EPISODE · Mar 20, 2026 · 59 MIN
Building Better Clinical Programs, with the Iron CMO, Cellia Habita, MD, PhD
from Life Science Insights · host Third Eye Associates
After an injury turned her away from the practice of medicine, Cellia Habita built Europe's largest genetic database for diabetes on her way to two decades of global biotech leadership.In this episode, "the Iron CMO" Cellia Habita joins Dan Mazzucco to talk about transitioning from academic medicine to biotech executive roles. They discuss why fractional CMOs fill a critical gap in early-stage companies, the strategic difference between a CMO and a CRO, how to select clinical trial sites that actually understand your patient population, the realities of working across 25 countries including underserved regions like MENA and Africa, and why eight protocol amendments may mean someone didn't do their homework.This conversation is for biotech leaders who understand that throwing your study to a CRO and expecting magic is not a strategy, and who recognize that the best clinical programs require both strategic medical leadership and tactical execution working hand-in-hand.Cellia Habita, MD, PhD, serves or has served as fractional CMO for multiple biotech companies. She served as CEO of Immodulon Therapeutics and, before that, was CEO of Arianne Corporation, a global clinical research organization providing clinical and regulatory services across 25 countries. Dr. Habita holds an MD from medical training in Paris and a PhD in Genetics from Oxford University and Paris VII, completed during a Wellcome Trust fellowship. She completed a postdoctorate in gene therapy at UC San Diego under Ted Friedman, considered the father of gene therapy in the United States. Dr. Habita has over 20 years of global leadership experience advancing innovative therapies across oncology and rare diseases, guiding programs from pre-IND through pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials and regulatory approval in the US and globally. Her career spans roles at Adventrx Pharmaceuticals (VP and Senior VP of Clinical and Medical Affairs), Immodulon Therapeutics (CEO and CMO), and founding Arianne, which specializes in conducting clinical trials in underrepresented regions including the Middle East, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. She has published research on diabetes genetics, aging, and gene therapy, and has been instrumental in establishing Algeria and other MENA countries as viable centers for clinical research.Known by friends and enemies alike as the Iron CMO, you do not want to be the one telling Cellia that the clinical trial will be delayed a day because the person delivering the Investigator's Brochures was in a car accident and is unable to make it to the investigators' meeting.
What this episode covers
After an injury turned her away from the practice of medicine, Cellia Habita built Europe's largest genetic database for diabetes on her way to two decades of global biotech leadership.In this episode, "the Iron CMO" Cellia Habita joins Dan Mazzucco to talk about transitioning from academic medicine to biotech executive roles. They discuss why fractional CMOs fill a critical gap in early-stage companies, the strategic difference between a CMO and a CRO, how to select clinical trial sites that actually understand your patient population, the realities of working across 25 countries including underserved regions like MENA and Africa, and why eight protocol amendments may mean someone didn't do their homework.This conversation is for biotech leaders who understand that throwing your study to a CRO and expecting magic is not a strategy, and who recognize that the best clinical programs require both strategic medical leadership and tactical execution working hand-in-hand.Cellia Habita, MD, PhD, serves or has served as fractional CMO for multiple biotech companies. She served as CEO of Immodulon Therapeutics and, before that, was CEO of Arianne Corporation, a global clinical research organization providing clinical and regulatory services across 25 countries. Dr. Habita holds an MD from medical training in Paris and a PhD in Genetics from Oxford University and Paris VII, completed during a Wellcome Trust fellowship. She completed a postdoctorate in gene therapy at UC San Diego under Ted Friedman, considered the father of gene therapy in the United States. Dr. Habita has over 20 years of global leadership experience advancing innovative therapies across oncology and rare diseases, guiding programs from pre-IND through pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials and regulatory approval in the US and globally. Her career spans roles at Adventrx Pharmaceuticals (VP and Senior VP of Clinical and Medical Affairs), Immodulon Therapeutics (CEO and CMO), and founding Arianne, which specializes in conducting clinical trials in underrepresented regions including the Middle East, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. She has published research on diabetes genetics, aging, and gene therapy, and has been instrumental in establishing Algeria and other MENA countries as viable centers for clinical research.Known by friends and enemies alike as the Iron CMO, you do not want to be the one telling Cellia that the clinical trial will be delayed a day because the person delivering the Investigator's Brochures was in a car accident and is unable to make it to the investigators' meeting.
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Building Better Clinical Programs, with the Iron CMO, Cellia Habita, MD, PhD
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