Why Public Biotechs Back Better Cybersecurity with Anthony Morano

In this episode…

Anthony Morano shares how he leveraged a background in finance and self-taught programming to become a hands-on IT and cybersecurity leader in biotech. Starting with annuity calculations in Excel and VB, Anthony moved from labor unions to life sciences, eventually earning leadership roles at some of the most regulated organizations in New York. Now at Lexio Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech startup focused on rare diseases, he's doing it all—building security policy, architecting systems, and implementing cutting-edge tools as the company’s sole IT expert.

Anthony discusses the reality of shifting from enterprise environments to lean biotech operations. With fewer than 80 employees and no internal IT team before his arrival, he walks us through how he balanced rapid innovation with risk mitigation. His "electric in the walls" analogy for foundational IT upgrades is especially powerful: invisible, but critical to long-term function and safety.

He also dives into specific wins, like integrating Spin.AI for real-time ransomware protection in Office 365 and implementing Formstack for GxP-compliant digital forms. On the lab side, Anthony shares how reworking Intune policies allowed secure, streamlined SSO access without breaking scientific workflows. His insights reveal how thoughtful architecture and business-first thinking can bring enterprise-level security to even the smallest clinical environments.

Lastly, Anthony offers a candid look at the realities of title shifts and perceived demotions when joining a startup. But as he explains, the ability to design, build, and influence every corner of the IT environment makes it not just worthwhile—but exciting.