Would you have the guts to pitch directly to the customer to sell your idea?You need to be prepared to hear no a lot, and learn from the experience to adapt for the next time, to get the yes you need.This was the reality faced by my guest in this episode, Ruchi Sharma, CEO & Founder of Stemnovate Limited. She used that customer-first approach and eventually got the funding needed to start her company that focuses on stem cell research.Ruchi’s work at Stemonovate creates a unique platform for targeted drug development. Through this work she has been able to reduce animal testing and improve experimental outcomes. Her latest focus is on developing treatments that can support children with the most challenging of medical conditions.Ruchi shares her reasons for leaving academia to focus on entrepreneurship and the challenges she faced to get there. She also talks about her upbringing in India and what started her passion for science.“I started pitching to pharmaceutical companies on my own” – Ruchi SharmaYou’ll hear about:01:01 - An introduction to Stemnovate02:25 - Ruchi's life in India05:24 - Why are stem cells important in medicine?11:20 - Ruchi's experience at Cambridge12:45 - Why and how Ruchi was called by entrepreneurship20:08 - Why Ruchi had to bootstrap her work29:23 - The evolution of our genome30:48 - Picking commercial winners37:28 - Ethics and the challenges of stem cells40:03 - What's next for Stemnovate?Follow Ruchi:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruchi-sharma-b6aba018/ Stemnovate - https://stemnovate.co.uk/ Connect with Me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/ Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/ Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/

It is a guilty secret that the pharma and biotech industry has a big carbon footprint. Single-use plastics are a huge problem. Sensitive experiments need clean, sterile labware. This has often meant using virgin plastic with little or no recycling or reuse.  Innovative approaches are needed to reduce plastic consumption in the lab.How bad is bad? On average, cell biologists produce several kg of plastic waste, each, per day. These include pipettes, plastic trays for cell growth, various wrappers, membranes, packaging, etc. Formats and workflows have changed, as some tasks have been automated for robots, but the plastic products used in those processes haven't changed much in decades. The world can't keep making and incinerating single-use plastics, even for medical research. In this episode I am joined by someone who is looking for a better way, Dr Joel Eichmann, CEO and co-founder of Green Elephant Biotech. How can cell growth yields be improved by better growth vessel design, so that you can grow more cells with less plastic? How can fossil fuel use be minimised by using plant-derived plastics for the labware? Can we combine those approaches for a double win?How to turn these technical ideas into a growing, sustainable business that provides meaningful jobs and profits?We discuss all these challenges and more. “We can generate a carbon footprint reduction of about 90%” – Joel EichmannYou’ll hear about:01:56 – How Joel got to where he is today03:59 – The core question Joel was asking06:17 – Figuring out how to do things differently10:28 – Getting from the idea to the company16:06 – The benefits of using plant based materials24:31 – The traction Joel is getting with scientists28:09 – The life cycle of the products30:43 – The next stage of the businessFollow Joel:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-eichmann/ Green Elephant Biotech - https://www.greenelephantbiotech.com/ Connect with Me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/ Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/ Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/

Imagine being able to internalise the pharmaceutical factory into the human.You could avoid the contamination risks and need for purification in biologic production.In this episode I am joined by Dr James Dooley who is doing just this with his work at Aila Biotech. James and his team developed technology to drive the production of immune-regulating biologics at the exact site of disease. Through precise spatial and temporal control over biologic expression, Aila Biotech can prevent neuroinflammatory damage in brain injury.James discusses his journey into science and how this work began. As well as the challenges that come with having to focus on the business, not just the science. He also reflects on what he might do differently if he were to start again. “We really think we can have a dramatic effect on people's quality of life long term” – James DooleyYou’ll hear about:01:50 – James’ journey into science06:52 – James on drug delivery by adeno associated viruses13:26 - What's the specificity of infection?19:38 - Is there an invisible downside?23:32 – James on the challenges of focusing on the business28:47 – Will James be taking the therapy into the clinic?36:25 – Would James do anything differently next time?Follow James:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-dooley-96b4a62a/ Aila Biotech - https://www.ailabiotech.com/ Connect with Me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/ Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/ Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/

The global population is getting older and with that comes more disease.What if we could delay ageing as a way of treating those diseases?My guest in this episode is Janette Thomas, CEO of Five Alarm Bio Ltd., a drug discovery company focusing on novel approaches to anti-aging, with broad potential therapeutic applications.She discusses the applications of this approach and where the idea came from. She also shares how they put together the information to secure investors and the art of patenting the right drugs.Janette also gives insight into the challenges still facing the scientific industry in overcoming not just gender bias but inclusivity overall. She also suggests ways to encourage more women into STEM subjects.“Make sure that you challenge people when they haven't included others” - Janette ThomasYou’ll hear about:1:10 – Janette’s inspiration to become a scientist08:40 - Gender bias in science and academia13:16 – Janette’s experiences in the Pharmaceutical industry17:26 – Why you need effective communication21:58 – Where the idea for Five Alarm Bio came from26:23 – Janette’s work on chronic wounds29:43 – Carving out your square of the universe32:36 – Working with CROs38:23 – Janette on managing her mental healthFollow Janette:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/janette-thomas-50a3766/ Five Alarm Bio Ltd. on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/five-alarm-bio-limited/ Five Alarm Bio website - http://www.fivealarm.bio/ Connect with Me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/ Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/ Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/

Imagine having to climb a mountain every day just to get to school. This was the childhood of my guest George Adjabeng.George Adjabeng grew up in Ghana, the son of subsistence farmers. He excelled at chemistry in school and college, and emigrated to the USA to pursue a pharmaceutical career before turning entrepreneur. His successful company Ecodyst is now giving back to Ghana by donating equipment to universities there.In this episode George shares his experiences from that life on the farm to building his own company. He discusses his lightbulb moment that created Ecodyst and how he bootstrapped and got to market quickly and the challenges he faced.George has revolutionised the way people use chemistry labs but has done so in his own way that stands out and brings a sense of nature into the lab environment.Listen in to find out how. “I grew up with no electricity or water.” - George You’ll hear about: 01:03 - George’s early life in Ghana03:42 - From Ghana to Canada to US pharma industry 08:59 – George’s career in the pharmaceutical industry16:36 – George’s innovative idea for Ecodyst20:12 - Overcoming funding and technical challenges25:13 - Bootstrapping a business with limited resources28:15 – How George has revolutionizing lab equipment34:03 - Drug discovery technology and global growth Follow George:George’s The Inspiring Story - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/from-subsistence-farming-global-impact-inspiring/ George’s research - https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/George-M-Adjabeng-15755137  Connect with Me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/ Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/ Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/

What is the future of DNA and gene synthesis?Before the covid pandemic, nucleic acids were mostly research tools. Terms like mRNA vaccines (nucleic acids as clinical agents) were relatively unknown. But since then, RNA and DNA have been thrust into the limelight for both the public and investors alike. How will the field evolve?My guest in this episode, Steve Harvey, is working at the forefront of DNA synthesis, so who better to talk us through its evolution and future.Steve is the CEO of Camena Bioscience, where they focus on improving DNA and gene synthesis. This enables biotechnologists to use more accurate and pure starting points, so their results aren’t held back by limited tools.In this episode Steve discusses his career in laboratory research and the biotech space, from manual experiments in a classical wet lab environment through to the evolution of artificial intelligence. He also talks about the quality challenges faced within DNA and gene synthesis, and how Camena Bio addresses those. Steve is just as committed to his people as to his science. He discusses the challenge of scaling a biotech company while keeping that all important dynamic and accountable culture.You’ll hear about:00:56 - Biotechnology and DNA-based therapies07:29 – How AI is changing drug discoveries12:26 – Steve’s biotech experiences 15:09 - DNA sequencing advancements and challenges20:50 – The problems with storing digital information in DNA29:47 – The evolution of DNA synthesis technology 33:56 - Company culture and growth strategies38:57 - Scaling a biotech company with a dynamic cultureFollow Steve:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-harvey-camenabio/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/camenabio Camena Bioscience - https://www.camenabio.com/ Connect with Me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/ Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/ Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/

What are the biggest challenges facing scientific innovation?The path from science ideation to business execution is not an easy one. You will eventually need to translate great ideas into well-positioned products or services, and bring investment into the business from what can be a complex ecosystem of stakeholders.Knowing how to overcome these challenges is key to any innovation’s success.In this episode I am joined by Dr Darrin Disley OBE. Darrin is a seasoned veteran of UK life sciences. He is currently CEO and investor in Mogrify Ltd, a pre-clinical stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of in vivo reprogramming therapies that address chronic diseases of ageing, using a systematic direct cell conversion and maintenance platform powered by big-data.Before Mogrify, Darrin was CEO of Horizon Discovery, a discovery tools specialist, growing the company very quickly from start-up to UK AIM-listed PLC . We discuss his career journey, from school in London’s East End through life as a semi-professional footballer to how he became a successful, multi award-winning entrepreneur. He also discusses the challenges faced in commercialising scientific innovation and how to grow a business in the biotech industry.This is a fascinating masterclass for any aspiring entrepreneur, or anyone with an unconventional start to their scientific career. Darrin proves that whatever your starting point, with application (and some good fortune along the way) you can achieve your dreams.You’ll hear about:01:30 – Darren’s nonlinear journey of self-discovery 05:07 – Darren’s life as a semi-pro footballer08:55 – Darren on being inspired by his teacher14:59 – From a PhD to entrepreneurship21:20 - Technology and drug discovery24:59 - Challenges in commercialising scientific innovation30:56 – Growth in the biotech industry41:13 - Building a successful biotech company48:42 – Challenges faced in public marketsFollow Darrin:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrinmdisley/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/DarrinMDisley Mogrify - https://mogrify.co.uk/ Connect with Me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/ Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/ Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/

Welcome to The Big Experiment, where we explore the scientific business world, and find out how great ideas turn into great companies.I'm Mark Davison CEO of Grant Instruments, a scientific insurance (instruments) company based in Cambridge, UK. But I'm also a veteran of pharmaceutical and biotech roles from drug discovery, right through to medicine supply chains.Amazing science impacts our lives every day, but lab breakthroughs are just the first stage in a very long journey, we're going to go behind the scenes to look at the real people who turn new discoveries into business.Their personal stories are just as fascinating as a (the) science. And each week, I'll be inviting some great guests to share their career and their world, their triumphs and their failures.If you're a scientific entrepreneur, we'll give you some tips and tools to help you grow your business and avoid the traps. If you just love science and want to know more about how scientists and entrepreneurs work, you'll get plenty of human stories too.We'll be launching on Monday, the 18th of March. And If you enjoy the episodes remember to like, comment, review, share with your network and subscribe.Connect with Me:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/ Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/ Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/