In this episode of the In Vivo podcast, we gathered a small circle of biotech executives working in some of the hottest therapeutic areas and modalities to share their thoughts on dealmaking in 2025 and the specific opportunities and challenges in their areas of specialization.
Martin Brenner is CEO and chief scientific officer of iBio, a San Diego-based company leveraging computational biology and advanced modeling to tackle cardiometabolic and other diseases. With a proven track record of drug discovery leadership at top pharma companies and a successful biotech exit under his belt, Martin brings a wealth of dealmaking insight.
Thomas Ichim is president and chief scientific officer at Immorta Bio, a regenerative medicine company dedicated to providing patient-specific therapies for diseases of aging, while also approaching aging as a disease. Thomas has over 20 years of entrepreneurial expertise and deep knowledge of immunotherapy and regenerative medicine.
And Jack Hoppin is CEO and Co-Founder of Ratio Therapeutics, a radiopharmaceuticals company at the forefront of a red-hot field. With deep expertise in nuclear medicine and a history of scaling ventures to acquisition, Jack offers a hands-on perspective on navigating partnerships in a highly specialized domain.
Timestamps:
Intro
2:00 - General sentiments around dealmaking in 2025 from Martin, Jack and Thomas
4:45 - Jack on radiopharmaceutical company valuations: will they stay high?
7:20 - Martin on the fierce competition in cardiometabolic diseases and a strategy for differentiation at iBio
12:00 - Thomas on what is longevity medicine, dealing with skepticism through a well-considered development strategy
17:45 - Jack on the challenges radiopharmaceuticals companies face in forging partnerships and the value of partnerships in demonstrating multi-agent efficacy
23:30 - Does AI still mean anything? Martin on how iBio differentiates its use of AI with potential partners. A more sober view of AI’s potential
30:00 - Thomas on approaching Series A round and the types of investors he is courting as regenerative medicine company
36:30 - Martin, Jack and Thomas share thoughts on the most pressing macro factors that can influence dealmaking and smooth operations
41:30 - Martin, Jack and Thomas on what gives them hope for the year to come
