In the first episode of Raising Biotech, Surani speaks with CEO and co-founder Jason Park of Empress Therapeutics, a Flagship Pioneering company that was unveiled in June 2023 with a $50 million financing. Surani speaks to Jason about his journey to co-founding Empress and the ideas behind Empress' scientific thesis of looking for small molecule drug leads "within the human body." He also talks about how the company is deciding which of its 15 drugs candidates to take into the clinic while it also talks to potential development partners. Jim Collins, Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering & Science and Professor of Biological Engineering at MIT, gives his take on Empress' unique technology, its use of AI in a different way to competitors, and its advantageous position to discover drugs "faster, better and cheaper." Dr Leon Henderson-MacLennan, medical advisor and co-founder of consultancy firm, InThought also gives his views on the various targets that Empress' compounds are hitting and where the company could add value amidst the current treatment paradigm of small molecules and biologics. Jason and expert guests also weigh-in on questions around the platform's potential to treat Alzheimer's disease and other neurological indications given current problems penetrating the blood brain barrier with biologics. All three guests also discuss the potential impact of the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on incentives for small molecule development. Timestamps: 00:55 - Jason gives Empress' elevator pitch on the Chemilogics platform 03:20 - Rewinding the clock to Jason's back story 04:28 - The business model of VC firm Flagship Pioneering 05:33 - What sparked the idea for Empress' scientific thesis 08:05 - 2017 up to present - datasets to 15 drug leads 09:35 - Jim (MIT) gives his take on Empress' platform 11:50 - Can Empress' thesis impact the clinical trial path and timelines? 14:03 - Which indications and therapeutic areas are on the table? 15:55 - Leon (InThought) speaks on drug targets enzymes, cytokines, GCPR and ion channels 21:06 - Potential for Alzheimer's disease with blood brain barrier penetration 22:53 - Impact of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on small molecule developers 25:44 - Empress' future steps to prioritize drug candidates and partnership talks 28:11 - Future visions for the company For any comments, questions, feedback or suggestions you can connect directly with Surani Fernando on LinkedIn or email: raisingbiotech@gmail.com Music composed by: Yrii Semchyshyn (Coma Media) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.