Recovering scientist turned early stage VC A biotech optimist fighting gravity

IFM’s Hat Trick and Reflections On Option-To-Buy M&A
March 13, 2024

Today IFM Therapeutics announced the acquisition of IFM Due, one of its subsidiaries, by Novartis. Back in Sept 2019, IFM granted Novartis the right to acquire IFM Due as part of an “option to buy” collaboration around cGAS-STING antagonists for

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Every Second Counts
March 11, 2024

By Aoife Brennan, former CEO of Synlogic, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC I have recently completed a turn around the biotech sun: a seven-year assignment at Synlogic that ended this year when an early readout

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March Madness – Biotech Style
March 8, 2024

By Robert Clarke, CEO of Kinaset, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC As I write, I am on the train back from New York after watching my son’s NYU basketball team play in the 2024 D3

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More than Just Words: Prioritizing Patient-Centered Drug Development
February 27, 2024

By Ivana Magovčević-Liebisch, CEO of Vigil Neuroscience, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC Patients and their care partners are at the center of our work in the life sciences industry – but at what point during

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Greater Than The Sum Of The Parts: A Framework For Leading Enterprises In Non-Traditional Ways
February 16, 2024

By Ankit Mahadevia, former CEO of Spero Therapeutics, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC The right leaders in the right structure can power companies to great things. The general consensus is that all companies need a

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The Long and Winding (Biotech) Road…
January 25, 2024

By Arthur Tzianabos, CEO of Lifordi Immunotherapeutics, as part of the From the Trenches feature of LifeSciVC Well, this is a first…. while I have read and enjoyed the the LifeSci VC blog for years, being asked to contribute for

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Sentiment & Themes Emerging From JPM 2024
January 16, 2024

By Aimee Raleigh, Principal at Atlas Venture, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC Just in time for new years’ reflections and resolutions, this year’s JPM felt like a refreshing burst of enthusiasm for a sector that

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Biotech Venture Ecosystem: Quick Health Check
January 12, 2024

Biotech feels like it’s got some wind in its sails here at the start of 2024, with positive sentiments from the JPM conference. Indeed, the public equity markets feeling somewhat buoyant for the first time in ages. With the close

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Signaling Complexes: A Ripe Opportunity for Drug Development
January 3, 2024

By Jonathan Montagu, CEO of HotSpot Therapeutics, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC Signaling pathways are the intricate networks that govern cell behavior, lying at the crux of cell function. They are used by nature to

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Biotech Consolidation: Not Really Happening
November 30, 2023

After the bursting of the pandemic biotech bubble, talk of industry consolidation was ubiquitous. The sector had pushed out too many IPOs during the go-go years, leading to too many public biotech companies, with sub-scale enterprises, and wasteful crowding in

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Darkest Before Dawn: A Story Of Biotech Optimism In A Tough Market
November 28, 2023

By Jeb Keiper, CEO of Nimbus Therapeutics, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC. @JebKeiper Earlier this year, Nimbus closed the sale of our allosteric TYK2 program, which was acquired by Takeda for $4 billion upfront. To

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Atlas Venture 2023 Year In Review
November 17, 2023

2023 couldn’t end fast enough for most of us in biopharma; its been a tough year in the capital markets, and the industry is facing it’s fair share of headwinds. Fortunately, despite all that, great science and medicine continues to

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