BIO from the BAYOU: Build Your Biotech Network with Key Opinion Leaders and Investors
14 Feb 2024 · 21 min
0:00
In this episode of Bio from the Bayou, host Kenesha Ikenpulumi, co‑hosts Dr. Elaine Hamm and James R. Zanewicz interview Dr. Tari Suprapto, Director for Search and Evaluation (Western US & Canada) at Novo Nordisk. Dr. Suprapto shares her unconventional journey from a PhD scientist to technology transfer and finally to a senior role in big pharma, emphasizing the importance of self‑reflection and joy in career choices. She explains how Novo Nordisk scouts academic partners by aligning scientific priorities with company strategy, focusing on research portfolios rather than prestige, and using keyword searches and internal expertise to surface relevant assets. The conversation delves deeply into the people‑first approach to dealmaking: leveraging existing networks, building trust, ensuring scientific and interpersonal alignment, and recognizing that a two‑year collaboration often requires a year of negotiation. Dr. Suprapto stresses the long‑term nature of relationships, the value of regular, genuine contact, and the need to be personable and fun to work with. She discusses common pain points such as finding the right corporate contact, the role of conferences like BIO on the Bayou in facilitating introductions, and the importance of authenticity and humility in combating imposter syndrome. Finally, she offers advice to smaller or non‑R1 institutions, stating that strong science matters more than institutional rank and that researchers must proactively disseminate their work through publications and conferences to attract industry interest. The episode closes with reflections on the Gulf Coast biotech ecosystem and promotional information for upcoming BIO events.
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You're listening to Bio from the Bayou, featuring stories and industry insights from experts in the bustling biotech scene of New Orleans.
The entire Gulf Coast region is buzzing with excitement, and we're here to bring you frontline access to this vibrant ecosystem direct from NOLA, the city that provides Little Lagniappe with everything we do.
Where people come for the science but stay for the food, festivals, and resilient culture.
I'm James Zanewicz, the Chief Business Officer for the Tulane School of Medicine.
And I'm Dr. Elaine Hamm, the Executive in Residence for the Tulane School And this is Bio from the Bayou.
Welcome back to Bio from the Bayou. I'm Kenesha Ikenpulumi, your host. Today's guest is Dr. Tari Suprapto. Tari is a seasoned technology commercialization professional and is currently the Director for Search and Evaluation for Western US and Canada She also has a strong background in a variety of therapeutic areas evidenced by her PhD in cell biology. Wow, heavy credentials. Sorry. Thank you for joining me.
Glad to be here.
During an earlier session at the BIO— on the BIO conference, there was a really robust discussion around academic and industry partnerships. And I wish I could have recorded everything you said to follow up on those things here. But one of the things that we talked about is the path to this type of field is not usually a linear path. People don't go to school and say, I'm going to major in technology transfer or research and development. So could you tell us a little bit about your path?
Absolutely.
It'd be my pleasure. My journey, its foundation is in science. I grew up as a young child always loving science. I was always drawn to the Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. instead of the art museum, although today I would love to go to the art museum again. I've become a much more well-rounded adult. I also benefited from having 2 well-educated parents, both who put a high priority on my education. My mom was actually one of the first female PhDs in Indonesia and had always sort of held that as a standard for me to measure up to, which is probably why I went to graduate school. But I long ago decided to stay in science, to stay close to the science. And then I went— I did go to graduate school and entered my PhD program. Midway through, I decided I didn't want to actually do the science, but I wanted to stay in it and with it. And that's what led me to the field of technology transfer, right? The act of commercializing innovations out of academic research institutions, which we mainly do through partnering. And so I did that for over 15 years. And through that cultivated a lot of relationships with those industry partners and collaborators. And that's how I transitioned into the pharmaceutical industry more recently. So it was not a circuitous path. It took a lot of very clear and deep and often painful, honest looks at myself, what was giving me joy and fulfillment in my career.
Yes.
And also what served me and my family. And so I'm I'm extremely happy to be part of the company I work for now, Novo Nordisk. We are growing, we are changing, it's exciting. There's a strong need for forming partnerships with both academia and biotech. And that's my role, is to help reach those aspirations.
So in your role, how do you, or big pharma in general, identify and evaluate possible partnership opportunities with academia and other research institutions? What does that process look like?
So I'm— in general, I'm responsible for the region of the Western US and Canada. I live and work out of my home in San Diego. I've lived there for about 15 years, so I'm very engaged with that local ecosystem, which includes the academic research institutions there. But since I did spend time in other parts of the country, my network of academic research institutions is pretty much nationwide. And so I primarily look at the science, right? So this is where really understanding my company's strategies and priorities and then seeing what bodies of research are feeding best into enabling us to make some serious advances scientifically. That's how I start to target. So I really look at the portfolio of researchers, the laboratories versus just pure reputation or prestige alone.
Yeah.
I'm a strong believer that There you can find jewels and diamonds everywhere. You may just have to look harder in some parts, but they're always worth looking at. And I was trained by my first farmer search and evaluation director that always take the first conversation because you never know where it's going to go. And people, they just want your time and attention. And once they know they have it, they start to open up and information is everything in my business.
Yes, you mentioned that earlier during the session, the importance of building those relationships and continuing to engage. Could you talk a bit more about that? How do research institutions, academic institutions, how do we form those collaborative relationships with Big Pharma or other industries?
I do have an advantage as a former technology transfer professional that I have many friends and colleagues in different research institutions. For example, if one of the researchers in my company show me a paper and they say, hey, I'd really love to talk to this lab, or I actually contacted the professor already, but now we have to really talk about what the relationship is going to look like. That's great. Chances are I already know some of the people at that institution and we can get things cracking right away. And if I don't, I can always get the necessary introduction. Once we get past the finding the right team or individuals to interact with, then it is that relationship building piece. And this is where soft skills and being able to read the room, quote unquote, is extremely important.
Yes.
For me personally, science comes first, but people come an awfully close second. If my researchers and the other researcher at the academic institution don't get along, I'm out.
Yes.
We get one, that's one meeting, and then we just simply say like, you know what, I'm not seeing an alignment of minds here. I think we're better served not moving forward, right?
Yes.
And I think that's very true. And I think I mentioned this in the session was that even if it's only a 2-year collaboration, it's 2 years preceded by 1 year of negotiation and research plan finalization. Time is very precious and we don't want to waste time. I was taught a long time ago that good deals can go bad, but a bad deal rarely goes good. I have to be very attuned to that. That relationship with the academic institution, it's on many layers. There's a technology transfer office, sometimes senior administration gets involved.
Yes.
Then of course, the researchers and their team themselves. Ideally, we've got a good relationship on all those levels. It's really not that simple, but at the same time it is. Are we getting along? Are we aligned in our incentives, in our interests? We are going to be spending a lot of time together, especially our scientists, and if they can't break bread and drink wine, water, beer together with great joy, this is going to be painful.
Oh, I've experienced it. But could we go back to the identification piece Yeah. How do you identify potential assets?
Going back to what I said before, right? So I know what the priorities are, both scientifically and strategically for my company. So I am looking for researchers whose research interests feed into that. So if we take, for instance, the example of cardiovascular disease, right, then we're looking at people who are studying certain aspects of, let's say, the heart muscle, for example. How do we prevent heart failure? Maybe they're looking at novel pathways that actually enable the heart to perform better. I'm just using these as fairly general examples.
Yes.
The alignment, the identification does require the scientific background. I will be the first one to say I am not a disease expert and I am not a drug hunter. I've never designed nor developed a drug. But I learned fast and I kind of, it's like a keyword search. Like, does this match up with this? When in doubt, I will always ask the resident team, hey, is this what we're looking for?
I guess I'm also wondering about continued engagement. What would be the best form of contact for sustained engagement in a possible research collaboration?
One key point, and again, having listened to many academic tech transfer professionals, The biggest pain point is actually finding the right person to talk to within a particular company, right?
Yeah.
So for instance, if you as a tech transfer office for a university, you have a particular invention that you're trying to find a partner for, be it a licensee or a collaborator, you have to do— actually do the market research to figure out, okay, who are the players in this space that we could potentially think of as potential collaborators? So that gets you the name of the organization. It doesn't get you the name of the person in the organization. And many of companies like mine, we are large companies. So you can't just send out thousands of emails.
Okay.
'Cause that's not gonna serve anybody. So it's figuring out who it is. And that's why we have conferences like BIO on the Bayou. That's why we have conferences like Autumn and BIO and LES, right? There's many forums where all of a sudden like, oh, there is a real person and a name and, Right? You go to networking events. Again, the relationship piece of this, the person-to-person contact piece, that's what drives deal flow.
Absolutely.
Right?
And that's why we talk so much about the importance of relationships and being personable and really being a preferred potential partner. And here's another thing. We all play the long game, especially with interacting with academic research institutions.
institutions.
Yeah.
Right?
I had— I've been around long enough that I remember from the day that I actually disclosed the opportunity to this company to the day I actually did the deal, 15, 1-5 years. And it took both of us to evolve, both of our organizations to evolve. Company X had to acquire this company in order to actually be truly active and needing something in this space. And I needed all the prior relationships that were going on around this particular technology to evolve to a point and the data to evolve to a point that, boom. I remember the day that we all— we both looked at each other like, oh my God, can we just savor this moment?
Preferably over drinks.
Well, we can actually make— we can actually make something happen. But because we stayed in touch minimum once a year.
Wow.
Because we liked each other as people.
Right?
When I would sometimes come by Company X's booth at a conference, it wouldn't be like, hey, are we gonna do a deal today?
Okay.
That's obnoxious.
Yes.
But versus, hey, how are you? It's so lovely to see you again. And I would be genuine. Right? Then it becomes more of a friendly exchange. And this is the key. Be cool. Be someone fun to hang out with.
I absolutely agree.
Because I look for people that are fun to hang out with. Right? That makes— that takes the pain out of the process because we will get stuck on things. We will disagree on things. But can we disagree amicably and work to overcome disagreement? Are we just gonna go out guns blazing? Yeah, I know which one I prefer.
I think we have the same. But you're absolutely right about the importance of relationships. And I think that's a soft skill that people devalue. Just based on my relationships here, moving back to New Orleans 4 years ago, COVID hit 4 months later, and then developing these relationships with people virtually, including James, who has been— James Zanewicz from Tulane. He has been such a connector for me, such a great resource and collaborator, and he's opened the door to introduce me to different people now, including you. And he's prodded me into becoming a host of the podcast. But those people in your network can open doors, can serve as resources and encouragers. Because as we talked about a little earlier, fields like this can be isolating to some extent, particularly for some groups, including me. I'll say, full disclosure, as a non-scientist who facilitates I describe it as I facilitate the business of research. I don't understand all of the different methodologies, the compounds, all of the different sectors, but the resources, relationships help with that. On your end, could you talk about in your role evolving, I guess, and not being afraid to ask questions? Or I don't know if you've had to ever deal with imposter syndrome yourself or— Just in general navigating this whole space?
At least once a week I go through a moment of imposter syndrome. It's like, wow, I can't believe I'm actually like pulling this off. But let's not focus on the skills or the knowledge base that I don't have. Because if I was supposed to know everything that there was to know about my business, the diseases that we go after, I don't know how old I'd be by now. But there is something that people do value, and that is honesty and humility.
Yes.
I will be the first one to say I am not the expert in this particular disease. However, I do understand that what you are working on is of potential relevance to something that my company is interested in. What can you tell me on a non-confidential basis so I can get a better understanding? I have enough of a scientific background that I can wrap my head around most things. You just have to get into the details, like the target name or this is in this pathway and whatnot. Fine, I can learn that fairly quickly. That's really what a PhD does for me is I can learn and I'm always learning, but that's also what I love. I'll be the first one to say, I need to learn from you. Trust me, 99.9% of scientists or scientists turned industry researcher, They love that. Oh my God, you want to learn something from me? It elevates them.
Yes. Right?
It's a form of sincere flattery because it's true. I have to learn. Right? When I worked for an animal health pharmaceutical company, I knew nothing about their diseases, 7 species and all their diseases. But I was like, can you give me a primer so I can at least get a basic understanding? But the value I brought, and this is something that I really would love to share in this podcast is when you are given an opportunity, one, say yes. 2, if you are given a seat at the table, there is a reason.
Yes.
So stop doubting yourself. Sit down, take up space, and be there. Be present. Contribute where you can and ask questions. Be curious, not judgmental. Right? To quote the famous Ted Lasso. Because that gets you so much farther. And the honesty and the authenticity stays. You are not lying. You are not misrepresenting. And all of a sudden, you become one of the most trustworthy person there.
Yes, authenticity matters.
And then everybody wants to work with you. Everybody wants to talk to you.
That really resonates with me. Authenticity really does matter. Speaking of taking up space, I will bring a chair if there's no chair. I will bring my own plate, utensils, napkins. and sit comfortably at that table because I belong there. Flipping the script a bit, companies and potential collaborators tend to focus on R1 institutions. So do you have any advice for smaller institutions like Xavier, STEM-heavy, highly research-active, but would be difficult to reach R1 status because we don't have the required number of PhD programs in order to reach that status. Same for R2 status. What advice could you give those types of institutions who may not be on the radar and may not be as known as other investigators?
So it wasn't until recently I became aware of all these different statuses for active institutions. That shows you how it's not something that I really used as a criteria.
Okay.
But it is always science first. So if the science is good, if the science is relevant to our strategy, I don't care where it comes from. The issue then more is how do we get to know that such scientific endeavors exist?
Yes.
And usually it will be through publications or through time at scientific conferences, which may not often be to the advantage of certain types of smaller institutions. I would say there's no real straightforward answer to that other than it is incumbent upon the institution and the people in the institution to make sure that word of the science gets out somehow.
Yes. Honestly, this type of conference is probably not one that I would have typically attended. I'm generally in more regulatory or policy type of conferences. But I really do see the value, and I actually saw the value last year, which is why we're back as a co-sponsor this year. The opportunity to meet people like you and to form those relationships and to meet other experts— as you said, it's not possible to know every single facet of your job or to be an expert in every facet, but being able to tap into your network and resources It has been greatly beneficial to me by attending these types of conferences. You know, I just never know what I'll get from it, but usually it's been great.
Yeah.
And it's my first time here too.
Is it? Okay. I shouldn't be the last. Tari, thank you so much for joining the podcast and having the conversation. I look forward to connecting with you again very soon. As always, we'll have Tari's contact information and informational links posted in our show notes. Make sure you check them out to learn more.
This episode of BIO From the Bayou was recorded at BIO On the Bayou, our annual event showcasing academic science, biotech, and startups from the entire Gulf South region. Save the date for 2024, October 29th and 30th. Check out bioonthabayou.com for more information.
Thanks for joining us for BIO From the Bayou, and we hope you'll join us again.
If you'd like to learn more about the emerging biotech scene in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region, visit us at biofromthebayou.com, where we have more info on who we are, how to get involved and connected in biotech in New Orleans, and the industry events we'll be hosting where you can meet with us in person.
And we'd be remiss if we didn't give a special thanks to the Accelerator Network for providing funding for this podcast. Learn more about them in our show notes.
We'll catch you on our next episode of Bio from the Bayou.
