Biotech's Boldest Minds on Innovation, Immunology, and Cell Therapy
Cross-Disciplinary Scientists Are Driving the Future: All five panelists transitioned from academia to industry by focusing on patient impact, translational science, and innovation beyond their original expertise.
Cell and Gene Therapy Is Maturing: From autologous to allogeneic strategies, the conversation revealed a concerted push toward accessibility, efficiency, and scale, especially in solid tumors and autoimmune disease.
Biotech Demands More Than Science Alone: Every speaker underscored that commercial viability, scalable manufacturing, and multidisciplinary collaboration are just as essential as scientific discovery.
I. A Powerful Crossroad: Academic Roots, Industrial Impact
Moderator Dr. Arie Belldegrun, Chairman of Bellco Capital and founder of Kite Pharma, opened the LABEST panel by reflecting on the exponential growth of the event and the transformative leadership in the room. Representing companies with a combined market cap of over $500 billion, the five panelists shared a foundational theme: their journeys from academic labs to corporate boardrooms were driven by one goal—translating science into meaningful patient therapies.
Dr. Jane Grogan of Biogen described her path as one shaped by curiosity and frustration: after years of "curing mice" in academic models, she realized that true breakthroughs required access to patient data, industrial-scale tools, and new therapeutic frameworks. Her move from Genentech to Biogen signaled her belief that human-centric immunology was the next frontier.
Dr. James Bradner, Amgen's head of R&D, echoed this sentiment. A stem cell transplant physician by training, Bradner invoked a surfing metaphor: scientists must ride one wave of discovery, then swim back out to catch the next. From gene control to therapeutic chemistry, his emphasis was on bravery, risk-taking, and the value of patience in a discipline often glamorized by rapid success stories.
Dr. Priti Hegde of Kite noted that her career was shaped by choosing applied science—specifically, research that starts and ends with the patient. Her mantra: "What problem are we solving for?" She's now focused on evolving Kite's synthetic immunology tools to combat solid tumors and autoimmune disorders using precision-engineered T cells.
Dr. Zach Roberts of Allogene revealed that it was a chance encounter with Dr. Bradner at a retreat that catalyzed his own shift from academic medicine to industry. Recounting his early days at Amgen and Kite, Roberts emphasized that transformative leaps happen when scientists step outside their comfort zones. Now at Allogene, he is focused on building scalable, off-the-shelf therapies that meet patients where they are—in community settings.
Dr. Kanti Thirumoorthy, CTO of T-cell therapy at AstraZeneca, perhaps best exemplified the infrastructure side of biotech. Recruited years ago to rescue a failing manufacturing run at Kite, she now leads AstraZeneca's push into scalable cell therapy. For her, drug development isn't just about science—it's about making the impossible practical, affordable, and scalable.
II. Redefining the Modality: From Autologous to Allogeneic Cell Therapies
The panel deeply explored the spectrum of cell therapies: autologous (from the patient) versus allogeneic (donor-derived). Both have immense promise, but each comes with its own complexities.
Hegde described Kite's progress in reducing autologous therapy turnaround to just 14 days, with 96% reliability. But scale remains a challenge. With 20,000+ patients already treated, the company is now expanding into solid tumors and exploring in vivo delivery mechanisms that could broaden access to underserved populations.
Roberts, now at Allogene, is tackling the same problems from the allogeneic angle. With off-the-shelf therapies, he said, it's possible to bypass the logistical and immunological hurdles of autologous approaches. However, this requires heavy investment in gene editing, immune evasion, and rigorous manufacturing protocols. For diseases like lupus nephritis and frontline lymphomas, allogeneic approaches may offer the only feasible route to scale.
Dr. Thirumoorthy emphasized that success in either model requires deep integration between R&D and manufacturing. She also noted that AstraZeneca's global commitment to cell therapy means they are investing in both autologous and allogeneic pipelines.
Jane Grogan brought a translational perspective: immunology has reached an inflection point where cellular therapies can move from oncology into chronic diseases like MS, SLE, and even Parkinson's. She championed the idea that biotech is not just about designing a cell that kills—it's about programming it to modulate, rebuild, and even regulate complex tissue environments.
III. Beyond Discovery: The Commercial and Societal Stakes
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was that scientific innovation alone does not translate into real-world change.
"Science has to meet commerce," said Hegde. The development of a viable drug requires understanding cost of goods, insurance coverage, and infrastructure. Without this, even the best therapies risk becoming boutique solutions for a privileged few.
Bradner added that drug development is entering a modular era—where targeted protein degradation, multi-specific molecules, and immune modulators can be engineered with surgical precision. Amgen's work on DLL3 T-cell engagers and GLP-1/GCGR antibodies for obesity demonstrate that innovation can now blend biologics, devices, and delivery mechanisms. But all of it must scale.
Roberts was candid: the autoimmune space alone is massive, but it demands a radical shift in infrastructure. How do you deliver cell therapies not just in academic centers, but in rural clinics? Allogene's current efforts include expanding trial sites into community hospitals and creating therapies that don't require chemotherapy pre-conditioning.
Grogan emphasized that human immunology must be deconvoluted from real patient data, not just mice. She argued that the field is evolving rapidly, but to unlock the next wave of therapies, researchers need rich human biopsies, digital multi-omics, and better disease modeling—ideally co-developed within academic-industry hybrid institutes.
Thirumoorthy noted that 90% of cancers are solid tumors. Yet the infrastructure to treat them with living cell therapies doesn’t exist at scale. Her work focuses on manufacturing simplification, regional production hubs, and the development of less labor-intensive formats—all to help democratize access.
The Next Wave of Biotech is a Team Sport
Belldegrun concluded the panel by applauding the humility and collaboration on display. From Amgen’s DLL3 TCE approval to Biogen’s expansion into immunology, to Kite’s relentless manufacturing excellence, to Allogene’s push into scalable delivery, and AstraZeneca’s dual-pathway commitment—the panelists together illustrated what it takes to build not just a therapy, but an ecosystem.
The future of biotech is not only about the next cell therapy or antibody. It’s about aligning manufacturing, regulation, delivery, and equity with the kind of science that dares to imagine something better.
As Belldegrun put it: "From here, you can see Chris and Bob listening carefully to their R&D heads. That tells you everything. This is science with strategy. This is leadership for a generation."
In short, biotech isn't just evolving. It's converging. And the people in that room are writing its next chapter.