The Studio at Kendall Square

They walk us through the history of bispecifics, which have been talked about since the early 2000's, and the use cases for them today. Plus, a deep dive into the science, which includes discussing your body's reaction to then, affinity & avidity, CMC, and 'bead-on-a-string' approaches that some have used lately. Finally, a discussion of what the future holds.

Servier's 'Golden Ticket' gave Deck Bio a place to work from at LabCentral and access to Servier's experts for advice. Jack and Irene discuss the benefits of this kind of support to a smaller company, and other ways more established players nurture the biotech ecosystem in hubs like Kendall Square.

Yossef Baidi and Fang Xie describe how getting involved in the club has benefited them, and the idea behind their new podcast (George Church and Peter Kolchinsky have already been guests). Plus, the September 19th career fair that traditionally draws 1,000 attendees and so far already has 17 companies participating this year.

They explain the size and depth of the cuts, and how it will affect research on both respiratory and non-respiratory conditions. Plus, what it means for global competitiveness for the United States going forward.

Interviewed by fellow veteran Jim Barsoum, Dr. Krieg shares multi-decade learnings from his previous companies Coley Pharmaceutical Group and Checkmate Pharmaceuticals, and describes how Zola builds off of that. He explains the importance of combining agonists to TLR9 to TLR7 and TLR8, and also describes the virtual set-up that the company has today.

They discuss the difference between how biotech companies operate from large pharmas, including how history shows some new biotech innovations faced initial development and market pushback, and how good communication typically played a key role in why some overcame hurdles vs others. Plus, a description of Candel's viral immunotherapy approach.Note: IDEA Pharma and Candel have a business relationship (as discussed).

Devan Shah, Founder & CEO of RNAV8 Bio, and Namita Bisaria, Head of Research, Strategy, and Operations at AIRNA, discusses approaches to RNA they are excited about this year, companies that have impressed them, and challenges ahead. They touch on uncertainties regarding the regulatory environment, how they think AI might, or might not, affect the field, and more.

Dion Foundation Co-Founder and President Courtney Dion discusses with Atamyo Therapeutics CEO Stéphane Degove the many ways that patient advocate groups can support the work that biotech companies do.

Biotech industry veteran Harvery Berger talks about his company's job at hand to translate the science of ferroptosis into therapies. Plus, a warning about the currently very difficult funding environment for preclinical and other early stage companies in the sector.

Lauren Celano, a board member of the National Tay-Sachs & Allied Diseases Association, interviews Lee Greenwood about his family's experience with Canavan disease and how patient organizations and innovative research have impacted their journey from the beginning.

Dan Mandell, Co-Founder and CEO of GRO Biosciences, interviews professor Church about the Genomically Recoded Organisms (GRO) platform that Dan spun out of his lab, asks him what technologies he is working on that excite him today, and gets his take on the sustainability of life on Earth and the opportunity to read or write the human brain.

Dr. Su and Dr. Hege talk about solving the cell therapy solid tumor challenge, the latest in bi-specifics, her recent hike of the Pacific Crest Trail for charity, and a preview of the upcoming SITC annual meeting in November.