Podcasts are a great way to learn and engage listeners with stories that may strike their interest, particularly in the world of biotech. Whether you’re commuting to work, cleaning, going for a walk, doing the laundry, or just sitting down to relax, podcasts can be an ideal way to stay entertained – as well as informed – while multitasking.
As keeping up with the latest technologies in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries can be quite daunting, especially at a time of rapid advancements, a podcast can be an enjoyable way to stay up to date with the latest trends in the industry.
Here are ten biotech podcasts that have been gaining traction, thanks to their compelling stories, diverse topics, and innovative formats this year.
Table of contents
Beyond Biotech Podcast
Top of the list, of course, is Labiotech’s very own Beyond Biotech podcast hosted by award-winning editor and writer Jim Cornall. Each episode, which goes live every Friday, invites experts of the global biotech industry, from investors to chief executives to researchers, who discuss clinical trials, trends and the latest therapies and technologies. Keep an ear out for this week’s episode on how some diseases can be cured.. using worms.
Biotech Hangout
A podcast that began at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as a means to stay connected to the latest biotech-related news and trends, it amassed a following soon enough. Founders and industry insiders Daphne Zohar, Brad Loncar and Chris Garabedian, are joined by their co-hosts every Friday at 12 pm (Eastern Time) to provide a rundown of breaking news in the industry, data deals and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) actions, as well as focus on funding trends and the environment at large.
Biotech2050
The life science industry is moving at a pace like never before. The Biotech2050 podcast, led by Alok Tayi, chief executive officer (CEO) of biotech company Vibe Bio and Rahul Chaturvedi, CEO of life science partnering platform Clora, takes a deep dive into technologies that are on the path to shaping the industry. On an episode that was produced earlier this year, Chaturvedi was joined by Kate Haviland, CEO of Blueprint Medicines, who discussed how precision medicine may be transforming the lives of people with cancer and hematologic diseases.
Business of Biotech Podcast
Hosted by Matt Pillar, chief editor of BioProcess Online, the podcast is joined by industry experts who delve into drug development, funding and commercialization of the latest technologies. The episodes feature these experts, who share their experiences growing their companies, developing drugs in emerging biotech spaces, as well as offer their pearls of wisdom to budding entrepreneurs and investors.
The Long Run
The show’s title, an ode to Ernest Shackleston’s Antarctic explorations, The Long Run is a podcast run by biotech journalist Luke Timmerman, where he goes beyond the realms of R&D in biotech, and has conversations with spokespeople about race and gender inequality within the biotech sector. In an episode that aired earlier this year, Yung Lie, CEO of Cancer Research Foundation, spoke to Timmerman about how supporting young scientists could be critical to boosting cancer research.
The Readout Loud
Ever wonder how your medicines get made? Reporters Allison DeAngelis, Damian Garde and Adam Feuerstein, at Stat News, host The Readout Loud podcast that explores the latest drug discoveries, trials and trends. On a recent episode, they discuss the boom in the radiopharmaceutical development sector and the gold rush that followed. The podcast has also covered major mergers and acquisitions within the industry and has kept up with the latest gene editing techniques and medicines like weight loss drug Ozempic that has caused a market frenzy.
Hopkins Biotech Podcast
Aimed at engaging students studying life sciences who are interested in pursuing non-academic careers, the Hopkins Biotech Podcast explores career opportunities in fields ranging from biotech, pharma and even venture capitals. Based in the John Hopkins School of Medicine in the U.S., each episode details the professional journey of the guest speaker, having navigated through their career goals. Guests on the podcast offer career advice as well as narrate personal anecdotes that have helped lead their careers. Previous episodes have discussed the biotech job market, the antibody drug conjugate (ADC) industry, as well as offered tips on how to stand out in the competitive recruiting process in the industry.
The Bio Report
Hosted by award-winning journalist Daniel Levine, The Bio Report is a weekly podcast that gives insight into topics that intersect with business, science, and policy. One of the most recent episodes looks to address supply-chain challenges that underlie drug shortages in the field of synthetic biology. Another episode dealt with how to develop better and more affordable vaccines, particularly in a post-pandemic era. One recurring topic on the podcast has been the promise of artificial intelligence in healthcare, diagnostics and drug discovery.
I am BIO
A bimonthly podcast, which is an initiative by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization in the U.S., the world’s largest biotech trade association, involves industry experts who take us into their world, where they discuss the fields of research that they are in. Describing itself as a collection of “powerful stories of biotech breakthroughs, the people they help, and the global problems they solve,” one of the recent episodes went into how synthetic biology is revolutionizing almost every sector in our economy, from healthcare to food to sustainable development. Another episode titled ‘Biotech Women Striking at the Glass Ceiling’ draws on the importance of women’s leadership. The guest speakers, who were chief executives of biotechs, discussed what barriers exist for women in the industry in the attempt to break the glass ceiling, as well as leading initiatives aimed at mentoring the next generation of women executives.
First In Human
Presented by contract research organization (CRO) Vial, First In Human is a biotech-focused podcast that immerses itself into the world of researchers, industry experts, and investors, to discover their journey to clinical trials. The weekly podcast interviews chief executives and founders of biotech companies that are focused on developing treatments in particular therapeutic fields, who share how they have progressed in their respective fields, and what drove them to lead their companies.
Honorable mentions
Other podcasts that are worth a listen include Science Friction and Talking Biotech. While Science Friction showcases the stories behind scientific discoveries with episodes ranging from discussing the creation of the first lab-grown burger to why female animals and women are often excluded from scientific studies, Talking Biotech features interviews with scientists across a wide range of fields within biotechnology, from plant biology to human medicine, as well as experts on science communication. It is led by professor and horticulture researcher Kevin Folta.
As the winter sets in, tuning into these podcasts could be a great way to get your weekly dose of biotech news, and keep up with the ever-changing industry.
This article was originally published in August 2022 and has since been updated by Roohi Mariam Peter, on November 13, 2023.
Partnering 2030: The Biotech Perspective 2023
