Med Tech Talks Ep. 61: Dr. Zain Kassam Pt. 2

What would you brave to solve your gut problems? Colonoscopy? 🔭 A pill? 💊

This week, rejoin our conversation with Dr. Zain Kassam, co-founder of Finch Therapeutics, a Massachussetts based unicorn focusing microbiome therapeutics. Learn more about his exhillarating journey from high school, to studying gastroenterology, to his foray into the world of startups.

02:10 - 9:22 - How did OpenBiome transplant microbiota transplants from a boutique service into a democratized solution for patients in need? Zain shares his perspective on how this revolutionary organization reshaped the playing field for this therapy.

9:43 - 13:37 - Why Finch? Why pursue a for-profit, instead of continuing the non-profit route with OpenBiome? Between the multitude of barriers to widespread adoption of microbiome therapies and the adoption of new tech alongside Takeda, Zain explored all the intricacies of this hard-to-answer question.

14:04 - 16:27 - How did the FDA help or hinder Zain’s work? The path to approval for microbiome therapy was unclear, but what the FDA did to support Zain may surprise you.

17:22 - 20:29 - Partnerships as a part of Finch’s journey - what’s to it, and what separates a partnership from a one-off relationship? Zain shares his perspective on the building blocks and importance of partnerships.

21:07 - 23:24 - Intellectual Property in biotech is an important, but often underexplored topic. Zain explains his take on conflict and miscommunication about IP.

24:20 - 28:33 - Why continue researching despite the different priorities in the industry as opposed to in academia? Apparently, carrots differ, and Zain talks shop about what fuels his passions.

29:05 - 34:18 - What’s in Zain’s future? Medicine or public health impact? Zain shares what he values and what he wants to do with his time in Canada, as opposed to the United States going forward.