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Can AI become a universal simulator of biology, helping predict disease, improve drug success rates, and reshape how medicine is developed?

This week on Leading Beyond The Lab, Lawrence Rose sat down with Jean-Philippe Vert, Co-Founder and CEO of Bioptimus, with decades of experience spanning artificial intelligence, computational biology, academia and big tech, including leadership roles at Google, and work influenced by breakthroughs such as DeepMind’s AlphaFold.

In this episode, Jean-Philippe covers:

• Why Bioptimus is focused on understanding patient biology, not simply designing molecules, and why that could change drug development.

• How AI-powered decision systems could improve translational research, clinical trial design, patient recruitment and disease prediction.

• Why Jean-Philippe left Google to build Bioptimus, and why foundation models for biology may represent a major shift in medicine.

• How partnerships across healthcare systems, pharma and research institutions are helping build the data infrastructure behind biological foundation models, with perspectives shaped alongside leaders including Sarah Teichmann (Professor at Cambridge University) and Caroline Uhler (Professor at MIT)

• What makes AI in biology defensible, from proprietary data partnerships and elite interdisciplinary teams, to support from investors including Edward Kliphuis (Sofinnova Partners), Bpifrance, Cathay Investments.

A thoughtful conversation on AI, biology, and the future of medicine. From lessons learned in big tech to what it takes to build enduring platforms in TechBio, this is a considered discussion for anyone interested in where scientific discovery is heading.

Be sure to check out the full episode.

Follow ARTO

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/artotalent

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0kEcRZOiJChOoN1KF2n1ng

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arto.talent

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@artotalent

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leading-beyond-the-lab/id1783115575

Website: https://arto-talent.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@artotalent

Jean-Philippe Vert

CEO at Bioptimus

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-philippe-vert/

Lawrence Rose

Talent Solutions Director at ARTO

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

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and vision for AI as a universal simulator of biology

01:41 Introducing Jean-Philippe Vert and @Bioptimus

02:27 What Bioptimus is doing differently in AI biology

07:46 AI decision systems and improving clinical development

12:52 Early disease detection and predictive healthcare

15:28 Why Jean-Philippe left @Google

19:21 Building and sourcing biological data at scale

22:19 Partnerships and foundation models

28:04 Lessons from big tech

33:23 Defensibility in AI biology

37:09 Building interdisciplinary teams and culture

39:28 AI in healthcare, hype versus infrastructure

41:20 What AI means for doctors

43:10 What may define lasting AI-biology companies

45:05 Challenges of building Bioptimus

48:13 Prioritisation and deciding where to focus

51:33 Mentorship, leadership and building teams

53:02 Communicating vision to boards and investors

55:33 What success looks like in ten years

#LeadingBeyondTheLab #ARTOTalent #TechBio #ArtificialIntelligence #DrugDiscovery #ComputationalBiology #PrecisionMedicine

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to build not just one billion-dollar company, but seven and start again after losing it all? In this episode, Robert Wessman shares the mindset, discipline and foresight behind building one of the world’s most ambitious biosimilars platforms.

This week on Leading Beyond The Lab, Lawrence Rose sat down with Robert Wessman, Founder and Executive Chairman, with over 25 years of experience spanning global pharmaceuticals, generics, biosimilars and serial entrepreneurship.

In this episode, Robert Wessman covers:

(01:12) Why biologics dominate the future of pharmaceuticals and the urgent need to expand access through biosimilars, with treatment costs reaching up to $100,000 per patient annually

(04:10) Building seven companies including six unicorns, and scaling a global generics business across 80+ countries with over 16,500 employees

(12:32) The seven-pillar framework behind building high-performance culture, including vision setting, team alignment and execution discipline

(18:14) The importance of timing in biotech, and how starting too early or too late in biosimilars can determine success or failure

(38:16) Strategic foresight in action, from anticipating regulatory changes to building one of the largest biosimilars pipelines with over 30 products

This conversation offers a clear, experience-backed perspective on scaling in life sciences, building resilient organisations and making high-impact decisions in complex markets. If you are working in biotech, pharma or leadership, this episode provides practical insights worth applying.

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

Website: https://arto-talent.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@life_sciences

Robert Wessman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-wessman/

Lawrence Rose

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

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:46 The global cost challenge of biologics

01:12 Market dynamics and future of biosimilars

03:11 Origins of building multiple pharma companies

04:10 Scaling Actavis into a global leader

05:22 Repeatable frameworks for building companies

06:53 Execution, culture and operational excellence

10:01 Building Alvotech in Iceland

11:10 Hiring globally and building culture

12:32 The seven pillars of high-performance culture

15:28 Execution and accountability at scale

17:03 Scaling rapidly while maintaining culture

18:14 Timing the biosimilars market

19:27 Fundraising and early-stage selling

22:07 Building partnerships and licensing strategy

24:21 Manufacturing strategy and infrastructure

25:49 Business development and commercial model

27:11 Building global supply chains

28:23 Transitioning leadership roles

30:29 Evolution of CEO skillsets

32:03 AI and the future of work in pharma

34:03 Hiring for high-performance teams

36:33 Managing risk and operational challenges

37:07 Reducing development costs through foresight

38:16 Scaling pipeline strategy

40:25 Patent challenges and market barriers

42:19 Anticipating market shifts in biologics

44:11 Navigating setbacks and industry challenges

45:26 Market dynamics and global pricing pressures

47:08 Why Iceland as a strategic base

50:47 Attracting global talent to Iceland

53:09 Capital markets and disciplined growth

54:40 Risks of overfunding

55:04 Personal story and adversity

58:19 Near-death cycling accident

01:00:30 Recovery and resilience

01:05:55 Impact on mindset and life perspective

#LeadingBeyondTheLab #ARTOTalent #Biotech #Pharmaceuticals #Biosimilars #LifeSciences #Leadership

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI is beginning to uncover medicines that humans alone could never design.

This week on another episode of Leading Beyond the Lab, we host James Field, CEO and Founder of LabGenius Therapeutics, a company pioneering the use of machine learning, robotics, and synthetic biology to engineer the next generation of therapeutic antibodies.

With over a decade of experience spanning AI-driven drug discovery, protein engineering, and synthetic biology, James founded LabGenius Therapeutics to rethink how biologic medicines are discovered.

In this episode, James discusses:

- The founding story of LabGenius Therapeutics and how its AI-guided experimentation platform is transforming antibody engineering.

- The companies backing by leading investors including Kindred Capital (Leila Zegna), Lux Capital, Obvious Ventures, M Ventures, and Octopus Ventures, and is guided by industry leaders such as Edwin Moses, the company’s Chairman and a veteran biotech executive.

- LabGenius Therapeutics' collaboration with Sanofi, and how partnerships between biotech startups and global pharma companies are helping translate AI-designed antibodies into real therapeutic pipelines.

- The importance of global scientific conferences such as European Society for Medical Oncology, where breakthroughs in oncology and biologics are shaping the future of therapeutic development.

- The mentors and inspirations that shaped his journey into biotech, from his university lecturers at Imperial College London to industry leaders like Edwin Moses, who now serves as Chairman of LabGenius Therapeutics and has played a key role in guiding the company’s growth.

If you're interested in AI-driven drug discovery, biotech entrepreneurship, and the future of medicine, this episode is one you won’t want to miss.

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

Website: https://arto-talent.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@artotalent

Dr. James Field

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-field-7518a05b/

Lawrence Rose

Co-Founder + Talent Solutions Director At ARTO

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

Timestamps:

02:40 Rewriting the Rules of Drug Discovery

16:21 Scaling Innovation

37:29 AI, Motivation & Purpose

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.