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:For any comments, questions, feedback or suggestions you can connect directly with Surani Fernando on LinkedIn or email: [email protected]Music composed by: Yrii Semchyshyn (Coma Media) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.