Unlocking Cancer Priming Therapies (& Lab Tour) - Transon Nguyen of Eigen Therapeutics

<p>Transon Nguyen is the CEO and Co-Founder of Eigen Therapeutics, a biotech startup leveraging AI and lab automation to develop priming therapies that make cancer easier to find and eliminate. </p><p>Hosted by Nabil Laoudji. My guest co-host is Jimmy Sastra! This episode is sponsored by <a href="https://www.monomerbio.com/" target="_blank">Monomer Bio</a>. See below for episode links, chapters, and how to connect with us.</p><p>Thanks for watching 🙏🤙</p><p><strong>Episode Links:</strong></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.eigentx.com/" target="_blank">Eigen Therapeutics</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/transonn/" target="_blank">Transon Nguyen's LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.monomerbio.com/" target="_blank">Monomer Bio</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-sastra-phd-11a0521/" target="_blank">Jimmy Sastra's LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.novartis.com/research-and-development/technology-platforms/radioligand-therapy" target="_blank">Radioligand Therapy</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibody%E2%80%93drug_conjugate" target="_blank">Antibody–Drug Conjugates (ADCs)</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laboratory_information_management_system" target="_blank">Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)</a></li> </ul><p><strong>Chapters:</strong></p><ul> <li>(00:00) - Teaser</li> <li>(00:36) - Introducing My Guest Co-Host: Jimmy Sastra of Monomer Bio</li> <li>(11:24) - Introducing Transon Nguyen, CEO of Eigen Therapeutics</li> <li>(12:54) - Transon's Path Into Biomedical Engineering</li> <li>(15:45) - Science In Industry vs Academia: Importance of Culture</li> <li>(18:27) - Co-Founding Eigen Tx: A Confluence of Factors</li> <li>(24:27) - How to Find New Ideas</li> <li>(25:15) - Cost of ADCs and Radioligand Therapies</li> <li>(27:00) - Testing The Effectiveness of Priming Therapies</li> <li>(31:23) - How Patients Take Priming Therapies</li> <li>(33:19) - Importance of Empathy In Multidisciplinary Teams</li> <li>(37:54) - Lab Tour: Intro, Flexible Design</li> <li>(39:33) - Different "Homes" / Areas of The Lab</li> <li>(43:32) - Custom Built LIMS</li> <li>(48:54) - Robot Test Suite Demo</li> <li>(51:41) - A Look At Custom-Built LIMS</li> <li>(55:56) - Favorite Instruments</li> <li>(57:44) - Business of BioTech: Making The Numbers Work</li> <li>(59:09) - Don't Over-Automate</li> <li>(01:01:13) - Keeping The Lab Clean</li> <li>(01:03:01) - Moving Beyond Just Solving Problems</li> <li>(01:05:05) - Reframing Personal Identity and Seeing the Whole System</li> <li>(01:08:31) - Relevance of AI Foundation Models, Virtual Cells to Eigen's Mission</li> <li>(01:12:50) - Contact Transon to Learn More About Priming Therapies</li> </ul><p><strong>Connect With Us:</strong></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.discoveryengines.co/" target="_blank">Our Newsletter</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/nabilwrites" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/nabilwrites.bsky.social" target="_blank">Bluesky</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/laoudji/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href="https://bit.ly/7zaeqox" target="_blank">Feedback or questions</a></li></ul><p><strong>Platforms:</strong></p><ul> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@discoveryengines" target="_blank">YouTube</a></li> <li><a href="https://apple.co/3DkzZrp" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a></li> <li><a href="https://spoti.fi/3BzMqiy" target="_blank">Spotify Podcasts</a></li></ul>