Regulatory

  1. Psychedelics For Mental Health Disorders With atai's Srinivas Rao, M.D., Ph.D. 5/28/2025

    On this week's Business of Biotech episode, Dr. Srinivas Rao, co-founder and CEO at atai Life Sciences, explains how his engineering background led him to the development of psychedelic compounds for treating depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. Internal drug development efforts at atai are focused on short-duration psychedelics that can work within existing healthcare infrastructure, with the potential to transform the treatment of mental health disorders.

  2. IND For TIL Therapy With Obsidian Therapeutics' Paul Wotton, Ph.D. 10/25/2022

    On this episode of The Business of Biotech, Obsidian Therapeutics CEO Paul Wotton, Ph.D. takes us behind the scenes to reveal what precipitated the FDA's clearance of its IND application for a novel, engineered tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy called OBX-115. Learn how the company navigated the regulatory path for a first-of-its-kind biologic therapy developed in partnership with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center that Dr. Wotton says, should it succeed, will eliminate the patient risk associated with concomitant IL2 therapy and improve clinical outcomes for certain patients with metastatic melanoma. We also get an update on outcomes from Obsidian's unique approach to solving COVID-19 challenges covered on episode 9 of the Business of Biotech.

  3. The FDA's Progressive Appeal ft. Allan Shaw 2/16/2021

    Allan Shaw rejoins the Business of Biotech with candid and deep commentary on the unprecedented pace of biopharma innovation, and how the FDA is doing in its equally unprecedented effort to keep pace. In particular, Shaw shares his take on the advance of cell and gene therapies, his observation on the outsized approval rate for orphan disease and oncology therapies, and much, much more. *Editor's note: the review of Biogen's Aducanumab, referenced here as taking place in the March timeframe, was extended shortly after this episode was recorded.

  4. Data Quality & Master Files With Dr. Robert Hariri 9/6/2020

    If ever a biotech unwittingly begged for FDA scrutiny by virtue of its business model, it was Celularity. The company is working on a host of biologic therapies, the development of which is dependent on the large-scale collection of stem cells harvested from afterbirth in maternity wards across the globe. That's an approach that simply begs for FDA oversight, which is why Celularity founder Dr. Robert Hariri makes for an excellent discussion on the importance of data quality and complete master files for FDA submissions. 

  5. BoB@JPM: Kasper Roet, Ph.D., QurAlis 3/12/2025

    On this episode of the Business of Biotech, Life Science Leader's Ben Comer joins to co-host a conversation with Dr. Roet that goes deep on his company's genetic medicine approach to ALS, and even deeper into his opinions on, and growing influence over, the regulatory environment.

  6. FDA Trials And Tribulations With Connect Biopharma's Barry Quart 6/19/2025

    On this week's episode of the Business of Biotech, Barry Quart, CEO of Connect Biopharma, weighs in on the current state of engagement between drug developers and the FDA, and how that key relationship continues to evolve under new leadership. Barry also discusses moving the company from China to San Diego, why a U.S. financial reporting structure helps attract investors, and how Connect is finding the white spaces in respiratory disease -- the company's lead candidate is a biologic drug targeting acute asthma and COPD exacerbations.

  7. How To Apply For BTD And Win It With Drs. Ira Gupta & Shanthi Ganeshan 8/23/2021

    Everyone in the business is looking for breakthroughs, but only a select few win breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA. Under the guidance of Ira Gupta, M.D. and Shanthi Ganeshan, Ph.D, GSK has a few BTDs under its belt. Dr. Gupta is VP of Medicine Development at GSK and Dr. Ganeshan is formerly VP of Global Regulatory Affairs there, having recently joined Gilead as Head of Regulatory for Oncology. On this episode, we go deep on how to apply for--and win--breakthrough therapy designation with two women who couldn't be more qualified for the discussion.

  8. The Business Of CNS with Acumen's Jim Doherty, Ph.D. 1/26/2025

    The Business of Biotech welcomes Dr. Jim Doherty of Acumen Pharmaceuticals to discuss the challenges and advances in Alzheimer's treatment, including controversies around amyloid-targeting drugs and the role of biomarkers in personalized therapy.

  9. An Unanticipated Biotech Startup With OS Therapies' Paul Romness 11/3/2024

    Becoming a biotech CEO wasn't on Paul Romness' bingo card. He'd forged his place in the biopharma industry as a foremost public and policy affairs expert. Thirteen years at J&J, more than 5 at Amgen, and half a dozen at Boehringer Ingelheim had earned him the right to coast into a consulting gig that would enable him to finish out his career on his terms. Then his daughter's best friend Olivia, a teenage girl and neighbor he'd watched grow up, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. 

  10. C&G Regulatory Guidance with Lineage Cell Therapeutics' Brian Culley 6/23/2024

    When we last caught up with Brian Culley, CEO of Lineage Cell Therapeutics, it was January 2021. A pandemic was raging. His company was moving mountains to keep its OpRegen dry AMD clinical trial together and did so despite lockdowns that kept a largely aged patient population from setting foot anywhere near a healthcare clinic. On his long-overdue return to the Business of Biotech, Culley opens up on how the company addressed struggling programs, wrestled manufacturing control issues and delivery inefficiencies in its spinal cord program to the ground, and maintained control of its regulatory progress along the way.