The Long Run with Luke Timmerman

Cameron Turtle, CEO of Spire Therapeutics, discusses the company's approach to developing long-acting antibody therapeutics for inflammatory bowel disease and other immune disorders by extending antibody half-life and combining multiple antibodies to achieve superior efficacy compared to existing monotherapy treatments. Turtle traces his career from Oxford DPhil research on cardiomyopathy through consulting at McKinsey, to founding roles at Bridge Therapeutics and now leading Spire, which was spun out from Paragon Therapeutics with $1.6 billion raised to fund an ambitious clinical program.

Mattai Mammen, CEO of Parabolus Medicines, discusses his journey from Harvard MD-PhD student studying multivalency under George Whitesides to founding TheraVance, leading R&D at Merck and J&J, and now building a platform company using alpha-helical peptides to drug previously undruggable intracellular protein targets like beta-catenin. His personal tragedies—losing two daughters at age six—profoundly shaped his commitment to developing transformative medicines.

Gary Nabel, CEO of Modex Therapeutics, discusses his career trajectory from virology to leading vaccine development at the NIH Vaccine Research Center and Sanofi, culminating in founding a biotech company developing a multi-specific bispecific vaccine against Epstein-Barr virus in collaboration with Merck. He explains how advances in structural biology, antibody engineering, and rational vaccine design have enabled the development of next-generation vaccines and immunotherapies targeting infectious diseases and cancers.

Jason Coloma, CEO of Maze Therapeutics, discusses the company's focus on developing genetic medicines for kidney diseases, rooted in human genetics and aimed at tackling complex diseases. The conversation covers Maze's journey from initial funding challenges to pursuing innovative drug development strategies and navigating regulatory hurdles.

Lynn Baranowski, CEO of Avalon Pharma, discusses her journey from diplomacy to biotech entrepreneurship and the company's strategy of reformulating existing pulmonary fibrosis drugs as inhalable treatments to improve patient tolerability and efficacy. She explains how delivering approved oral drugs directly to the lungs via nebulizer allows for dramatically reduced doses while maintaining or improving therapeutic benefit.

Heather Turner, CEO of LB Pharmaceuticals, discusses her unconventional path from corporate attorney to biotech CEO, leading the development of LB102, a methylated derivative of amisulpride for treating schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders. She successfully navigated a challenging IPO during a biotech financing freeze and is now advancing the compound through late-stage clinical trials with a focus on improving patient adherence and reducing side effects.

Troy Wilson, CEO of Cura Oncology, discusses his journey from mediocre student to serial biotech entrepreneur, the development of Ziftimenib (a Menin inhibitor approved for AML), and the company's strategy of combining precision cancer drugs like farnesyl transferase inhibitors with emerging RAS inhibitors to overcome treatment resistance.

Jeremy Levin, founder of Ovid Therapeutics and author of 'Biotech in the Balance,' discusses the systemic decline in public trust toward the biotechnology industry, tracing it from the Shkreli scandal through COVID-19 and into the current era of hostile policy. He argues the industry must recognize itself as strategically vital and offers ten commitments—including transparency, patient-centricity, and long-term capital formation—to rebuild its standing with the public and policymakers.