Newsletter | January 10, 2025

01.10.25 -- Listen Now: $1B AI Gamble, Gene Therapy for CHF, Biotech Tales & More

LISTEN NOW: OUR LATEST PODCAST EPISODES

Check out the latest episodes from Cell & Gene: The Podcast and Business of Biotech. As a member of the Life Science Connect community, you have access to content beyond our weekly newsletters, including our podcast series.

VOICES FROM THE FRONT LINE OF CELL AND GENE DISCOVERY

Lessons In Automation With Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center's Christopher Choi, Ph.D.

Erin Harris interviews Dr. Christopher Choi of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center about the upcoming cell and gene therapy hub in Buffalo, NY, set to open in 2025. They delve into the transformative role of automation and digital technologies in CGT manufacturing. 

Can Gene Therapy Be The Solution For CHF With AskBio's Dr. Lothar Roessig

Lothar Roessig, M.D., SVP, Integrated Product Team Lead, Congestive Heart Failure at Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio) discusses the biggest challenges in developing gene therapies for cardiovascular diseases.

THE PODCAST FOR LEADERS OF EMERGING BIOPHARMA

Risk Mitigation With MeiraGTx's Zandy Forbes, Ph.D.

Zandy Forbes, Ph.D., combines science and finance expertise to manage biotech risk. With a Ph.D. from Oxford, a postdoc fellowship, and over a decade as a Wall Street healthcare investor, she now leads Meira GTx as President & CEO. Here she discusses how her investment experience informs her approach to biotech leadership.

Biotech Story Time With Tal Zaks, M.D. (Part 1)

Tal Zaks, M.D. was Chief Medical Officer at Moderna before, during, and immediately following the company's headline role during the COVID pandemic. Tune in to the first installment of this two-part episode for insight from the early days of mRNA that you probably haven't heard before.

Biotech Story Time With Tal Zaks, M.D. (Part 2)

In part 2, Dr. Tal Zaks discusses his transition from Moderna's CMO during the COVID-19 pandemic to co-founding Exsilio Therapeutics, an mRNA startup. He explores Exsilio's foundation, plus its $82 million Series A funding led by Novartis Venture Fund and Delos Capital, with support from prominent investors like OrbiMed, CRISPR Therapeutics, and J.P. Morgan Life Sciences Private Capital.

A $1B AI Bet With Foresite Labs' Vik Bajaj, Ph.D.

This past spring, Xaira Therapeutics launched with $1 billion in backing, a who's-who mashup of Silicon Valley and biopharma stars led by Marc Tessier-Lavigne in the C-suite, and a mission to develop AI-generated drugs. In this episode, we're digging into the company's origin story and its place on the greater techbio landscape with one of the men bearing responsibility for Xaira's launch.