January 23, 2024
This podcast episode features a conversation with Jason Foster, CEO of Ori Biotech, who discussed his varied career and insights into the biotech industry. Foster’s journey began in politics and healthcare policy in Washington, D.C., where he recognized the private sector’s crucial role in healthcare innovation. This realization spurred him to attend business school, leading to a significant role in a pharmaceutical company. His work there, marked by substantial growth, eventually took him to London to oversee European operations.
Foster’s career pivot to startups and healthcare investments reflects his passion for innovative healthcare solutions. He emphasizes the importance of assembling a strong team and the ability to solve complex problems in the startup environment. This approach is evident in his leadership at Ori Biotech, a company focused on revolutionizing cell and gene therapy manufacturing.
At Ori Biotech, Foster addresses the challenges of making advanced therapies accessible and affordable. He discusses the technological innovations and manufacturing strategies employed by Ori to streamline the production of these therapies. His vision is to democratize cell and gene therapies, making them available to a broader patient population.
The interview also delves into the broader implications of Ori Biotech’s work in the healthcare sector. Foster highlights the potential impact of their technology in transforming patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. He underscores the significance of collaboration between the private sector, academia, and regulatory bodies in advancing healthcare innovation.
About this Guest
Jason is a dynamic leader with over 20 years of experience in the healthcare and technology sectors across the US, UK, and Europe. As the Chief Executive Officer of Ori Biotech, he spearheads the company’s efforts in revolutionizing cell and gene therapy manufacturing technology. Through digital transformation, Ori Biotech’s technology is automating and standardizing cell and gene therapy manufacturing. As a result, their system facilitates an innovative progression from pre-clinical stages to large-scale commercial production for therapy developers. The platform’s advanced hardware, intuitive software, and detailed analytical tools, is designed to boost production efficiency and reliability, all while simultaneously reducing costs. This advancement is pivotal in scaling up the production of critical therapies, facilitating their accessibility to a broader range of patients globally. Jason is also the host of the Ori Spotlight Podcast.
This podcast episode features a conversation with Mark Christopherson. Mark Christopherson brings over three decades of expertise to the forefront of the medical device industry, with pivotal roles at Medtronic and leadership in venture-backed startups. Mark’s track record includes foundational roles at Inspire Medical and Cryosa, where he was instrumental from the startup phase through commercialization.
Fabrice Paublant is the Chief Executive Officer at Orixha.
Orixha, a DeepTech company founded in 2018, emerged from a collaboration between researchers and clinicians at Sherbrooke University, EnvA, and INSERM. Dedicated to revolutionizing critical care, Orixha’s mission is to deliver the transformative benefits of liquid ventilation to patients worldwide. The company’s multidisciplinary team, blending expertise in engineering, pathophysiology, and pharmacology, has developed Vent2Cool—the first liquid ventilator designed for intensive care units. Published in leading scientific journals, their work highlights rapid therapeutic hypothermia and anti-inflammatory benefits, particularly for post-cardiac arrest syndrome and acute respiratory distress.
Ian Weimer brings over eight years of experience in data science, research, and business development to healthcare and life sciences analytics. After receiving his MS in Data Science from DePaul University, Ian spent three years as a data scientist at a boutique healthcare consultancy, leading analytics projects for Fortune 500 pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
His work contributed to 16 research publications and abstracts at leading conferences, supporting regulatory submissions and market access strategies with real-world evidence.
He founded Weimer Analytics in 2025 to serve clients from Fortune 500 to emerging companies across pharma, med device, and biotech. Weimer Analytics delivers health economics, real-world evidence, and regulatory analytics solutions.
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