Ian Simon | When following the science isn’t enough: risk, communication, and the future of biotechnology | TPM podcast #52

In this episode, I’m joined by my longtime friend Ian Simon, Head of Biotechnology at Aspis Intelligence. Ian’s path runs from grad school vaccine research at Yale to senior roles at the White House, HHS, NIH, the State Department, and the Office of Long Covid. We talk about de-risking young biotech companies, what Covid taught us about science and public health, and how new technologies like AI might change how we do science altogether. ⁠⁠⁠TPM E52 highlights >⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Episode 52 links:Ian Simon on LinkedInAspis Intelligence

In this episode Rafael sits down with Michelle Chen, President and CEO of Form Bio, a techbio company using AI to advance genome engineering and the development of genetic medicines. Michelle shares her zigzag journey from scientist to executive, how her team is tackling the biggest bottlenecks in gene therapy, and why AI has become essential in designing safer, more effective treatments. ⁠⁠TPM E51 highlights >⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Episode 51 links:Michelle Chen on LinkedInForm Bio

Today I’m joined by Mike Rossi, Vice President of Translational Science and Multi-modal Real-World Evidence Solutions at ConcertAI. Mike has built a career at the intersection of genomics, data science, and oncology, helping to bridge the gap between research and real-world clinical practice. We talk about what real-world data really means, how it becomes actionable evidence, and what it takes to turn the messy reality of patient care into insight that changes lives.⁠⁠TPM E50 highlights >⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Episode 50 links:Mike Rossi on LinkedInConcertAI

Joining us on this episode is Mida Pezeshkian, an old colleague and friend. Mida’s career has spanned from the depths of stem cell science as a student to her current focus on product management in healthcare. We talk about what it really takes to launch products in this space, and how she helps customers bring truly transformational innovations to market.⁠⁠TPM E49 highlights >⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Episode 49 links:Mida Pezeshkian on LinkedInSTEMA_cgThe Lab

Today on the show, I’m joined by Michael Montalto, vice president of precision medicine at Amgen. Amgen is widely recognized as one of the most successful pharmaceutical companies in translating research and development into approved therapies. A key part of that success comes from their focus on precision medicine, and Mike brings a unique perspective from the forefront of that work.⁠⁠TPM E48 highlights >⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Episode 48 links:AmgenMichael Montalto on LinkedInGenialis presents a poster at ISMB/ECCB 2025⁠

Joining us on this episode is Tom Neyarapally, co-founder and CEO of Archetype Therapeutics, an exciting new AI-driven company in the drug discovery space. Archetype is an AI-native biotech pioneering the use of generative chemogenomics and patient clinicogenomic data to virtually screen billions of potential drug candidates each day.⁠⁠TPM E47 highlights >⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Episode 47 links:Archetype TherapeuticsTom Neyarapally on LinkedIn “Exploring a “Patient-First” Path in Drug Discovery”, a LinkedIn article by Tom Neyarapally, Paul McDonagh, and Rafael Rosengarten

Stéphane Budel, founding partner at DeciBio, joins the Talking Precision Medicine Podcast to explore the future of the field. He unpacks how liquid biopsy, multi-omics, and AI are opening new doors for personalized care, why the diagnostics business model is holding innovation back, and what it will take to make complex tech usable for clinicians and patients alike.⁠TPM E46 highlights >⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Episode 46 links:DeciBioStephane Budel on LinkedInDeciBio’s White Paper on AI in Drug Development (with contributions from Rafael Rosengarten)

Today’s guests are Anna Berkenblit, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and Sudheer Doss, Chief Business Officer at PanCAN. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the leading organization dedicated to advancing progress against pancreatic cancer. It empowers patients and caregivers, drives early detection strategies, and revolutionizes the development of advanced and personalized treatments.TPM E45 highlights >⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Episode 45 links:Anna Berkenblit on LinkedInSudheer Doss on LinkedInPanCANFor access to data through PanCAN’s SPARK platform, please visit: PanCAN.org/sparkFor more information, contact PanCAN Patient Services with questions about any type of pancreatic cancer – we are here to help.

Today’s guest is Najat Khan, Chief R&D Officer and Chief Commercial Officer at Recursion Pharmaceuticals.Recursion is widely recognized as one of the most visible—and so far, most successful—companies to emerge from the tech-bio movement. Many consider it the current industry leader.It has become an iconic name in the field of artificial intelligence for drug discovery.TPM E44 highlights >⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Episode 44 links:Najat Khan on LinkedInRecursion

What a pleasure to welcome today’s guest, Ryan Fukushima, chief operating officer of TempusAI. Not only has Ryan helped build Tempus brick by brick from the earliest days, he is also CEO of Pathos AI, a biotech company using real world data and AI to develop true precision medicines. I don’t know how he juggles it all, but unless you’ve been hiding out these last few years, Tempus has become a household name in our industry, completing a highly successful IPO last year. But no need to take my word for it, come on in and have a listen!TPM E43 highlights >⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Episode 43 links:Ryan Fukushima on LinkedIn⁠⁠Tempus AI⁠⁠Pathos⁠⁠Tempus announces multi-year collaboration with Genialis