{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6311fe9bae5d13001250521f/691f92d9d35aa096b56e545c?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"From Underfunded Science to Award-Winning: The Drug Discovery Rollercoaster with Dr Chris Burns","description":"<p>What keeps a drug alive when the science is fragile, the funding dries up, and the company name changes four times?</p><p>A 20-year survival story of near-death science, offshore funding, and final impact.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><h2>🔍 What You’ll Learn</h2><p>If you want a real look at how drug development and STEM careers work behind the scenes, this episode gives you the straight version, not the polished one.</p><p>You’ll learn:</p><p> • Why drugs are designed, not discovered, and what that means for your STEM career choices</p><p> • Why starting with a strong target matters more than starting with an indication</p><p> • How the financial crisis and investment landscape pushed this Australian project offshore</p><p> • Why Momelotinib survived multiple handovers when it could have died at any stage</p><p> • What it takes to grow from lab scientist to CEO, and the people you need around you</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p> Press play to hear the real story behind a drug that survived science hurdles, funding shocks, and corporate chaos to finally reach patients.</p><p><br></p><h2>🧠 About the Guest</h2><p>Dr Chris Burns is the CEO and Managing Director of AmpliaTherapeutics. He is one of the few scientists who has watched a drug he helped design reach FDA approval. While he was heading Cytopia, Chris co-led the creation of Momelotinib, a JAK2 inhibitor approved for myelofibrosis in 2023 after two decades of stops, starts, handovers, and near-failures.</p><p><br></p><h2>📌 Episode Highlights</h2><p>00:00 Why very few scientists see their work reach patients</p><p> 02:00 Designed, not discovered: the truth about drug creation</p><p> 05:10 The creativity behind medicinal chemistry</p><p> 08:15 How Momelotinib got its name</p><p> 09:45 Preclinical wins, metabolic failures, and early near-death moments</p><p> 12:00 The JAK2 discovery that shifted the entire program</p><p> 15:20 Running across lily pads: designing drugs at the edge of knowledge</p><p> 17:45 The metabolic wall that nearly killed the compound</p><p> 20:00 Entering the clinical valley of death</p><p> 21:10 The handover chain: Cytopia → YM Bioscience → Gilead → Sierra → GSK</p><p> 27:00 Why Australian innovation keeps leaving the country</p><p> 29:30 Practical funding advice for early biotechs</p><p> 32:00 Winning the Prime Minister’s Prize</p><p> 33:00 From scientist to CEO, step by step</p><p> 36:00 The leadership habits that matter most</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><h2>🔗 Resources Mentioned</h2><p>• Ampio Therapeutics</p><p> • Momelotinib FDA approval</p><p> • Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation</p><p> • JAK2 mutation discovery</p><p> • Cytopia historical research</p><p>(If you want direct links added, send them through.)</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><h2>🤔 Reflection Time</h2><ol><li>Which part of your own work would survive longer if you treated it like a design process instead of waiting for inspiration?</li><li>What’s one area in your STEM career where timing, allies, or better funding could shift everything?</li><li>If your work went through four handovers, what would keep it alive?</li></ol><p><br></p>","author_name":"Angelique Greco | Biotech & Health-Tech Expert | STEM Thought Leadership Coach"}