Lab to Lives

Hosted by Ivanna Rosendal

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Jun 2026

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About the show

A simple question started this show: How do we medicine from the lab to making a difference in people's lives as quickly as possible? The answers are complex. Actual solutions are hard to come by. We want to distill ideas until we see actual impact in the industry. Our three hosts all have backgrounds in life sciences and in improv comedy. Together, with their guests, they're on a mission to have conversations that can have an impact. And have some fun along the way.

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June 10, 2026Episode 451 min

What If The Real Blocker Is Coordination Not Data w/ Anastasia Christianson

Send us Fan MailAI is everywhere in pharma right now, yet drug development still feels slow, fragmented, and full of avoidable rework. We sit down with Anastasia Christianson, former SVP and Global Head of AI Data and Analytics at Pfizer and now Managing Principal at EPAM Life Science Consulting, to get specific about what actually blocks progress in clinical trials and what AI can realistically change.We dig into the uncomfortable pattern behind many “successful” AI deployments: a model fixes one bottleneck, then the system simply jams up somewhere else. Anastasia makes the case for end to end thinking across trial design, feasibility, patient recruitment, engagement, site operations, and data flow. We talk about why niche AI products are easier to build, why coordination is harder than modelling, and how digital health’s app explosion offers a warning for today’s AI tooling. Along the way, we unpack digitalisation, data standards, FAIR data, and why “perfect data” is not the same as “useful data”.The most practical segment centres on patients: how AI can help build cohorts, find eligible participants, answer questions, reduce fear, improve convenience, and prevent dropouts that cost time and money. We also turn FDA denials into a quick quiz to highlight a key truth of life sciences innovation: approvals can fail due to control arm choices, surprising trial requirements, or manufacturing site inspection findings even when the science looks promising.If you care about AI in clinical trials, R&D productivity, and how to turn data into faster access to medicines, you’ll get both a reality check and a playbook. Subscribe for more, share this with a colleague in clinical operations or data science, and leave a review telling us: where do you see the biggest bottleneck right now?Visit Labtolives.com Do you want to try the quiz from this episode? Find the link on our LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/labtolives/ Would you like to join the show as a guest or collaborator? Find out how on our website: https://www.labtolives.com/ Support the show________Reach out to Ivanna RosendalJoin the conversation on our LinkedIn pageVisit www.labtolives.com HostsAlexander Booth aka the MedTech GuyDimitri Borisevich aka the start-up GuyIvanna Rosendal aka the R&D pharma Gal

May 13, 2026Episode 349 min

Electrifying the Factory: Agentic AI For Faster Clinical Trials with Pamela Tenaerts

Send us Fan MailThe clinical trial system is starting to look like a motorway at a standstill: more and more drugs are lining up, but the lanes ahead are already full. We sit down with Pamela Tenart to unpack why the industry may have reached the limit of human-only clinical development, and why “adding more people” is no longer a realistic plan when experienced CRAs, site co-ordinators and trial operators are already stretched thin.From there, we get practical about what agentic AI could change inside clinical trial operations. We talk about AI agents that can pull context across CTMS, EDC, safety reporting and TMF, helping monitors prepare for site visits, flag missing fields, propose next best actions, draft communications, and reduce the dead time where teams are simply waiting for updates. The point is not to automate judgement, but to automate the admin and co-ordination work so humans can focus on strategy, enrolment, quality, and patient safety with a clear audit trail and human-in-the-loop control.We also zoom out to the bigger bottleneck: sponsors, CROs and sites are part of one connected system, so optimising one party can just shift the pain elsewhere. Along the way we explore why better, more sensitive endpoints can shorten trial timelines, how policy and regulation might need to evolve, and a memorable metaphor from industrial history: electricity boosted individual productivity first, but factories only truly improved once they were rebuilt for the new technology.If you’re working in clinical research, drug development, biotech, or health tech, this conversation will help you think more clearly about where AI genuinely shortens the critical path and where it simply adds noise. Subscribe, share the episode with a colleague, and leave us a review. Which clinical trial workflow would you redesign first?Visit Labtolives.com Do you want to try the quiz from this episode? Find the link on our LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/labtolives/ Would you like to join the show as a guest or collaborator? Find out how on our website: https://www.labtolives.com/ Support the show________Reach out to Ivanna RosendalJoin the conversation on our LinkedIn pageVisit www.labtolives.com HostsAlexander Booth aka the MedTech GuyDimitri Borisevich aka the start-up GuyIvanna Rosendal aka the R&D pharma Gal

April 15, 2026Episode 21 hr 9 min

Why Big Pharma Feels Like A Financial Institution & Don't Pee on Medical Gloves with Anish Shindore

Send us Fan MailA medicine can be proven safe and effective, approved by regulators, and still fail the one test that matters: actually reaching patients in the real world. We sit down with Anish, a deep commercial thinker, to unpack what pharmaceutical commercialisation really is when you strip away the slogans and look at incentives, bottlenecks, and human behaviour. We start with our five value streams model of the pharmaceutical industry and use it to explore a provocative idea: modern big pharma often functions like a financial institution with extraordinary risk tolerance and time horizons. That framing changes how you think about R&D outsourcing, late stage development, pricing negotiations, market access, and the “programme management” required to bring a drug from molecule to monitored use. From there we move into the last mile of healthcare delivery: patient experience, physician capacity, restrictions on direct to consumer communication, and why “patient centricity” is hard in practice. We discuss remote care and digital health, including internet hospitals, plus the safety risks of self medication and the very real problem of adherence, from finishing a course to staying on track with GLP-1 medicines. If you care about pharma strategy, drug launch, market access, and what makes innovation stick, this one is for you. Subscribe for more, share this with a colleague who works on commercial or patient support, and leave a review. What is the biggest barrier you have seen between approval and real patient access?Try the quiz from the show yourself: https://forms.gle/uepGynopoLpguYKw8 Visit Labtolives.com Do you want to try the quiz from this episode? Find the link on our LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/labtolives/ Would you like to join the show as a guest or collaborator? Find out how on our website: https://www.labtolives.com/ Support the show________Reach out to Ivanna RosendalJoin the conversation on our LinkedIn pageVisit www.labtolives.com HostsAlexander Booth aka the MedTech GuyDimitri Borisevich aka the start-up GuyIvanna Rosendal aka the R&D pharma Gal

March 30, 2026Episode 148 min

How Biotech Ideas Become Real Patient Impact w/ new co-hosts Alex and Dimitri

Send us Fan MailThis is the first episode in the rebranded show!Drug and medical device breakthroughs do not reach patients because they’re clever in a lab. They reach patients when innovation, regulatory strategy, partnerships, clinical evidence and commercial reality line up at the same time, and that’s where things get messy. We’re launching Lab to Lives with a simple goal: talk honestly about what slows life sciences down and what actually helps.We start by introducing our new co-host dynamic and mapping where we each work across the life sciences “value streams” from early R&D to compliance and commercialization. With perspectives from diagnostics, medtech and pharma, we explore why devices and drugs now overlap, why manufacturing is often the blind spot, and why modern startups can look less like research labs and more like project management teams coordinating CROs across an ecosystem.Then we go straight into one of the biggest debates in biotech and medtech: is regulation the barrier, or is it our approach to proving safety and efficacy? We unpack risk-benefit thinking, the power of precedent, and why innovators often choose the safest regulatory path even when a different approach could unlock better products. Along the way, we talk about culture clashes between startups and big pharma, incentives that shape decisions, and how to regain agency by building a clear evidence argument regulators can assess.If you care about drug development, medical devices, regulatory affairs, FDA and EMA expectations, and the real mechanics of translating science into patient impact, come join the conversation. Subscribe, share this with someone building in life sciences, and leave a review with the barrier you think we should tackle next.Drug Name or Pokémon? Try the Quiz!Visit Labtolives.com Do you want to try the quiz from this episode? Find the link on our LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/labtolives/ Would you like to join the show as a guest or collaborator? Find out how on our website: https://www.labtolives.com/ Support the show________Reach out to Ivanna RosendalJoin the conversation on our LinkedIn pageVisit www.labtolives.com HostsAlexander Booth aka the MedTech GuyDimitri Borisevich aka the start-up GuyIvanna Rosendal aka the R&D pharma Gal

March 3, 2026Episode 1025 min

Dear Pharma, Your Patient Isn’t A KPI with Mark Duman

Send us Fan MailWhat happens when we stop calling people “subjects” and start inviting them to help build the solutions they need? We sit down with pharmacist and patient engagement leader Mark Duman to unpack how language, literacy, and lived experience can transform clinical trials, medtech, and digital health from the ground up. Mark introduces his three Cs—co-creation, choice, and coaching—and shows how each one moves care from doing to people toward working with and learning from them.We dig into the hidden pitfalls of relying solely on patient advocacy groups, why representation matters, and how to reach the millions who never join a mailing list but live with the biggest burdens. Mark shares a practical bridge: “staff as patients,” an internal, compliant way for organisations to hear real stories and test assumptions. From there, we explore informed consent that genuinely informs, outcomes data people can understand, and the right to know who is treating you and how good they are—without drowning in jargon.The conversation then zooms out to health literacy and data literacy as core citizenship skills. Wearables, home testing, and portals promise insight, but only if people can interpret trends, risk, and uncertainty. We talk about building inclusive paths for both digital-first and low-tech preferences, making space for community-driven solutions. Parents in rare diseases show what’s possible when lived experience meets scientific rigour: they convene experts, shape protocols, and even spark new therapies. That is the “meeting of experts” mindset—clinical knowledge and daily life experience on equal footing.Finally, we take on prevention and incentives. Can industry support prevention without fearing cannibalisation? Some already do, and the smarter lens treats trust and long-term health impact as strategic assets. We close with concrete steps any team can take: map patient journeys, test language for clarity, co-design eConsent, reduce protocol burden, compensate fairly, and measure how patient input changes recruitment and retention. Subscribe, share with a colleague who designs studies or products, and leave a review telling us one phrase you’ll stop using and what you’ll say instead.Visit Labtolives.com Do you want to try the quiz from this episode? Find the link on our LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/labtolives/ Would you like to join the show as a guest or collaborator? Find out how on our website: https://www.labtolives.com/ Support the show________Reach out to Ivanna RosendalJoin the conversation on our LinkedIn pageVisit www.labtolives.com HostsAlexander Booth aka the MedTech GuyDimitri Borisevich aka the start-up GuyIvanna Rosendal aka the R&D pharma Gal

February 11, 2026Episode 938 min

Audit Trails, RBQM, And Agentic AI Explained

Send us Fan MailEver wondered why a clean CSR still leaves you unsure how a trial actually ran? We dive into the hidden layer that explains the “how”: audit trails across EDC, IRT, eConsent, and ePRO. With guests Ellis Hiroki of Study OS (now rebranded siteroAI) and Nechama Katan of Wicked Problem Wizard, we unpack how E6(R3) shifts sponsors from “we can export logs” to “we continuously analyse them,” and why process measures—not just outcomes—are essential to real RBQM.We break down the obstacles that keep teams stuck in CSV purgatory: fragmented vendor data, missing standards, timestamp chaos, and brittle one-off scripts. Nachama shares pragmatic use cases that matter—like ePRO entries after discontinuation or suspicious mass updates—and how to prioritise by likelihood, detectability, and severity. Ellis explains why general AI isn’t enough, and how a purpose-built, agentic approach uses models to plan steps and generate validated SQL or code, rather than hallucinated answers. The result is auditable reasoning, repeatable checks, and faster paths from a clear question to a trusted signal.From there, we connect signals to action. Analytics without workflow creates noise; analytics with RBQM workflows produce root causes and durable fixes. We explore how audit logs become the first true process dataset in clinical operations, and how broader operational inputs—logistics, communications, and training—can also be measured when systems are API-first and integrated. If you’ve ever watched a leadership question trigger a scramble in stats programming, this conversation shows a cleaner route: experts ask in plain English, the system produces valid code and dashboards, and teams focus on insight rather than plumbing.If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review. Your feedback helps us bring more practical, high-signal conversations to the clinical trials community.Visit Labtolives.com Do you want to try the quiz from this episode? Find the link on our LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/labtolives/ Would you like to join the show as a guest or collaborator? Find out how on our website: https://www.labtolives.com/ Support the show________Reach out to Ivanna RosendalJoin the conversation on our LinkedIn pageVisit www.labtolives.com HostsAlexander Booth aka the MedTech GuyDimitri Borisevich aka the start-up GuyIvanna Rosendal aka the R&D pharma Gal

January 28, 2026Episode 820 min

Why Bringing The Trial To The Patient Beats Dragging Patients To Sites

Send us Fan MailWant clinical research that respects real life? We sit down with Caroline Potts, GM of Site and Patient Services at MRN, to rethink how patients are recruited and supported when the standard trial model collides with work, school, caregiving, and distance. We start at the site level, exploring why trial sites remain the beating heart of studies, then unpack how participants actually arrive: investigator databases, advocacy networks, disease-specific portals, and focused social campaigns that reach people where they already are.From there, we tackle the hidden friction in protocols. Do you really need a physical exam at every visit, or can a trained nurse complete most procedures at home, at work, or even at a holiday address? Caroline gets specific about what’s possible outside the clinic—centrifuges, compliant drug delivery, courier timing—and where the red lines remain, like imaging. The conversation separates hype from substance on decentralised trials, arguing that the true shift is operational flexibility, not just apps. We also assess AI’s promise in finding eligible patients while calling for rigorous validation and thoughtful use alongside human support.The heart of the episode is practical patient centricity. We discuss rare diseases and long travel times, evening and weekend scheduling, reimbursement barriers, and how small design choices can either invite people in or push them away. Participants commit years of their lives to studies; the least we can do is meet them halfway. Caroline closes with a bold wish: compress timelines across the entire development arc. Precision medicine has moved forward; trial operations must catch up.If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review to help more listeners find thoughtful conversations on modern clinical research.Visit Labtolives.com Do you want to try the quiz from this episode? Find the link on our LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/labtolives/ Would you like to join the show as a guest or collaborator? Find out how on our website: https://www.labtolives.com/ Support the show________Reach out to Ivanna RosendalJoin the conversation on our LinkedIn pageVisit www.labtolives.com HostsAlexander Booth aka the MedTech GuyDimitri Borisevich aka the start-up GuyIvanna Rosendal aka the R&D pharma Gal

December 17, 2025Episode 731 min

Inside Sionna’s Bid To Normalize CFTR Function

Send us Fan MailTwo leaders from Sionna Therapeutics walk through a 15‑year journey from Genzyme science to a public company advancing NBD1‑targeted therapies in cystic fibrosis. We examine why most patients still fall short of normal CFTR, how a predictive assay de‑risks choices, and what it takes to finance, hire, and execute with patients as the North Star.Visit: sionnatx.comVisit Labtolives.com Do you want to try the quiz from this episode? Find the link on our LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/labtolives/ Would you like to join the show as a guest or collaborator? Find out how on our website: https://www.labtolives.com/ Support the show________Reach out to Ivanna RosendalJoin the conversation on our LinkedIn pageVisit www.labtolives.com HostsAlexander Booth aka the MedTech GuyDimitri Borisevich aka the start-up GuyIvanna Rosendal aka the R&D pharma Gal

December 3, 202524 min

AI Won’t Replace Writers, But Writers Who Use AI Will Outpace The Rest with Bilal Bham

Send us Fan MailWhat if the documents behind a clinical trial were written with the patient’s voice in mind and delivered at the speed modern science deserves? We sit down with writer, consultant, and patient-advocate Bilal Bham to unpack how protocols, clinical trial applications, and clinical study reports actually get made, why structure beats chaos, and where AI genuinely shortens timelines without cutting corners. From first protocol outlines to final submissions, Bilal shares a process that blends proprietary AI with rigorous human review to turn dense source data into clear, regulator-ready narratives.The conversation gets real about the craft. Bilal argues that new writers still need to learn documents end-to-end: where to find truth in source files, how to build arguments across sections, and how to keep stakeholders aligned from biostats to clinical operations. AI helps when you feed it the right ingredients, starting with comprehensive bullet-pointed outlines rather than instant prose. That discipline shaves weeks off delivery and keeps quality high, especially when regulators are exploring AI on their side of the table and expect traceability, accuracy, and transparent logic.We also explore the power of inclusion. Living with Graves’ disease and thyroid eye disease, Bilal explains how patient experience sharpens trial design, consent language, and symptom reporting. Diversity is not a banner; it is better science. Recruiting across local communities in the UK, US, and Europe strengthens external validity and reveals gene-environment differences that change safety and efficacy. Pair that with plain-English patient summaries, fair compensation, and trusted community partners, and you get trials that are faster to run, easier to understand, and more likely to help the people who need them most.If you care about clinical trials, regulatory writing, medical communications, AI in pharma, and building inclusive studies that actually work in the real world, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review with your take: where should inclusion start in clinical research?Visit Labtolives.com Do you want to try the quiz from this episode? Find the link on our LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/labtolives/ Would you like to join the show as a guest or collaborator? Find out how on our website: https://www.labtolives.com/ Support the show________Reach out to Ivanna RosendalJoin the conversation on our LinkedIn pageVisit www.labtolives.com HostsAlexander Booth aka the MedTech GuyDimitri Borisevich aka the start-up GuyIvanna Rosendal aka the R&D pharma Gal

November 19, 202530 min

From Grief To Global Advocacy For Clinical Research In Infectious Diseases with Christian John Lillis

Send us Fan MailA routine dental visit, a few days of diarrhea, and then the unthinkable: septic shock and a life lost within 24 hours. Our guest, Christian John Lillis, shares how losing his mother Peggy to a community-acquired C. diff infection exposed a silent public health crisis and led him to co-found the Peggy Lillis Foundation (https://cdiff.org/). From that moment, advocacy turned concrete: raising awareness, training volunteers to speak with lawmakers and media, and pushing for policies that reflect the true burden of C. diff and other infectious diseases.We dig into what a modern, patient-centred clinical trial should look like. Christian explains why initial cure is not the only outcome that matters; for C. diff, the recurrence rate can define whether someone can work, travel, or care for family. We unpack why decentralized trials, telehealth diagnostics, and home nursing can transform access, speed up recruitment, and improve diversity—critical for evidence that holds up in real life. We also examine antibiotic stewardship, exploring how pathogen-targeted therapies can reduce collateral damage and help fight antimicrobial resistance while maintaining or improving efficacy and tolerability.Policy and incentives are central. Christian outlines the limits of market-driven R&D for smaller but deadly pathogens like VRE and CRE, and why tools such as GAIN, LPAD, and potential subscription models are needed to fund anti-infectives society desperately requires. We talk global spread, declining vaccination, and the communications gap that leaves many people vulnerable to misinformation. On the personal level, he shares practical steps for self-advocacy: bring someone to urgent visits, prepare questions, be firm and respectful, and share your story to fuel change.If you care about patient advocacy, clinical trial innovation, C. diff awareness, antibiotic resistance, and public health, this conversation offers both a roadmap and a rallying cry. Subscribe, share with a friend who works in healthcare, and leave a review telling us one change you’d make to make trials truly patient centred.Visit Labtolives.com Do you want to try the quiz from this episode? Find the link on our LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/labtolives/ Would you like to join the show as a guest or collaborator? Find out how on our website: https://www.labtolives.com/ Support the show________Reach out to Ivanna RosendalJoin the conversation on our LinkedIn pageVisit www.labtolives.com HostsAlexander Booth aka the MedTech GuyDimitri Borisevich aka the start-up GuyIvanna Rosendal aka the R&D pharma Gal