fundraising, emphasizing the need for strategic planning, strong storytelling, and relationship-building with investors. Ritika explains MissionBridge’s mission to “democratize fundraising” by simplifying the process for founders and bridging the gap between early-stage innovation and global funding opportunities. She also highlights the importance of optionality in biotech pipelines and adapting to market dynamics during the “biotech winter.”

Host: Dillon ChewEditors: Hana Maldivita Tambrin, Aakash S/O Naresh Kumar, Dillon Chew, John Joson Ng

01:17 Introduction

09:22 Various Sources of Funding for Startups

22:19 Common Challenges and Mistakes Made During Fundraising

30:00 Selecting a Good VC Partner

36:47 Future of MissionBridge and Emerging Trends in Singapore

Dr David M. Epstein is the co-founder and president of PairX Bio, a company that specializes in the next generation of cancer selective biologics.

In this episode, David shares his experience and journey from working in various biotech companies and big pharma institutions to eventually building his own companies. One of these is Pairx Bio, a company specializing in the next generation of cancer biologics. David stresses the importance of how being able to follow the science and being transparent and open with the discussions on data collected from research projects plays a key role in the success of a company. He also touches on the success of targeted cancer therapies, some of which has led to an increase in lifespan, as well as the limitations in terms of the range of diseases that can be treated with this therapy. He also highlights the future of therapeutics in general, discussing the push in biotherapeutics and immunotherapeutics and expanding the horizon where these new innovative treatments can be effective. Lastly, he touches on the importance of how to handle IP matters and protecting one’s IP.

Host: Aakash S/O Naresh KumarEditors: Hana Maldivita Tambrin, Dillon Chew, Jessie Wong, John Joson Ng

The show notes and transcripts for the episode can be found on nucleatesingapore.substack.com. For feedback or recommendations on who we should talk to next, please reach out to the team via [email protected].

01:01 Introduction

05:10 Origins of Pairx Bio and Key Characteristics For a Successful Startup

13:18 Key differences in the process of IP patenting

18:22 Singapore VS USA Biotech Ecosystems

20:51 Future of Singapore’s Biotech Ecosystem

Dr. Alessandro Falcone is the Head of JLABS Singapore.

In this episode, Alessandro talks about his transition from clinical medicine to business consulting, eventually landing in leadership roles at major pharmaceutical companies. He explains the mission of JLABS Singapore, a collaboration between Johnson & Johnson and Singapore’s Economic Development Board, which aims to nurture early-stage biotech and medtech startups. Alessandro highlights JLABS’ shift from a traditional lab incubator to a Universal model, which emphasizes advisory support, mentorship, and global networking opportunities for resident startups. He also discusses Singapore’s biotech ecosystem and shares his insights on building resilient companies amid the "biotech winter" funding challenges.

Host: John Joson NgEditors: Hana Maldivita Tambrin, Aakash S/O Naresh Kumar, Dillon Chew, Jessie Wong, John Joson Ng

The show notes and transcripts for the episode can be found on nucleatesingapore.substack.com. For feedback or recommendations on who we should talk to next, please reach out to the team via [email protected].

01:23 Introduction

05:37 JLABS Singapore: Mission and Role

16:38 Challenges and Successes

18:46 Singapore’s Ecosystem

31:09 Navigating Career Transitions

Loong Wang is the CEO and Co-Founder of QDX, a company specializing in computational drug discovery using quantum mechanics and supercomputing. In this episode, Loong discusses his journey from supercomputing at the Australian National University to founding multiple startups in distributed computing and blockchain—before making a significant pivot to biotechnology. His deep dive into quantum chemistry aims to address complex drug discovery challenges by simulating atomic and molecular behaviors at a fundamental level. He also touches on the potential for quantum chemistry to revolutionize high-throughput screening methods that big pharmaceutical companies currently rely on, making these processes faster, cheaper, and more precise. He emphasizes understanding the nuances of biomedical problems and the need for a multidisciplinary approach in developing groundbreaking solutions.

Host: John Joson NgEditors: Jessie Wong, John Joson Ng

The show notes and transcripts for the episode can be found on nucleatesingapore.substack.com. For feedback or recommendations on who we should talk to next, please reach out to Joson Ng via [email protected].

01:02 Introduction

06:16 Understanding Quantum Mechanics in Drug Discovery

18:53 Challenges in Biotech: Collaboration and Simulations

26:30 Entrepreneurship, IP Strategy, and Scaling Up

42:22 Advice for Non-Traditional Entrants to Biotech

Fengru Lin is the Founder and CEO of TurtleTree, a pioneering biotechnology company that has successfully developed the world’s first sustainably produced lactoferrin “LF+” using precision fermentation technology.
In this episode, Fengru Lin shares her journey from a tech career at Google and Salesforce to leading biotech innovations at TurtleTree. Inspired by challenges in replicating traditional cheese-making in Asia, she envisioned revolutionizing the dairy industry. Fengru discusses TurtleTree’s shift from cell-based milk to producing high-value proteins like lactoferrin, used in infant nutrition and supplements. She emphasizes the importance of market-driven innovation, sustainable ingredients, and the role of a mission-focused team in staying competitive in the dynamic biotech space.

Host: Jessie WongEditors: Jessie Wong, John Joson Ng

The show notes and transcripts for the episode can be found on nucleatesingapore.substack.com. For feedback or recommendations on who we should talk to next, please reach out to Joson Ng via [email protected].

01:00 Introduction

05:51 Pivoting from Cell-Based Milk to Lactoferrin Production

16:02 Challenges and Strategies in Building TurtleTree

20:14 Consumer Perception and Adoption of Precision Fermentation Products

26:09 TurtleTree’s Role in Singapore’s 2030 Sustainable Food Initiative

30:58 Balancing Sciences and Business in Biotech Startups