Boston Biotech Series: Pitching Ideas & Leading a Biotech to FDA Approval

Michael Kauffman, MD/PhD is the Founder & CEO of Karyopharm, a pharmaceutical company that develops & commercializes various drugs directed against nuclear export and related targets for the treatment of cancer, inflammation, viral diseases, and other disorders of proliferation. Michael is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive, having also served as CEO, CMO, or VP at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Predix Pharmaceuticals, EPIX Pharmaceuticals, Proteolix Pharmaceuticals, and Onyx Pharmaceuticals. In this episode, Michael shares Karyopharm’s company formation story, key leadership skills for successful biotech entrepreneurship, and how the company matured from preclinical to clinical to commercial stage. Additionally, we discuss the role of nuclear export in cancer biology and how to effectively pitch your research to people outside of your field.

Hosted by Roshan Chikarmane, Joe Varriale, and Jenna Glatzer.