Building, Breaking, and Rebuilding Biotech | Deborah Dunsire

See the episode breakdown with time stamps below:0:00 – Cold open: the "unexpected collaboration" teaser0:35 – Growing up in Zimbabwe and an unplanned path into medicine5:41 – The "9-month detour" into pharma that turned into a 30-year career20:01 – Learning to lead: finance, business instincts, and the power of asking questions23:55 – Launching Gleevec — and the patients who make it all worth it31:21 – Taking the leap: becoming CEO of Millennium and betting big on Velcade39:41 – Layoffs done right: dignity, trust, and the "milk mustache" story49:57 – Inside the $8.8B Takeda acquisition and navigating a clash of cultures1:08:30 – Failure and resilience: Forum Therapeutics and a rocky start at Lundbeck1:22:48 – The $2.2B Alder bet, boardroom battles over share classes, and closing lessons on culture (plus the rapid-fire round) 

Time Stamps:(3:10) Phillip’s background and how it shaped his character(6:13) What first sparked his passion for science (9:15) What inspired his PhD journey (17:35) The discovery of restriction enzymes and DNA synthesis, concerns about DNA manipulation and how NIH guidelines came to be(25:00) How to communicate your science and translate that knowledge for public benefit(33:17 The discovery of RNA splicing(48:40) The founding of Alnylam(58:10) The creation of the biotech industry (1:03:30) How to keep up with the latest science and important trends to watch(1:12:55) Advice for founders looking to launch their own companies(1:16:47) Traits to look for in a  mentor and what makes a strong mentor-mentee relationship(1:19:53) Critical pieces of company culture that drive success(1:24:59) Quick fire questions 

Here is a segment breakdown of the episode: 0:00–1:42 — Intro and guest background: host frames the episode and introduces Nolan Townsend's career across Wall Street, Pfizer, and Lexeo.1:42–3:21 — From finance to healthcare: what drew Nolan into life sciences and the appeal of the industry's complexity.3:21–10:13 — Pfizer's international roles: P&L leadership in Korea, Ukraine, and beyond, and how working across health systems and cultures shaped him.10:14–19:00 — Rare disease leadership at Pfizer: the tafamidis/TTR amyloid cardiomyopathy story and its influence on Lexeo's founding thesis.19:00–24:16 — Founding Lexeo in January 2020: the decision to leave Pfizer, launching amid COVID, and building a team remotely.24:19–37:39 — Lexeo's scientific thesis: applying oncology's precision-medicine model to cardiac disease, the lead pipeline (Friedreich's ataxia, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy), and the Alzheimer's/APOE program and why it was deprioritized.37:39–47:20 — Fundraising strategy: de-risking the story, the cooled IPO market, tranche financing, and advice for founders raising seed/Series A rounds.47:20–50:00 — Mentors: Ron Crystal, Steve Altschuler, Ted Love, and the lessons drawn from each.50:23–56:04 — Rapid-fire questions: influential book (Clayton Christensen), views on what's holding back broader use of gene therapy, and the most underrated CEO skill.56:04–57:33 — Closing question (life outside biotech) and sign-off.

Time Stamps:0:45 Introduction to Dana Aftab and what sparked his passion for science6:39 His Ph.D. experience at Yale that led to a breakthrough in compound screening16:15 Why that soured him on biotech and what ultimately drew him back in24:33 Navigating the transition into industry by trusting his gut30:09 The Exelixis-MetaXen acquisition37:18 Taking the lead as a helping guide to younger scientist41:00 What does it take to be a good manager 48:45 Discovery and development of CABOMETYX® (cabozantinib)57:15 How differentiating clinical data changed the trajectory of Exelixis 1:00:34 Navigating the restructuring process1:07:13 Rebuilding the Exelixis team1:11:26 His return to science 1:13:30 Advice for founders on what makes a strong potential partner1:20:07 Quick fire questions 

(0:53) Introduction to Stephanie’s passion for science and her career transition from research to business (8:40) Key foundational business development skills  (13:06) What investors look for when evaluating early stage technology (14:37) The story behind Gleevec and its commercialization journey  (19:36) Long term planning for early career scientists  (24:39) Differences between U.S. and European ecosystems across pharma and biotech  (30:30) Introduction to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation  (36:23) How in vivo CAR-T and cell therapy are advancing  multiple myeloma care (42:08) Advice for entrepreneurs interested  in the Nucleate Activator program   (54:18) How can startup founders best position themselves in a competitive landscape (1:03:10) Quick fire questions

Time Stamps: (2:37) Introduction to Kendra’s professional journey and how she found her path into science  (7:30) Understanding the consumer mindset and patient perspectives (13:05) Key parameters that shape important decisions  (17:45) Core lessons on bridging the gap between science and business  (25:30) Introduction to Bayer and Kendra’s  role as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Licensing  (29:46) Latest trends shaping healthcare research,  education, and innovation  (38:59) How to establish credibility as an entrepreneur in a competitive market (41:28) Inside the Bayer Co.Lab incubator ecosystem and the support it offers (50:37) Tips for early-career scientists interested in making a pivot from the lab to business (57:09) Do you really need a Ph.D. to break into pharma? (1:00:01) Quick fire questions

  Time Stamps 01:42: Jodie’s early interest in science and the defining moment   03:31: Starting from the bottom in clinical research shaped her leadership style as a CEO 08:32: How she joined Q32 Bio and then took them public 10:11: Jodie’s inspiration to get involved with challenging companies 11:42: The emotional reward of biotech: the long hours are worthwhile to save lives   13:46: Navigating challenging situations 15:10: Q32 Bio's focus on autoimmune disorders 19:59: The origins of the CEO Forum 27:54: The "lonely" nature of being a CEO and the importance of community 30:54: Philosophy on female leadership: “lift while we climb” 34:54: How AI is involved in biotech 43:24: Navigating challenging capital markets: focus on “killer experiments” that investors want 46:47: Balancing "ethical obligation" to employees with their "fiduciary responsibility" to investors 49:56: How layoffs are “heartbreaking” but necessary to preserve capital for future drug development 56:30: The future of biotech is "cautious optimism" but needed 1:00:06: Initiatives among leaders to heal the misconception of science 01:05:01: Rapid Fire questions  

Time Stamps [00:00] Laurence explains biotech to a five-year-old  [01:55] Early life in the UK and first steps toward biotech  [02:47] How The Double Helix and Celltech shaped his path  [07:15] Moving from bench science to Cell and a wider view of research  [13:04] Learning business development at Millennium [15:30] Why relationships matter in biotech deals  [17:43] How Millennium changed from platform company to drug developer  [28:01] Joining Alnylam and building around RNAi  [39:19] Becoming a CEO at Warp Drive Bio  [44:36] Novel antibiotics, molecular glues, and the RevMed merger [52:07] What founders should know about building to make a lasting impact [54:50] Joining Decibel during restructuring and COVID  [58:55] Rebuilding culture and sharpening strategy  [1:09:49] Why Decibel focused on gene therapy for the inner ear [1:25:05] Advice for founders raising money in a hard market

Time Stamps (0:55) Introduction to Michal’s background and her professional journey  (7:58) How Michal leveraged tech skills to break into computational biology  (13:15) Her experience at Compugen working on early AI-enabled drug discovery   (19:52) Challenges startup founders face and strategies to overcome them (25:19) Michal’s personal experience as a founder at Anima Biotech (32:52) Resources available at academic institutions to support startups  (40:15) How to successfully negotiate as a scientific founder (46:51) Michal’s role at Johnson & Johnson (53:13) Introduction to MassBio and their purpose (58:35) Advice on networking and how to form meaningful partnerships

Time Stamps 1:37 Introduction to Szabi’s journey from economics to healthcare  3:23 Szabi’s early startup experience at Tresorit  5:27 Key takeaways from his first venture 11:46 What led Szabi to pivot into healthcare and how he managed that transition 14:37 Introduction to Turbine 17:10 Example of running large-scale experiments in collaboration with Merck  19:17 Explanation of the main phases of application of the model  22:32 What fundamental tenets were used to build Turbine’s model  29:16 How to form successful partnerships 38:53 Szabi’s experience with raising funds in a tight capital market  40:00 Advice for founders navigating this challenging market 49:20 How to find the right mentor and form a meaningful connection  51:07 Final words of wisdom