The Pulse Podcast

Luke Timmerman is a biotech journalist, author, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. As an award-winning journalist, Luke has been covering biotech since 2001. He is the founder and editor of Timmerman Report, a leading biotech industry newsletter. He hosts “The Long Run”, a biotech-focused podcast that has featured more than 200 biotech leaders. Luke was named one of the 100 most influential people in biotech in 2015 by Scientific American. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin and was awarded a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT.

Luke also founded his philanthropic project “Timmerman Traverse”. Through Traverse’s campaigns...

Dr. Bill Sellers is a physician scientist and a leading cancer researcher who has held major roles across academia and industry, including Core member of the Broad Institute and Professor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. Bill helped pioneer cancer genomics, including the discovery of EGFR mutations in lung cancer and the creation of the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE). Bill was a former VP and Global Head of Oncology at Novartis.

In this episode,

* Bill Sellers shares his path from his upbringing in Massachusetts through Georgetown, UMassMed, UCSF, and into oncology at...

Melissa McCracken is a partner at Nextech Invest, a leading oncology-focused venture capital firm. She is a board member for multiple private and public biotech companies. Melissa is a scientist by training from UCLA with her research on engineered immunity for cancer. She also completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University where she expanded her research in the field of immuno-oncology. Prior to Nextech, Melissa was a senior associate at Third Rock Ventures and helped build and launch Celsius Therapeutics, which is now part of AbbVie.

In this episode,

* Melissa traces her career path: from...

Soufiane (Souf) is a synthetic biologist by training from Harvard Medical School. During his PhD, he founded Nucleate, a non-profit biotech organization that represents the largest global community of bio-innovators and offers numerous free entrepreneurship programs for academic trainees.

In this episode,

* Souf shares his background and how he got into research during his undergraduate years before starting his PhD at Harvard where he joined George Church’s lab.

* He describes why he got involved with the Harvard Biotech Club and the various initiatives he led as co-president, including Activate Bio, the predecessor to...

Dr. John Maraganore, founding CEO of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and co-founder of City Therapeutics, discusses his journey from a Greek immigrant household to pioneering RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics. He highlights Alnylam’s growth from a startup to a major biotech company, leading to the first FDA-approved RNAi therapy. John shares insights on decision-making, mentorship, and the future of RNA therapies. He also discusses his new ventures, including Corsera Health, focusing on cardiovascular disease prevention using RNAi.

* John shares his upbringing in Chicago, growing up with Greek immigrant parents. He describes his early interest in science and research, leading hi...

Dr. George Church, is a genetics professor at Harvard Medical School and the Wyss Institute. George is a pioneer in synthetic biology and personalized genomics. In 2017, Time magazine named him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In addition to being a scientist, George is also a prolific serial entrepreneur. He has co-founded over 50 biotech startups through his lab at Harvard. George also serves as a Faculty Advisor for the Harvard Biotech Club.

In this episode,

* George shares his career path to become a professor at Harvard Medical School and the Wyss...

Chris Bahl is the Co-founder and CEO of AI Proteins. He also established the Boston Protein Design and Modeling Club (BPDMC), where he serves as Co-organizer. After completing his PhD in biochemistry from Dartmouth, Chris joined David Baker Lab at the University of Washington, where he pioneered the ability to design mini-proteins as a postdoc with the future Nobel Laureate. Chris later joined Institute of Protein Innovation as one of the founding faculty members, with co-appointments at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In 2021, Chris left academia and co-founded AI Proteins.

In this episode,

...

Peter Kolchinsky: Scientist, investor, author, founder of No Patient Left Behind, and co-founder of RA Capital Management.

Peter is a virologist by training from Harvard University. After finishing his PhD, he went on to create RA Capital, a leading biotech venture capital firm. In this episode, Peter shares his journey to starting RA Capital and becoming a venture capital investor.

* He shares his background, growing up in an entrepreneurial family.

* He shares the origin of why he started the Harvard Biotech Club during his PhD.

* We discuss how Peter started RA...

Maddie is a parasitologist by training from Harvard University. After her PhD graduation, she joined McKinsey as an associate. In this episode, Maddie shared her journey from the lab to consulting.

* Emily Gaudiano reflects on her PhD in Arlene Sharpe Lab at Harvard Medical School and shares the pivotal moments that influenced her career.

* With experience in recruiting interns for VC, she offers valuable insights and actionable strategies for graduates aspiring to break into biotech VC.

* She shares her experience as an intern and later as a full-time Associate in MPM BioImpact and SV Health Investors, offering a glimpse into life in the Biotech VC industry.

Emily is an energetic person. She likes traveling, scuba-diving, and cooking.

Guest speaker: Emily Gaudiano