🧬 Dr. Kate Yen: Scaling a Biotech, Running Lean, & Utilizing Translational Biology (Part 2)

“I didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur, but when I couldn’t find a company doing what I believed in, I built my own.” In part two of our conversation with Kate Yen, Founder and CEO of Auron Therapeutics, we explore her journey from leading a novel cancer therapy program at Agios to founding her own biotech company. Kate shares insights into drug development, clinical trials, and the business of biotech, highlighting the importance of translational biology, strategic partnerships, and lean operations in building a successful biotech startup. Kate earned her Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from UCLA, where she also completed her postdoc. Before Auron, she held roles at Merck and as a UCLA professor before joining Agios Pharmaceuticals, where she led the IDH translational research team behind two FDA-approved IDH mutant inhibitors and co-led the discovery of vorasidenib, a promising glioma therapy now in clinical development.