The visionary biotech entrepreneur: Arun Asaithambi’s journey from PhD to NASDAQ

In the landscape of the burgeoning biotechnology sector, a remarkable journey unfolds –that of Arun Asaithambi, a visionary entrepreneur who transitioned from a PhD researcher to the founder of a Nasdaq-listed cancer biotech company.

Humanity's recent strides in biotechnology are noteworthy, encompassing breakthroughs in gene editing, cell and immuno-therapies, artificial intelligence, bio-manufacturing, and personalised medicine. Talented researchers are at the forefront of such innovation, and industry progress.

Arun Asaithambi stands out as one such example, a talented biotech researcher dedicated to revolutionising healthcare. Arun's journey was fuelled by a personal tragedy – his father's cancer diagnosis and premature demise. Motivated by this, he embarked on a journey that led him to pursue a Ph.D. and post-doctoral research in the United States focusing on drug discovery and computational biology after completion of his B.Tech in Industrial bio-technology and bio-engineering.

The challenges in developing novel drugs – high costs, long timelines and limited effectiveness – inspired the founding of Lantern Pharma Inc., USA in 2013. Arun led the company's early-stage growth by integrating innovative AI-driven biomarker discovery technologies and biomarker-based clinical-stage precision drugs until 2019. His vision centred on rescuing promising drugs that fell short of FDA approval, utilising computational techniques like machine learning and biomarker-based diagnostics. Lantern Pharma not only identified and in-licensed promising 'shelved' drugs to be rescued but also started developing their own novel programs in several cancers.

The company’s remarkable journey included an IPO in 2020, raising over $100 million in total funding, reaching a peak market cap of greater then $325M in 2021 and positioning itself as an early pioneer of AI-driven drug discovery with several drugs in preclinical, early and advanced clinical trial development including phase 2 trials for multiple cancers.

What are the current problems in developing drugs?

Drug discovery and development is a complex, inefficient and challenging process with the average cost of bringing a new drug to market is over $2 billion and only about 12% of drugs that enter clinical trials ultimately receive approval from regulatory agencies like the FDA. High failure rates could be attributed to lack of efficacy, unexpected side effects, or inability to demonstrate a favourable risk-benefit profile in many of the patients.

How to solve this inefficiency in drug development?

The advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning algorithms along with modern drug screening technologies such as 3D organoid screening plays a crucial role in designing precision clinical trials by improving patient selection, predicting outcomes, optimising trial design, and identifying biomarkers. These advancements contribute to reducing costs, accelerating timelines, minimising patient exposure to ineffective treatments, and increasing the likelihood of success in drug development.

A novel approach to build an efficient drug development program:

During the early 2010s, machine learning algorithms (ML) were not broadly applied in a commercial drug discovery setting. In this backdrop, Lantern team started developing its proprietary AI / ML platform RADR® in 2014, to perform integrated data analytics and to implement optimal machine learning models to predict robust drug responses by profiling patient genetics for the accelerated development of small molecule-based oncology therapies. By transforming vast amount of data from pre-clinical, clinical, molecular and drug sensitivity datasets from multiple sources into patient-centred insights, actionable biomarkers, and further into bio-markers driven precision clinical trials, we can identify and treat patients who are more likely to respond to a particular treatment. This effectively mitigates the risks associated with clinical trials and enhances the chances of regulatory approvals, while reducing costs for both drug repositioning and novel drugs.

Arun's success as a public company founder at the age of 35 motivated him to become a seasoned angel investor after he left the company, backing over 20 plus biotech’s globally as an individual or through his personal and family asset management firm JT ventures. He, along with Anand Asaithambi, recently founded Katamaran Industries a biotech holding company to develop novel affordable drugs for people who need it the most. Katamaran’s thesis is to acquire or in-licence promising technologies and drugs globally and also develop novel R&D based programs in-house. The focus areas of Katamaran include AI/Automation, 3D bioprinting, cell and gene therapies, and small molecules in several disease areas.

Under Katamaran’s umbrella, Arun has an ambitious vision to scale up to 10 novel biotech companies with 100 novel drug developmental programs in the next few years. Katamaran’s goal is to create awareness, serve the underserved by developing novel cost-effective drugs (not generics), improved patient outcomes, and reduced healthcare costs for difficult to treat and reach populations in India and further expansion globally.

As India continues its trajectory of growth and technological evolution, Dr. Arun Asaithambi stands as a testament to the nation's enterprising spirit. His journey from a PhD researcher to a Nasdaq entrepreneur epitomises the potential within India's youth to shape the future of biotechnology and healthcare, fostering health and technology equity for all.

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