Optimum Perspectives

Dr Ruth McKernan CBE is the richly deserved winner of the 2024 Mediscience Award for ‘Most Significant Contribution to the Mediscience Sector’. In this episode Optimum’s Eva Haas discusses the highlights of Ruth’s incredible career, the skills needed for success as a company founder and the heartening advancements in treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's in recent years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to expert discussion on the role of AI in drug development, featuring Tushar Pandey, CEO and Co-founder of SimBioSys, and Jeremy Skillington, CEO of Poolbeg Pharma. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Southampton-based Curve Therapeutics recently raised a hefty £40m in a Series A financing round. In this in-depth podcast, CEO Simon Kerry describes how investors fell in love with Curve’s “Microcycle” based discovery platform, which gives the company “the ability to potentially identify drugs against very difficult, challenging targets”. He explains how Curve’s platform enables them to spot drugs with a higher chance of working in real-world conditions. He also outlines the firm’s lead programme – which aims to block two cancer targets called Hypoxia Inducible Factors, or “HIFs”, which enable solid tumours to survive in low-oxygen conditions. Speaking to Optimum’s Stephen Adams, Simon ponders the role of luck in securing investment, both “the kind you deserve because you turn over a lot of stones”, and the more fortuitous variety. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to the latest insights from Gil Bar-Nahum, Managing Director in the Global Healthcare Investment Banking Group, Jefferies International, on how to succeed in the new wave of biotech IPOs in the Optimum Perspectives podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Check out Optimum’s latest Optimum Perspectives Podcast episode featuring the stars of the 20th Anglonordic Life Science Conference in London. Hear industry leaders give their thoughts on trends within the life science industry and the optimistic mood of the markets in 2024! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Diverse recruitment for clinical trials is a huge issue – but what can drug developers do to overcome this challenge? Join Optimum’s Richard Staines as he discuses this thorny issue with Ariceum Therapeutic’s CMO, Germo Gericke, Leucid Bio’s CSO, John Maher and Non-Executive Director & Thought Leader Annalisa Jenkins. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following recent encouraging interim clinical results, hear Øystein Rekdal, CEO of Lytix Biopharma, discuss with Optimum's Nick Bastin how the company's lead candidate LTX-315 has a unique approach to killing cancer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To mark Rare Disease Day on 29 February, Optimum Perspectives podcast interviews a panel of experts who discuss the opportunities and challenges for developers of therapies for rare diseases in 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Optimum Perspectives celebratory episode for International Day of Women & Girls in Science, hear from five influential women on how they broke down gender barriers to succeed in the life science industry. Chaired by esteemed journalist Lisa Urquhart, hear guest speakers Renee Aguiar-Lucander of Calliditas, Lene Gerlach of EIR Ventures & WiLD, Bita Sehat of Trill Impact, and Ninna Struck Rossen of Metsystem, share their stories on being women in life sciences, and how to succeed in the industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Optimum Perspectives celebratory episode for International Day of Women & Girls in Science, hear from five influential women on how they broke down gender barriers to succeed in the life science industry. Chaired by esteemed journalist Lisa Urquhart, hear guest speakers Renee Aguiar-Lucander of Calliditas, Lene Gerlach of EIR Ventures & WiLD, Bita Sehat of Trill Impact, and Ninna Struck Rossen of Metsystem, share their stories on being women in life sciences, and how to succeed in the industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy 1st birthday to the Optimum Perspectives Podcast! Since launching, 1000s of listens have grown the show into an excellent hub of intel from top tier life science guests. Listen now to our anniversary special, where Optimum's Mary Clark, Nick Bastin and Eva Haas discuss the findings of our insightful European Life Sciences Investor survey! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hear Vicore Pharma’s CEO, Ahmed Mousa speak to Optimum's Richard Staines on their new treatment for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), C21. It aims to improve available treatments for patients of IPF by halting the progression of fibrosis and has the aim of restoring lung function. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this insightful and emotional podcast episode, the co-founder of Ariana Smiles - a Special Named Fund at CCLG UK, Stephanie Seales Gabbitas shares her mission to improve the lives of children diagnosed with Leukaemia by raising funds for research into precision oncology medicine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is a lack of effective treatments for Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL) – in this podcast episode Jason Loveridge, CEO of 4SC, talked to Optimum Strategic Communications’ Eva Haas about the Company’s potential new maintenance therapy Kinselby (resminostat). 4SC is a late-stage biotech improving lives for patients suffering with advanced-stage Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma (CTCL). It has developed Kinselby (resminostat), a novel, oral, maintenance treatment targeting advanced-CTCL, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that affects the skin. There are no drugs in development or on the market as maintenance therapy for CTCL. Kinselby (resminostat) is an orally administered histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor that has produced supportive results in the pivotal RESMAIN trial, where it postponed disease progression in patients – a new treatment paradigm in CTCL. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Optimum celebrated its 15th Annual Healthcare Investor Conference – marking its crystal anniversary – and what a sparkler it was! In the latest episode of Optimum Perspectives Podcast, Richard Staines talks through the top takeaways from the October event with special testimonials from our guests. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 9 of Optimum Perspectives Podcast features Optimum's Richard Staines and Eva Haas, who discuss the hot areas for investment in the shifting biotech market – including antibody-drug conjugates, smart radiotherapies, mRNA and immune-oncology. Want us to explore a topic further? Let us know! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alchemab aims to revolutionise drug discovery with a novel alternative to the classic “choose a target” approach. Alchemab specifically looks to identify shared antibodies from people who have shown resilience to disease – the unexpectedly well. The company then uses its proprietary technology to identify which targets these antibodies are binding to, and what diseases these targets are associated with. Optimum Strategic Communications’ Richard Staines caught up with Alchemab’s CEO, Young Kwon, to find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No-one is likely to forget the tragic events of 2020 and one company leading efforts to prepare for the next pandemic is Poolbeg Pharma. Optimum Strategic Communications’ Richard Staines interviewed CEO Jeremy Skillington to find out how Poolbeg is using AI to expedite discovery of new flu drugs. Poolbeg is working on a drug that aims to block some of the worst effects of influenza, neutralising the over-reaction from the body’s immune system known as a “cytokine storm” that produces many of the ill effects following a flu infection. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A much-anticipated new potential drug for COPD moved a step closer to the market after Verona Pharma submitted its New Drug Application to the U.S. FDA, seeking approval of ensifentrine as a maintenance therapy. In its latest podcast, Optimum Strategic Communications caught up with Chris Martin, Senior Vice President of Commercial, who discussed how the company plans to launch this potential novel COPD medicine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s funding environment for small biotechs is tough. Valuations are down and money is tighter than it used to be – both for publicly listed and privately held firms. In these circumstances, obtaining the right backing – both in terms of finance and managerial advice – is more important than ever. In the fifth Optimum Perspectives podcast experienced investor Søren Møller talks to Optimum’s Stephen Adams about Novo Holdings Seed Investments’ approach to working with biotechs and what early-stage companies should look for in a financing partner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.