Episode 12: Vicki Sato

Vicki Sato: Building Modern Biotech Through the Pull and Push

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Dr.Vicki Sato is a pioneering biotech leader who helped shape the modern biotech industry. She currently serves on the board or in the advisory role for several biotech companies, including Vir Biotechnology, Denali Therapeutics, Allogene Therapeutics, and as a venture partner at ARCH Venture Partners.

Vicki started her career as an academic scientist. She was a professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at Harvard. She later made a bold leap into biotech industry, initially joining Biogen and ultimately becoming Chief Scientific Officer and then President of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. At Vertex, she helped drive some of the company’s most transformative scientific bets. After decades leading at the highest levels of biotech, Vicki came back to Harvard to teach courses on drug discovery and the commercialization of science, and to help launch the Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Science Entrepreneurship. Vicki was also a member of the President’s Council of Advisors for Science and Technology (PCAST) for President Joe Biden.

In this episode,

• She talks about her early life from Chicago public schools, to attending Harvard, later becoming a professor.

• She reflects on the “pull and push” factors that led her to make a bold transition from academia into biotech Industry (early years of Biogen, then Vertex) at a time when such move was far from typical.

• She discusses the limitations of the simplified approach in drug discovery, stressing the need for a more holistic/systemic approach to tackle complex diseases.

• She recalls how she navigated tough times and made tough decisions when she was leading Vertex. She stresses how important a clear and audacious vision is for attracting and retaining talent.

• She suggests young scientists and entrepreneurs focus on identifying and addressing meaningful problems.

• She shares her experience serving on PCAST under President Biden and discusses the importance of having a science policy and the challenges of driving federal policy.

• In the end, she shares her hobbies (ballroom dancing, reading and cooking).

  Co-Hosts: Yossef Baidi Fang Xie

  Questions: Malvika Dua Fang Xie Yossef Baidi

  Planning: Yossef Baidi

  Producers: Fang Xie Yossef Baidi