The Big Experiment

Heart valve surgery is one of the most complex procedures in medicine.

Francis White and his company Heart Biotech Ltd are trying to change all of that, by making heart valves in a totally new way. This will make surgery simpler and more accessible globally.

Building on the pioneering work of Professor Magdi Yacoub and colleagues, Heart Biotech are innovating the field by creating living tissue heart valves on a dissolving scaffold using the body's healing mechanisms. We explore the methods being used to produce these and the ways in which they will revolutionise both the procedure and patient’s lives.

Francis discusses the challenges and breakthroughs in tissue engineering, and how they create a biocompatible polymer scaffold that is absorbed by the body.

Heart Biotech’s work is in early stages, with animal studies showing promising results, and aims to secure FDA approval for human trials within three years.

The technology could revolutionise cardiac surgery, reducing risks and improving patient quality of life.

“We’re mimicking the biology that’s there already.” – Francis White

You’ll hear about:

00:52 - An introduction to David and his company
01:44 - How David got into science
05:37 - The scourge of valve disease
08:20 - The risk of repeat heart valve surgery
09:08 - Heart Biotech's body led approach
13:16 - The technology used to make the scaffold
16:04 - The next steps to prove product safety
19:12 - The dissolution of the cellular matrix
25:03 - What's left to do in the lab?
27:28 - What's the end point for Heart Biotech?

Connect with Francis:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/franciswhite/ 

Heart Biotech Ltd - https://heartbiotech.co.uk/ 

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/ 

If you need any lab equipment:

Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/ 

Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/ 

This episode went live on World Menopause Day.

Menopause is an inevitable aspect of life for half of the global population, but one that requires far more study. New genomic insights could empower women with better reproductive choices and insights into likely future health.

In this episode, I talk with Dr Stasa Stankovic. She has a PhD in Genomic Medicine from Cambridge University, and is on a mission to reshape the future of women's health by developing, and eventually commercialising, prediction tools and next generation therapeutics for female reproductive disorders.

We discuss the complexities of female reproductive health, particularly focusing on ovarian ageing and menopause. We also explore the genetic factors influencing menopause timing, and the importance of understanding reproductive health beyond fertility.

Stasa shares her collaborative work on large-scale genomics, using samples from the UK Biobank to conduct genome-wide association studies (GWAS). These have highlighted many genes associated with menopause and thus pave the way for potential new diagnostic techniques and therapeutic interventions to give women greater control of their reproductive health.

Menopause affects every woman, but also indirectly impacts husbands, partners, colleagues and friends. The work Stasa and her colleagues are doing will have implications not just for women but for all of us.

“We need to empower women with knowledge.” – Stasa Stankovic

You’ll hear about:

01:37 - Stasa's area of research
04:14 - Why the science behind menopause is so important
07:36 - The ovarian reserve and what that means
12:26 - Contributing factors to menopause
17:24 - The key findings of the genome-wide association (GWAS) study
21:21 - Getting the right targets for intervention
27:05 - The challenge of finding animal models for menopause
28:22 - Turning lab science into commercial science
31:40 - Stasa on the choices that women have
38:38 - Is gene intervention possible?

Connect with Stasa:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stasa-stankovic-93723a137/ 

OvartiX - https://ovartix.com/ 

 
Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/ 

If you need any lab equipment:

Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/ 

Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/ 

What role does 3D genomics have in drug discovery?

In this episode I am joined by Hazel Jones, CEO of Enhanc3d Genomics, to find out more about this cutting-edge technology.

Hazel is a dynamic and flexible senior leader with experience of oncology research, both in pharma/biotech and an academic/charity setting. Making her insights into the workings of not for profit and big pharma invaluable.

We discuss her work at Enhanc3d Genomics and the role of 3D genomics in uncovering the regulatory elements of the genome. As well as its potential in identifying new drug targets and biomarkers. Hazel also shares insights into the challenges and opportunities in the biotech industry and the importance of networking and collaboration to help projects succeed.

Hazel has a wealth of knowledge not just in her specialism but how the whole industry works, so sit tight and get ready to learn!

“We've made huge discoveries both in drugs and diagnosis through genomics.” – Hazel Jones

You’ll hear about:

01:13 - What do Enhanc3d Genomics do?

05:16 - Hazel's experience in not for profit

10:11 - Behind the scenes in big pharma

15:53 - How promoters and enhancers work

24:36 - Regulators and the potential for side effects

31:59 - Hazel on raising money

36:40 - Prevention rather than the cure

37:51 - Hazel on Conexen

Connect with Hazel:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joneshazel/
Enhanc3d Genomics - https://enhanc3d-genomics.com/

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/
Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/
Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/ 

What does it take to get a new drug to market?

I have been involved in the drug industry for 35 years. I’ve worked for big pharma like GlaxoSmithkline, contract research organisations (CROs) like Charles River and IQVIA, and for several biotech and “virtual” drug companies. I’ve consulted for many more. I now run a laboratory instruments company that supplies crucial equipment used by thousands of labs in the biomedical research industry. 

In my career, there have been many changes due to advances in technology, testing practices and more. But the key principles remain the same - proving that the drug is safe, and that it works as intended.

In this episode I give an overview of how we get from the idea in the laboratory to the medicine in the bathroom cabinet. From the methods used to find new molecules, to testing them and bringing them to market.

I explain the importance of patenting new molecules and the challenges of testing and developing drugs. The episode preclinical testing, including why some animal testing is still necessary. I talk about clinical trials, the regulatory approval process, the post-approval surveillance process, and more.

Overall, this short introduction provides a glimpse into the complex and costly journey of turning an idea into a medicine. A great primer for anyone who needs to interact with this industry professionally, or is just curious about science or medicine. As always, the content is broken down into digestible chunks. 

“1 in 10 new drugs that enter clinical development will make it into a medicine” – Mark Davison

You’ll hear about:

01:11 - When will it be a medicine?
01:50 - A quick tour of how it works
04:46 - Computer predictions and theoretical models
08:02 - Figuring out if a molecule is unique
11:42 - Reaching the point of testing the molecule
13:19 - How am I going to give this medicine to patients?
17:39 - The bar for success is high
22:26 - Phase 3 studies
26:43 - The patent clock
28:49 - The post approval process

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/
Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/
Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/ 

1 in 2 of us will be affected by dementia in our lives.

Something so prevalent without a cure requires novel approaches for diagnosis.

In this episode I am joined by Professor Zoe Kourtzi, from the University of Cambridge. Zoe is an expert in Cognitive Computational Neuroscience and a pioneer in translating Artificial intelligence to brain and mental health.

We discuss new approaches to diagnosing people at an earlier stage of dementia. She explains how her research combines brain sciences and computational sciences to understand how the brain works and what goes wrong in the case of disease.

Zoe gives insights into how AI can be used to predict dementia and what this early diagnosis can mean for patients and medical practitioners alike. Her work has the potential to improve the efficiency and efficacy of trials and lead to earlier interventions and treatments.

Something we will all benefit from.

“These models are three times more precise than the current standard of care” – Zoe Kourtzi

You’ll hear about:

01:04 - What does Zoe's research cover?
02:12 - Zoe's journey into science
09:15 - The flexibility of post-graduate study
10:17 - What an MRI can see in the brain                                                           
12:33 - The different types of dementia
14:49 - Life-style factors to help during warning signs
15:29 - How AI is helping patients
20:54 - The role ethnicity plays in dementia
26:55 - The accuracy of the model
31:08 - Handling the new population of diagnosed patients
33:54 - Taking this forward as a business

Follow Zoe:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-kourtzi-45b59b19a/
Zoe’s work at Cambridge University - https://www.psychol.cam.ac.uk/staff/professor-zoe-kourtzi 

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/
Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/
Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/ 

Men’s fertility is falling and fast.

In the last 50 years sperm counts are down by 60%. Yet this is still a topic that no one is really talking about.

My guest in this episode, Lily Elsner, is the co-founder and CEO of Jack Fertility. They are trying to break the taboo with thier product, the world’s first postable sperm test kit.

Lily discusses the importance of addressing male fertility and the lack of research in this area. We cover the gender imbalance in fertility support and the misconception that infertility is solely a woman's problem.

We also discuss the reasons for the decline in sperm count over the years from environmental to lifestyle factors. Lily shares the origin story of Jack Fertility and the extensive research they conducted to understand the market and consumer needs. As well as problems they have had to overcome to keep sperm alive during transit.

Solutions like Lily’s need to be found to this problem, otherwise what’s the alternative?

“Sperm count is down 60% over the last 50 years” – Lily Elsner

You’ll hear about:

01:08 - What does Jack Fertility do?
02:03 - The current state of infertility
06:16 - Lily's co-founder story
11:11 - Prevention vs the cure
13:49 - Lily's biology background
17:23 - Lily on male infertility
23:05 - Cultural variations around the world
26:41 - Overcoming problems of sending sperm
33:45 - Integrating with the NHS
38:34 - When will this be available?
41:42 - How is funding going?

Follow Lily:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lelsner/
Jack Fertility on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/jack-fertility/
Jack Fertility - https://www.jackfertility.co.uk/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jackfertility/
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jackfertility?lang=en

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/

Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/

Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/ 

This edition of The Big Experiment is a little bit different to the usual format.

I'm on the road visiting the famous University of Cambridge Judge Business School to talk to people at the Ignite program. 

It’s an intensive weeklong boot camp for early-stage founders, generally in tech and sometimes in biotech, but can be all sorts of different tech themes.

Ignite is about business and risk, which are the core themes of the podcast. But it's a slightly different flavour to usual. Science is all about predicting the future. As a scientist, you already know something, but usually not everything about your area of study. And from that fuzzy picture, you try to predict what else might be true. Well, this hunch or hypothesis drives your next experiments. If you fail, you adjust your prediction and you test again. Entrepreneurs take the same leap. 

In this episode I interview volunteers, delegates and course leaders to find out more about how the Ignite program supports early-stage founders in science and in business.

“Ignite gives entrepreneurs a safe but challenging space to develop their ideas.” – Anne Davidson

You’ll hear about:

01:33 Science, business, and risk

03:00 Early-stage founders and their ideas at Ignite

06:10 Intrapreneurship: Supporting entrepreneurial initiatives

09:46 Delegates' impressions and takeaways from the Ignite program

15:24 Pitching competition and the value of Ignite

19:42 Approaching innovation and sustainability

23:27 The role of mentors and volunteers in supporting delegates

23:56 Creating a safe and challenging space for entrepreneurs

27:37 Attracting a diverse range of delegates

30:36 Effective communication and customer perspective

33:18 Discovering roles within a startup

37:38 Networking and knowledge exchange

40:54 Anyone can learn and start a business

Find out more about Ignite:

 https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/entrepreneurship/programmes/ignite/who-is-ignite-for/ 

Connect with me:

 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/ 

 Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/ 

 Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/ 

My son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 13.

Which is why this episode is very close to my heart. There are big life-altering challenges for the patient and their family in managing type 1 diabetes. With limitations to the current insulin therapies that make the work of my guest in the episode, Mike Teiler, all the more important.

Mike is the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer at LeviCure, a startup focused on new approaches to type 1 diabetes. In this episode we discuss the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. And explore the development of LeviCure's triple therapy, which combines three existing drugs to improve glycaemic control and potentially achieve remission in type 1 diabetes patients.

A therapy that has shown promising results in both recent onset and established patients. We discuss the potential of repurposing existing drugs for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. As well as the funding required and the clinical trial process that will be undertaken to be able to launch the therapy.

“Many of them completely stopped insulin injections.” – Mike Teiler

You’ll hear about:

01:10 - The difference between type & type 2 diabetes

04:03 - The lifechanging nature of type 1 diabetes

06:40 - The LeviCure story

11:16 - The effect of weening people off of insulin 

15:08 - Oral drugs that could replace insulin

18:48 - Disentangling the honeymoon effect

20:15 - The effects on established patients                 

25:02 - The pharmaceutical benefits of this therapy

27:58 - The intellectual property perspective

30:43 - The democratic nature of these new therapies

34:15 - What are the clinical phases?

41:08 - Making sure the therapies hit the target

43:44 - The fundraising needed

Follow Mike:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/miketeiler/ 

LeviCure on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/levicure-ltd/ 

LeviCure - https://www.levicure.com/ 

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/ 

Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/ 

Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/ 

The challenges of scientific entrepreneurship don’t end when you get funding.

In fact, a whole new set of challenges arise, from finding labs, to building your team and more.

In this episode I talk to Dr. Kärt Tomberg, CEO and co-founder of ExpressionEdits. She is now at that exact moment, where she has just secured £10 million of funding. So, who better to talk us through the pitching process and how to be successful at it. 

Kärt discusses her journey into science from Estonia to Cambridge as well as her current work, where she is focusing on the importance of introns in gene expression to optimize protein production. She shares her experiences pitching to investors and why she actually enjoyed the process.

She also talks about how ExpressionEdits are leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimize the placement of introns in artificial genes. As well as the next steps for the company now funding has been secured.

“The vast majority of investors are not there to tell you how you should make your company” – Kärt Tomberg

You’ll hear about:

01:18 - Where does Kärt's love of science come from?

02:11- Growing up in Estonia

06:31 - What led Kärt to Cambridge?

09:51- Kärt on co-founding expression edits

17:45 - The mechanics behind Kärt's work

20:36 - How is AI used within Kärt's work?

25:16 - Therapeutics or tools

27:36 - Kärt's recent fundraising success

33:36 - How many pitches did Kärt have to make?

37:14 - Problems you face after investment

Follow Kärt:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombergk/ 

ExpressionEdits on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/expressionedits/ 

ExpressionEdits - https://www.expressionedits.com/ 

Connect with Me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/ 

Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/ 

Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/ 

Would you have the guts to pitch directly to the customer to sell your idea?

You need to be prepared to hear no a lot, and learn from the experience to adapt for the next time, to get the yes you need.

This was the reality faced by my guest in this episode, Ruchi Sharma, CEO & Founder of Stemnovate Limited. She used that customer-first approach and eventually got the funding needed to start her company that focuses on stem cell research.

Ruchi’s work at Stemonovate creates a unique platform for targeted drug development. Through this work she has been able to reduce animal testing and improve experimental outcomes. Her latest focus is on developing treatments that can support children with the most challenging of medical conditions.

Ruchi shares her reasons for leaving academia to focus on entrepreneurship and the challenges she faced to get there. She also talks about her upbringing in India and what started her passion for science.“I started pitching to pharmaceutical companies on my own” – Ruchi Sharma

You’ll hear about:

01:01 - An introduction to Stemnovate

02:25 - Ruchi's life in India

05:24 - Why are stem cells important in medicine?

11:20 - Ruchi's experience at Cambridge

12:45 - Why and how Ruchi was called by entrepreneurship

20:08 - Why Ruchi had to bootstrap her work

29:23 - The evolution of our genome

30:48 - Picking commercial winners

37:28 - Ethics and the challenges of stem cells

40:03 - What's next for Stemnovate?

Follow Ruchi:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruchi-sharma-b6aba018/

Stemnovate - https://stemnovate.co.uk/ 

Connect with Me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/ Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/ 

Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/