Blue Matter Blog
October 31, 2022
As highlighted in our previous blog post, the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) demonstrated compelling efficacy data from the first randomized, controlled Phase 3 study comparing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) to a checkpoint immunotherapy (Yervoy®) in advanced melanoma. Earlier this year, Iovance Biotherapeutics announced positive clinical data for its TIL (lifileucel), also in advanced melanoma. TIL therapy …
October 17, 2022
In our previous installment, we explored the fact that therapy with a psychedelic substance typically goes far beyond the medicine itself. Most often, it’s integrated with preparatory counseling, therapist support during the drug treatment itself, and talk therapy after a drug treatment. This, of course, can have significant implications for the overall cost of therapy, …
October 7, 2022
In Part I of this series, we discussed the surging levels of interest and investment in psychedelic therapies. After decades of lying dormant, psychedelic medicines are back, and a lot of research dollars are being invested to bring them to market. However, there is more to psychedelic therapy than the drugs themselves. Many psychedelics being …
October 5, 2022
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) held its annual congress in Paris last month, September 9-13. The conference provided a venue for multiple presentations in the cell therapy space. These presentations showcased data on the efficacy of cell therapies—mostly in solid tumors—leveraging multiple innovations, including a variety of cell types such as tumor infiltrating …
October 4, 2022
Interest in psychedelic therapy has risen substantially in recent years, and it’s easy to see why. After decades of being ignored due to legislative action, psychedelic substances now represent an emerging class with the potential to be disease modifying across a range of mental and behavioral health issues. We’ve written about psychedelics before, and that …
As a founder and managing partner, Ashwin brings 20+ years of life science consulting experience to Blue Matter. Prior to starting Blue Matter, he was Senior VP, Head of Brand Management / Business Development at Campbell Alliance. He is a physician and MBA by training and his specialties include product and portfolio strategy.
As a founder and managing partner of Blue Matter, Emily brings 25 years of life science experience. Prior to Blue Matter, Emily was Senior VP and head of the San Francisco office for Campbell Alliance. Her specialties include product and portfolio strategy and oncology product launches.
As COO and Managing Partner, George brings extensive experience from 22+ years in life science consulting. Previously, George was GM / Head of Europe for Campbell Alliance. His specialties are commercial excellence, organizational design and customer engagement strategy.
Jeron brings 17+ years of life science experience, including more than 12 years in consulting. Previously, Jeron was Corporate Development and Commercial Excellence Lead at Campbell Alliance. His specialties include product, portfolio, and corporate strategy in oncology and diagnostics.
Thomas has 16+ years of experience in life science consulting (bio-pharma / diagnostic). He was formerly VP of Brand Management and Medical Affairs at Campbell Alliance. His specialties include product commercialization and Medical Affairs organization development in oncology and rare diseases.
Pankaj brings an impressive 28+ years of life science experience in industry and consulting to Blue Matter, having held increasingly senior positions at GSK, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Norgine. He was formerly Head of Consulting at IDEA, and he specializes in product, franchise and portfolio strategy, new product planning, and oncology launch readiness. He holds a BSc Pharm from UCL and an MBA from Imperial College London.
With over 14 years in research and consulting for the life sciences, Mary’s primary focus is on product strategy, franchise/portfolio strategy, launch planning, and commercial excellence in oncology and other TAs. She has a PhD in Biology from MIT and also hails from Campbell Alliance.
Kurt is a seasoned expert in market access, with over 25 years of experience. In addition to his extensive experience in life sciences consulting, his background includes several strategic roles across both payers and biopharmaceutical companies (large and small). He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and his JD from Pepperdine University.
Rachael brings an impressive 20 years of experience in the life science industry, which includes 7 years in consulting. Her primary areas of focus are pharmaceutical market access, product launch, and oncology / specialty disease areas. Her background includes 14 years at Biogen, as well as consulting roles at 1798 Consultants and Asselin Consulting Group. She earned an MPH in Epidemiology from Boston University.
Alex has more than 15 years of experience consulting to life science companies. He brings deep expertise in market research and analytics, particularly related to commercial strategy development. Before joining Blue Matter, Alex spent three years at Campbell Alliance and five years at ZS Associates. He earned an MS degree in Management Science from Lehigh University and a degree in Engineering from Lafayette College.
Chirag Ghai brings a wealth of consulting experience to his role at Blue Matter, with a focus on Medical Affairs, RWE, HEOR and payer evidence. His career encompasses more than 21 years, including consulting leadership roles at IQVIA, Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte, and Health Strategies Group. Chirag earned his MBA at Case Western Reserve University and an BA (Hons), Economics at Delhi University.
Norman brings 25+ years of biopharma experience to Blue Matter. He spent more than 22 years at Amgen in key roles including leading pricing and contracting for their oncology portfolio. His experience also includes leading US Market Access at Seagen and serving as Senior VP at 1798 Consultants. Norman has worked in a diverse set of commercial functions but offers in-depth expertise in market access. He earned an MBA at the USC Marshall School of Business.
Vinay Torani brings 20+ years of experience in strategy, M&A, and corporate finance. Much of it has been in the life sciences industry advising Boards, C-Suites, and Corporate Development teams at “Big Pharma,” biotech, medical device, and generics companies on how to drive shareholder value through growth strategy, portfolio strategy, market assessments, M&A, BD&L, forecasting, valuations, and capital allocation. Prior to joining Blue Matter, Vinay worked at PwC, Duff & Phelps, Navigant, and S&P. Vinay earned an MBA from Lehigh University.
Prasanna Sridharan has 20+ years in biopharma across consulting and industry. He brings deep expertise in leveraging various data sources to provide insights across launch planning, field and marketing analytics, and BI / data engineering. Formerly the CEO / Founder of 159 Solutions, Prasanna also served in analytical roles at Axess Oncology, Genentech, and ZS. Prasanna earned an MS from the University of Texas at Austin and a BE from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India
Howard brings a highly robust consulting background to his role at Blue Matter and has been serving clients for 27 years (with nearly 20 of those years focused on the biopharmaceutical industry). His experience includes a range of consulting and leadership roles at Syneos Health, ZS Associates, McKinsey & Company, and IBM. Howard earned an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business.
Shankar brings strong scientific and commercial expertise to his consulting work. In his 12+ years in life sciences consulting, he has delivered broadly, including product launch and portfolio strategy across oncology and other therapeutic areas. Shankar earned a BA in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of California at Berkeley and a PhD in Biochemistry from MIT.
Joe is a veteran consultant at Blue Matter, having provided strategic guidance to biopharma clients for more than 11 years. While he works on a range of commercial strategy projects, his passion is helping emerging companies shape products, markets, and organizations in preparation for their first launch. Before joining Blue Matter, he earned bachelor’s degrees in Molecular & Cellular Biology and Physics from the University of California, Berkeley.
Julia Margulis has a dual background in management consulting and scientific research. For more than 8 years, she has worked as a strategic consultant in the biopharmaceutical industry, specializing in product and portfolio strategy in oncology, neuroscience, and rare disease. Prior to joining Blue Matter, Julia spent nearly 12 years in academic research, with a focus on genetic neurological diseases. Julia earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California, San Francisco.
Matt Durbin brings more than 14 years of life sciences experience to his role at Blue Matter, including 10 years in strategic consulting. Prior to joining Blue Matter, he worked as a consultant for IMS Health. In addition to his consulting experience, Matt spent 3 years performing research at the University of Oxford. He earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Bath.
Lily has over 25 years of experience in life sciences, including 15 years in strategy consulting. Her primary areas of focus are portfolio and product strategy, new product planning, and launch readiness in oncology and rare diseases. Prior to consulting, she worked at GSK and Patheon in pharmaceutical product development. She has a BSc in biochemistry from the University of Waterloo, and an MBA from York University.
Isabel has more than 11 years of experience in life science research and strategy consulting. Her work focuses on integrated product and diagnostic strategy, disease area strategy, and launch readiness in oncology. She brings a strong educational background in neuroscience, having earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from ETH Zurich. Isabel also has a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Design Thinking.
With more than 17 years in the life sciences, Theo's experience spans from bench to business strategy. For the past 12 years, Theo has provided consulting services to help biopharma companies achieve commercial success in Europe and North America. He leads Blue Matter’s “Pathfinder” business line, which specializes in helping biopharma companies enter and succeed in European markets. Theo earned a Dr. sc. In Physical Chemistry from ETH Zürich and an MBA from IMD Business School.
Yan brings more than 13 years of experience in consulting to life science organizations. Her background includes work with United BioSource Corporation (UBC), Navigant, and Blue Matter. Yan is focused on helping biopharma companies develop pricing, access, and reimbursement strategies in Europe, the US, and other markets around the world. She earned a Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from the University of Cambridge.
Based in London, Nikos brings more than 16 years of experience providing guidance to pharmaceutical and biotech companies. His background includes consulting work at leading companies including Accenture, IMS Health, InVentiv Health Consulting, and Blue Matter. He earned his M.Eng. degree from UCL (University College London) in Biochemical Engineering with Bioprocess Management.
Jeff brings 15 years of experience in the life sciences. For the past 9 years, he has been consulting in the life science industry. Currently, he leads Blue Matter’s digital health team helping biopharma and start-ups find a path to market for digital innovations. His previous experience includes roles at Navigant and its successor, Guidehouse. His research background includes work in neurodegenerative diseases and neurogenetics. Jeff earned a bachelor’s degree in Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. in Neurogenetics and Behavior from The Rockefeller University.
Mike has been providing strategic consulting services to pharmaceutical and biotech clients for over 11 years. Prior to joining Blue Matter in 2014, he served healthcare and life science clients at Booz Allen Hamilton. His specialties include product and portfolio strategy in complex / specialty pharmaceutical markets, including significant experience in oncology product launches. Mike earned a B.S. degree in biology from Cornell University.
Bill has been involved with life sciences for 15 years. For more than 7 years, he has provided strategic guidance to biopharma companies. Prior to Blue Matter, Bill worked at ICON plc and Jupiter Life Science Consulting. He brings focused expertise in market access, oncology, rare diseases, infectious diseases, and gene therapy. Bill earned his Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from UC Santa Barbara. He also earned a master’s degree in pharmaceutical strategy from the Keck Graduate Institute.
Kelly has been providing strategic guidance to pharmaceutical and biotech companies for the past 8 years. Prior to joining Blue Matter, she served clients while working at Simon Kucher & Partners and Insight Strategy Advisors. Her focus areas are product strategy, market access, and pricing in oncology. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Rochester and is completing her MBA through Wharton.
Harris has been a life sciences strategy consultant since 2014. As one of the earliest members of the Blue Matter team, Harris has helped to shape our company's offerings across a number of areas, including commercial product launch, medical affairs strategy, and portfolio lifecycle management. Harris is passionate about crafting insightful narratives from complex business problems, and constantly improving upon the client experience.
Naval has spent 20+ years in the life sciences, spanning academic research, the biopharma industry, and strategic consulting. During that time, he has focused primarily on oncology. Naval’s consulting experience includes Blue Matter and Guidehouse / Navigant. His industry experience includes research and new product planning at Pfizer and Taiho Oncology, respectively. Naval’s academic research focused on understanding how cells respond to DNA damage. He earned a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular pharmacology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Natalja brings a strong consulting and scientific background to her role at Blue Matter. She has 8 years of consulting experience, as well as teaching and research experience, including time as a researcher at Novartis. Natalja earned a PhD from the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at ETH Zürich, as well as M.Sc. degrees in organic chemistry at ETH Zürich and the University of California, Berkeley.
Sepp has 26+ years’ experience as a consultant and a leader within the biopharma industry. His consulting background includes ZS, 159 Solutions, and Blue Matter. Sepp has also worked at a diverse range of life science companies, most recently at Genentech, where he was the BioOncology marketing science lead. He started his biotech career with several genomics and instrumentation companies across R&D, Sales and Marketing, and Finance. Sepp earned his MBA, MPH, and BA Genetics from UC Berkeley.
Manav has more than 15 years of experience using analytics to solve business problems for life sciences clients at ZS, 159 Solutions, and as an independent consultant. His primary area of expertise is helping organizations utilize secondary data sources to understand market dynamics and make commercial decisions. In addition, he led efforts at Abbott Pharmaceuticals in Mumbai to improve to profitability and facilitate coordination between different business functions. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.
Nikhil has 17+ years in data, analytics, and commercial strategy roles in the life sciences, spanning biopharma and consulting. Prior to Blue Matter, Nikhil served in leadership roles at Pfizer, Gilead Sciences, and Global Blood Therapeutics. His prior consulting work included time as an Engagement Manager at Mu Sigma. Nikhil earned his Bachelor of Technology at the National Institute of Technology Karnataka and his MBA at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business.
D’Arcy King
San Francisco, CA
Principal
D’Arcy’s foundation is in clinical health psychology, and as a clinician she sees patients managing chronic conditions. She also brings a robust 20+ year background in market research, brand planning, and consulting. Prior to Blue Matter, D’Arcy served in leadership roles at Day One Strategy, Hall & Partners, Daggerwing, Ipsos, and as a faculty member with the Center for Health Innovations and Outcomes Research at Northwell Health. She has a Ph.D. and M.A. in Clinical Health Psychology, The New School for Social Research and a B.A. from Columbia University.