Alex Telford on AI, drug discovery, digital twins, and the most interesting questions in biotech

Beyond Biotech - the podcast from Labiotech

What are the most interesting questions in biotech, and is it even possible to find answers to those questions?

Alex Telford is the co-founder of Convoke and a biotech blogger from the San Francisco Bay Area. His blog post, 'Some questions about biotech that I find interesting' provoked conversations online as readers engaged with questions about topics as diverse as the impacts of regulation, the role of serendipity in drug discovery, clinical trial failure rates, and the best structure for governing large pharmaceutical companies companies.

In this episode Alex explains the work he is doing at Convoke before opening the door to his insatiable curiosity about the biotech industry.

01:17 Introducing Alex Telford

04:28 The business of biotech

09:02 Convoke and its mission

14:21 ‘Some questions about biotech that I find interesting’

16:57 Why founders should be writing and blogging

18:44 Generating good questions about biotech

20:50 AI and its role in drug discovery

26:21 Will AI mean the end of serendipitous drug discovery?

28:15 Regulatory challenges for biotech

34:17 Is the FDA a net positive or net negative for the industry?

36:56 The unanswerable questions in biotech

39:00 Digital twins in biotechnology

42:15 The next interesting questions in biotech

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To dive deeper into the topic:

• 12 AI drug discovery companies you should know about
• Does the FDA need to tighten its grip on drug trials in the U.S.?
• 2025 predictions: Which trends are set to shape the biotech industry this year?

Chapters

1. Alex Telford on AI, drug discovery, digital twins, and the most interesting questions in biotech (00:00:00)

2. Introducing Alex Telford (00:01:17)

3. The business of biotech (00:04:28)

4. Convoke and its mission (00:09:02)

5. ‘Some questions about biotech that I find interesting’ (00:14:21)

6. Why founders should be writing and blogging (00:16:57)

7. Generating good questions about biotech (00:18:44)

8. AI and its role in drug discovery (00:20:50)

9. Will AI mean the end of serendipitous drug discovery? (00:26:21)

10. Regulatory challenges for biotech (00:28:15)

11. Is the FDA a net positive or net negative for the industry? (00:34:17)

12. The unanswerable questions in biotech (00:36:56)

13. Digital twins in biotechnology (00:39:00)

14. New interesting questions in biotech (00:42:15)