From Underfunded Science to Award-Winning: The Drug Discovery Rollercoaster with Dr Chris Burns

What keeps a drug alive when the science is fragile, the funding dries up, and the company name changes four times?A 20-year survival story of near-death science, offshore funding, and final impact.🔍 What You’ll LearnIf you want a real look at how drug development and STEM careers work behind the scenes, this episode gives you the straight version, not the polished one.You’ll learn: • Why drugs are designed, not discovered, and what that means for your STEM career choices • Why starting with a strong target matters more than starting with an indication • How the financial crisis and investment landscape pushed this Australian project offshore • Why Momelotinib survived multiple handovers when it could have died at any stage • What it takes to grow from lab scientist to CEO, and the people you need around you Press play to hear the real story behind a drug that survived science hurdles, funding shocks, and corporate chaos to finally reach patients.🧠 About the GuestDr Chris Burns is the CEO and Managing Director of AmpliaTherapeutics. He is one of the few scientists who has watched a drug he helped design reach FDA approval. While he was heading Cytopia, Chris co-led the creation of Momelotinib, a JAK2 inhibitor approved for myelofibrosis in 2023 after two decades of stops, starts, handovers, and near-failures.📌 Episode Highlights00:00 Why very few scientists see their work reach patients 02:00 Designed, not discovered: the truth about drug creation 05:10 The creativity behind medicinal chemistry 08:15 How Momelotinib got its name 09:45 Preclinical wins, metabolic failures, and early near-death moments 12:00 The JAK2 discovery that shifted the entire program 15:20 Running across lily pads: designing drugs at the edge of knowledge 17:45 The metabolic wall that nearly killed the compound 20:00 Entering the clinical valley of death 21:10 The handover chain: Cytopia → YM Bioscience → Gilead → Sierra → GSK 27:00 Why Australian innovation keeps leaving the country 29:30 Practical funding advice for early biotechs 32:00 Winning the Prime Minister’s Prize 33:00 From scientist to CEO, step by step 36:00 The leadership habits that matter most🔗 Resources Mentioned• Ampio Therapeutics • Momelotinib FDA approval • Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation • JAK2 mutation discovery • Cytopia historical research(If you want direct links added, send them through.)🤔 Reflection TimeWhich part of your own work would survive longer if you treated it like a design process instead of waiting for inspiration?What’s one area in your STEM career where timing, allies, or better funding could shift everything?If your work went through four handovers, what would keep it alive?Want to craft a career story that opens doors?I help STEMM professionals speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose and show up as thought leaders —so the right opportunities find you.📬 Let’s connect: angeliquegreco.com.au | LinkedIn  ⭐️ Help More People Reinvent Their CareersIf you enjoyed this episode, please:✅ Leave a quick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 🙏♻️ Share it with a friend who's questioning their path in STEM Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.