Xtalks Life Science Podcast

Targeting the Cell’s Powerhouse: Dr. Shaharyar Khan on Rivus Pharma’s Mitochondrial Approach to Cardiometabolic Diseases

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Dr. Shaharyar Khan, co-founder and chief scientific officer at Rivus Pharmaceuticals.
Rivus is developing a new class of investigational medicines called controlled metabolic accelerators (CMAs) for cardiometabolic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, heart failure and MASH by targeting obesity.
Dr. Khan is an expert in the field of mitochondrial biology and the development of mitochondrial therapeutics. He has more than two decades of experience managing multidisciplinary teams of mitochondrial biologists, computational and medicinal chemists and clinicians.
Prior to his role at Rivus, Dr. Khan co-founded Gencia Biotech, where he also served as chief scientific officer and pioneered multiple drug discovery programs, including large and small molecules aimed at harnessing the unique role of mitochondria in the maintenance of cellular health.
Dr. Khan has a BA in philosophy and a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Virginia.
Tune in to hear about the novel mitochondrial approach to targeting cardiometabolic diseases that Dr. Khan is leading at Rivus Pharmaceuticals.
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Inside the Latest in Targeted Radiotherapeutics with Plus Therapeutics CEO Dr. Marc Hedrick

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Marc Hedrick, MD, MBA, president and CEO of Plus Therapeutics, a company focused on developing a novel class of targeted radiotherapeutics.
Prior to heading Plus Therapeutics, Dr. Hedrick served in a number of executive leadership roles including president, CEO and director at Cytori Therapeutics, and president and CEO of StemSource. 
Dr. Hedrick is a trained general, vascular and plastic surgeon. He is a former Associate Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).  Dr. Hedrick also served as co-director of the Laboratory of Regenerative Bioengineering and Repair at UCLA.
Dr. Hedrick obtained his MD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas and MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA in 2005.
Tune in to hear about recent advancements and innovations in the field of radiotherapeutics, featuring some of the work Dr. Hedrick is spearheading at Plus Therapeutics.
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From Lab to Launch: Commercializing Gene Therapies for Rare Diseases with Rocket Pharma’s Carlos Martin

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Carlos Martin, MBA, chief commercial operations and revenue officer at Rocket Pharmaceuticals, a company developing gene therapy cures for rare diseases through innovative science and platforms.
Carlos joined Rocket in April 2021 and established the company’s early commercial strategy and infrastructure as Chief Commercial Officer.
Prior to joining Rocket, Carlos was the US Commercial Head of Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA), a Novartis Oncology Company. His responsibilities included leading commercial strategy and new product launches as well as transforming their go-to-market model.
Carlos brings in-depth background and experience globally and locally in commercial strategy and operations across a wide range of modalities and disease areas, including oncology, cardiovascular, metabolism and complex therapeutics.
Carlos has a bachelor’s degree in economics from ESADE & the Polytechnic University of Barcelona, Spain and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.
Tune in to hear from Carlos about the challenges and opportunities in the commercialization of gene therapies for rare diseases.
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Combating Autoimmunity: Vera Therapeutics CEO Dr. Marshall Fordyce Discusses Advancing IgAN Treatments

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Marshall Fordyce, MD, founder and CEO of Vera Therapeutics, a company focused on developing treatments for autoimmune diseases.
Dr. Fordyce founded Vera in 2016 as an entrepreneur in residence at Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, took the company public in 2021 and has advanced its lead molecule through a successful Phase II trial in IgA nephropathy.
The company is on track to read out its Phase III results next quarter. Along the way, Dr. Fordyce has built a world class team of drug developers and raised over $1 billion in capital.
Dr. Fordyce previously worked in clinical development leadership roles at Gilead Sciences in the 2010s, driving innovation in treatments for HIV and hepatitis.
Dr. Fordyce received his BA from Harvard University and MD from Harvard Medical School, trained in Internal Medicine and served as Chief Resident at NYU Bellevue.
Dr. Fordyce currently serves on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation.
Tune in to hear Dr. Fordyce discuss new innovations in therapies for autoimmune diseases like IgA nephropathy and the work he is leading at Vera Therapeutics.
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Targeting Pressing Unmet Needs in Kidney Diseases with Unicycive Therapeutics CEO Dr. Shalabh Gupta

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Shalabh Gupta, MD, founder, chairman and CEO of Unicycive Therapeutics, a company focused on addressing unmet medical needs in renal diseases.
Kidney diseases are a major global health concern. In the US, chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects more than one in seven individuals, and one in three adults with diabetes may have the condition.
Before founding Unicycive Therapeutics in 2016, Dr. Gupta served in various roles, including founder and CEO of Biocycive, a commercial strategy role at Genentech and as an equity researcher at UBS Investment Bank and Rodman & Renshaw (currently HC Wainwright). Dr. Gupta is also the founder and CEO of Globavir, which licensed diagnostic technology from Stanford University and then partnered with global commercial diagnostic companies.
Dr. Gupta also serves as an advisor to the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Innovation Center, a role he has held since 2020.
Before his roles in business and finance, Dr. Gupta was an attending physician at NYU Medical Center and a clinical faculty member at the NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Gupta received his MPA in Health Care Finance and Management from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and his MD from Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, India.
Tune in to discover how Unicycive Therapeutics is tackling the most pressing unmet needs in renal diseases and driving innovation in kidney health.
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Innovating Treg Therapies for ALS and Alzheimer’s with Coya Therapeutics CEO Dr. Arun Swaminathan

Join us as we celebrate a major milestone — the 200th episode of the Xtalks Life Science Podcast! From groundbreaking biotech innovations to exclusive interviews with life science industry innovators and leaders, we've covered it all. Thank you for tuning in each week! We look forward to continuing to bring the latest and greatest across the pharma, biotech and medical industries!
In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Arun Swaminathan, PhD, CEO of Coya Therapeutics, a company developing regulatory T cell (Treg) therapies targeting neurodegenerative, autoimmune and metabolic diseases.
The company is developing a pipeline of therapies designed to enhance the function of dysregulated Tregs in various diseases, including ALS and Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Swaminathan has over 20 years of healthcare business executive experience. He began his career in clinical development, taking on commercial roles of increasing responsibility at Bristol Myers Squibb and Covance. Prior to joining Coya, Dr. Swaminathan served as chief business officer (CBO) at Actinium Pharmaceuticals and Alteogen, leading multi-billion-dollar deals. He also co-founded Lynkogen, a pre-clinical stage biotech, and served as its CEO. Dr. Swaminathan has a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Pittsburgh.
 
Tune into the episode to hear more about Coya Therapeutics’ innovative immunotherapeutic approach from Dr. Swaminathan.
 
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The Path to Healthy Aging: Pioneering Therapies for Age-Related Diseases with Rejuvenate Biomed's Ann Beliën

In this episode, Vera spoke with Ann Beliën, PhD, founder and CEO of Rejuvenate Biomed, a biotech company leveraging AI-driven platforms to develop therapies for age-related diseases and promote healthy aging.
Rejuvenate Biomed is aiming to transform the treatment landscape for diseases such as sarcopenia, neuromuscular, metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Beliën founded Rejuvenate Biomed in 2017 and under her leadership, it transitioned from a discovery start-up to a clinical-stage biotech company.
Dr. Beliën has more than two decades of experience in drug development that has included international assignments in the US, the Netherlands and Belgium in various therapeutic areas, including oncology, neurology, immunology and infectious diseases.
Prior to founding Rejuvenate Biomed, Dr. Beliën served as a due diligence representative for R&D at Johnson & Johnson (J&J) where she was also a member of the management board of Janssen Prevention Center for five years.
Dr. Beliën holds a PhD from the University of Irchel in Zürich, Switzerland and a master’s degree from the Free University of Brussels (VUB), Belgium.
To hear more about how Rejuvenate Biomed is pioneering therapies for age-related diseases and working to promote healthy aging.
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Driving Innovations in Rare Diseases with Takeda’s Anthea Cherednichenko

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Anthea Cherednichenko, MPH, MBA, Vice President, Hematology Franchise Head, Takeda, who discussed driving innovation in rare diseases through collaborations focused on better serving patients and their communities.
Anthea has more than a decade of global experience serving the rare disease community, particularly those with blood and bleeding disorders, at Takeda. She is a global healthcare leader with over 20 years of industry experience across the US, Europe and Asia. As Vice President and Franchise Head for Hematology in the US Business Unit at Takeda, Anthea steers a diverse portfolio and team to inspire positive patient outcomes through innovation with a focus on rare diseases, health equity and health care innovation.
Tune in to the episode to hear about driving innovations in rare diseases, including the vital role of external and internal collaborations to address significant unmet needs and empower patients throughout their healthcare journeys.
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Advancing Alzheimer’s Diagnostics: Insights from ALZpath VP of R&D Dr. Lee Honigberg on the Future of Blood-Based Biomarker Assays

In this episode, Ayesha spoke with Lee Honigberg, PhD, VP of Research & Development, ALZpath, a provider of diagnostic tools for Alzheimer’s disease. 
 
This includes a blood-based biomarker assay, called the ALZpathDx assay, which measures pTau217 in the blood.
Prior to joining ALZpath, Dr. Honigberg was most recently Senior Director and Distinguished Scientist in Translational Medicine at Genentech, where he was leading a group responsible for biomarker development for programs in neuroscience, ophthalmology, cardiovascular and metabolic disease.
Before Genentech, Dr. Honigberg was at Pharmacyclics where he led the preclinical development of ibrutinib, the first approved BTK inhibitor, establishing a new standard of treatment in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
Dr. Honigberg’s contributions were recognized by the 2019 ACS Heroes in Chemistry award. Dr. Honigberg received a PhD in Neuroscience from the University California San Francisco (UCSF).
Tune into to the episode to learn about the latest innovations in Alzheimer’s diagnostics.
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Advancing PTSD Treatment with Digital Brain Biomarkers ft. Oded Kraft, Co-Founder, CEO and President of GrayMatters Health

In this episode, Vera speaks with Oded Kraft, Co-Founder, CEO and President of GrayMatters Health, a company transforming mental health care through evidence-based digital brain biomarker technology.
Oded shares insights into GrayMatters Health’s mission to improve patient outcomes for mental health disorders like PTSD by leveraging their proprietary EEG-fMRI-Pattern (EFP) biomarker. He discusses how this novel technology integrates functional MRI and EEG data to address critical gaps in mental health treatment, offering a personalized approach for patients.
With over 20 years of leadership experience at companies like GE Healthcare, Medingo-Roche and Kornit Digital, Oded also reflects on his journey in healthcare innovation, the challenges of scaling cutting-edge technologies and his vision for the future of mental health treatment.
Tune in to learn how GrayMatters Health is shaping the future of PTSD treatment and making mental health care more effective worldwide.
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