Start-up – forging your own path - Cancer Research UK

This episode of our deep dive into all things science entrepreneurship takes a look at the big moment… starting up your own company!

This entry is part 10 of 3 in the series Cancer Research Matters - series 2

Getting findings from discovery research in the lab to a tangible intervention can be daunting. This series aims to de-mystify the various routes you can take to translate your work… from the earliest steps to forming a start-up company or licencing your work.

You’ll meet technology-transfer experts, investors, patent attorneys, researchers – senior and early career – on their own translation journey and many more. Whether you want advice, other people’s translation tales or even a spot of inspiration… this series has something for you.

Episode 3

Start-up – forging your own path

There are trials and tribulations ahead, but honestly, could there be anything more exciting than grabbing the reigns of your own translation and driving it forward?

In this episode we get to grips with the specifics of forming a start-up company, we speak to some successful academic founders, figure out what you need to think about as you pull the trigger and form your own company and get some behind-the-scenes gems from a biotech investor.

Appearing in this episode:

Simon Boulton
Principal Group Leader, The Francis Crick Institute
Co-founder & VP Science Strategy, Artios Pharma Ltd
Chief Translation Advisor, Cancer Research UK

Simon’s lab has discovered new DNA repair genes and provided novel insights into cancer. In 2016, Simon helped to establish Artios Pharma Ltd where he functions as Vice President of Science Strategy alongside his academic roles at the Francis Crick Institute and Cancer Research UK. Artios are developing new treatments that target DNA repair pathway vulnerabilities to selectively kill cancer cells. Simon is also Chief Translation Advisor at Cancer Research UK, with the remit to guide translation and commercialisation of novel cancer therapeutics.

Phil Masterson
Associate Director, Ventures, Cancer Research Horizons

Phil leads a team focussed on the creation of innovative and transformative oncology ventures, from ideation to launch.

Professor Steven Pollard
Founder & CSO, Trogenix
Professor of Stem Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Edinburgh

Steve is Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Trogenix, a biotech uniting cutting-edge technologies in genomics, oncology, immunotherapy, and gene therapy to create a revolutionary therapeutic approach. His laboratory continues to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate stem cell identity and differentiation and how these operate in the context of human cancer. He is currently the Director of the CRUK Brain Cancer Centre of Excellence and Associate Director of the CRUK Scotland Centre.

Professor Sophia Karagiannis
Co-founder, Epsilogen
Professor of Translational Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, Kings Collage London

Sophia heads up a cancer antibody discovery team focused on dissecting the crosstalk between patient immune cells and cancer and on the design of novel agents for solid tumours such as melanoma, ovarian and breast cancers. She is also a founder of Epsilogen Ltd the first immuno-oncology company dedicated to developing IgE therapeutic agents for cancer.

Jonathan Tobin
Partner, Brandon Capital
Investor-in-residence, Cancer Research Horizons

Jonathan is a Partner with Brandon Capital where he heads the London office, and serves on the boards of Brandon portfolio companies Astronautx, Pheon Therapeutics, Myricx Bio, NRG Therapeutics, and Catalym. He has also helped to create several university spin-out companies.

Professor Ed Tate
GSK Chair in Chemical Biology, Imperial College London
Satellite Group Leader, Francis Crick Institute
Co-founder, Myricxbio

Ed runs a group whose research lies at the interface between organic chemistry, the life sciences and medicine, in the fields of chemical biology and chemical proteomics. He is also the co-founder of Myricxbio which is focused on discovering and developing a completely novel class of payloads for antibody drug conjugates, based on inhibitors of the enzymes, N-myristoyltransferases (NMT) for the treatment of cancer.