The Chain: Protein Engineering Podcast
The Chain: Protein Engineering Podcast
Cambridge Healthtech Institute
The Chain explores the lives, careers, research, and discoveries of protein engineers and scientists, the impact their work is having on the field, and where the industry is headed. Tune in to stay up-to-date on the newest advancements and to hear the stories that are impacting the world of biologics.
Episode: 87 - Jack Elands on How Novel ADC Payloads Could Improve Cancer Care
July 14, 2026 | Most ADCs today lean on the same Topo-1 payloads—and resistance is catching up. Jack Elands, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Adcytherix, speaks with host Rakesh Dixit, Ph.D. about what “next-generation ADCs” should mean if we care about patients, not just pipeline counts. Their conversation gets specific about where differentiation comes from: novel payloads with new mechanisms of action, better therapeutic index choices, and smarter design decisions that reduce the toxicities that ...
Jul 14
45 min
Episode: 86 - PANEL DISCUSSION: Near-Term Challenges for ML/AI in Biotherapeutic R&D
At this year’s PEGS Boston, industry experts gathered on a panel to explore how AI and machine learning are deployed in biologics R&D today. Moderated by Peter M. Tessier, Ph.D., Albert M. Mattocks professor of pharmaceutical sciences and chemical engineering at University of Michigan, the panel consisted of Andrew Buchanan, Ph.D., head of discovery at a stealth-mode biotech company; Norbert Furtmann, Ph.D., head of biologics AI and design of large molecules research at Sanofi; Konrad S. ...
Jun 9
53 min
Episode: 85 - Daniel Chen on Building Multi-Target Drugs with Logic Gating
May 12, 2026 | When it comes to drug discovery, either you find a rare, clean target and everything clicks, or you spend a decade chasing biology that refuses to cooperate. Daniel Chen, M.D., Ph.D., founder and CEO of Synthetic Design Lab, makes the case for a different playbook: objective-driven protein engineering, where we start with the outcome and design biologics that can execute it with built-in logic. With host Andrew Bradbury, Chen unpacks the SYNTHBODY platform and what “multi-tier ...
May 12
47 min
Episode: 84 - Martin Pacesa on BindCraft: An Automated Pipeline for De Novo Protein Binder Design
How is BindCraft, the automated pipeline for de novo protein binder design, changing the protein design industry? Martin Pacesa, assistant professor of pharmacology at the University of Zurich, joins The Chain to discuss how BindCraft is helping non-protein designers learn how to design proteins—and how the role of the protein designer will evolve. With host Chris Bahl, their conversation explores how BindCraft may help with drug development, its role in the democratization of tools and resou...
Apr 15
38 min
Episode: 83 - Patrick Baeuerle and Jeffrey Miller on T Cell and Immune Cell Engagement
T cell and immune cell engagement is gaining traction, but what makes it different from other therapies? Patrick Baeuerle, Ph.D., chief scientific advisor at Cullinan Therapeutics, and Jeffrey Miller, M.D., deputy director of Masonic Cancer Center, join The Chain to discuss the advantages, similarities, and differences of T cell and immune cell engagers, and how they compare to other modalities such as CAR T cells. Hosted by Laszlo Radvanyi, Ph.D., their conversation covers engineering recogn...
Mar 17
58 min
Episode: 82 - PANEL DISCUSSION: Future of Biologic Therapeutics: Will Half-Life Extended Peptides Replace Multispecific Antibodies?
During last year’s PEGS Europe, industry experts gathered on a panel to discuss the future of biologic therapeutics. The panel kicked off with a presentation on 50 years of monoclonals, from hybridomas to next-gen antibody therapeutics, followed by a conversation featuring Paul Carter, Ph.D., Genentech Fellow of Antibody Engineering, G. Jonah Rainey, Ph.D., associate vice president of Eli Lilly and Company, and Janine Schuurman, Ph.D., biotech consultant at Lust for Life Science B.V. Moderate...
Feb 10
49 min
Episode: 81 - Laszlo Radvanyi on Pushing Boundaries in Cancer Immunotherapy Research
How has immunotherapy evolved in the last decade? In this episode of The Chain, Laszlo Radvanyi, professor of immunology at the University of Toronto, discusses his years-long research on cancer immunotherapy, including his time at MD Anderson, with host Rakesh Dixit. He shares his thoughts on agonist antibodies, the true breakthroughs that are moving the needle for patients, reducing the CD-28 pathway so that it doesn’t produce cytokine toxins, and what is the next frontier in immunotherapy....
Jan 13
44 min
Episode: 80 - Vibha Jawa Discusses the Impact of Biologic Molecules and the Future of Immunogenicity
December 13, 2025 | What is next for immunogenicity? In this episode of The Chain, Vibha Jawa, chief scientific officer at EpiVax, provides her thoughts and insights on BiTE molecules, pegylated molecules, and other biologic molecules and their impact on cancer treatment and research with host Rakesh Dixit. Jawa shares the most rewarding project she’s worked on and what therapeutic modality she sees being picked up in the next decade, as well as advice for the next generation of scientists, s...
Dec 9, 2025
26 min
Episode: 79 - Conversation with Bahija Jallal on the Biggest Anticipated Transformations and Breakthroughs
November 11, 2025 | What is the next modality to focus on in the next 10 years? For Bahija Jallal, CEO of Immunocore, it would be T-cell engagers. In this episode of The Chain, host Rakesh Dixit speaks with Jallal on the potential advantages of bispecific T-cell engager therapy versus T-cell receptor therapy, biggest anticipated changes in drug discovery and development in the next 10 years, and how AI is going to impact the next generation of scientists. Plus, Jallal shares her experiences a...
Nov 11, 2025
42 min
Episode: 78 - Shamit Shrivastava on an Interdisciplinary Approach to Antibody Biophysics and Developability
As drug development pushes into more complex antibody formats, the big question is: how do you really assess developability? In this episode, host Nimish Gera speaks with Shamit Shrivastava, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Apoha, to dive into Liquid Brain, his interdisciplinary innovation that’s changing the way researchers tackle developability of challenging antibody-based drugs. Shamit breaks down what makes Liquid Brain different from traditional developability methods, reveals how it’s unlocki...
Oct 14, 2025
33 min
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