Leading Beyond The Lab

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What if we could predict whether a drug will work, before it ever reaches a patient?

This week, in another episode of Leading Beyond the Lab, we host a co-guest episode featuring Nik Sharma, CEO & Co-Founder of BioCortex, a trained neurologist with years of experience spanning clinical medicine, ALS research, academia (Cambridge, NIH) and more. And Muhannad Alomari, CTO & Co-Founder, with over a decade of experience spanning aerospace engineering, AI leadership and physics-based systems modelling.

In this episode, the duo covers:
Why bacteria inside tumours may explain clinical trial variability, how “in silico bridge trials” could reshape oncology development, and how BioCortex plans to translate that science into commercial inflection points, global licensing models, and long-term value creation without taking traditional pipeline risk.
From partnerships with CD BioPharma, they explain how global clinical strategy, particularly leveraging innovation and trial infrastructure emerging from China, is reshaping how oncology assets are advanced and positioned for global success.
They also discuss investor backing from Edward Kliphuis from Sofinnova, Hussein Kanji from Hoxton Ventures and Draper Associates, and how capital discipline combined with deep-tech engineering principles (inspired by Rolls-Royce and even NASA) is shaping a new model for oncology drug development.
They also reflect on visiting leading oncology centres in China alongside HSBC and AstraZeneca, highlighting the sheer scale and speed of patient recruitment, momentum that was clearly visible in multiple back-to-back presentations at ASCO, signalling a structural shift in global cancer innovation.

This is a conversation about speed, probability, biology, engineering, and ultimately, time. Because for patients, time is everything.

To listen to (or watch) the full episode, search “Leading Beyond the Lab BioCorteX” on wherever you get your podcasts, or click on the first link in the comments below.
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What if a single injection could teach the immune system to eliminate cancer, and keep it away?

This week, in another episode of Leading Beyond the Lab, Lawrence Rose sits down with Paul Peter Tak, MD, PhD, FMedSci, President & CEO of Candel Therapeutics, one of the most quietly compelling stories in cancer immunotherapy today.

With over 30 years of experience spanning academic medicine, clinical immunology, rheumatology, oncology, and global pharmaceutical leadership, Paul Peter brings a rare clinician-scientist perspective to biotech leadership. Prior to Candel, he served as Chief Immunology Officer and Global Head of Development at GSK (led by Luke Miels) , where he helped shape immunology and oncology strategy at scale. Paul Peter is also founder and previous chair of the dept of clinical immunology and rheumatology at Amsterdam UMC.

In this episode, Paul Peter covers:

- The mission behind Candel Therapeutics and why viral immunotherapy represents a fundamentally new modality, shifting the goal from helping patients live longer with cancer to helping them live without cancer.

- Why Candel’s lead programs (including CAN-2409) are gaining serious scientific credibility, supported by leaders such as Nobel laureate James P. Allison and the "father of CAR-T cell therapy" Carl June, and how this external validation is changing industry and investor perception.

- Lessons from past paradigm shifts in medicine, drawing on his early academic work at Leiden University, where once-dismissed antibody therapies later became standard of care, a parallel to today’s scepticism around viral immunotherapy.

- How leadership, culture, and decision-making drive biotech success, shaped by his experience building teams in academia, transforming R&D at GSK, and learning large-scale leadership from mentors like Lord Patrick Vallance.

- Why flexible operating models matter in biotech, including Candel’s approach to commercialisation through partners such as IDEA Pharma (led by Mike Rea) and Globe Life Sciences (Jonathon Mitchell), and cautionary lessons from companies like Oncorus and Replimune.

Be sure to check out this episode to hear how Paul-Peter Tak is helping redefine what’s possible in cancer immunotherapy - and what it takes to lead beyond the lab.

Follow ARTO

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/artotalent
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0kEcRZOiJChOoN1KF2n1ng
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arto.talent?igsh=MWdhbWl5N204a253NQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@artotalent?_t=ZG-8tHbGACAZaj&_r=1
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leading-beyond-the-lab/id1783115575
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@life_sciences
Website: https://arto-talent.com

Paul Peter Tak
CEO at Candel Therapeutics
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-peter-tak-md-phd-fmedsci-1b44749/

Lawrence Rose
Co-Founder + Talent Solutions Director At ARTO
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencerose/

Timestamps:
01:50 Candel's Mission
19:51 The US Promising Future for Candel
35:44 Culture at Candel
40:44 Paul Peter's Motivations as CEO
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If AI is collapsing the cost of healthcare — are we on the brink of a historic breakthrough… or another bubble?

This week on Leading Beyond the Lab, we sit down with @Edward Kliphuis, Partner at @Sofinnova Partners, one of Europe’s leading life-sciences venture capital firms.

With over 20 years of experience spanning venture capital, digital health, tech-bio investing, and global life-sciences strategy, Edward has been at the forefront of investing where biology, computation, and healthcare collide.

In this episode, Edward covers:

- What’s genuinely different about AI in drug discovery and digital medicine today, and how collapsing healthcare costs could unlock a $10 trillion opportunity by reshaping long-term global supply–demand dynamics.

- Edward explains how @Excelsior, backed by Sofinnova Partners, @Khosla Ventures and @Deerfield Management, and led by @Mike Foley, is using an AI-driven, modular chemistry platform, originating from @Marty Burke at the @University of Illinois, to create entirely new, de novo small-molecule drugs.

- Why the US pharma & tech landscape may resemble a bubble, or a once-in-a-generation inflection point

- He talks about @Latent Labs, (led by @Simon Kohl) a Sofinnova-backed company designing entirely new proteins that do not exist in nature, unlocking new therapeutic possibilities.

- Edward outlines Sofinnova’s investment in @Bioptimus and discusses @Moon Surgical, exploring how AI and robotics are improving drug discovery and augmenting clinicians in complex procedures.

- Edward reflects on the broader AI landscape, referencing an @HSBC investment banking report questioning the long-term economics underpinning large AI models such as @OpenAI, before highlighting comments from @Geoffrey Hinton on the scalability limits of current AI architectures.

From AI-driven drug discovery and robotics in surgery, to healthcare economics, venture capital philosophy, and Europe vs the US innovation gap, this is a deep, unfiltered look at where life sciences is heading next.

To listen to (or watch) the full episode, search "Leading Beyond The Lab Edward Kliphuis" on your preferred streaming platform, or click on the first link in the comments below!

Follow ARTO
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/artotalent
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0kEcRZOiJChOoN1KF2n1ng
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arto.talent?igsh=MWdhbWl5N204a253NQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@artotalent?_t=ZG-8tHbGACAZaj&_r=1
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leading-beyond-the-lab/id1783115575
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@life_sciences
Website: https://arto-talent.com

Edward Kliphuis
Partner at Sofinnova Partners
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekliphuis/

Lawrence Rose
Co-Founder + Talent Solutions Director At ARTO
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencerose/

Timestamps:
00:00 Sofinnovas Partner's Investments
17:41 The US Pharma "Bubble" & AI
28:02 Investing in the Right CEO / Company
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From science fiction to clinical reality. What happens when cell therapy moves from promise to proof in patients who have run out of options?

This week on Leading Beyond the Lab, Lawrence Rose sat down with Amit Rakhit, Chief Medical Officer at BlueRock Therapeutics, to explore how regenerative medicine, leadership, and culture intersect at the most pivotal stages of biotech development.

A physician by training, Amit has built his career across large pharma and early stage biotech, including experience at Bristol Myers Squibb and Biogen, working on programmes ranging from rare disease to neurodegeneration. He is also a visible advocate for authenticity and inclusion within the life sciences industry.

In this episode, Amit covers:

• How BlueRock Therapeutics is translating the promise of cell therapy into real clinical trials for Parkinson’s disease, and why this moment is so significant for patients who have exhausted existing treatments (01:09)

• What it takes to balance bold scientific vision with realism, credibility, and execution when leading clinical programmes at a pivotal stage (03:29)

• The real differences between CEO and CMO roles, why leadership is not about hierarchy, and how self-awareness shapes long-term career impact (04:58)

• Why authenticity, diversity of thought, and culture consistently separate successful biotechs from those that struggle, more than metrics alone (06:37)

• Lessons from a career spanning programmes such as Plavix and Spinraza at Biogen, and what physician scientists should consider when transitioning into industry roles (12:00)

If you want to understand how science, leadership, and empathy come together to shape medicines that can truly change lives, this is an episode worth your time.

Check out the full conversation and hear directly from one of the industry’s most thoughtful clinical leaders.

Follow ARTO: https://linktr.ee/arto_talent

Amit Rakhit
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amit-rakhit/

Lawrence Rose
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencerose/

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and background
01:09 Cell therapy and BlueRock Therapeutics’ mission
03:29 Leadership, credibility, and execution
04:58 CEO vs CMO roles in biotech
06:37 Authenticity, inclusion, and culture
09:24 What separates successful biotechs
12:00 Physician scientists transitioning into industry
18:34 Career-defining moments and resilience
22:38 The future of cell therapy and emerging modalities
24:32 AI in drug discovery and clinical development
26:26 Closing thoughts and where to connect

#LeadingBeyondTheLab #ARTOTalent #CellTherapy #BiotechLeadership #RegenerativeMedicine #LifeSciences #ClinicalDevelopment
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What does it really take to back and build world-class biotech companies from idea to FDA approval?

This week on Leading Beyond the Lab, Lawrence Rose sat down with Jonathan Tobin, Partner at Brandon Capital, to explore what truly drives success in life-science venture capital.

With over 20 years' experience spanning biotech investment, company creation, board leadership, and early-stage venture building, Jonathan has played a key role in building and scaling biotech companies across Europe, Australia and the US.

In this episode Jonathan covers:
- How Brandon Capital was co-founded in Australia by Chris Nave and Stephen Thompson, who grew it into a globally respected life sciences VC firm spanning company creation, long-term funding, and expansion in the US and UK.

- Jonathan reflects on how Brandon Capital has helped shape the Australian biotech ecosystem over the last almost 2 decades.

- Investments like AstronauTx, AdvanCell, Myricx Bio, and the stories from the frontline, including strategic pivots, tough decisions, successful exits, and the high-conviction bets that shaped portfolio outcomes.

- Practical, investor-led advice for founders raising venture capital; covering readiness, storytelling, common mistakes, and how to stand out in competitive funding rounds.

- How CatalYm has progressed deep into the clinic, and why Brandon Capital has supported the company through multiple funding rounds.

- Jonathan’s outlook on the future of biotech, from neuroscience and radiopharmaceuticals, to overlooked white-space opportunities shaping the next innovation cycle.

Be sure to check out the full episode of Leading Beyond the Lab, and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share with anyone building in biotech.

To listen to (or watch) the full episode, search "Leading Beyond The Lab Jonathan Tobin" on your preferred streaming platform.
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