Lab Rats to Unicorns

Hosted by John Flavin

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Lab Rats to Unicorns is a podcast that aims to demystify the process of creating a great company in life sciences. Under the guidance of our host, John Flavin, you will hear personal stories of creation, be able to understand how great companies are created, and get insights into the many ways that you as an individual can engage in the creation of tomorrow’s life science companies. From the lab rat, signifying the process of invention and discovery, to the unicorn, signifying market success, there are a thousand players and ways in which people can contribute to the creation of great companies.

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60 recent

June 10, 202650 min

The CEO Playbook for Biotech Growth with Heather Turner_e.085

In this episode of Lab Rats to Unicorns, John Flavin sits down with Heather Turner, CEO of LB Pharmaceuticals, a late-stage clinical biotechnology company developing differentiated therapies for patients with serious psychiatric and neurological disorders. Heather’s path into biotech was anything but traditional. Trained as an attorney, she began her career advising startup companies at Cooley before spending more than two decades helping build and scale life sciences companies through financings, strategic partnerships, and major transactions. Along the way, she developed a unique perspective on leadership, risk management, and company building—eventually transitioning from legal leadership roles into the CEO seat. The conversation explores Heather’s journey from lawyer to biotech executive, the lessons learned leading Carmot Therapeutics through a $3.1 billion acquisition by Roche, and the challenges of raising capital in one of biotech’s most difficult financing environments. She also shares how LB Pharmaceuticals successfully completed a public offering to advance its lead program, LB-102, a potential new treatment for schizophrenia, bipolar depression, and major depressive disorder. At its core, this episode is about leadership in uncertainty—how great companies are built through preparation, resilience, humility, and a relentless focus on patients. Heather offers valuable insights on scaling organizations, building high-performing teams, navigating risk, and creating opportunities for the next generation of biotech leaders.

June 3, 202651 min

Powering the Quantum Revolution with David Gunnarsson_e.084

In this episode of Lab Rats to Unicorns, John Flavin sits down with Dr. David Gunnarsson, Chief Business Development Officer at Bluefors, the global leader in cryogenic measurement systems powering the future of quantum technology. With a background spanning quantum physics, low-temperature research, and commercialization, David has spent his career helping transform quantum computing from a theoretical concept into an emerging industry. David reflects on his early fascination with physics and space, his introduction to quantum computing during university, and the realization that quantum mechanics could evolve from pure theory into a practical technology. He explains the fundamentals of quantum computing, why cryogenic environments are essential for quantum systems, and how companies like Bluefors are building the infrastructure required to scale the field. The conversation also explores David’s transition from academia into industry, the importance of timing and commercialization in deep tech, and how collaboration between startups, universities, and major companies is shaping the quantum ecosystem. Along the way, he shares his perspective on the relationship between AI and quantum computing, and why the next decade could unlock major breakthroughs in chemistry, drug discovery, and computational science. At its core, this episode is about curiosity, persistence, and the challenge of turning frontier scientific ideas into technologies capable of reshaping the world.

May 7, 202650 min

CRISPR Discovery & Curative Medicine with Trevor Martin_e.083

In this episode of Lab Rats to Unicorns, John Flavin sits down with Dr. Trevor Martin, Co-Founder and CEO of Mammoth Biosciences, a company at the forefront of next-generation CRISPR technologies. Co-founded alongside Nobel Prize-winning scientist Jennifer Doudna, Mammoth is building a platform to both detect and cure disease by harnessing the natural diversity of CRISPR systems.Trevor’s journey into biology was anything but conventional—initially drawn to physics and chemistry, he discovered biology through an interdisciplinary lens that revealed its true complexity and potential for engineering. That shift ultimately led him to Stanford, where he began exploring the intersection of genetics, computation, and real-world impact.From there, this conversation traces the founding of Mammoth, the decision to pursue entrepreneurship over academia, and the ambition to build a generational biotech company—not just a single-asset success. Trevor shares how CRISPR is evolving from a breakthrough technology into a scalable platform capable of addressing a wide range of genetic diseases, with the potential to fundamentally reshape human health.At its core, this episode explores the convergence of science, entrepreneurship, and persistence—highlighting what it takes to translate cutting-edge research into real therapies, and why the next decade of biology may redefine what it means for genetics to determine our future.

April 15, 202637 min

From Honeybees to Human Behavior with Gene Robinson_e.082

In this episode of Lab Rats to Unicorns, John Flavin sits down with Dr. Gene Robinson, a pioneering scientist in the biology of social behavior and a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Widely recognized for his groundbreaking work in genomics and neuroscience, Dr. Robinson has spent decades uncovering how genes influence behavior—using the complex societies of honeybees as his model system. From leading the sequencing of the honeybee genome to advancing our understanding of how environment and biology interact, Dr. Robinson’s work has reshaped how scientists think about the relationship between genes and behavior. Now stepping into his role as Executive Director and CEO of the Discovery Partners Institute, he is focused on applying artificial intelligence and interdisciplinary collaboration to real-world challenges across industry and society. This conversation explores the evolution of genomics, the surprising plasticity of behavior at the molecular level, and the implications of this work for fields ranging from medicine to AI. At its core, this episode is about curiosity, persistence, and the power of following a question—from a beekeeping hobby at age 17 to discoveries that challenge how we understand human potential.

March 11, 202656 min

Science, Policy & the FDA with Robert Califf_e.081

In this episode of Lab Rats to Unicorns, John Flavin sits down with Dr. Robert Califf, physician-scientist and two-time Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. A cardiologist by training and longtime leader in clinical research, Dr. Califf has spent his career at the intersection of medicine, technology, regulation, and public service. From founding the Duke Clinical Research Institute to guiding the FDA through the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Califf brings a rare perspective on how science becomes medicine—and how policy, politics, and evidence shape what ultimately reaches patients. He reflects on the early days of cardiology breakthroughs, the birth of large-scale clinical trials, and the responsibility regulators carry in balancing innovation with safety. The conversation explores translational medicine, the realities of uncertainty in public health, the evolving role of AI in healthcare, and the global competition shaping the future of biomedical innovation. At its core, this episode is about decision-making under pressure—and the systems required to ensure that groundbreaking ideas translate into measurable benefit for patients.

February 19, 202643 min

Building Life From Scratch with Kate Adamala_e.080

In this episode of Lab Rats to Unicorns, John Flavin speaks with Dr. Kate Adamala, a synthetic biologist and University of Minnesota professor whose work explores one of science’s biggest questions: what is life — and can we build it from scratch? As a leader in the International Build-a-Cell Collaboration, Kate is helping drive global efforts to construct synthetic living systems from nonliving components while advancing research across minimal cells, origins-of-life science, and biocomputing.Kate shares how a childhood love of science fiction shaped her path into synthetic biology and explains the idea of “life but not alive,” highlighting how synthetic cells differ from traditional genetic engineering. She also discusses the shift from academic discovery to entrepreneurship through Synlife, the challenges of scaling entirely new biological platforms, and the regulatory questions ahead.The conversation explores how programmable synthetic cells could transform medicine, manufacturing, sustainability, and even space exploration — while raising profound scientific and ethical questions about humanity’s growing ability to design life itself.

February 4, 202652 min

Growing Human Tissue on Plants with Andrew Pelling_e.079

In this episode of Lab Rats to Unicorns, John Flavin sits down with Dr. Andrew Pelling—trailblazing biophysicist, artist-trained scientist, and Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer of Spiderwort Biotechnologies. Andrew is best known for reimagining living systems, most famously by using decellularized apples and other plants as scaffolds to grow human tissue—work that helped spark an entirely new category of plant-derived biomaterials.Formerly a professor at the University of Ottawa, Andrew founded the Pelling Lab for Augmented Biology, an unconventional research environment where scientists and artists explored how physical forces—rather than genetic manipulation—shape cellular behavior. His approach focuses on stretching, compressing, and reshaping cells to unlock new biological possibilities.Andrew shares how his background in the arts shaped his scientific intuition, why curiosity-driven research led from grocery-store experiments to restoring movement in paralyzed rats, and how that breakthrough ultimately inspired the founding of Spiderwort. Along the way, he reflects on failure, leadership, and building imaginative teams—offering a compelling vision for how augmented biology could transform regenerative medicine and human health.

January 7, 202647 min

The Backbone of Breakthrough Science with Christy Wyskiel_e.078

In this episode of Lab Rats to Unicorns, John Flavin sits down with Christy Wyskiel, a nationally recognized leader in translational science, startup acceleration, and innovation ecosystem building. As a longtime architect of university-based commercialization programs, Christy has helped shape how academic discoveries become venture-backed companies with real-world impact.Christy shares her journey from early roles in economic development to becoming a driving force behind one of the most respected university innovation engines in the country. Over the course of her career, she has worked at the intersection of research, startups, investors, and institutions—designing systems that help founders navigate the path from lab bench to market.Throughout the conversation, Christy breaks down what actually enables scientific founders to succeed: access to capital, shared infrastructure, mentorship, regulatory fluency, and—most importantly—people who understand both science and company-building. She reflects on lessons learned from supporting hundreds of startups, the importance of founder readiness, and why universities must evolve beyond tech transfer to remain competitive.This episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at the systems, strategies, and collaborative effort that make it possible to turn groundbreaking research into thriving companies.

December 9, 202538 min

Imaging the Future of Surgery with Dr. Xiao Han_e.077

In this episode of Lab Rats to Unicorns, John Flavin sits down with Dr. Xiao Han, Co-Founder and CEO of Clarix Imaging, a pioneering medical device company spun out of the University of Chicago. Xiao is transforming the world of cancer surgery with real-time, high-resolution 3D imaging that helps surgeons visualize tumors more clearly and make more precise decisions in the operating room. Before launching Clarix, Xiao spent more than a decade as a medical physics researcher and faculty member at the University of Chicago, developing advanced tomographic imaging technologies and collaborating closely with radiologists, surgeons, and pathologists. His journey—from physics student to inventor to CEO—was shaped by a deep curiosity, an engineering mindset, and a passion for translating scientific breakthroughs into tools that directly improve patient care. Xiao shares the pivotal experience inside a pathology lab that made him leave academia to start Clarix, how the company achieved FDA clearance in under 18 months, and why multidisciplinary collaboration is the key to accelerating innovation. He also offers an inside look into how Clarix’s VSI-360 platform is redefining breast cancer surgery and opening the door to a new standard of real-time intraoperative imaging across multiple specialties. Throughout the conversation, Xiao reflects on leadership, translational research, the power of seeing technology used in the OR, and his vision for the future of precision surgery. 

November 19, 202555 min

Chasing the Holy Grail of Transplantation with Dr. Joseph Leventhal_e.076

In this episode of Lab Rats to Unicorns, John Flavin sits down with Dr. Joseph Leventhal, Professor of Surgery and Director of Living Donor Kidney Transplantation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. A pioneer in the field of organ transplantation, Dr. Leventhal’s research is redefining what’s possible in immune tolerance—an area often described as the “holy grail” of transplantation, where a patient’s body can accept a donated organ without lifelong immunosuppressive drugs.Dr. Leventhal shares his journey from growing up in New York City to becoming one of the foremost leaders in transplant surgery and cell therapy innovation. He discusses how his team’s groundbreaking clinical work has shown that tolerance can be achieved through cellular therapies, potentially freeing patients from the burdens of chronic immunosuppression.From the early days of cyclosporine to founding TRACT Therapeutics and developing first-in-human T-regulatory cell therapies, Joe reflects on the scientific curiosity, resilience, and collaboration that drive progress in a complex field. He also explores the evolving ecosystem for biotech innovation in Chicago, the challenges of translating academic research into clinical therapies, and the optimism surrounding the next generation of precision cell therapies.