May 31, 2022 | From the Trenches

The Courage of Patients in Phase 1 Cancer Trials

I had the opportunity to witness true courage as I met Chrissy Harding several times before she passed away from advanced lung cancer. Diagnosed in 2016, Chrissy started her treatment journey by following conventional lung cancer regimens available at the time. When she stopped responding to standard therapy, and her cancer progressed, her doctors recommended she try a clinical trial. When she passed away in the summer of 2021, she was in her third early-stage clinical trial. Like Chrissy, many people with end-stage cancer often run out of options with approved treatments and may turn to Phase 1 clinical trials to test potential new cancer treatments. We know this decision takes tremendous courage and we are inspired by them.

By René Russo, CEO of Xilio Therapeutics, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC

May 18, 2022 | From the Trenches

Out On The (Cutting) Edge: How The Tools Of Extreme Survival Can Help Build A Biotech Company

A couple of years ago, my husband returned from a business trip with a random gift for me. He was running through an airport giftshop when something caught his eye: a book with the title “Deep Survival.” I raised an eyebrow as he handed it to me. I am not exactly an adventure sports type. I admire the exploits of people like biotech-journalist-turned-mountain-climber Luke Timmerman, but I do so from a distance and generally try to avoid putting myself in situations associated with mortal danger.

By Aoife Brennan, CEO of Synlogic, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC

April 22, 2022 | From the Trenches

Navigating Change: Observations from the Talent side of Professional Change

Like many of you, I’m a consumer of biotech industry news. Multiple times of day I scour BioCentury, STAT, Endpoints, Fierce Biotech and LinkedIn to track the scientific landscape, company events, and people updates. During the height of the pandemic, these information sources fueled my confidence that vaccines were on the horizon and that our industry – biotech, pharma, and venture – was all the more pivotal. The 2020-21 news put a spotlight on the speed of innovation, the acceleration of company creation, and the ever-tightening competition for talent. It felt like an endless positive-loop of progress and hope and served as a fantastic motivation for my role as Talent Head at Atlas Venture. Despite the difficult life changes the pandemic created (quarantining, social distancing, remote work), the biotech industry raced forward with possibility, and the demand for talent created limitless opportunity for upward professional change.

By Andrea DiMella, VP and Head of Talent at Atlas Venture, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC

April 7, 2022 | From the Trenches

Take the Hors D’oeuvres When They’re Passed And Other Life Lessons From An “Old” CEO

Our company recently launched out of stealth with a trade media campaign in the usual outlets, which felt great until one article title included an unfortunate grammatical error.

By Natalie Holles, CEO of Third Harmonic Bio, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC.

April 5, 2022 | In the News

To spend less on health care, invest more in medicines

The conventional wisdom that we need to reduce spending on prescription drugs is all wrong. In an ideal health care system, we’d spend more on drugs, not less.