Beyond Biotech - the podcast from Labiotech

This week we dive into the Beyond Biotech archive to bring you a discussion with Dr Stanley Qi, the founder of Epic Bio. 
Epic Bio is an epigenetic editing company, leveraging the power of CRISPR without cutting DNA. The company’s proprietary Gene Expression Modulation System (GEMS) includes the smallest Cas protein known to work in human cells, enabling in vivo or ex vivo delivery via a single viral vector. 
In this episode we discuss epigenetic editing, why it’s reversible, and how it can treat FSHD and other conditions. 
01:43 Meet Stanley Qi
03:32 Founding Epic Bio
05:53 CRISPR interference and epigenome explained
10:04 Overview of GEMS gene modulation system
11:28 Reversibility and safety of epigenetic edits
18:42 Strategy for tackling multiple disease conditions
23:27 Clinical trial plans for EPI-321 candidate
30:06 Looking forward
This episode is brought to you with the support of MedChemExpress.
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To dive deeper into the topic: 
Could CRISPR really cure these diseases?
10 gene therapy companies you should know about
CRISPR technology’s next wave: Ten companies to watch

Today we’re joined by Patrick Andre, Chief Scientific Officer at Diagonal Therapeutics.
A trained vascular biologist, Patrick’s career spans groundbreaking work at Pfizer, Acceleron, Pliant Therapeutics, and earlier companies, where he focused on TGF-β superfamily signaling and receptor pathways that keep blood vessels healthy. Now at Diagonal, he’s leading a bold mission: developing clustering antibodies that correct the root cause of serious genetic vasculopathies, rather than just managing symptoms.
In this episode, Patrick walks us through his personal journey into science, the company’s DIAGONAL platform, and their lead program DIAG723, which recently received Orphan Drug Designation for the rare disease HHT, and is advancing toward the clinic. We also discuss Diagonal’s oversubscribed $125 million Series B financing that closed in January 2026, and what clustering antibodies could mean for patients with HHT, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and beyond.
01:33 Meet Patrick Andre
08:01 Diagonal’s mission
11:39 What are clustering antibodies
16:05 Receptor clustering benefits for HHT and PAH
20:24 Preclinical data on preventing and reversing HHT pathology
22:39 The impact of the $125 Million Series B financing round
Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 
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To dive deeper into the topic: 
Vaderis emerges from stealth to start HHT trial
Pulmonary hypertension after Winrevair: where GSK’s $950M bet fits
New treatment for pulmonary hypertension: what biotech holds in store?

Our guest today is Thierry Laugel, Managing Partner of Kurma & Chairman of Argobio. With a PharmD, PhD in pharmacology, and an INSEAD MBA, Thierry has spent more than two decades bridging cutting-edge science and commercial success—first in pharma R&D, then as co-founder of Kurma Partners, and now leading Argobio’s unique venture-builder model.
Since raising €50 million in 2021, Argobio has co-founded and accelerated several companies from top European academic labs. Three of them—Enodia, Laigo Bio, and Elkedonia—have already closed seed rounds totaling more than €43 million, advancing novel platforms in targeted protein degradation, precision membrane protein degraders, and non-hallucinogenic neuroplasticity enhancers for depression. 
Thierry shares how Argobio reduces execution risk, embeds operational expertise, and turns promising science into investable companies that can compete worldwide. 
04:02 Blending pharmacology expertise with business
07:50 Vision behind starting Kurma Partners
12:53 Launching Argobio to address gaps in European biotech 
17:40 What makes the Argobio operational venture builder model unique
25:02 Criteria for selecting academic scientific breakthroughs
27:34 Changing dynamics of commercializing European research
35:30 Europe vs US biotech investment climates
37:47 Role of venture studios in Europe’s biotech future
Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 
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To dive deeper into the topic: 
M Ventures: pharma CVC and biotech innovation in 2026
Inside Flagship Pioneering's strategy: How this VC turns ideas into biotech giants
Venture capital co-creation: The next big thing in biotech investment?

Today, we're exploring the transformative potential of AI in biopharma—separating hype from reality, and zooming in on the complexities of single-cell omics data.
Our guest is Parashar Dhapola, co-founder and CEO of Nygen Analytics, a Lund-based startup spun out from Sweden's vibrant single-cell genomics ecosystem. With a PhD in computational genomics from Lund University, Parashar has pioneered efficient algorithms for analyzing millions of cells, turning raw data into actionable insights for drug discovery.
Join us as we discuss where AI truly delivers in biopharma, the persistent gaps in exploratory data analytics, and the critical bottlenecks in single-cell annotation. In a world abounding in AI hype, Parashar helps us cut through the noise and point out paths to data driven success.
01:00 Meet Parashar Dhapola
05:45 AI in biopharma
09:29 AI automation vs. new capabilities
11:28 What makes single-cell omics data different
18:46 Risks of incorrect cell annotation
34:37 Future of single-cell analytics
This episode is produced with the support of Nygen Analytics. Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 
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To dive deeper into the topic: 
CyteType - AI powered cell type annotation
Behind the Cure51 deal: Is NVIDIA becoming biotech’s AI infrastructure?
The past, present, and future of genome sequencing

This week we welcome Magdalena Tyrpien, CEO, Co-Founder and President of Nionyx Bio, just days after the company took first place in the BIO-Europe Spring Startup Spotlight competition in Lisbon.
With a background that includes leading Forge Biologics through its $620 million acquisition, Magdalena is now steering Nionyx toward a bold new chapter in gene therapy for kidney disease. In this episode we explore her journey into biotech, the science behind Nionyx’s proprietary AAV capsid platform and Kidney Atlas, what it took to win the Startup Spotlight, and what the victory means for the young company’s future.
·  01:25 – Meet Magdalena Tyrpien
·  07:10 – The Nionyx mission
·  15:29 – The 2026 BIO-Europe Spring Startup Spotlight
·  22:23 – Looking forward and future milestones
Interested in being a sponsor of an episode of our podcast? Discover how you can get involved here! 
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To dive deeper into the topic: 
Lisbon is calling: the BIO-Europe Startup Spotlight returns in March 2026
BIO-Europe Spring 2026: partnership event brings funding hope to biotechs
BIO-Europe partnering: Australian biotech companies share their experiences