Inspiring Stories from Biotech Pioneers

Drug Delivery Innovations and Scientific Communication

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Kathryn Whitehead
Join us on Back of the Napkin as we meet Professor Kathryn Whitehead, a leading chemical engineer at Carnegie Mellon University. Discover her innovative work in drug delivery systems, including lipid nanoparticles, and her mission to improve scientific communication. 

Bright Ideas in Fluorescence Imaging 

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Luke Lavis
Join Luke Lavis to hear his amazing story of groundbreaking achievements in fluorescence imaging at Janelia Research Campus. Discover the importance of mentorship, collaborative culture, and the fascinating story behind the extraordinary Janelia Fluor® dyes.

Exosomes: The Future of Diagnostics

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Johan Skog
Listen to Back of the Napkin's podcast episode with Johan Skog, founder of Exosome Diagnostics, exploring exosome research and the power of unexpected discoveries in scientific innovation. Hear how the diagnostic potential of exosomes can be harnessed to revolutionize the capabilities of liquid biopsies.

Building Heart

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Doris Taylor
Doris Taylor shares her inspiring journey to becoming a pioneering scientist at the forefront of organ regeneration. We explore her personal motivation and professional journey, culminating in the groundbreaking creation of the first beating bioartificial heart, with all the challenges that entailed. 

Visit the Organamet Bio Website
Follow Doris on LinkedIn

Drugging the "Undruggable" KRAS

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Kevan Shokat
In this episode of Back of the Napkin, we discuss the scientific and entrepreneurial journey of Kevan Shokat. The conversation takes us from Kevan's early interest in chemistry, spurred by his childhood experiences in his parents' print shop, to the present day, where his laboratory at UCSF is pushing the boundaries of what was once deemed impossible in targeting key oncogenes.  

Visit the Shokat Lab Website
Follow Kevan on X

Chemical Biology, Carbohydrates & Women in Science

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Laura Kiessling
Laura Kiessling is the Novartis Professor of Chemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In this episode of Back of the Napkin the conversation explores her journey from a small Wisconsin town to the pinnacles of scientific research and education at MIT. It also delves into her experiences as a woman in the industry and her advocacy for equal representation in science.

Visit the Kiessling Lab Website

Stabilizing Protein-Protein Interactions for Therapeutic Applications

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Michelle Arkin
Michelle Arkin is a Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She is also a director of the Small Molecule Discovery Center (SMDC), a chemical biology and drug discovery center at UCSF. Michelle has extensive experience in the field of drug discovery and is working on new and complex challenges to demonstrate the 'druggability' of new target classes. Michelle is also the cofounder of Ambagon Therapeutics who are building on the concepts of modulating protein-protein interactions to find new drugs that address unmet needs in cancer, metabolic disorders, neurodegeneration, and infectious diseases.

Visit the Arkin Lab Website

Chemical Biology – Blurring the Lines Between Chemistry and Biology

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Neal Devaraj
Neal Devaraj is a Professor and Chair at the University of California San Diego. In this episode, Neal talks about the innovations he has pioneered that are advancing the field of bioorthogonal chemistry. We discuss Neal’s work synthesizing completely artificial cells, designing new tools for labeling RNA, and his contribution to “click chemistry” by developing tetrazine ligation for use in live-cell imaging.

Neal’s group page
Chemistry background

Mitochondrial Dysfunction and New Ideas in Drug Discovery

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Amy Ripka
Amy Ripka is the founder and CEO of Lucy Therapeutics. This back of the napkin conversation focuses on the importance of having the freedom to explore and generate new ideas.  The approach that Amy advocates in this podcast has led her to pivotal new discoveries, including potential new therapeutics for Parkinson’s disease and Rett syndrome.  

At the Forefront of Targeted Protein Degradation

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Alessio Ciulli
Alessio Ciulli is a Professor and Chair of Chemical Structural Biology at the University of Dundee, where he is also the founder and director of the Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation (CeTPD). He is also the scientific founder of Amphista Therapeutics. This conversation covers the significant moments in Alessio’s career where he began to shape an exciting new approach in drug discovery:  targeted protein degradation. 

Learn More About the Ciulli Lab
Follow Alessio on X

Opportunities for RNA-Targeted Therapeutics

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Jennifer Petter
Jennifer Petter is the founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Arrakis Therapeutics. Here she discusses the moments that led up to founding a successful biotech company that is built on an exciting new modality in drug discovery, RNA targeting small molecules. This back of the napkin conversation covers the stand out moments in Jen’s career as well as some insightful perspectives into the future of drug discovery. 

Drugging RNA - Pioneering a New Field in Drug Discovery

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Matt Disney
Matthew Disney is a Professor and Chair at the University of Florida Scripps Institute. In this podcast, he discusses the origins of a new field he has pioneered – Drugging RNAs with small molecules.  The conversation covers the eureka moments, RIBOTACs, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. 

Visit the Disney Lab Website
Follow Matt on X