We put the questions to top biotech and pharma CEOs, discussing science, economics and leadership. If you have questions you want answered, don't forget to leave them in the comment section.
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Make us preferred on GooglePaula Brown Stafford argues that real differentiation now comes from pairing global operations with smart, disciplined innovation. “We're adding AI as a teammate, but we still need our team to have their own expertise to ask the right questions.”
At 4G Clinical, David Kelleher articulates a leadership philosophy built on precision, flexibility, and the belief that execution failures in trials carry real human consequences: “We will never mis-randomize, stock out, miss dose, or compromise the blind.”
DNAnexus is pushing precision medicine out of research silos to improve care delivery. As CEO Thomas Laur puts it, “The future isn’t moving data into one big bucket. It’s moving algorithms to federated data,” enabling distributed clinical decisions at scale.
As traditional drug discovery reaches its limits, Xaira is pushing toward a more predictive, AI-native model. CEO Marc Tessier-Lavigne says, “we’re turning this broken, artisanal endeavor into something much closer to an engineering discipline.”
“If we don’t detect cancer early and intervene, it’s very hard to talk about a cure.” Freenome is betting that data scale, commercial discipline, and blood-based screening can finally close oncology’s early-detection gap.
For these patients, cough isn’t just a symptom - it rules their day. Trevi Therapeutics is targeting triggers in the lung as well as cough’s neurological roots,” says CEO Jennifer Good.
Epigenetic silencing is emerging as one of biotech’s boldest bets, and nChroma Bio is racing to prove it in the clinic. ‘Functional cures have been elusive, but epigenetic silencers are uniquely suited to the biological challenge for hepatitis B patients,’ Jeff Walsh says.
Biology’s data problem isn’t scarcity, it’s structure. Genomenon is addressing it by converting millions of scientific papers into usable genomic intelligence. “If Google had gone to school to get a PhD in molecular biology, that's what Mastermind is,” says CEO Mike Klein.
BillionToOne’s CEO, Dr. Oguzhan Atay, argues that “we are approaching biological problems from physics-based principles,” a mindset driving the company’s rapid growth, long-term focus, and pursuit of ultra-sensitive cancer and prenatal testing.
As regulators, pharma, and researchers search for more predictive tools, Emulate, Inc’s CEO, Jim Corbett, argues that Organ-on-a-Chip technology is still early. “If this were a nine-inning baseball game, we’re in the first inning - but the direction is very clear.”
“We’re really on the precipice of moving the company into that next stage of maturity,” Dr. Mike Exton
Driven by the precision of viral biology, 4D Molecular Therapeutics is redefining gene therapy’s reach - scaling a once ultra-rare field into broad, sustainable markets.
“Over the past year, we have made tremendous progress…” Rick Modi says, as Affinia Therapeutics pushes its BAG3-DCM program toward first-in-human testing, aiming to prove that next-generation capsids can restore heart function at dramatically lower doses.
“We can regulate any gene, anywhere,” says CEO Dr. Amber Salzman, whose Epicrispr team is pioneering epigenetic editing - a precise, non-cutting approach - to transform neuromuscular disease treatment through durable, targeted control of gene activity.
With a median progression-free survival nearing four years in ROS1 lung cancer, Nuvation Bio’s breakthrough therapy signals a turning point for precision oncology - validating Dr. David Hung’s patient-first vision.
Backed by $70 million in Series A funding, Excellergy emerges from stealth with a mission to lead a new era in immunology - targeting the full IgE pathway to redefine how allergic diseases are treated.
London · 15–19 November 2026
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