Fail Fast, Learn Faster: Drug Development in Rare Disease with Dr. Binodh DeSilva

In this episode of BioTalk Unzipped, Gregory Austin and Dr. Chad Briscoe sit down with Dr. Binodh DeSilva, Senior Vice President of Bioanalysis at Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, to explore the science and soul behind rare-disease drug development.

From her early days studying electrochemistry at the University of Kansas to leading cutting-edge bioanalytical programs at Ultragenyx, Dr. DeSilva shares how curiosity and community shaped her four-decade career. She discusses the profound responsibility of working with limited, often irreplaceable patient samples with care.

A special thanks to AAPS (https://www.aaps.org/) for their help and support of this episode.

The conversation dives into:

Balancing rigor and agility in small-population clinical studiesLeveraging entrepreneurial mindsets from biotech within big pharma frameworksThe promise of dried blood spots (DBS) and patient-centric samplingMentorship, curiosity, and the future of scientific leadershipHer return to Sri Lanka with KU faculty to recruit the next generation of scientists

Throughout the discussion, DeSilva underscores a recurring theme: science thrives when curiosity meets compassion. This episode is a masterclass in both.

Guest Links

Dr. Binodh DeSilva

https://www.linkedin.com/in/binodh-desilva/

Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals - https://www.ultragenyx.com/

Hosts

Dr. Chad Briscoe