27. Microbiome Medicines at Scale: MRM Health’s Mission to Redefine Immune-Mediated Disease

27. Microbiome Medicines at Scale: MRM Health’s Mission to Redefine Immune-Mediated Disease

In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, Mike Ward talks to Dr Sam Possemiers, founder and CEO of Belgium-based MRM Health, about what it really takes to turn the human gut microbiome into a bona fide drug modality. They trace the arc from crude faecal microbiota transplants and limited single-strain probiotics to rationally designed consortia of commensal bacteria that function as a single, scalable therapeutic product.  Moreover, Possemiers explains how MRM Health’s Coral platform starts with patient-derived microbiome data, selects and “team-builds” core strains, and then does what has stumped many peers: manufactures an entire consortium, up to 30 strains, as one GMP-compliant drug substance in a single fermentation run. The conversation dives into lead candidate MH002, which combines six strains to restore microbial functions, reinforce barrier integrity and modulate immune pathways in ulcerative colitis and pouchitis, with early clinical data showing remission signals, microbiome recovery and a clean safety profile.  The conversation also explores the fast-track FDA-backed Starfish UC Phase 2b trial, an orphan-disease strategy in pouchitis, and pipeline programmes in immuno-oncology and broader inflammatory indications where microbiome modulation could boost checkpoint inhibitor responses or address disease root causes.  ● Feedback [https://biobizbuzz.com/contact/] ● Subscribe [https://biobizbuzz.com/subscribe/] (Get notified when new episodes are available. NO marketing!) ● Disclaimer [https://biobizbuzz.com/disclaimer/]  ● LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/biobizbuzz/]

26. Induced Proximity 2.0: How Proxygen Is Rewiring Targeted Protein Degradation for the Clinic

Targeted protein degradation has moved from elegant academic concept to one of the most closely watched frontiers in oncology, promising to drug the 80% of disease‑driving proteins that traditional inhibitors and even ADCs still struggle to reach. In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, host Mike Ward sits down with Proxygen founder and scientific advisor Georg Winter and CSO Chiara Conti to unpack how induced proximity, molecular glue degraders and ligase choice are reshaping the precision oncology toolbox. Georg explains why molecular glue degraders, rather than classic PROTACs, are at the centre of Proxygen’s strategy, highlighting their smaller size, oral and CNS potential, and ability to exploit “physiological” ligases to boost potency without paying the usual toxicity price. Chiara shares how Proxygen has used a ligase‑agnostic, AI‑enabled discovery engine to build a capital‑efficient platform, move beyond the “usual suspect” ligases, and select its first two oncology development candidates, including programmes designed with brain metastases and differentiation versus inhibitors in mind. Together, they explore induced proximity beyond degradation, from using surface proteins as flags to recruit alternative effectors, to rethinking how AI, molecular dynamics and focused glue libraries can accelerate discovery in this three‑body problem. Along the way, Georg and Chiara reflect on the company’s unconventional funding path, the cultural balance between academic rigour and development speed, and what success will look like five years from now as Proxygen and its partners work to bring this next wave of cancer therapies into the clinic. ● Feedback [https://biobizbuzz.com/contact/] ● Subscribe [https://biobizbuzz.com/subscribe/] (Get notified when new episodes are available. NO marketing!) ● Disclaimer [https://biobizbuzz.com/disclaimer/]  ● LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/biobizbuzz/]

25. Europe Doesn’t Need Boston Anymore: Inside Gilead’s $5B Tubulis Bet

For years, the narrative was simple: if you wanted a multibillion-dollar biotech outcome, you built in Boston or the Bay Area. Gilead’s up to $5 billion acquisition of Munich-based Tubulis just blew that up.  In this episode, Mike Ward and Andera Partners’ Sofia Ioannidou go inside one of Europe’s most important biotech exits to unpack what really drove the deal, and why it wasn’t just about a single ADC asset, but a platform Gilead believes can keep delivering. They dig into the mechanics behind getting “transaction-ready,” the discipline required to turn early clinical data into strategic leverage, and why most companies won’t, and shouldn’t, command Tubulis-level valuations.  Plus: what this means for Munich as an emerging ADC hub, how investors are recalibrating expectations in a tougher funding market, and the uncomfortable truth for founders chasing billion-dollar exits.  If you still think geography determines outcome in biotech, this conversation will challenge that assumption. ● Feedback [https://biobizbuzz.com/contact/] ● Subscribe [https://biobizbuzz.com/subscribe/] (Get notified when new episodes are available. NO marketing!) ● Disclaimer [https://biobizbuzz.com/disclaimer/]  ● LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/biobizbuzz/]

24. AL-S Pharma prepping a phase 3 trial of AP-101 in ALS

Progress in developing safe and effective therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been painfully slow. It is caused by the death of motor neurons in the central nervous system and the spinal cord, which leads to a loss of control over voluntary muscle movement, near-total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis. Most patients have what is called sporadic ALS, which has no obvious cause, but about 10% of cases arise from a genetic mutation – upwards of 40 genes have been implicated, which points to the extraordinary complexity of this condition. The heterogeneity of ALS, its biological complexity and the lack of a disease-specific biomarker have all hampered progress in tackling this disease. It still takes about a year to reach a diagnosis.  Just three drugs have been approved so far. The industry pipeline is highly diverse, reflecting the diversity and complexity of the condition. The Swiss firm AL-S Pharma is one of the few firms that has reported promising clinical data. Late last year, it reported that its human antibody AP-101, which binds and clears toxic, misfolded forms of the enzyme superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), improved survival and delayed the need for ventilatory support in patients with familial ALS and in patients with SOD1-mutated ALS. It has now reported additional evidence linking these efficacy signals with effects on two general biomarkers of neuronal damage, serum neurofilament light chain and phosphorylated cerebrospinal neurofilament heavy chain. Angela Genge, chief medical officer at AL-S Pharma, who is also director of the ALS Center of Excellence and Patient Care at the Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, discussed these findings with host Cormac Sheridan and outlined the company’s plans for an upcoming phase 3 trial of AP-101. The study will employ an innovative patient stratification strategy, which could help it to identify a subset of patients who may be most likely to respond to the investigational drug. ● Feedback [https://biobizbuzz.com/contact/] ● Subscribe [https://biobizbuzz.com/subscribe/] (Get notified when new episodes are available. NO marketing!) ● Disclaimer [https://biobizbuzz.com/disclaimer/]  ● LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/biobizbuzz/]

23. Thalia’s Big Bet on Gene Silencing: Once‑Yearly RNA to Tackle Hidden Cardiac Risk

What if an annual self-injection could silence your hidden cardiac risk instead of just lowering your LDL? In this episode of BioBiz Buzz, Mike Ward sits down with David Solomon, CEO of Thalia Therapeutics, to unpack how a once-yearly RNA gene-silencing therapy targeting both lipoprotein(a) and PCSK9 could finally tackle the stubborn burden of coronary artery disease, stroke and cardiac arrest that persists despite widespread statin use.  You’ll hear how Thalia is exploiting patent white space around dual-target constructs, why evolution turned Lp(a) from a survival mechanism into a modern liability, and how growing regulatory comfort with siRNA could allow a fast jump from non-human primate data into pivotal trials.  Solomon also lays out his playbook for turning a rebranded AIM-listed micro-cap into Europe’s RNA therapeutics champion, from pipeline building and delivery innovation to early big pharma partnerships and a potential future tilt at NASDAQ. ● Feedback [https://biobizbuzz.com/contact/] ● Subscribe [https://biobizbuzz.com/subscribe/] (Get notified when new episodes are available. NO marketing!) ● Disclaimer [https://biobizbuzz.com/disclaimer/]  ● LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/biobizbuzz/]