Beyond Biotech - the podcast from Labiotech

Welcome to the official Labiotech.eu podcast - Beyond Biotech! Each week, we talk about what's happening in the world of biotech, with news and interviews with experts from companies around the world. Join us as we cover the latest news, breakthroughs and innovations shaping the life sciences industry.A new podcast episode is available every Friday. The host is Dylan Kissane.

Beyond Biotech - the podcast from Labiotech is a news podcast hosted by Labiotech, with 209 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 84. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Labiotech hosts Beyond Biotech - the podcast from Labiotech, a news show with 209 episodes published.

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  Episode #210

  How Cancer Research Horizons is building the future of childhood cancer medicines

  Aug 14, 202643 min

  Cancer is still the leading cause of death by disease in children and young people — yet in the last twenty years, only a handful of drugs have been approved specifically to treat it. Most paediatric cancer treatments are simply adult drugs, repurposed, often at real long-term cost to the children who survive. Today's guest is working to change that, and much more besides. Tony Hickson is Chief Business Officer for Cancer Research Horizons , Cancer Research UK's innovation engine, responsible for turning early-stage science into new treatments, diagnostics, and start-up companies. Tony's career spans big pharma, university tech transfer, and now the translational front line of cancer research, and he's helped build dozens of spinouts along the way. We'll talk about why charity and pharma need each other more than ever, and about C-Further, a bold new push to finally build medicines made for children, not borrowed from adults. 01:25 Meet Tony Hickson 05:21 What sets Cancer Research Horizons apart from tech transfer offices 12:17 Myrix Bio's exit to Novartis, a standout story 15:54 Can patient benefit and commercial success align 28:53 Inside C-Further's first two therapeutic programs 41:19 How researchers and partners can get involved Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter To dive deeper into the topic: Episode 32: Cancer Research Horizons, Enterome, OncoHost, TrakCel, Turbine Cancer Research UK Deploys €700M to Foster Oncology Startups Cancer vaccines: 11 biotechs to keep an eye out for

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  Episode #209

  Why Western pharma is sleeping on China's circular RNA revolution

  Aug 7, 202636 min

  RNA therapeutics has had its defining moments. Antisense oligonucleotides. siRNA. And then, of course, mRNA — which went from a niche academic curiosity to the backbone of a global vaccine program in a matter of months. The next chapter may be circular RNA. CircRNA is more stable than linear mRNA, longer-lasting in the body, and potentially re-dosable. And one company has quietly built what may be the most advanced independent circRNA platform in the world — and with barely a single line of English-language press coverage, until now. My guest today is Dr. Lu Gao, CEO of Therorna Inc., a clinical-stage biotech headquartered in Beijing and Shanghai. The company recently presented three posters at ASGCT in Boston, and their lead program has just entered a first-in-human trial. We're going to talk about the science, the clinical strategy, and why Western pharma hasn't paid enough attention to what's being built in China. 01:33 Meet Lu Gao and Therorna 09:29 How Therorna's approach differs 15:42 How TI-0032 reprograms T cells in the body 21:22 Off-the-shelf and re-dosable: what it means for patients 24:38 Why no Chinese biotech has landed a major in vivo deal 31:27 What a successful US IND clearance would mean Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter To dive deeper into the topic: The therapeutic potential of circular RNA: Could it soon trump mRNA technology? mRNA, RNAi, circRNA, ASOs: A comparative guide to RNA therapeutics Therorna funding to accelerate circRNA-based platform

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  Episode #208

  Gain Therapeutics: a first-in-class, disease-modifying therapy for Parkinson's

  Jul 31, 202642 min

  Today we welcome Gene Mack, President and CEO of Gain Therapeutics. With over 25 years of experience spanning biochemistry, Wall Street analysis, and biotech leadership, Gene brings deep expertise in capital markets, strategy, and drug development. He joined Gain in 2024 and stepped into the CEO role in early 2025. Gain Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech pioneering next-generation allosteric small molecule therapies. Using its proprietary Magellan platform, which combines 3D structural biology and physics-based modeling, the company is unlocking novel treatments for challenging disorders. Their lead candidate is advancing toward Phase 2 as a potential first-in-class disease-modifying therapy for Parkinson’s disease, with promising Phase 1b data showing biomarker improvements and functional benefits. In this episode, we’ll explore Gene’s journey, Gain’s innovative strategy, the Parkinson’s landscape, and the future of AI in biotech. · 01:28 Meet Gene Mack · 11:15 GAIN's mission: disease modification over symptom relief · 17:07 Why existing Parkinson's therapies fall short · 22:39 Origins and evolution of the Magellan platform · 26:16 How AI changes drug discovery beyond just speed · 28:13 Phase 1b study design and open-label extension results · 32:09 Partnership strategy and path to Phase 2 · 35:29 Advice for leaders in neurodegeneration Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter To dive deeper into the topic: Promising biotechs in Maryland right now Beyond amyloid and dopamine: emerging technologies reshaping neurology Neurological diseases R&D trends and breakthrough innovations

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  Episode #207

  This nonprofit is building the ecosystem to cure epidermolysis bullosa

  Jul 24, 202640 min

  Epidermolysis bullosa, or EB, is one of those diseases that stops you in your tracks the moment you understand it. Skin so fragile that the gentlest touch can cause blisters and open wounds. No cure. And for most of its history, very little serious drug development attention. That's where today's guest comes in. Martin Steiner is Managing Director of DEBRA Research, a non-profit organization with a single-minded mission: to make EB curable. But DEBRA Research isn't a lab. It doesn't run clinical trials or make drugs. What it does is something arguably harder: it builds the ecosystem that makes drug development possible. Funding research, investing in biotech companies, building shared infrastructure, and connecting the right people at the right time. And the results are starting to show. They have a growing portfolio of investments, dedicated clinical trial infrastructure, and a seat at the table in deals that are moving the needle for patients who have waited long enough. · 01:46 Meet Martin Steiner · 03:32 What is DEBRA Research · 04:55 What it means to live with EB · 07:43 DEBRA Research's role in the drug development ecosystem · 12:03 Why DEBRA Research invests in infrastructure · 20:26 Why DEBRA Research makes equity investments in biotech · 24:50 The Replay and LEO Pharma deal: how it came together · 30:33 Obstacles to enabling collaboration in rare disease · 34:50 Gene therapy and read-through molecules as therapeutic approaches · 37:36 Is the DEBRA Research model replicable for other rare diseases Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter To dive deeper into the topic: Gene therapy for skin diseases: A field still finding its footing Six exosome therapy companies driving development in the field Extracellular vesicles: a growing pipeline still searching for validation

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  Episode #206

  How BIO-Europe is expanding beyond dealmaking in 2026

  Jul 17, 202625 min

  The life sciences industry has always had one great meeting place, a few days in November where the deals get done, the partnerships form, and the direction of the industry quietly shifts. For more than three decades, that place has been BIO-Europe . But this year, something is changing. BIO-Europe has always been the destination for BD professionals and dealmakers. In 2026, it's expanding — broadening its scope to become what the organisers are calling the epicenter of biotech, with new content tracks covering regulatory strategy, clinical development, and manufacturing, new registration options, and a deliberate push to bring the entire biopharma C-suite into the BIO-Europe room. · 01:39 BIO-Europe's 32nd edition: what has kept it relevant · 05:28 The "epicenter of biotech" · 11:06 From three content tracks to seven · 13:31 Three new tracks: regulatory, clinical, and biomanufacturing · 15:45 The new content-only registration pass · 18:12 Why Cologne and what the city offers the event · 19:48 The social program at BIO-Europe · 24:54 Where to register and find more information This episode is presented with the support of the EBD Group . Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! Stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter To dive deeper into the topic: How to succeed at BIO-Europe: DISCO Pharma takes us behind the scenes Meet Fusix Biotech: 2025 BIO-Europe Startup Spotlight champion revolutionizing oncology Lisbon is calling: the BIO-Europe Startup Spotlight returns in March 2026

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