“You can learn, pivot, and adjust while the trial is ongoing and as a result of that, you probably end up with using approximately a third of the patients vs. a more traditional approach in executing a cancer clinical study.“
In this episode, I spoke with Gertjan Bartlema, the CEO of Immodulon and Populus. Over 20 years in big pharma at Celgene/Amgen and then moved into the fast pace world of biotech. From here, he has been challenging the status quo and asking the question “Is our current drug development approaches sustainable?”. Gertjan highlights the need for better clinical trial designs and the importance of making objective decisions based on data. He also offers valuable insights for aspiring executives on leadership and team dynamics.
Here's what you're in:
- Why does Gertjan believe sequential and traditional drug Development can kill innovation within Drug Development?.
- Abraxane - how a course correction saved a pivotal trial?
- Clinical Trial Innovation vs. Drug Design Innovation - Gertjan and Immodulon approaches to their Pancreatic Cancer Trial Design
- Leadership and Culture Innovation - Driving change through creating the right culture and communication.
- What advice does Gertjan give to those wanting to become a CEO?
Timestamps:
02:53 The Abraxane Course Correction
06:03 Gertjan’s Journey into Life Sciences
10:40 Leaving Celgene and New Ventures
15:50 Bayesian Statistics in Clinical Studies
19:27 Mistakes Companies Are Still Making Today
25:38 The Ambitious People
35:46 Advice for Aspiring Executives
Full Episodes
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5BnJ9caa9RXOYSPF6Nc1qX?si=3b18236517954582
- Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gertjan-bartlema-co-founder-populus-bio-and-ceo/id1736051162?i=1000683201349
About Gertjan
- Gertjan Bartlemais co-founder of Populus Bio and current CEO of Immodulon Therapeutics which is running cancer trials focusing on a broad spectrum immunomodulator.
- He is a global biotech executive with extensive experience in EU and US operational roles and he is a member of founding Celgene EMEA management establishing EU footprint and launching Revlimid.
- Prior to joining Immodulon, he was the Chief Business Officer of Vico Therapeutics, and spent 12 years with Celgene, where he led the trial of Revlimid.
- Gertjan holds MSc in Economics from Maastricht University.
Connect with Gertjan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gertjan-bartlema/
About Populus Bio
- Populus Bio is a biotechnology company focused on accelerating the development of therapies for patients with debilitating diseases.
- The company aims to transform promising scientific discoveries into accessible treatments, prioritizing projects that have a clear path to commercialization.
- Populus Bio seeks to address the gap in biotech entrepreneurship, which often hinders the translation of science into effective treatments.
- The company emphasizes a relentless focus on execution, asking critical questions early in the project lifecycle to mitigate risks and ensure successful outcomes
Populus Bio: https://populusbio.com/
About Immodulon Therapeutics
- Immodulon Therapeutics is a private, clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing innovative cancer immunotherapies.
- Focused on treating cancers considered immunologically "cold," such as pancreatic cancer.
- Lead drug candidate is IMM-101, a broad-spectrum immunomodulator.
- IMM-101 is made from heat-killed Mycobacterium obuense, designed to prime and boost the patient's innate immune system.
- Collaborating with organizations like Precision-Panc and the Champalimaud Foundation to further develop IMM-101.
Immodulon Therapeutics: https://www.immodulon.com/
About me
My name is Charles Spence and I lead Discera. After many years working in the life-science recruitment world, I decided to work for myself. Before doing recruitment I graduated with a biomedical degree, have worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent a year working in diabetes research in Stockholm. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.
In 2023, I decided to launch his firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the biggest talent needs of early clinical stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.
Connect with me:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/
Website: https://www.discera-search.com/
