Pathfinders in Biopharma

Former biotech investor, Brad Loncar has pivoted his career from investing to reporting on the industry. Instead of serving the biotech bubble, he hopes to reach a wide audience with interest in science. Loncar explains why he switched careers and sets out his ambitions for his channel, Biotech TV.

The hardest parts of drug discovery will be vastly simplified if the mysteries of molecules and proteins can be cracked. That may be beyond human capabilities – but AI is working hard on it. In this episode of RBC’s Pathfinders in Biopharma, Noël Brown is joined by Clarissa Desjardins, CEO of Congruence, and Laksh Aithani, CEO and Co-founder of Charm Therapeutics, to discuss how far the tech can take us.

A very special breed of animals is helping biotech and pharma companies in the quest for new human therapeutics. CFO Kurt Gustafson joins Pathfinders in Biopharma to explain the technologies behind OmniAb’s business model.

Ronald Martell is a serial entrepreneur and biopharma veteran whose record includes the launch of Herceptin. He continues his mission to bring new drugs to patients with unmet medical needs. The CEO of Jasper Therapeutics explains his ambitions for his company’s new antibody therapy and for the future of the industry. 

In biotech, a recovery is already well underway. Expected interest rate cuts and improving valuations across public and private markets are creating a compelling environment for deals, entrances, exits, and trades to take shape.

In this episode, biotech venture capital experts assess the sector’s sharper focus on funding fundamental science, evolving deal structures, including the return of reverse mergers and dual-track processes, and the key therapeutic modalities that are driving momentum in the market.

Hear from Andrew Aherrera, Partner at Panacea Venture; Jeni Lee, Partner at Pivotal Life Sciences; Regina Salvat, Principal at Sofinnova; and Noël Brown, Head of US Biotechnology Investment Banking at RBC Capital Markets, as they share their fresh perspectives on the dynamic forces propelling the biotech industry forward.

Public biotech Pyxis Oncology is taking forward its innovative work on ADCs. President and CEO, Lara Sullivan, explains the company’s journey to find the right investors, and why she believes the markets still have some learning to do when analyzing data from early-stage studies.

Davern Capital’s founder, Elie Kobrin, approaches the biopharma market from a long/short perspective – but as a former doctor, he also speaks the language of medicine. He explains the fund’s approach and offers insights on hot topics in the current market.

As a healthcare-focused, market-neutral investor, Vince Aita stays close to new product developments with a view to identifying future successes and failures. At RBC’s Global Healthcare Conference, he offered his insights on everything from the future of obesity innovation to the impact of the IRA.

The MedTech sector continues to grow in the U.S. as innovation in patient treatments and delivery meets increased demand from an aging population. Medical technology analyst Shagun Singh assesses key data points from the RBC Capital Markets’ Doctor Days events, looking at how the healthcare sector can empower investors to position themselves for future growth.

Personalized, targeted drugs and gene therapies are still at the forefront of medical innovation, as we discovered at RBC Capital Markets annual Doctor Days meetings. These insightful forums bring together key opinion leader clinicians and researchers from various therapeutic fields with institutional investors to discuss where opportunities lie, the next big breakthroughs, and the most novel drug therapies. Brian Abrahams, Gregory Renza, and Luca Issi join the podcast to discuss findings from the meetings.