Xtalks Life Science Podcast

In this week’s episode of the Xtalks Life Science Podcast, host Vera Kovacevic, Editor-in-Chief at Xtalks, spoke with Diego Ardigò, Executive Vice President, Global R&D at Chiesi, a biopharma company focused on respiratory health, rare diseases and specialty care.

Respiratory medicine presents unique drug development challenges because successful therapies depend not only on the drug itself, but also on the formulation an...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Joshua Cohen and Justin Klee, co-CEOs and co-founders of Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, a company developing therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Josh and Justin co-founded Amylyx Pharmaceuticals in 2013. Josh co-invented the oral, fixed-dose combination AMX0035 (known commercially as Albrioza in Canada and Relyvrio in the US), which is being explored for ...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Howard McLeod, PharmD, Director of the Center for Precision Medicine and Functional Genomics, Professor of Pharmacy and Medicine at Utah Tech University and Precision Medicine Advisor at the Geriatric Oncology Consortium; and Sharmeen Roy, PharmD, Chief Strategy and Science Officer at DoseMe, which is the world’s first and largest Bayesian dosing platform designed for clinical practice.

Prec...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Brian Atwood, Chairman and CEO of CERo Therapeutics, a company pioneering a new generation of autologous T-cell-based therapies for both hematologic and solid tumor cancers. 

Prior to joining CERo, Brian Atwood served as Chairman of the board of directors of Phoenix Biotech Acquisition Corp., which merged with CERo Therapeutics to form CERo Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. Mr. Atwood has founded a...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Sam Lee, PhD, Co-Chief Executive Officer and President of Cocrystal Pharma, a company developing novel antiviral therapeutics against COVID-19 and other coronaviruses, influenza viruses and noroviruses.

Cocrystal Pharma leverages a unique structure-based drug discovery platform, complemented by Nobel Prize-winning expertise, to develop leading-edge antiviral drugs that are both first-in-class and ...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with John Finn, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Tome Biosciences, a company developing programmable gene insertion (PGI) technology.

PGI is a cutting-edge gene editing technology that allows for the insertion of large sequences of DNA with site-specific precision. PGI is a revolutionary approach for the development of potentially curative cell and integrative gene therapies. The technology underlies T...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Jeremy Levin, D. Phil, MB BChir, CEO and Chairman of Ovid Therapeutics Inc., and Meg Alexander, Chief Strategy Officer at Ovid.

Ovid Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of medicines for epilepsies and seizure-related neurological disorders.

Prior to founding Ovid, Dr. Levin was president and CEO of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and a member of the executive comm...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with William Schaffner, MD, Professor of Preventive Medicine Health Policy and Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University; and Kelly Moore, MD, MPH, President and CEO at Immunize.org and Associate Professor of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Schaffner and Dr. Moore discussed the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) recomme...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Robert Barrow, CEO and Board Director at MindMed, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel product candidates to treat brain health disorders. 

The company is developing innovative psychedelic-based product candidates, with and without acute perceptual effects, targeting neurotransmitter pathways that play key roles in brain health disorders.

Mr. Barrow is an accomplished p...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with John K. Celebi, MBA, President & Chief Executive Officer, Sensei Bio, a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on the discovery and development of next-generation therapeutics for cancer patients. Sensei Biotherapeutics specializes in creating conditionally active antibodies. These are engineered to operate specifically within the tumor microenvironment, enhancing the immune system's ...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Howard Berman, PhD, Founder and CEO of Coya Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech company developing regulatory T cell (Treg) therapies targeting neurodegenerative, autoimmune and metabolic diseases. Dr. Berman founded Coya Therapeutics in 2021. 

Dr. Berman has over 18 years of entrepreneurial and industry experience working at the interplay of science and business. His experience offers him...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Margaret Froh, President of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO). Margaret is also a lawyer by training.    The Métis are a distinct Indigenous people recognized in s.35 of Canada’s Constitution. Métis communities have their own shared customs, traditions and collective identities that are rooted in kinship, their special aboriginal relationship to the land and a distinctive Indigenou...

This episode features an interview with Bruce Culleton, MD, CEO, ProKidney, a late clinical-stage biotech company focused on the development of a pioneering cell therapy candidate that aims to transform the treatment landscape for chronic kidney disease. Prior to joining ProKidney in 2023, Dr. Culleton served as Vice President and General Manager at CVS Kidney Care and also worked in leadership roles at Becton Dickinson and Baxter...

In marking National Kidney Month, this episode features an interview with Robert Perkins, MD, Vice President, US Medical Affairs (Renal) at Bayer who spoke about kidney health and diabetes-inflicted chronic kidney disease. National Kidney Month is observed every March in the US to raise awareness about kidney health and promote preventive action. It aims to educate the public about the importance of kidneys to overall health and t...

In this featured episode of Xtalks People in Life Sciences, Ayesha spoke with Ashish Jain, Senior Director of Clinical Safety and Pharmacovigilance (PV) at Curis, a pioneering biotech company specializing in cutting-edge cancer therapies. Jain shared his journey into clinical safety and PV, highlighting key milestones along the way. Delving into his daily routine at Curis, he revealed his strategies for prioritizing tasks and stay...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Jordyn Playne, President of the Métis Nation of Ontario Youth Council, a group of youth representatives from across Ontario who advocate on behalf of the concerns and interests of Métis youth at the provincial level. Jordyn is also a Clinical Consultant and Trainer at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, as well as an advocate for cancer prevention. Jordyn has a Master’s degree in social...

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with H. B. Pierre Simon Jr., MBA, Vice President, Global Head of Marketing, Sight Sciences, about the evolving field of eye care. Sight Sciences is focused on developing and commercializing innovative solutions for eye diseases like glaucoma and dry eye disease to transform care and improve patients’ lives. Among some of Sight Sciences devices and technologies include the OMNI® Surgical System, ...

In this episode, Ayesha talked about Rare Disease Day 2024, a global movement held on the last day of February each year that focuses on raising awareness about rare diseases including their impact on patients’ lives. This year, Rare Disease Day falls on February 29, the rarest day in a leap year, making it even more special. Ayesha spoke about how the Rare Disease Day campaign helps increase awareness about rare diseases, p...

This episode features an interview with Amir Reichman, CEO of Scinai Immunotherapeutics, a biopharma company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing cutting-edge biological treatments within the inflammation and immunology (I&I) sector, with a primary focus on addressing autoimmune and infectious diseases. Scinai Immunotherapeutics is working on developing nanosized antibodies from alpacas, known as VHH-antibo...