BioBiz Buzz

For years, the narrative was simple: if you wanted a multibillion-dollar biotech outcome, you built in Boston or the Bay Area. Gilead’s up to $5 billion acquisition of Munich-based Tubulis just blew that up. 

In this episode, Mike Ward and Andera Partners’ Sofia Ioannidou go inside one of Europe’s most important biotech exits to unpack what really drove the deal, and why it wasn’t just about a single ADC asset, but a platform Gilead believes can keep delivering. They dig into the mechanics behind getting “transaction-ready,” the discipline required to turn early clinical data into strategic lev...

Progress in developing safe and effective therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been painfully slow. It is caused by the death of motor neurons in the central nervous system and the spinal cord, which leads to a loss of control over voluntary muscle movement, near-total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis. Most patients have what is called sporadic ALS, which has no obvious cause, but about 10% of cases arise from a genetic mutation – upwards of 40 genes have been implicated, which points to the extraordinary complexity of this condition. The heterogeneity of ALS, its biological co...

What if an annual self-injection could silence your hidden cardiac risk instead of just lowering your LDL?

In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, Mike Ward sits down with David Solomon, CEO of Thalia Therapeutics, to unpack how a once-yearly RNA gene-silencing therapy targeting both lipoprotein(a) and PCSK9 could finally tackle the stubborn burden of coronary artery disease, stroke and cardiac arrest that persists despite widespread statin use. 

You’ll hear how Thalia is exploiting patent white space around dual-target constructs, why evolution turned Lp(a) from a survival mechanism into a modern liability, and how...

For more than three decades, transcription factors have been the great white whale of oncology drug discovery; tantalising, genetically validated, mechanistically central, and yet stubbornly out of reach. They sit at the heart of cancer biology, driving the gene expression programmes that allow tumors to grow, adapt and resist treatment. And still, despite representing nearly 10% of the human proteome, they’ve remained largely untouched by modern medicine.

But that landscape is shifting. A new wave of biotech innovators is challenging long‑held assumptions about what is and isn’t druggable. Among them is Quantro Therapeutics, a Vienna-based compan...

Multiple myeloma remains the second-largest blood cancer globally with no cure, and despite recent breakthroughs in CAR-T and antibody therapies, patients continue to relapse, often losing the very antigens that therapies target. In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, host Mike Ward speaks with Dr. Chris Baldwin, CEO and Managing Director of HaemaLogiX, an Australian clinical-stage biotech pioneering a differentiated approach to treating this devastating disease.

HaemaLogiX has identified two novel antigens, kappa myeloma antigen (KMA) and lambda myeloma antigen (LMA), that are uniquely expressed on malignant plasma cells but absent from healthy immune cells, offering exquisite tumor...

In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, your host Mike Ward sits down with Dr. Jared Baeten, Senior Vice President for Clinical Development and Head of the Virology Therapeutic Area at Gilead Sciences, to explore how new data from CROI 2026 could signal the start of a new chapter in HIV treatment and prevention. 

During the discussion, they unpack Phase 3 results from the ARTISTRY‑1 and ARTISTRY‑2 trials, which evaluate BIC/LEN, an investigational single‑tablet regimen that combines the guideline‑standard integrase inhibitor bictegravir with the long‑acting capsid inhibitor lenacapavir in virologically suppressed people living with HIV, including those on co...

2025 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...

Engineered 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...

The 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...

In 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...

This 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...

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...

Targeted 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...

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...

AI-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...

In 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...

The 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...

By 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...

ReproNovo 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...

In 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...

As 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...

In 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...

In 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...

This 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...

This 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...