In this episode of BioTalk Unzipped, Gregory Austin and Dr. Chad Briscoe continue their conversation with Dr. Nathan Teuscher, a clinical pharmacology and pharmacometrics expert with more than 20 years of experience in drug development.
Nathan brings a clear, practical perspective on one of the most important questions in biopharma: how do we choose the right dose for the right patient, especially in complex areas like oncology and cell therapy?
The conversation explores the changing landscape of pharmaceutical development, including virtual clinical trials, patient engagement, clinical pharmacology, pharmacometrics, oncology dose optimization, and the importance of collaboration across scientific disciplines.
Nathan discusses why dose selection is not just a technical detail. It can shape safety, efficacy, patient experience, regulatory strategy, and ultimately whether a therapy succeeds. The episode also touches on FDA’s Project Optimus, the evolving expectations around oncology dosing, and the challenge of treating immunocompromised patients in areas such as cell therapy.
The discussion also highlights how technology, data, and AI may help improve clinical trial design and patient selection, while still requiring thoughtful ethical judgment and scientific discipline.
Nathan also shares advice for young scientists entering biopharma, including the importance of listening first, learning across disciplines, and approaching scientific collaboration with humility and curiosity.
The episode closes with Nathan’s reflections on success, purpose, and his own Clinical Pharmacology Podcast, which helps educate listeners on clinical pharmacology, pharmacometrics, and drug development topics.
In this episode
Gregory, Chad, and Nathan discuss:
- The changing landscape of pharmaceuticals
- Virtual clinical trials and patient engagement
- How pharmacometrics supports better dose selection
- Why oncology dosing is evolving
- FDA’s Project Optimus and its impact on cancer drug development
- Challenges in cell therapy development
- Treating immunocompromised patients
- The role of collaboration in scientific progress
- Advice for young scientists in biopharma
- Nathan’s Clinical Pharmacology Podcast
Featured guest
Dr. Nathan Teuscher is a clinical pharmacology and pharmacometrics expert, founder of Aplos Analytics, and host of the Clinical Pharmacology Podcast.
Nathan Teuscher:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanteuscher/
Aplos Analytics:
https://aplosanalytics.com/
Email:
[email protected]
Clinical Pharmacology Podcast:
https://teuschersolutions.com/
Spotify:
https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/clinical-pharmacology
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clinical-pharmacology-podcast-with-nathan-teuscher/id1695617234
Collaboration with BioTalk Unzipped, Ep. 40:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/collaboration-with-biotalk-unzipped-ep-40/id1695617234?i=1000682122951
New News story
After two rejections, FDA approves Mesoblast's first-of-its-kind cell therapy:
https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/fda-nod-gvhd-cell-therapy-gives-australian-biotech-mesoblast
Connect with BioTalk Unzipped
All BioTalk Unzipped Episodes:
https://www.youtube.com/@BioTalkUnzipped/videos
Dr. Chad Briscoe:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadbriscoe/
Celerion:
https://www.celerion.com/
Gregory Austin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoryaustin1/
BioTalk Unzipped on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/biotalk-unzipped
Key themes
Clinical pharmacology and pharmacometrics are central to smarter drug development because they help teams understand exposure, response, variability, safety, and dose optimization.
In oncology, the field is moving beyond the assumption that the highest tolerated dose is automatically the best dose. Better dosing decisions can improve tolerability, patient experience, and development strategy.
Virtual trials and digital tools may help reduce patient burden and increase access, but they must be designed with scientific rigor and ethical responsibility.
Cell therapy presents unique challenges because patient immune status, disease severity, treatment history, and biology can all affect outcomes.
Collaboration is not just a professional virtue. In modern drug development, it is a scientific necessity.
Sound bites
“If you want to be successful, seek first to understand, then be understood.”
“If you’re looking to help people and in collaboration, you’ll be successful.”
“Success in life is the happiness of loved ones around you.”
Keywords
BioTalk Unzipped, Nathan Teuscher, clinical pharmacology, pharmacometrics, drug development, dose optimization, oncology dosing, Project Optimus, virtual clinical trials, patient engagement, clinical research, cell therapy, Mesoblast, FDA approval, immunocompromised patients, biopharma collaboration, pharmaceutical development, clinical trial innovation, AI in pharma, data science in drug development, precision medicine, personalized medicine, Clinical Pharmacology Podcast, Aplos Analytics
