Ep#023: Applying Bioinformatics to Design Therapeutics of the Future with Dr. John Castle

Personalized Medicine Podcast

In this episode of the Personalized Medicine Podcast, we sat down with the guru of bioinformatics, Dr. John Castle. John is a physicist by training who found a passion for answering complex questions in drug development using a data-driven approach. He led bioinformatics teams at multiple successful companies including Rosetta Inpharmatics, Merck and Agenus. John was also employee number 5 at BioNTech, a company best known for its development of the first approved COVID vaccine. While at BioNTech John established and led the Computational Medicine team that was focusing on anti-cancer mRNA-based vaccines. Currently, John is a Chief Data Scientist Officer at Monte Rosa Therapeutics, where he helps the company develop their novel therapeutic approach based on targeted protein degradation.
This episode is full of inspirational moments and funny anecdotes. Make sure to check it out.
Together with John we discussed:
° Targeted protein degradation as a new approach in the pharma industry
° Combining genomics and protein structure data in drug development
° AlphaFold and progress in deciphering 3D protein structure
° Using bioinformatics to develop more efficient monoclonal antibodies
° Advantages of bispecific antibodies in oncology
° Early days of BioNTech
° mRNA vaccines for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases
° Differences between doing science in Europe and the US
° Advice to aspiring bioinformaticians
Get in touch with John:
° Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-castle-b1a1458/
° Twitter: @joccastle
° Web (Monte Rosa): https://www.monterosatx.com
Make sure to download the full show notes with our guest's bio, links to their most notable work, and our recommendations for further reads on the topic of the episode at pmedcast.com