Alasdair Milton, KPMG | Why Precision Medicine Still Fails Patients (SPARK20 – 168)

Only one in three eligible lung cancer patients receives the targeted therapy they should get.That is not a failure of science.It is a failure of delivery.After more than two decades of precision oncology, biopharma has never had better tools: cell and gene therapy, in vivo CAR-T, antibody-drug conjugates, AI-enabled diagnostics, organoids, multi-omics, and global clinical data.Yet too many breakthroughs still fail to reach the bedside.Patients fall through fragmented systems.Data does not move cleanly.Community oncologists are overloaded.Tests are missed, delayed, or misread.Promising assets die in quarterly portfolio reviews.And healthcare systems built for pills, tablets, and chronic disease management are now being asked to deliver personalized medicine at scale.In this SPARK20 highlight episode, Alasdair Milton, PhD, Principal at KPMG and leader of the firm’s Precision & Advanced Therapies practice, explains why the future of biopharma will not be decided by science alone.It will be decided by translation.From lab bench to boardroom.From data to decisions.From treatment to prevention.Alasdair brings more than 20 years of experience across life sciences strategy, commercial due diligence, precision medicine, advanced therapies, cell and gene therapy, biopharma M&A, diagnostics, and global healthcare transformation.This conversation moves from the precision medicine delivery crisis to China’s biotech acceleration, from AI and organoids to trapped pharma assets, from lifelong wellness to the one skill every future biotech leader needs:The ability to translate complex science into business strategy, capital allocation, and patient impact.What You’ll Learn in 22 MinutesWhy only one third of eligible lung cancer patients receive targeted therapy(00:01:53)And why precision medicine still breaks in everyday clinical practice.Why science keeps compounding even when systems fail(00:04:33)Including in vivo CAR-T, functional cures, gene therapy, and antibody-drug conjugates.Why innovation does not move in a straight line(00:05:20)How technologies can look dead for years before suddenly changing the market.Why China’s biotech speed matters(00:07:36)How AI, organoids, scale, and execution are changing the global innovation map.Why great science dies inside Big Pharma(00:09:20)And how deprioritized assets can become billion-dollar companies when externalized properly.Why the industry must move from sickness to lifelong wellness(00:10:03)Alasdair’s vision for a more proactive, preventive, data-driven healthcare system.Why pharma needs better ways to rescue shelved assets(00:13:06)Including examples such as SpringWorks, Cerevel, and new models for unlocking trapped value.How a 400-person Scottish island shaped Alasdair’s worldview(00:15:07)The personal story behind his resilience, discipline, and leadership style.Why careers and companies are never linear(00:17:19)What Alasdair learned after moving to Boston and losing his role within weeks.Why the future belongs to translators(00:20:06)The most valuable skill in biotech: explaining complex science to business leaders, investors, and boards.How to connect with Alasdair Milton and the KPMG Precision & Advanced Therapies team(00:21:47)Quotes to Carry With You📌 “We’ve been doing precision medicine in lung cancer for decades, over two decades, and we’re still not getting it right.” (00:01:53)📌 “This is where this incredible world of genomic science bumps up against the realities of everyday clinical practice.” (00:03:31)📌 “When I was doing my PhD 28 years ago, the idea that you could even have a targeted cell therapy was almost like science fiction.” (00:04:41)📌 “The speed was just astonishing.” (00:07:47)📌 “We’ve been a sickness industry. We’ve treated disease, chronic disease. But can we move more towards lifelong wellness and preemptive health?” (00:10:03)📌 “There’s not a systematic way to collect all of the incredible science and incredible assets that go on the shelf every quarter.” (00:13:06)📌 “There’s great science that never sees the light of day because it’s killed in a quarterly portfolio review.” (00:15:00)📌 “Your career is never linear.” (00:17:19)📌 “You have to be able to build the bridge between the lab and the business world.” (00:20:06)Why This Conversation MattersPrecision medicine is often described as the future of healthcare.But the future does not arrive because the science is ready.It arrives when diagnostics, data, reimbursement, clinical workflows, manufacturing, capital, leadership, and incentives finally work together.That is the real challenge now facing biopharma.Not whether innovation can happen. It already is.The question is whether leaders can build the systems that allow innovation to reach patients.Alasdair Milton is one of the rare voices who can explain that challenge across science, strategy, capital, and execution.If you are a founder, investor, operator, scientist, board member, policymaker, or family office looking at the future of biotech, precision medicine, advanced therapies, pharma M&A, AI in healthcare, or China’s rise in biopharma, this episode is worth your time.👉 Listen now.Share it with someone building the future of medicine.Follow Beginner’s Mind for more conversations with the people shaping biotech, capital, and healthcare.Topics: precision medicine, biopharma, biotech, KPMG, Alasdair Milton, cell and gene therapy, in vivo CAR-T, targeted therapy, lung cancer, oncology, AI in healthcare, organoids, China biotech, pharma M&A, SpringWorks, Cerevel, advanced therapies, diagnostics, translational science, venture capital, healthcare strategy.Send us Fan Mail Join Christian Soschner for expert coaching. 50% Off - With 35+ years in deep tech, startups/scaleups, and public companies, Christian offers power video sessions. 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