Episode 211
𧏠Big Pharma to Startup: Chasing a PatientâCentric Future | Judy Chou (Part 4/4)
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Dr. Judy Chou shares how she walked away from leading global biotech operations at Bayer to take a risky firstâtime CEO role at AltruBio, transforming a struggling predecessor companyâalongside a âGenentech mafiaâ of former colleaguesâinto a lean, patientâcentric startup built around a novel PSGLâ1 immune checkpoint mechanism aimed at restoring immune balance and breaking the remission ceiling in ulcerative colitis, all while navigating nearâbankruptcy, a 30âday fundraising sprint that led to a record $225M Series B, launching a translational lab in Taipei, and drawing on formative experiences at Yale and MIT as a young mother and mentee to shape her gritty, valuesâdriven leadership philosophy.
The Biotech Startups Podcast · Excedr
January 29, 202650m 13s
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Show Notes
𧏠The Biotech Startups Podcast is powered by Excedrâhelping life science startups accelerate R&D and commercialization with founder-friendly equipment leasing. Skip the upfront costs, stay lean, and focus on breakthrough science.
As a TBSP listener, you can get exclusive perks through Excedrâs partner networkâspecial savings, promotions, and more. Explore these offers today: https://www.excedr.com/partners.
âI would say find your passion and stick to it. Donât define your path by preset stepsâjust keep aligning your choices with that passion, and in the end youâll have a story you feel good about and proud of.â
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Dr. Judy Chou shares how she walked away from leading global biotech operations at Bayer to take a risky firstâtime CEO role at AltruBio, transforming a struggling predecessor companyâalongside a âGenentech mafiaâ of former colleaguesâinto a lean, patientâcentric startup built around a novel PSGLâ1 immune checkpoint mechanism aimed at restoring immune balance and breaking the remission ceiling in ulcerative colitis, all while navigating nearâbankruptcy, a 30âday fundraising sprint that led to a record $225M Series B, launching a translational lab in Taipei, and drawing on formative experiences at Yale and MIT as a young mother and mentee to shape her gritty, valuesâdriven leadership philosophy.
âKey topics covered:
- Leaving Bayer: Why Judy walked away from a major promotion and historic leadership role to pursue work that felt truly aligned with her values.
- Founding AltruBio: How former Genentech executives recruited her to evaluate a failing pipeline, identify PSGLâ1, and build a âGenentech mafiaâ nucleus for the company.
- PSGLâ1 & immune balance: What makes PSGLâ1 a unique immune checkpoint regulator, how AltruBioâs mechanism differs from antiâTNF, and why restoring immune homeostasis matters in UC and beyond.
- From nearâbankruptcy to $225M Series B: The 30âday fundraising sprint that saved the company, and the strategy, execution, and grit behind closing one of the largest Series B rounds in biotech.
- Patientâcentric, lean biotech: Designing more convenient secondâgeneration molecules, building a lean but senior team, and using translational research in Taipei to own the PSGLâ1 space and expand into multiple indications.
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Subscribe to the Podcast:
Find our guest, Judy Chou at these links:
Website: https://www.altrubio.com/altrubio/en
Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
Learn more about Excedr:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Website: https://www.excedr.com
Intro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, Owned by Excedr:
Website: https://flow.page/kyojin
Resources & Articles:
AntiâTNF Therapy in Autoimmune Disease (overview of mechanism and clinical use of drugs like Humira): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3002580/
Humira (adalimumab) prescribing information and indications in inflammatory bowel disease: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2018/125057s410lbl.pdf
Ulcerative Colitis Treatment and Remission Rates (current standards of care and outcomes): Official journal of the American College of Gastroenterology | ACG
Explainer on Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs): https://www.excedr.com/blog/contract-manufacturing-organizations
Contract Research Organizations (CROs): https://www.excedr.com/blog/contract-research-organizations
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:
Genentech: https://www.gene.com/
Bayer: https://www.bayer.com/
Pfizer: https://www.pfizer.com/
â
Steve Juelsgaard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-juelsgaard-27451b48/
Martha Constantine-Paton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martha-constantine-paton-032475b7/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:18 Origin of AltruBio and Leaving Bayer
05:32 Identifying PSGL-1 as a Novel Target Beyond Humira
09:05 AltruBio's Mission: Patient-Centric Drug Development
13:48 PSGL-1 as an Immune Checkpoint Regulator
19:33 Building a Lean Medivation-Style Organization
23:35 Fundraising Philosophy and Record-Breaking Series B
27:45 Near Bankruptcy and 30-Day Turnaround
32:17 Looking Ahead: UC Data and Pipeline Expansion
35:47 Shoutouts
40:45 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 companyâfrom pre-seed to IPO.