Molecule to Market: Inside the outsourcing space

From banking to biotech

Founder of the Center for Breakthrough Medicines - now part of SK Pharmteco.

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Audrey, covering:

• How a career in real estate financial services led her to the world of cell & gene therapy
• The story of the creation of the Center for Breakthrough Medicines to its eventual sale and ‘fit’ with SK Pharmteco
• Why Philadelphia’s 'Cellicon Valley' is becoming one of the hottest life science clusters in the US
• Timeless tips on fundraising, networking and having a go for young people
• Her view on the market outlook for 2024 and beyond

Audrey is a serial entrepreneur, having founded three startups that have exceeded valuations above $1 billion. As Founder of the Center for Breakthrough Medicines, Audrey successfully launched the company, attracted 400 employees from around the globe, raised over $500 million in capital, closed a 15-year $100 million joint venture with the University of Pennsylvania’s Gene Therapy Program, and sold the company to SK Pharmteco.

Before launching CBM, Audrey founded Discovery Labs, which grew into the largest privately held life science real estate portfolio in the United States. She spent two decades as an executive in private equity, increasing assets under management to over $100 billion.

Awards have included being selected as the Top Trailblazer in Biotech, Most Influential Philadelphian, Titan 100 (2x), Healthcare Innovation Leader, and Woman of Influence. She is a renowned keynote speaker specializing in Cell and Gene Therapy, DEI initiatives, 'Cellicon Valley', and building bio innovation hubs.

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Molecule to Market is sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital, and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

Dealing with downturns... and the menopause.

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Denise Bowser, Co-Founder and Commercial Director of Onyx Scientific.

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Denise, covering:

• The founding story of Onyx and helping the company gain traction in the early years
• A lesson in M&A - being acquired as a great business and being allowed to thrive as a great business
• The non-secret, simple secret sauce of retaining and growing clients over 20 years
• Functioning as a founder while feeling the force of Menopause... and timely advice for others in the workplace
• Advice for dealing with the downturn - diversification, doubling down on your core competence and customer care

Having founded Onyx Scientific in 2000, Denise has grown the business into a multi-million dollar CDMO with over 100 employees supporting clients in delivering their clinical programs in the pharmaceutical sector. With over 25 years of experience working with clients globally, Denise has built a successful business built on relationships & trust.

Denise plays golf in her spare time with a handicap of 16 & is an active member of her club, playing competitively for the team & loves getting out to nature, more recently discovering cold dipping & going on road trips in her campervan.

 

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues, and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

 

Molecule to Market is sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital, and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

 

The dealmaker now redefining commercialization

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Dominic (Nick) Marasco, Executive President and Chief Commercial Officer at Envision Pharma Group.

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Nick, covering:

• Building businesses, learning lots, and selling BioAgilytix
• With many options on the table... what was it that attracted him to Envision Pharma Group
• The real-life benefits and tangible impact of AI for pharma and biopharma companies
• Why great science and outstanding services that help will continuously be funded, irrespective of the ebbs and flows of the market

Dominic (Nick) Marasco is an entrepreneurial executive. He has over 25 years of executive experience in C-suite strategic planning, commercial operations, global business development, clinical Phase III trial design strategy, alliance management, financial resourcing, and P&L oversight within the Pharmaceutical, Biotech, and Medical Device industries.

Before joining Envision Pharma Group as Executive President and Chief Commercial Officer, Dominic served as Chief Commercial Officer of BioAgilytix, and in his tenure, he was actively involved in two buyer-side acquisitions and three integrations, as well as a seller-side sale of the company to new private equity owners, all within a 24-month timeframe. Before BioAgilytix, he served as Executive Vice President of Global Business Development and Commercial at Syneos Health, where he led the overall strategic direction of the worldwide business development team for the commercial division both in the U.S. and internationally.

He was previously Head of U.S. Sales for the Neuroscience Business Unit at Amgen, Inc., and before that, Global Commercial Head of Amgen Biosimilars. Dominic has also held commercial positions at Sandoz Biopharmaceuticals (a Novartis company).

He received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and ais an alum of the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. Dominic resides in Nevada.

Connect on LinkedIn: here

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Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues, and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

Molecule to Market is sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital, and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed, and grow in life sciences.

 

The biotech CDMO planning to impact the US

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Himanshu Gadgil, CEO at Enzene Biosciences.

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Himanshu, covering:

• How a personal tragedy led him from the US to India on a mission to make an impact
• Shifting from a technical to commercial focus to launch several biosimilars in India and beyond
• Being at the inception of a big pharma biotech spin-out focused on building a platform of innovation that contributes to society
• Taking its cost-effective, continuous manufacturing platform from India to the US via a CDMO vertical focused on novel biologics

Dr. Himanshu Gadgil serves as the CEO at Enzene Biosciences Ltd. Under his services, Enzene has grown from a start-up biotech to a multi-vertical, multi-site product development and manufacturing service-based biopharmaceutical company. Prior to Enzene, he worked as the Sr. Vice President at Intas Pharmaceutical Ltd. where he was instrumental in turning around the commercial product pipeline by launching several biosimilar products in multiple geographies.

During his stint in the US, he led different facets of process and product development at Amgen, spearheading IND, BLA, and Market authorizations of various blockbuster biotech products. At the inception of his career, he joined Waters Corporation, where he pioneered the development of QBD, enabling multi-attribute methodologies for biopharmaceutical characterization. Himanshu holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Tennessee and is a passionate scientific leader and innovator with over 50 publications and patents.

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

Molecule to Market is sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

Molecule to Market: Our top trends 2023; part 2

In this special end-of-year episode, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with your host, Raman Sehgal, who reflects on the 50+ episodes and special guest interviews throughout 2023.

 

In the second part of our series on the top trends 2023, we dive deep into the dynamic and ever-evolving life sciences sector. From its various life cycles to the winds of change shaping the industry in 2024, there is a positive upturn on the horizon.

In part two of the top trends from 2023, Raman identified trends including:

• How the M&A market has suffered in a fractured CDMO space over the last 12 months
• The new breed of biotechs coming to the life sciences market and what they are doing differently to be slimmer and more capital-efficient
• The rise of artificial intelligence and the importance it will play in the digitization of the sector 
• Why adaptability and flexibility are causing a sizable impact on an uncertain financial market in the life sciences sector
• Why the term “Green Shoots” is back in the life sciences vocabulary 

Catch up on Part One! 

 

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Molecule to Market is sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital, and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

Outsourcing in Ontario - on the cusp of greatness

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Jason Field, President & CEO of Lifesciences Ontario.

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Jason, covering:

• How the combination of his scientific background and his passion for public policy made him a perfect fit for Lifesciences Ontario (LSO)
• How the pandemic acted as a wake-up call and catalyst to kickstarting a coordinated industrial investment strategy across Canada
• The unique ecosystem of Ontario and Toronto, with its blend of plentiful STEM graduates and a thriving start-up and innovation community
• Why Ontario has gone from ‘flying under the radar’ to becoming a powerhouse cluster in the North American biomanufacturing and advanced therapies space

Dr. Jason Field is the President and CEO of Life Sciences Ontario (LSO). LSO collaborates with governments, academia, industry and other life science organizations across Canada to promote and encourage commercial success throughout the diverse sector.

Jason obtained his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Massachusetts and his B.Sc from the University of Waterloo. Jason’s professional experience includes the pharmaceutical industry and the Ontario government before joining LSO as Executive Director in October 2011.

He was appointed president and CEO in April 2014. He serves on several boards and advisory committees, including UofT’s Translational Research Program, ReMAP, BioTalent Canada, and Research Canada, and co-chairs the Resilient Healthcare Coalition. Jason is the 2017 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Waterloo and Chair of Ontario’s Life Sciences Council.

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues, and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

Molecule to Market is sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital, and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed, and grow in life sciences.

Discover Diana of Dalriada

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Diana Kraskouskaya, co-founder and CEO of Dalriada

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Diana, covering:

• Exactly what ‘the Toronto paradox’ is...
• How two, seed-funded failures, led to identifying a gap in the market along with access to a rich talent pool
• The challenges and realities of starting, growing and scaling a CRO business to over 100 people
• Advice for other females looking to forge an entrepreneurial career in the drug development space

Diana brings years of leadership and hands-on cross-disciplinary biotech and drug discovery experience spanning areas of company building, scientific & IP program strategy, and operations.

She completed an Honors BSc Degree in Molecular Biology and PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Toronto and is a co-founder of two other biotechs, which have raised > $10 M in VC funding. Diana is the recipient of several entrepreneurship awards, including the RBC Prize for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and the 2018 MNP Future Leaders Awards.

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

Molecule to Market is sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

 

Molecule to Market: Our top trends 2023, part 1

In this special end-of-year episode, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with your host, Raman Sehgal, who reflects on the 50+ episodes and special guest interviews throughout 2023.

 

This special episode covers five key trends Raman identified including:

• The biotech slowdown in 2023 and how it affected the biotech sponsor space 
• Covid rebalancing and the macro-factors that have affected the sector 
• A continued focus on the life sciences supply chain - bringing supply chains closer to home
• A continued explosion of novel modalities, including Cell and Gene therapies, mRNA, and so on… 
• The importance of partnerships within the life sciences life cycle going forward… 

The life sciences industry has experienced a year of turbulence, as is often the case in this rapidly evolving sector. However, amidst the challenges, there have been positive changes taking place, and we are optimistic about the prospects for a positive 2024.

 

The dynamic nature of the life sciences industry ensures that things are constantly changing. Discoveries, advancements in technology, and evolving market trends shape the landscape and drive innovation. Despite the uncertainties and obstacles faced, the industry continues to adapt and thrive.

 

Part two of the series is coming to your favorite streaming platform very soon, so stay tuned for updates on where to find it and in the meantime, enjoy part one. 

 

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues, and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

 

Molecule to Market is sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

Expert to Entrepreneur

In this special episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Jeffrey P. Kiplinger, Partner at Selling Science.

Your host, Raman Sehgal, sits down with Jeff to discuss his new book, 'Expert to Entrepreneur'. 

Jeff Kiplinger is a PhD chemist who, after leaving a scientific leadership role at Pfizer in 1998, transitioned to business leadership and an entrepreneurial track. In 2007 he founded Averica Discovery, an analytical drug development CDMO in the Boston area. With solid growth in a tough economy, Averica was an attractive target and was acquired by a Canadian lab services company.

Jeff left in 2018 and wrote about the experience of changing focus from science to business in his new book, “Expert to Entrepreneur: How to Turn Your Hard-Won Expertise into a Thriving Business”, which made the Amazon Bestseller list in its first week.

Jeff is passionate about helping scientist entrepreneurs build their businesses. He’s a keynote speaker and coach, leads mastermind groups for scientific founders, and is a co-creator and partner in Selling Science, a consulting firm that helps companies grow their revenue by developing successful sales programs. He still lives in the New England area with his wife Katy, and spends most of his free time outdoors hiking and cycling.

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

Molecule to Market is sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

The lab model of the future?

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Clement Fourny, SVP of Commercial at SmartLabs.

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Clement, covering:

• His journey of exploring options and opportunities, which led him to the life sciences space at just the right time
• Why modular labs and manufacturing suites as a service could provide a de-risked and cost-effective solution to those looking to conserve cash
• How the SmartLabs turnkey offering enables scientists to focus on the science and not infrastructure
• The value of building a collaborative ecosystem and community to harness more innovation

Clement has a 12-year diverse experience in the Healthcare / Life Sciences industry. Before joining SmartLabs, Clement spent his career at GE and Danaher where he built a track record of strong achievements and execution in sales, commercial operations and operational finance, mobilizing high-performing cross-functional teams to deliver sustainable growth and drive company goals.

In his prior role at Cytiva (previously known as GE Life Sciences), Clement was responsible for strategically supporting the global commercial organization of 3,000 associates with best-in-class sales operations services.

Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

Molecule to Market is sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.