Shows
BioBiz Buzz19. From Genesis to Revelations: Winners & Losers in Pharma’s Most Volatile Year2025 has been a seismic year for the pharmaceutical industry, a year of extremes where innovation superpowers emerge alongside spectacular collapses. In this special episode, BioBiz Buzz host Jo Shorthouse sits down with Mike Ward, Global Head of Life Sciences and Healthcare Thought Leadership at Clarivate, fresh from his opening keynote at One Nucleus's landmark Genesis conference in London.Join us as Mike dissects the winners and losers reshaping pharma's landscape: Eli Lilly's historic ascent to a trillion-dollar market cap, driven by clinical superiority in the obesity space and revenues growing at 46 % year-to-date, versus Novo Nordisk's stunning $400 billion...
2025-12-1825 min
BioBiz Buzz18. Putting solid tumours under the T-knife: how a next-gen TCR aims to crack themEngineered T-cell receptor (TCR) therapies promise to do for solid tumours what chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies have done for haematological malignancies.The two approaches are conceptually similar – each involves the isolation and modification of patients’ T-cells to recognise and kill tumour cells. The main difference lies in the types of antigens they can recognise. Whereas CAR-T therapies are currently confined to a handful of extracellular antigens expressed on the surface of malignant (and healthy) B-cells, TCR therapies can target a whole universe of intracellular antigens, fragments of which are presented on the cell surface as pept...
2025-12-1622 min
BioBiz Buzz17. Democratizing Drug Discovery: How Lilly ExploR&D Is Changing the Biotech PlaybookThe traditional biotech funding model hasn't fundamentally changed in decades: brilliant founders with promising science face an impossible choice; build expensive internal R&D capabilities or negotiate partnerships on terms controlled by Big Pharma. Tom Hopkins, VP and Head of Lilly ExploR&D, is working to flip that script. In this episode, Tom joins your host Mike Ward to discuss the four critical barriers early-stage biotechs face (expertise gaps, data infrastructure challenges, execution risk, and capital inefficiency) and how Lilly's integrated platform of capital, expertise, and infrastructure is removing those barriers. Learn how the future of...
2025-12-0327 min
BioBiz Buzz16. The Smart Money Talks: Inside Sofinnova's Bold €650M FundraiseIn a fundraising environment marked by cautious institutional investors, tightening belts, and widespread scepticism about early-stage venture capital, Sofinnova Partners has just closed its flagship Capital XI fund at €650 million, significantly exceeding its initial target of €500 million. What does this signal about the state of healthcare innovation funding in 2025?In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, your host Mike Ward sits down with Antoine Papiernik, Managing Partner and Chairman of Sofinnova Partners, to unpack one of the most significant European life sciences venture capital announcements of the year.Together, they explore why leading pharma companies, sovereign weal...
2025-11-1725 min
BioBiz Buzz15. Targeting Misfolded SOD1 in ALS: A First-in-Class Antibody Shows PromiseThis episode of BioBiz Buzz explores AL-S Pharma's pioneering approach to treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis through AP-101, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting misfolded SOD1 protein. Host Mike Ward speaks with Dr. Michael Salzmann, CEO of AL-S Pharma and COO of Neurimmune, and Professor Angela Genge, CMO of AL-S Pharma and Professor of Neurology at McGill University.The conversation examines the devastating impact of ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that typically leads to death within three to five years of symptom onset, and the profound unmet need for disease-modifying therapies. Dr. Salzmann explains how AP-101 was discovered using...
2025-11-1131 min
BioBiz Buzz14. The NanoPortal platform: Vivani Medical is reimagining how GLP-1s are delivered.GLP-1s are transforming the lives of people with diabetes and obesity by improving blood glucose control and promoting substantial weight loss. However, medication adherence is a significant challenge. US-based Vivani Medical, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, is developing miniature implants which are designed to solve this problem. Once inserted, patients and caregivers can be confident that the intended medicine is being delivered throughout the once- or twice-yearly dosing interval.In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, CEO and co-founder Dr. Adam Mendelsohn, discusses the company’s NanoPortal platform technology with your host Shani Alexander. The platform cen...
2025-10-3017 min
BioBiz Buzz13. Tackling the undruggable: How Beactica's protein degradation platform might transform glioblastoma treatmentTargeted protein degradation (TPD) represents one of the most transformative advances in drug discovery, with the global market projected to expand from USD 641 million in 2025 to as much as USD 9.85 billion by 2035. This rapidly evolving field enables researchers to eliminate disease-causing proteins rather than merely inhibiting their function, offering unprecedented opportunities to tackle previously "undruggable" targets that have eluded conventional therapeutic approaches with the potential to revolutionize treatment paradigms across oncology, neurodegenerative disorders, and autoimmune diseases.Swedish biotech Beactica Therapeutics is pioneering novel approaches to drug discovery through its proprietary Eclipsor™ platform, which combines allosteric mod...
2025-10-2331 min
BioBiz Buzz12. Revolution technology set to transform breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.Breast cancer affects women of all ages after puberty in every country. In 2022, the disease struck an estimated 2.3 million women and claimed 670 000 lives globally, according to the World Health Organization. The Global Breast Cancer Initiative (GBCI), is working to reduce breast cancer deaths by 2.5% each year, preventing 2.5 million deaths by 2040. Early accurate diagnosis and effective treatment are key to achieving this.In this episode of Biobiz Buzz, your host Shani Alexander is joined by two guests from Resitu Medical, Åsa Runnäs, CEO, and Elisabeth Liljensten, Chief Clinical Officer to discuss the company’s game-changing technology that has...
2025-10-1519 min
BioBiz Buzz11. A technological breakthrough in the diagnosis of skin cancerAI-based software solutions are increasingly being used as a second pair of eyes to help clinicians with the early diagnosis of diseases. With skin cancer seeing increasing rates of incidence and mortality, software solutions hold the key to helping clinicians with timely diagnosis.In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, your host Shani Alexander sits down with Christoffer Ekström, CEO of AI Medical Technology, a Swedish-based company which has developed the Dermalyser, a diagnostic decision support system to help healthcare professionals classify skin cancer, such as malignant melanoma, using image analysis combined with the company’s algorithm. All...
2025-10-0926 min
BioBiz Buzz10. How Bioxodes is using tick saliva to create an ICH stroke treatment breakthroughIn a disease where hope has been scarce for decades, Belgian biotech Bioxodes is rewriting the rules of stroke treatment. Join your host Mike Ward in conversation with CEO Marc Dechamps as he reveals how his team transformed an unlikely discovery from tick saliva into BIOX-101, a first-in-class candidate therapeutic that could revolutionize care for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients.With no approved treatments available for ICH, a devastating condition that claims nearly 50% of patients within 30 days, Bioxodes' groundbreaking approach tackles both the inflammation and clotting that drive secondary brain damage, without increasing bleeding risk. Fresh from announcing...
2025-09-2526 min
BioBiz Buzz9. Beyond Billion-Dollar Bets: How Affibody Might Solve Radioligand Therapy's Greatest ChallengesThe radioligand therapy market will be worth $42 billion by 2032. However, beneath the headline-grabbing acquisitions lies a complex web of technical and commercial challenges that threaten to limit patient access to these revolutionary cancer treatments. The path to successful radioligand development is fraught with obstacles, from the "melting ice cube" logistics of short-lived radioisotopes to the renal toxicity pitfalls that plague small-molecule approaches.In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, your host Mike Ward sits down with David Bejker, CEO of Swedish biotech Affibody, to explore how engineered protein platforms are systematically addressing the industry's most pressing challenges. With...
2025-09-0926 min
BioBiz Buzz8. Revolutionizing Cancer Drug Development with AI: How BioCopy is Using Physics to Rewrite the Rules of BiotechBy 2040, the World Health Organization predicts that one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Yet the traditional pharmaceutical industry remains trapped in a devastating cycle: developing next-generation cancer drugs typically takes years, costs up to $2.5 billion, and often fails to deliver effective treatments to desperate patients. But what if there was a revolutionary way to shatter these constraints?In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, your host Mike Ward sits down with Dr. Matthias Wiedenfels, CEO of BioCopy, the Swiss-German biotech company that's completely rewriting the playbook for cancer drug development. Under Wiedenfels...
2025-09-0119 min
BioBiz Buzz7. Exploring new possibilities in reproductive medicineReproNovo demonstrated continued investor interest in the area of reproductive medicine by closing a $65 million Series A round earlier this year. In this episode, ReproNovo’s CEO and co-founder Jean Duvall joins your host, Cormac Sheridan, to discuss the company’s development strategy and how it put together the financing deal.ReproNovo is not a typical Series A company. It has secured rights to two clinical-stage assets that originated in large pharma companies. Novartis originally developed leflutrozole (RPN-001) before licensing the molecule to Mereo Biopharma. Merck originated nolasiban (RPN-002), which ObsEva took into phase 3 development. As well as h...
2025-08-2928 min
BioBiz Buzz6. Device Intelligence: How AI and Data Are Powering MedTech’s Next FrontierIn this episode of BioBiz Buzz, your host Shani Alexander is joined by Werner Lanthaler, founder and CEO of WLan Holding, to chart the seismic transformation underway in medical technology. Discover how the convergence of multi-omic diagnostics, AI-driven sensors, and smart implants is creating unprecedented value, from AI-enhanced stethoscopes that detect early heart murmurs to wearable devices that predict disease trajectories. Werner explains why platform-based approaches, combining mass-spec diagnostics across multiple diseases, are capturing investors’ interest and how family offices are redefining “unicorn” potential through scalable, multi-use technologies. Learn why healthy, productive aging has become the miss...
2025-07-1729 min
BioBiz Buzz5. Breaking New Ground in Pain Management with Non-Addictive Opioid AlternativesAs the opioid crisis continues to devastate communities worldwide, millions suffering from chronic and neuropathic pain face a critical dilemma: enduring debilitating pain or risking addiction with traditional opioid medications. In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, host Mike Ward explores one of modern medicine's most pressing challenges with Per von Mentzer, CEO of PharmNovo, a pioneering Swedish biotech company developing revolutionary non-addictive pain treatments. The conversation delves deep into PharmNovo's groundbreaking approach through their lead candidate PN6047, a selective delta-opioid receptor agonist that promises to deliver powerful pain relief without the addiction risks or sedation effects associated w...
2025-07-0321 min
BioBiz Buzz4. The Power of International Alliances: Unpacking the Swiss Biotech Report 2025In 2024, despite a challenging global financial climate, Switzerland’s biotech sector showed remarkable resilience, maintaining steady revenues of CHF 7.2 billion while achieving a 22% increase in capital investment.In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, host Mike Ward interviews Michael Altorfer, CEO of the Swiss Biotech Association, to discuss the findings and implications of the Swiss Biotech Report 2025. The conversation focuses on the report’s central theme, "The Power of International Alliances", and examines how cross-border collaborations have become a key factor in the success of the Swiss biotech industry, with 80% of patents originating from international partnerships. L...
2025-05-1426 min
BioBiz Buzz3. Rewriting the Future of Rare Cardiovascular Disease Through Epigenetic InnovationIn this episode of BioBiz Buzz, your host Mike Ward sits down with Sten R. Sörensen, CEO of Cereno Scientific, to explore how the Swedish biotech is pioneering a new era in rare cardiovascular and pulmonary disease therapeutics. Cereno’s lead candidates, CS1 and CS014, leverage epigenetic modulation through histone deacetylase inhibition (HDACi) to address the root causes of diseases like pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), aiming to reverse pathological remodeling and prevent thrombosis-without the bleeding risks of traditional therapies. Sörensen discusses the company’s strategic pivot to rare diseases...
2025-05-0223 min
BioBiz Buzz2. Breaking Barriers in Sexual Health: Dicot Pharma’s LIB-01 and the Future of ED TreatmentThis episode of BioBiz Buzz spotlights the rapidly growing global markets for erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation (PE), conditions impacting over 500 million men worldwide. Your host Mike Ward interviews Elin Trampe, CEO of Dicot Pharma, who discusses the company’s innovative drug candidate, LIB-01. Unlike conventional therapies, LIB-01 introduces a novel mechanism of action and offers a significantly longer efficacy window, 28 days after a brief 3-day dosing according to exploratory data in the phase 1 trial, potentially transforming the standard of care for both ED and PE. Trampe shares insights on the drug’s clini...
2025-05-0214 min
BioBiz Buzz1. CRISPR Unleashed: How Caszyme Is Redefining the Future of Gene EditingThis episode of BioBiz Buzz features Dr. Monika Paule, CEO and co-founder of Caszyme, a pioneering Lithuanian biotech company at the forefront of CRISPR-Cas technology. Your host Mike Ward explores how Caszyme is expanding the boundaries of gene editing through novel enzyme discovery, delivery optimization, and strategic collaborations, enabling breakthroughs in therapeutics, diagnostics, and sustainable agriculture. Dr. Paule discusses Caszyme’s unique approach to engineering smaller, more versatile Cas enzymes, their impact on treating genetic diseases, and the challenges of translating cutting-edge science into clinical and commercial success. The conversation also addresses the impor...
2025-05-0119 min