🧬Neela Patel - Bonum Therapeutics - Part 2 | Leading an Academic Microbiology Lab | The Value of Personal Relationships in the Workplace | Leading a Team & Learning on the Job | The Volatility of an Acquisition
October 24, 2024
Part 2 of 4:
Jon Chee hosts our latest guest, Neela Patel, Chief Business Officer at Bonum Therapeutics who are developing protein therapeutics to be used to treat a wide range of diseases. Neela is a seasoned scientist and business development executive with over 30 years of leadership experience in drug discovery and development.
Before her time at Bonum Therapeutics Neela worked as the CBO at Good Therapeutics, a biotech company that develops cutting edge protein-based drugs. Her impressive career also includes pivotal roles at Seattle Genetics, AbbVie, Abbott, and Genentech. Her extensive experience as both a scientist and business person give her unique insights you won’t want to miss.
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Jon Chee hosts our latest guest, Neela Patel, Chief Business Officer at Bonum Therapeutics who are developing protein therapeutics to be used to treat a wide range of diseases. Neela is a seasoned scientist and business development executive with over 30 years of leadership experience in drug discovery and development.
Before her time at Bonum Therapeutics Neela worked as the CBO at Good Therapeutics, a biotech company that develops cutting edge protein-based drugs. Her impressive career also includes pivotal roles at Seattle Genetics, AbbVie, Abbott, and Genentech. Her extensive experience as both a scientist and business person give her unique insights you won’t want to miss.
Join us this week to hear about:
- Choosing Roche to help make small molecule drugs
- Reflecting on first major management role
- The communication required to work as an advisor to biotech companies
- Working for SUGEN but getting a different job than the one she applied for
- Dealing with the volatility of an acquisition
Please enjoy Jon’s conversation with Neela Patel!
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Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
Roche: https://www.roche.com/
Osteoporosis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteoporosis
SUGEN-Pfizer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SUGEN
Pharmacia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacia
Pfizer and Pharmacia Merger https://www.pfizer.com/about/history/pfizer_pharmacia
How to Get Funding for Lab Research: https://www.excedr.com/blog/how-to-get-funding-for-lab-research
Microbiology Lab Equipment & Instruments List: https://www.excedr.com/blog/microbiology-lab-equipment-list-to-open-your-new-lab
Biotech Startup Support: https://www.excedr.com/resources-category/biotech-startup-support
Timestamps:
00:28 Intro
01:52 Choosing Roche because of its pedigree and ability to make small molecule drugs
03:34 Leading an academic microbiology lab and learning to work in that environment
06:46 Neela asking people for 45 minutes of their time to teach her.what she doesn’t know
10:22 Reflecting on her first major management role and some lessons she learned
12:53 Working as an adviser to cerebral biotech companies requires great communication
14:39 The value of getting to know your professional colleagues on a personal level
15:53 Transitioning to SUGEN (Pfizer) but getting a different job than the one she applied for
18:41 Being made team lead and having to quickly learn all about the product
22:02 The benefits of sales and why the negative stereotypes aren’t always right
24:01 What lead to changes in how companies view and treat their acquisitions
27:17 How pharma companies view the value of acquired companies technology
30:58 Dealing with the volatility of an acquisition and the value of past experiences
32:41 Looking back at her time at SUGEN and her accomplishments there
37:19 Outro
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