Episode 98
🧬Barry Ticho - Stoke Therapeutics - Part 1 | From Family of Physicians to Vision-Driven Scientist | Barry’s MD-PhD Journey | Leadership Through Critical Thinking & Resilience | The Journey From Academia to Industry
Part 1 of 4: Jon Chee hosts Barry Ticho, Founder of Verve Therapeutics and Chief Medical Officer at Stoke Therapeutics, a biotech company addressing the underlying cause of severe diseases by upregulating protein expression with RNA-based medicines. With an MD-PhD from the University of Chicago and extensive experience across academia and industry, Barry brings over two decades of expertise in clinical development. His journey includes roles as Head of Development at Moderna, Head of External R&D Innovation at Pfizer, and VP of Clinical Development at Biogen, where he's been instrumental in advancing numerous therapeutic programs across multiple disease areas. Barry's unique perspective spanning academic medicine and biotechnology innovation makes his insights invaluable for aspiring leaders in the field.
The Biotech Startups Podcast · Excedr
November 25, 202437m 4s
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Show Notes
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Part 1 of 4: Jon Chee hosts Barry Ticho, Founder of Verve Therapeutics and Chief Medical Officer at Stoke Therapeutics, a biotech company addressing the underlying cause of severe diseases by upregulating protein expression with RNA-based medicines.
With an MD-PhD from the University of Chicago and extensive experience across academia and industry, Barry brings over two decades of expertise in clinical development. His journey includes roles as Head of Development at Moderna, Head of External R&D Innovation at Pfizer, and VP of Clinical Development at Biogen, where he's been instrumental in advancing numerous therapeutic programs across multiple disease areas.
Barry's unique perspective spanning academic medicine and biotechnology innovation makes his insights invaluable for aspiring leaders in the field.
Join us this week to hear about:
- Barry's upbringing as one of five boys in a family of physicians
- A transformative moment watching a child regain sight that crystallized his career path
- His foundational experiences at Haverford College where he discovered his passion for biology
- His journey through the MD-PhD program at the University of Chicago
- How education, critical thinking, and resilience shaped his leadership approach
Please enjoy Jon’s conversation with Barry Ticho.
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Find Our Guest, Barry Ticho at these links:
Find Our Host, Jon Chee, at these links:
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Podcast Website: https://www.thebiotechstartupspodcast.com/
Enriched Notes:
Topics Mentioned:
Stoke Therapeutics https://www.stoketherapeutics.com/
Verve Therapeutics https://www.vervetherapeutics.com/
Moderna https://www.modernatx.com/
Pfizer https://www.pfizer.com/
Biogen https://www.biogen.com/
Ophthalmology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophthalmology
Haverford University https://www.haverford.edu/
University of Chicago https://www.uchicago.edu/en
Harvard Medical School https://hms.harvard.edu/
Boston Children's Hospital https://www.childrenshospital.org/
How to Spin Out of Academia: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-to-spin-out-of-academia-and-into-a-startup
Patent Licensing for Biotechs: https://www.excedr.com/resources/how-patent-licensing-works
Biotech Startup Support: https://www.excedr.com/resources-category/biotech-startup-support
People Mentioned:
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
03:04 Barry's background and introduction
03:37 Growing up in a family of Holocaust survivor physicians
05:29 Four out of five brothers choosing medicine
07:14 Early exposure to ophthalmology and patient care
09:27 The transformative moment: witnessing a child regain sight
12:45 Choosing Haverford and discovering biology
14:06 Early laboratory experiences and liberal arts education
19:05 The path to University of Chicago's MD-PhD program
22:13 First research experiences with RNA and transcription
23:55 Graduate school years: freedom and scientific method
30:15 Mentorship style and thesis advisor's influence
33:05 Leadership lessons from graduate training
36:28 Outro
The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.