WEBVTT
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hi, everyone.
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Thanks for joining from lab to lunch today.
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If you haven't already please subscribe, rate the podcast and share it with your network.
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We'd absolutely love that I'm Kelly from Qualio and I will be the host of our lab to launch podcast going forward.
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My inner science nerd definitely excited to chat with the modern pioneers and innovators in life sciences like today, Ian Chan, the co-founder and executive chairman of Abpro joins us gene therapy and genetics was my favorite subject in college.
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So talking to him about how Abpro is improving the lives of mankind facing severe and life-threatening diseases with next generation antibody therapies was fascinating.
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A little more about Ian for you.
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He co-founded Abpro with his brother, Dr.
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Eugene Chan, who is the CEO.
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Not everyone goes into business with family, but they've done it successfully a few times actually, and received an AB from brown university and an MBA from Harvard universe.
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You'll hear the full story coming up, but first, some quick takeaways you'll get from today's conversation.
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How pro is cutting the time to generate antibodies for testing from one year to two months?
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What all founders should focus on to facilitate fundraising?
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What Ian calls first-class science and unique challenges a company faces when it's in high growth mode and how to prepare.
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All right.
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Let's get to it.
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Thanks for joining.
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Good morning, Ian.
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I'm so excited to meet you.
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Likewise.
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Tell me a little bit about Abpro and what you guys are up to their
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Sure.
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So Abpro is a generation antibody therapeutics company.
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We started about 10 years ago in Kendall square.
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So the goal has been to develop next generation antibody therapies for patients facing severe disease.
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And early on, we started in Kendall.
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We started developing our own proprietary antibody platform.
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And the reason we did that was because we noticed that there was a lot of genetic information but the in order to really translate the genetic information into antibody therapies you had actually have the first making anybody.
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And there was a huge bottleneck where we noticed at that time on average, was taking the industry over a year to generate simple antibodies, to be able to test.
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So that's where we focused early on.
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So we built a platform and the platform, the goal is to build, deliver to anybody's at industry leading speeds in as little as 20.
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Against traditionally difficult targets.
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So that's what we did in the first five years.
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We built the platform, validated it with some of the largest companies in the industry.
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Most large pharma companies, biotechs academic labs where the initial adopters.
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And we ran over 300 campaigns during that time against some of the most difficult antibodies that were out there.
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And that led to a great deal of.
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A number of them ended up in the clinic.
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Some, we were part of some programs that ultimately got approved by other companies as well.
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And based on that backend success, we developed our own pipeline of therapies about starting about five years ago.
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So those are focused on immuno-oncology eyecare and most recently infectious disease.
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Yeah, I was going to say, yeah.
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And so of course the topic Azure, right?
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So the pivot to COVID How has that experience, how has that been going?
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It's been intense.
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So I got, gotta say, I mean, I think it's been intense for everybody around the world but being one of the companies that's directly and it we've, I would say, had to really apply a lot of, a lot of our creativity technology, pretty much everything, or problem-solving abilities to come up with the therapy that we think will benefit.
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Many many patients out there.
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So fortunately we had a lot of experience early on working with neutralizing anybodies.
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So we really felt that was going to be one of the key ways to really fight COVID as a therapy.
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So, so that's been the focus where we're different is we've focused on what we call it, future proof to anybody's.
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So anybody's, that can withstand the test of time that can also work against varying and set the comp.
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So that's always been.
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And with our platform, we've found regions where to bind on COVID the, they don't look like they change over time.
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So these are very, I would say, difficult to reach areas and very precise areas that have.
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Withstand the test of time in variants that are yet to come.
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So almost one was clearly a big test.
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COVID right.
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So,
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right.
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Absolutely.
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Yeah.
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And I count on what which one we're up to these days, but yeah, that's, that's, that's amazing that so far everything is just kind of kept falling in line there from that perspective.
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Yeah.
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I'm
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a con I think it was the most heavily mutated variance out there most, I would say.
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95% of existing anybody therapies, including ones developed by major pharma companies fail against immigrants.
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So December was definitely a huge month of suspense for us to really validate whether a strategy was working.
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And then the last week of December, when we got great data, showing those were highly effective against, on the bus.
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So that was a huge validation for the team.
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That
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that's, that's incredible.
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That's got to be that that's got to feel amazing.
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Awesome.
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Awesome.
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So you talk about, you know, the, the antibody, it's the diverse immune antibody discovery platform.
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Correct.
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Can you, can you, I know we don't want to, you know, share all the company secrets, but can you talk a little bit about that platform and how those things translate from one Antibody to the next, for example.
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Yeah.
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So diverse immune platform, is it basically the name stems from the ability to create large panels of different kinds of antibodies against the target?
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So, so you want a large diversity of antibodies and each one will have different properties to be able to do what you want to do as a therapy.
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So that's how the approach of the platform was built.
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And you can see early on.
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Up fund, we have the ability to create large panels, a very, very diverse antibodies against a particular target.
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So hence the ability to create precision antibodies that can go after a very difficult to reach areas on the target.
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And then the ability to really move these quickly downstream, and then even engineering properties that we need onto the ultimate anybody's in the form of better.
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Better dosing characteristics for the antibodies or higher efficacy.
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So that's all built into the platform from beginning.
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That's great.
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I guess for a little bit of a pivot you are you and your brother, co-founded this this company.
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What's, what's the story there.
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I know a lot of people maybe wouldn't go into business with, with, with family.
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So, tell us about how ad pro came
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to be.
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Yeah, so I'd say, so it's been, it's been great with the Eugene, so he's 11 months younger, so we were always very close growing up.
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So that, that really.
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You know, helped I think in this particular situation.
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So it's, it is quite quite a unique situation, I think, and it's really complimentary, but he brings a totally different set of skills.
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So there's not a lot of overlap between what we do.
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He's trained as a scientist physician at Harvard.
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I have a business background, so there's really a complimentary fit there.
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So in some ways you have a great synergy there, you know, you have one plus one.
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Nice, nice.
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Yeah.
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You don't see that a whole lot, but it's important.
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I think, you know, I working in industry and, and in that sort of startup space, you know, a lot of innovators don't, you know, they, they have the science down, but they don't have that business background and finding a compliment that, that fits so well.
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That's really an advantage for you guys.
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I think in, in, especially if, in what I've seen in industry, that's a that's great.
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So you said that pro has been around you, you had about five years prior to COVID, but you guys were both with other organizations prior.
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You were both with the same work prior.
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How did, what was the family's there to say?
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We're going to go do our own tech.
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Sure.
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Yeah, no, we, we got into a biotech fairly early on in our careers.
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So we were both two or three years out of undergrad and we launched the one of the first high-speed sequencing companies in the industry.
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So that's how, that's how we started working together.
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In fact so that was a company we started from scratch scaled it up at about 120 people.
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Some great people associated with it including some of the.
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Sequencing like Craig Venter.
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So that's how we really gained insights into the next step.
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So there was a huge movement to really map the genome early on.
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And then there was this treasure trove of targets for novel therapies that got uncovered.
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But in order to translate the, you really need molecules that can really target these sequences.
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So that that's that's how, how appro was making.
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Launched really based on that knowledge.
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Yeah, definitely.
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Well, and it's, and it's interesting too, because I think you know, sort of in that mapping space, there's, there's a little bit, it's definitely hardcore, R and D.
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Now you're dabbling in.
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Sort of early GMP and, and regulated space.
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How has that transition been for you?
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Yeah, that's a that's yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's different.
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It's, it's a different, but very exciting phase to be able to get to that point where you know, you're moving your molecule directly into clinical trials and ultimately treat patients.
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So I think, so I think the regulatory, the quality side it's been exciting to see.
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Work through those areas.
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Those are necessarily processes in, in this highly strategic areas that any company really needs to be good at to be able to get there.
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Definitely.
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Definitely.
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Yeah.
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Quality.
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Since we provide digital quality management systems, we always love to ask founders what your take is on today's quality and regulatory landscape.
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So what, how again with your pivot there?
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Yeah, no, I think it's a very important area.
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It's great to see companies like qual, you come up with innovative solutions for sure.
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In this, in regulatory and also Polly, I mean, I think historically it's.
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I mean, if you go back even 10 years, a lot of companies by had rooms filled with papers.
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So I mean, oh my gosh.
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Thinking about how cumbersome that process is, right?
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So anything that can really speed that up make, make it more efficient is a huge benefit.
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Thanks.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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I would completely agree.
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Where do you see a pro going with your pipeline in such over the next five to 10 years?
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Yeah, our
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goal has always been to really bring modern medicine to the next level.
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So you look at oncology, a lot of the ways that we even still used to treat oncology patients are from many, many, many years ago.
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You look at surgery, radiation, chemotherapy.
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Mankind's own immune system is amazing.
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We're not only the antibodies that we're generating with our own system.
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They're natural, they're safe.
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So if we can harness that we can really move medicine to the next level instead of just treating symptoms, get the root cause and fight disease that way in a much safer way too.
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So that's always been a focus of the company over the next five to 10 years.
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I think we have an opportunity to get at least two of these.
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There are these approved.
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So starting with COVID certainly a big problem right now.
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Certainly huge need for patients.
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So again monoclonal therapies are future-proofed out there and approved and available right away.
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That's, that's certainly part of the near-term goal and then also opportunities in our immuno-oncology and eye care.
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These are novel molecules.
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Or utilizing combinations of targets that can be highly effective for patients in those areas.
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Definitely.
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What have been some unexpected challenges with growing and scaling at pro?
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Yeah.
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So that's a great question.
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I think the biggest challenge that was surprising.
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So when your company is scaling up quickly, so just when things are, everything's going well, when, when you have a lot of momentum yeah.
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Scale, just as quickly for the company.
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And that can put a lot of resource demands on an organization.
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So that's what I would say.
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A lot of people are just prepared for the downside, but when you're, when you're things are going really well scaling up and can be a lot of work.
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Absolutely.
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Yeah.
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And, and, you know, of course the question on everybody's mind about funding, you know, what would you, what would your advice be around other entrepreneurs and trying to get some funding and then obviously as you've grown and scaled the way that you have, I imagine funding gets a little easier, but yeah,
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no, I think for other founders just focus on the science.
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Focused on first-class science, everything kind of flows from there, from biotech.
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So when that's going well and focusing on the fundamentals, everything kind of flows in there.
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I love that word or that term.
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First-class science.
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That's that sums it up perfectly, I think.
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Nice, nice.
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Awesome.
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Well, yeah, so we talked about funding vice for other entrepreneurs and such is there any other.
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You know, anything else you'd like to share with about the company or about your journey that you think people would like to hear?
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Yeah, I think it's an exciting time for biotech in general.
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I mean, I think organizations have really the ability to impact mankind in a very positive way right now.
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So, so I think to all the other biotechs.
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Individuals and industry let's keep, keep doing this.
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Let's keep being passionate, bring the great science.
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Let's bring these great therapies.
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I can really fight disease to mankind to bring it to the next level.
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I love that passion.
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That's why we do what we do here at Qualio too.
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yeah, it's been a real pleasure chatting with you.
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I love this is why I do what I do.
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I love talking other people who are passionate about helping change the world and, and the gene therapies and that sort of thing.
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Cause yeah, you touched on both these and stuff is a two time breast cancer survivor.
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And you know, now while she's still with us, chemo wrecks ya so there's a, you know, if we can get to a place where those you know, those gene therapies are, are less overall, the nuclear option, that's personally so exciting for me.
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So thank you for all that you guys are doing, and we really appreciate you.
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if people want to follow your company's story or get in touch with you, what's the best way, how can they get in touch with you?
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If that's the way it would be to go onto our website, which is abpro.com a B as in boy pro, or when word.com.
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And then there'll be great way to keep up to date on developments at Abpro
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perfect.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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hi, everyone.
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Thanks for joining from lab to lunch today.
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If you haven't already please subscribe, rate the podcast and share it with your network.
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We'd absolutely love that I'm Kelly from Qualio and I will be the host of our lab to launch podcast going forward.
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My inner science nerd definitely excited to chat with the modern pioneers and innovators in life sciences like today, Ian Chan, the co-founder and executive chairman of Abpro joins us gene therapy and genetics was my favorite subject in college.
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So talking to him about how Abpro is improving the lives of mankind facing severe and life-threatening diseases with next generation antibody therapies was fascinating.
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A little more about Ian for you.
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He co-founded Abpro with his brother, Dr.
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Eugene Chan, who is the CEO.
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Not everyone goes into business with family, but they've done it successfully a few times actually, and received an AB from brown university and an MBA from Harvard universe.
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You'll hear the full story coming up, but first, some quick takeaways you'll get from today's conversation.
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How pro is cutting the time to generate antibodies for testing from one year to two months?
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What all founders should focus on to facilitate fundraising?
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What Ian calls first-class science and unique challenges a company faces when it's in high growth mode and how to prepare.
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All right.
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Let's get to it.
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Thanks for joining.
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Good morning, Ian.
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I'm so excited to meet you.
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Likewise.
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Tell me a little bit about Abpro and what you guys are up to their
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Sure.
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So Abpro is a generation antibody therapeutics company.
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We started about 10 years ago in Kendall square.
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So the goal has been to develop next generation antibody therapies for patients facing severe disease.
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And early on, we started in Kendall.
00:02:10.191 --> 00:02:13.311
We started developing our own proprietary antibody platform.
00:02:14.300 --> 00:02:27.104
And the reason we did that was because we noticed that there was a lot of genetic information but the in order to really translate the genetic information into antibody therapies you had actually have the first making anybody.
00:02:27.491 --> 00:02:36.971
And there was a huge bottleneck where we noticed at that time on average, was taking the industry over a year to generate simple antibodies, to be able to test.
00:02:37.661 --> 00:02:39.131
So that's where we focused early on.
00:02:39.281 --> 00:02:47.890
So we built a platform and the platform, the goal is to build, deliver to anybody's at industry leading speeds in as little as 20.
00:02:49.045 --> 00:02:50.455
Against traditionally difficult targets.
00:02:51.205 --> 00:02:53.485
So that's what we did in the first five years.
00:02:53.616 --> 00:02:58.975
We built the platform, validated it with some of the largest companies in the industry.
00:02:59.156 --> 00:03:05.294
Most large pharma companies, biotechs academic labs where the initial adopters.
00:03:06.014 --> 00:03:11.161
And we ran over 300 campaigns during that time against some of the most difficult antibodies that were out there.
00:03:11.730 --> 00:03:13.050
And that led to a great deal of.
00:03:13.156 --> 00:03:14.686
A number of them ended up in the clinic.
00:03:14.985 --> 00:03:18.256
Some, we were part of some programs that ultimately got approved by other companies as well.
00:03:19.096 --> 00:03:26.415
And based on that backend success, we developed our own pipeline of therapies about starting about five years ago.
00:03:27.346 --> 00:03:32.325
So those are focused on immuno-oncology eyecare and most recently infectious disease.
00:03:33.105 --> 00:03:34.186
Yeah, I was going to say, yeah.
00:03:34.216 --> 00:03:36.436
And so of course the topic Azure, right?
00:03:36.526 --> 00:03:40.203
So the pivot to COVID How has that experience, how has that been going?
00:03:40.682 --> 00:03:42.182
It's been intense.
00:03:42.302 --> 00:04:02.426
So I got, gotta say, I mean, I think it's been intense for everybody around the world but being one of the companies that's directly and it we've, I would say, had to really apply a lot of, a lot of our creativity technology, pretty much everything, or problem-solving abilities to come up with the therapy that we think will benefit.
00:04:03.342 --> 00:04:04.451
Many many patients out there.
00:04:05.171 --> 00:04:09.942
So fortunately we had a lot of experience early on working with neutralizing anybodies.
00:04:10.092 --> 00:04:17.141
So we really felt that was going to be one of the key ways to really fight COVID as a therapy.
00:04:17.411 --> 00:04:24.641
So, so that's been the focus where we're different is we've focused on what we call it, future proof to anybody's.
00:04:25.182 --> 00:04:31.091
So anybody's, that can withstand the test of time that can also work against varying and set the comp.
00:04:31.271 --> 00:04:31.932
So that's always been.
00:04:33.237 --> 00:04:41.997
And with our platform, we've found regions where to bind on COVID the, they don't look like they change over time.
00:04:42.656 --> 00:04:48.687
So these are very, I would say, difficult to reach areas and very precise areas that have.
00:04:50.216 --> 00:04:53.127
Withstand the test of time in variants that are yet to come.
00:04:53.786 --> 00:04:55.557
So almost one was clearly a big test.
00:04:55.617 --> 00:04:56.156
COVID right.
00:04:56.276 --> 00:04:56.576
So,
00:04:57.057 --> 00:04:57.476
right.
00:04:57.507 --> 00:04:58.317
Absolutely.
00:04:58.346 --> 00:04:58.646
Yeah.
00:04:58.646 --> 00:05:09.834
And I count on what which one we're up to these days, but yeah, that's, that's, that's amazing that so far everything is just kind of kept falling in line there from that perspective.
00:05:10.074 --> 00:05:10.223
Yeah.
00:05:10.223 --> 00:05:10.374
I'm
00:05:10.374 --> 00:05:15.723
a con I think it was the most heavily mutated variance out there most, I would say.
00:05:17.184 --> 00:05:23.303
95% of existing anybody therapies, including ones developed by major pharma companies fail against immigrants.
00:05:23.874 --> 00:05:29.622
So December was definitely a huge month of suspense for us to really validate whether a strategy was working.
00:05:29.690 --> 00:05:35.240
And then the last week of December, when we got great data, showing those were highly effective against, on the bus.
00:05:35.391 --> 00:05:37.071
So that was a huge validation for the team.
00:05:38.915 --> 00:05:39.156
That
00:05:39.185 --> 00:05:40.206
that's, that's incredible.
00:05:40.206 --> 00:05:42.875
That's got to be that that's got to feel amazing.
00:05:46.026 --> 00:05:46.475
Awesome.
00:05:46.505 --> 00:05:46.925
Awesome.
00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:52.740
So you talk about, you know, the, the antibody, it's the diverse immune antibody discovery platform.
00:05:52.740 --> 00:05:53.130
Correct.
00:05:53.130 --> 00:06:02.463
Can you, can you, I know we don't want to, you know, share all the company secrets, but can you talk a little bit about that platform and how those things translate from one Antibody to the next, for example.
00:06:03.033 --> 00:06:03.394
Yeah.
00:06:03.423 --> 00:06:14.944
So diverse immune platform, is it basically the name stems from the ability to create large panels of different kinds of antibodies against the target?
00:06:15.574 --> 00:06:24.067
So, so you want a large diversity of antibodies and each one will have different properties to be able to do what you want to do as a therapy.
00:06:24.276 --> 00:06:27.401
So that's how the approach of the platform was built.
00:06:27.490 --> 00:06:28.810
And you can see early on.
00:06:28.817 --> 00:06:35.146
Up fund, we have the ability to create large panels, a very, very diverse antibodies against a particular target.
00:06:35.266 --> 00:06:43.672
So hence the ability to create precision antibodies that can go after a very difficult to reach areas on the target.
00:06:44.331 --> 00:06:54.442
And then the ability to really move these quickly downstream, and then even engineering properties that we need onto the ultimate anybody's in the form of better.
00:06:55.882 --> 00:06:59.752
Better dosing characteristics for the antibodies or higher efficacy.
00:06:59.901 --> 00:07:02.201
So that's all built into the platform from beginning.
00:07:03.492 --> 00:07:04.271
That's great.
00:07:04.319 --> 00:07:10.026
I guess for a little bit of a pivot you are you and your brother, co-founded this this company.
00:07:10.386 --> 00:07:11.706
What's, what's the story there.
00:07:11.706 --> 00:07:16.865
I know a lot of people maybe wouldn't go into business with, with, with family.
00:07:16.896 --> 00:07:18.985
So, tell us about how ad pro came
00:07:18.985 --> 00:07:19.346
to be.
00:07:20.005 --> 00:07:27.146
Yeah, so I'd say, so it's been, it's been great with the Eugene, so he's 11 months younger, so we were always very close growing up.
00:07:28.076 --> 00:07:28.985
So that, that really.
00:07:30.071 --> 00:07:31.954
You know, helped I think in this particular situation.
00:07:31.954 --> 00:07:39.382
So it's, it is quite quite a unique situation, I think, and it's really complimentary, but he brings a totally different set of skills.
00:07:40.012 --> 00:07:42.413
So there's not a lot of overlap between what we do.
00:07:42.427 --> 00:07:46.016
He's trained as a scientist physician at Harvard.
00:07:46.095 --> 00:07:50.235
I have a business background, so there's really a complimentary fit there.
00:07:51.480 --> 00:07:54.750
So in some ways you have a great synergy there, you know, you have one plus one.
00:07:55.980 --> 00:07:56.879
Nice, nice.
00:07:56.879 --> 00:07:57.120
Yeah.
00:07:57.120 --> 00:07:59.233
You don't see that a whole lot, but it's important.
00:07:59.233 --> 00:08:13.014
I think, you know, I working in industry and, and in that sort of startup space, you know, a lot of innovators don't, you know, they, they have the science down, but they don't have that business background and finding a compliment that, that fits so well.
00:08:13.809 --> 00:08:15.999
That's really an advantage for you guys.
00:08:15.999 --> 00:08:20.528
I think in, in, especially if, in what I've seen in industry, that's a that's great.
00:08:20.601 --> 00:08:28.713
So you said that pro has been around you, you had about five years prior to COVID, but you guys were both with other organizations prior.
00:08:28.713 --> 00:08:30.543
You were both with the same work prior.
00:08:30.814 --> 00:08:34.173
How did, what was the family's there to say?
00:08:34.203 --> 00:08:35.403
We're going to go do our own tech.
00:08:36.219 --> 00:08:36.548
Sure.
00:08:36.609 --> 00:08:40.899
Yeah, no, we, we got into a biotech fairly early on in our careers.
00:08:41.048 --> 00:08:48.879
So we were both two or three years out of undergrad and we launched the one of the first high-speed sequencing companies in the industry.
00:08:50.048 --> 00:08:51.908
So that's how, that's how we started working together.
00:08:52.119 --> 00:08:58.884
In fact so that was a company we started from scratch scaled it up at about 120 people.
00:08:58.884 --> 00:09:00.831
Some great people associated with it including some of the.
00:09:01.947 --> 00:09:03.206
Sequencing like Craig Venter.
00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:08.139
So that's how we really gained insights into the next step.
00:09:08.350 --> 00:09:12.789
So there was a huge movement to really map the genome early on.
00:09:12.880 --> 00:09:18.971
And then there was this treasure trove of targets for novel therapies that got uncovered.
00:09:19.841 --> 00:09:24.880
But in order to translate the, you really need molecules that can really target these sequences.
00:09:25.421 --> 00:09:27.640
So that that's that's how, how appro was making.
00:09:28.875 --> 00:09:30.676
Launched really based on that knowledge.
00:09:32.216 --> 00:09:33.265
Yeah, definitely.
00:09:33.320 --> 00:09:42.447
Well, and it's, and it's interesting too, because I think you know, sort of in that mapping space, there's, there's a little bit, it's definitely hardcore, R and D.
00:09:42.657 --> 00:09:43.706
Now you're dabbling in.
00:09:44.726 --> 00:09:48.596
Sort of early GMP and, and regulated space.
00:09:48.626 --> 00:09:50.366
How has that transition been for you?
00:09:51.116 --> 00:09:53.267
Yeah, that's a that's yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's different.
00:09:53.356 --> 00:10:04.620
It's, it's a different, but very exciting phase to be able to get to that point where you know, you're moving your molecule directly into clinical trials and ultimately treat patients.
00:10:04.679 --> 00:10:08.893
So I think, so I think the regulatory, the quality side it's been exciting to see.
00:10:10.613 --> 00:10:12.472
Work through those areas.
00:10:12.539 --> 00:10:19.568
Those are necessarily processes in, in this highly strategic areas that any company really needs to be good at to be able to get there.
00:10:21.183 --> 00:10:21.933
Definitely.
00:10:21.964 --> 00:10:22.653
Definitely.
00:10:22.833 --> 00:10:23.144
Yeah.
00:10:23.203 --> 00:10:23.553
Quality.
00:10:23.624 --> 00:10:30.693
Since we provide digital quality management systems, we always love to ask founders what your take is on today's quality and regulatory landscape.
00:10:31.264 --> 00:10:33.933
So what, how again with your pivot there?
00:10:34.014 --> 00:10:36.114
Yeah, no, I think it's a very important area.
00:10:36.114 --> 00:10:41.783
It's great to see companies like qual, you come up with innovative solutions for sure.
00:10:41.865 --> 00:10:45.316
In this, in regulatory and also Polly, I mean, I think historically it's.
00:10:46.390 --> 00:10:50.890
I mean, if you go back even 10 years, a lot of companies by had rooms filled with papers.
00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:54.080
So I mean, oh my gosh.
00:10:55.220 --> 00:10:58.070
Thinking about how cumbersome that process is, right?
00:10:58.700 --> 00:11:04.009
So anything that can really speed that up make, make it more efficient is a huge benefit.
00:11:05.634 --> 00:11:05.965
Thanks.
00:11:05.965 --> 00:11:06.924
Yeah, absolutely.
00:11:06.985 --> 00:11:08.110
I would completely agree.
00:11:08.134 --> 00:11:12.115
Where do you see a pro going with your pipeline in such over the next five to 10 years?
00:11:12.895 --> 00:11:13.306
Yeah, our
00:11:13.316 --> 00:11:16.946
goal has always been to really bring modern medicine to the next level.
00:11:17.186 --> 00:11:26.936
So you look at oncology, a lot of the ways that we even still used to treat oncology patients are from many, many, many years ago.
00:11:27.596 --> 00:11:30.176
You look at surgery, radiation, chemotherapy.
00:11:32.150 --> 00:11:34.633
Mankind's own immune system is amazing.
00:11:34.633 --> 00:11:39.042
We're not only the antibodies that we're generating with our own system.
00:11:39.101 --> 00:11:41.261
They're natural, they're safe.
00:11:41.892 --> 00:11:53.485
So if we can harness that we can really move medicine to the next level instead of just treating symptoms, get the root cause and fight disease that way in a much safer way too.
00:11:54.355 --> 00:11:58.239
So that's always been a focus of the company over the next five to 10 years.
00:11:59.168 --> 00:12:01.149
I think we have an opportunity to get at least two of these.
00:12:01.149 --> 00:12:01.989
There are these approved.
00:12:02.948 --> 00:12:05.543
So starting with COVID certainly a big problem right now.
00:12:05.543 --> 00:12:07.566
Certainly huge need for patients.
00:12:08.285 --> 00:12:12.859
So again monoclonal therapies are future-proofed out there and approved and available right away.
00:12:13.609 --> 00:12:19.038
That's, that's certainly part of the near-term goal and then also opportunities in our immuno-oncology and eye care.
00:12:19.078 --> 00:12:20.308
These are novel molecules.
00:12:21.524 --> 00:12:27.193
Or utilizing combinations of targets that can be highly effective for patients in those areas.
00:12:28.984 --> 00:12:29.793
Definitely.
00:12:30.484 --> 00:12:34.594
What have been some unexpected challenges with growing and scaling at pro?
00:12:35.134 --> 00:12:35.703
Yeah.
00:12:35.854 --> 00:12:37.033
So that's a great question.
00:12:37.056 --> 00:12:40.416
I think the biggest challenge that was surprising.
00:12:40.895 --> 00:12:48.456
So when your company is scaling up quickly, so just when things are, everything's going well, when, when you have a lot of momentum yeah.
00:12:49.860 --> 00:12:52.331
Scale, just as quickly for the company.
00:12:52.365 --> 00:12:55.245
And that can put a lot of resource demands on an organization.
00:12:55.816 --> 00:12:56.956
So that's what I would say.
00:12:56.979 --> 00:13:04.636
A lot of people are just prepared for the downside, but when you're, when you're things are going really well scaling up and can be a lot of work.
00:13:06.116 --> 00:13:06.836
Absolutely.
00:13:06.866 --> 00:13:07.136
Yeah.
00:13:07.136 --> 00:13:24.027
And, and, you know, of course the question on everybody's mind about funding, you know, what would you, what would your advice be around other entrepreneurs and trying to get some funding and then obviously as you've grown and scaled the way that you have, I imagine funding gets a little easier, but yeah,
00:13:24.057 --> 00:13:27.899
no, I think for other founders just focus on the science.
00:13:29.129 --> 00:13:31.979
Focused on first-class science, everything kind of flows from there, from biotech.
00:13:32.698 --> 00:13:39.119
So when that's going well and focusing on the fundamentals, everything kind of flows in there.
00:13:39.899 --> 00:13:41.308
I love that word or that term.
00:13:41.308 --> 00:13:42.298
First-class science.
00:13:42.328 --> 00:13:45.028
That's that sums it up perfectly, I think.
00:13:45.149 --> 00:13:46.899
Nice, nice.
00:13:46.899 --> 00:13:47.558
Awesome.
00:13:47.918 --> 00:13:54.831
Well, yeah, so we talked about funding vice for other entrepreneurs and such is there any other.
00:13:54.831 --> 00:14:01.597
You know, anything else you'd like to share with about the company or about your journey that you think people would like to hear?
00:14:01.663 --> 00:14:04.754
Yeah, I think it's an exciting time for biotech in general.
00:14:05.024 --> 00:14:11.594
I mean, I think organizations have really the ability to impact mankind in a very positive way right now.
00:14:11.683 --> 00:14:15.330
So, so I think to all the other biotechs.
00:14:16.125 --> 00:14:19.634
Individuals and industry let's keep, keep doing this.
00:14:19.664 --> 00:14:21.975
Let's keep being passionate, bring the great science.
00:14:22.575 --> 00:14:24.404
Let's bring these great therapies.
00:14:24.404 --> 00:14:29.384
I can really fight disease to mankind to bring it to the next level.
00:14:30.434 --> 00:14:31.394
I love that passion.
00:14:31.424 --> 00:14:34.034
That's why we do what we do here at Qualio too.
00:14:34.495 --> 00:14:37.134
yeah, it's been a real pleasure chatting with you.
00:14:37.134 --> 00:14:39.625
I love this is why I do what I do.
00:14:40.945 --> 00:14:48.490
I love talking other people who are passionate about helping change the world and, and the gene therapies and that sort of thing.
00:14:48.580 --> 00:14:53.378
Cause yeah, you touched on both these and stuff is a two time breast cancer survivor.
00:14:53.408 --> 00:15:08.927
And you know, now while she's still with us, chemo wrecks ya so there's a, you know, if we can get to a place where those you know, those gene therapies are, are less overall, the nuclear option, that's personally so exciting for me.
00:15:08.927 --> 00:15:13.937
So thank you for all that you guys are doing, and we really appreciate you.
00:15:14.129 --> 00:15:19.253
if people want to follow your company's story or get in touch with you, what's the best way, how can they get in touch with you?
00:15:19.663 --> 00:15:26.232
If that's the way it would be to go onto our website, which is abpro.com a B as in boy pro, or when word.com.
00:15:26.832 --> 00:15:30.562
And then there'll be great way to keep up to date on developments at Abpro
00:15:30.716 --> 00:15:31.346
perfect.
00:15:31.615 --> 00:15:32.035
Thank you.
00:15:32.639 --> 00:15:32.960
Thank you.
