Beyond Biotech - the podcast from Labiotech

Reversing tumor immunosuppression with next-gen GPCR modulation

Today we’re joined by Sean MacDonald, CEO of Kainova Therapeutics. With more than twenty years of biotech leadership and deep expertise in strategy and development, Sean is guiding the company through an exciting new chapter.We’ll dive into Kainova’s innovative GPCR-modulating platform, its promising pipeline, the science behind reversing tumor immunosuppression and targeting inflammation, and the reasons behind the recent rebrand from Domain Therapeutics to Kainova Therapeutics.We’ll also be taking a look at the broader oncology landscape—what’s hot, who’s investing big, and where the biggest opportunities and challenges lie.01:09 – Meet Sean Macdonald05:40 – Kainova's GPCR platform and therapeutic focus08:57 – The story and meaning behind the Kainova rebrand10:25 – Series B funding and pipeline programs16:43 – Exciting trends and innovations in oncology29:17 – Upcoming milestones and future plansInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletterTo dive deeper into the topic: GPCR therapies: Eight promising biotechs hacking the cell signaling pathwayEpisode 182: Building a smart oncology pipeline with Cumulus OncologyEpisode 34: eClinical Solutions, GPCR Therapeutics, Orbsen Therapeutics

Misinformation is a public health crisis - here's how to fix it

Our guest is Sergey Jakimov, the Founding and Managing Partner of LongeVC, a venture capital firm dedicated to backing early-stage biotech and longevity startups. A serial entrepreneur, Sergey has co-founded ventures like Longenesis, a medical tech startup unlocking biomedical data for drug discovery, and the Longevity Science Foundation, a non-profit advancing healthy human lifespan. He’s been named to Forbes Latvia's 30 Under 30 in technology and healthcare, and via LongeVC, he invests in innovation in areas including therapeutics, diagnostics, and personalized medicine.In this episode, Sergey warns about the rising danger of misinformation disguised as health advice—where influencers and hype outpace evidence-based science. I hope you enjoy our discussion as we unpack this public health challenge and explore solutions for a more credible biotech landscape.01:22           Meet Sergey Jakimov06:14           Developing a longevity focus10:47           A typical day at LongeVC13:26           The LongeVC portfolio17:28           Misinformation as health crisis26:04           The harm of bad advice33:16           The impact on biotech industry funding36:18           Strategies for addressing misinformation42:17           Optimism about trends in longevityInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletterTo dive deeper into the topic: 13 anti-aging startups on a mission to extend livesTurning back time with cellular reprogramming: Shift raises $16 million in seed fundingAre European biotech VCs under pressure to scale? Time to get pragmatic 

Accelerating rare disease cures with ASOs, gene editing, and AI

Today, we're joined by Professor Matthew Wood, a leading figure in neuroscience and RNA-based therapeutics. He is Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, Deputy Head of the Medical Sciences Division, and Director of both the MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre and the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre, a groundbreaking partnership between the University of Oxford and Harrington Discovery Institute dedicated to accelerating therapies for rare genetic diseases affecting millions worldwide.In today’s episode we discuss his vision for making antisense oligonucleotides (or ASOs) and gene editing more modular, more scalable, and faster by collaborating with regulators, scientists, and patient groups to bring hope to those with rare neuromuscular and genetic conditions.With rare disease day coming up just next week, I hope you enjoy the insights that Professor Wood shares on the future of the fight against rare disease.01:23 – Meet Matthew Wood07:26 – The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre10:33 – Collaborations, philanthropy, and industry partnerships13:55 – Key challenges in rare disease therapy development20:00 – Modular and scalable platforms for ASOs28:08 – Scaling gene editing like CRISPR for rare diseases32:38 – Role of AI and computational tools in acceleration37:28 – Future breakthroughs in rare disease treatments44:07 – Advice for new researchers in the fieldInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletterTo dive deeper into the topic: Prader Willi syndrome: five much-anticipated therapies poised for approval First-ever approval for Barth Syndrome treatment: what does this mean for ultra-rare disease therapeutics? When rare diseases are not so rare after all: A closer look at where and why this happens

Using AI to crack undruggable drug targets

As we mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we welcome Avital Sharir-Ivry, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of ProPhet, an innovative Israeli startup launched in late 2024 from the AION Labs venture studio.With a PhD in computational biology and drug research, Avital brings deep expertise in structural biology, enzyme design, and evolutionary bioinformatics to her role leading ProPhet's scientific efforts.ProPhet itself is changing small molecule drug discovery by using advanced AI and machine learning to map proteins and compounds into a shared interaction space. This enables rapid, scalable screening of billions of molecules—even for so-called "undruggable" targets—without relying on solved structures or massive datasets, speeding up hit-finding and expanding the reachable therapeutic landscape.01:36 Meet Avital Sharir-Ivry08:55 How ProPhet emerged from AION Labs challenge12:12 Core AI technology for hit-finding at scale15:00 Benchmarks and collaborations17:54 ProPhet’s differentiation from traditional drug discovery19:45 Importance of scaling small molecule exploration24:19 Pharma AI investments and emerging trends26:11 Future AI breakthroughs in drug discovery27:04 Challenges and progress for women in science31:15 Keep up with ProPhetInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletterTo dive deeper into the topic: Seven influential women in biotech in 2026 Report: Adopting AI in biologics discoveryWebinar: How AI and LLMs are helping chemists design drugs faster and smarter 

How Eli Lilly's biotech collaboration model is rewriting early-stage innovation

Today, we're joined by Thomas Hopkins, Vice President and Head of ExploR&D at Eli Lilly. With a background as a physician-scientist in oncology, Thomas has spent his career bridging bold discovery science with rigorous development, first in academia and clinical practice, then at Lilly since 2015.Lilly ExploR&D represents new thinking in the pharma-biotech collaboration model: a shared-risk, deep scientific partnership designed specifically for early-stage biotechs. It provides full-stack R&D capabilities helping companies overcome the toughest hurdles in moving from molecule creation to clinical proof-of-concept, all while staying lean in a challenging funding environment.In this episode, Thomas dives into his journey shaping ExploR&D, how the program works in practice, current priorities in modalities and therapeutic areas, and offers some practical advice for biotechs seeking to partner with Eli Lilly.01:30 — Meet Tom Hopkins05:11 — What makes ExploR&D biotech-friendly07:46 — How collaborations work in practice09:40 — Shared risk models14:25 — Engaging bold science early28:16 — Success stories and advice for biotechsInterested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletterTo dive deeper into the topic: Eli Lilly’s strategy in motion: Beyond diabetes and obesityOver $3 billion in a month: Why is Eli Lilly starting 2025 on a buying spree?What to look for in a biotech incubator