Smart Biotech Scientist | The CMC and Bioprocessing Podcast for Process Development and Manufacturing Leaders
The go-to CMC and biomanufacturing podcast for bioprocess development scientists and CMC leaders scaling biologics into regulatory-ready therapies with less trial and error.
Practical, execution-focused, and strategic guidance on CMC development, tech transfer, scale-up, GMP readiness, CDMO partnerships, and manufacturing economics for biologics, cell and gene therapies, cultivated meat, and biomaterials.
Hosted by Dr. David Brühlmann, CMC strategist, former Bioprocess Innovation Manager at Merck, PhD in glycoengineering, and close to 20 years of biomanufacturing experience. Smart Biotech Scientist delivers actionable insights for the people doing the hard work of turning promising molecules into scalable, regulatory-ready therapies.
This podcast is for you if:
- You are a process development scientist or CMC lead managing a technology transfer, scale-up, or CDMO partnership
- You are a biologics developer working on upstream or downstream process development, cell culture optimization, or GMP manufacturing readiness
- You are a biotech founder preparing for an IND filing or Series A fundraise, and need a CMC strategy that holds up under investor and regulatory scrutiny
- You are building or advising an early-stage biopharma team and need to make smart manufacturing decisions with limited resources
What you will learn:
CMC strategy and regulatory planning, bioprocess scale-up from lab to clinical and commercial manufacturing, cell culture process development and media optimization, technology transfer best practices, CDMO selection and partnership management, hybrid modeling, manufacturing economics, continuous manufacturing, digitization, and Industry 4.0 in biopharma.
Top 10 life sciences podcast with 200+ episodes and guests from Merck, FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific, Cytiva, KBI Biopharma, Eppendorf, and biotech innovators worldwide.
New episodes released weekly. Subscribe and join 400+ biotech leaders already using these insights to accelerate development, reduce manufacturing costs, and de-risk scale-up.
Next Steps:
Visit the Website: https://smartbiotechscientist.com
Email us: hello@bruehlmann-consulting.com
Smart Biotech Scientist | The CMC and Bioprocessing Podcast for Process Development and Manufacturing Leaders
267: Why Affordable Insulin Is a Money Problem, Not a Science Problem with Eric Moyal - Part 1
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Insulin was first discovered over a century ago—yet in the United States, 1 in 5 insulin-dependent patients still ration their lifesaving supply. Why is a molecule so essential, and so well understood, still so out of reach for so many?
Eric Moyal, founder of Project Insulin, decided to challenge not just the science, but the business model itself. With a background in nonprofit fundraising—not drug development—he’s building a biosimilar insulin glargine and promising to sell it directly to patients at cost, insurance or not.
Topics discussed include:
- The origins of the insulin affordability crisis and the impact of profit-driven healthcare systems (04:27)
- How over a million Americans are forced to ration their insulin every month, and the broader impact on patients’ (lives 06:37)
- The advantages and challenges of approaching drug development with a background outside of biotech (08:37)
- The fundraising-focused strategy for overcoming scientific and technical hurdles in developing biosimilar insulin (09:17)
- Technical details on Project Insulin’s development process, including selection of CDMOs, importance of analytical data, and process challenges like reverse-phase cleaving and crystallization (11:16)
- The impact of recent FDA regulatory changes on the development and approval pathway for biosimilars in the U.S. (15:45)
Smart insight: A nonprofit approach to essential medicines could reshape the future for patients who depend on them. By removing shareholder expectations and focusing on affordability and access, leaders like Eric Moyal are proving new paths are possible—not through incremental science alone, but through bold re-imaginings of how science serves the public.
If you enjoyed this episode, you might want to listen to these within a broader set of discussions on biologics affordability, CMC strategy, and bioprocessing realities — from the economic barriers blocking patient access and regulatory decision-making for biosimilars, to CDMO selection for resource-constrained teams:
- Episode 136: 5 Roadblocks to Affordable Biologics (And How to Overcome Them)
- Episodes 57 - 58: Crafting a Solid CMC Strategy: Key Factors and Common Pitfalls with Matthias Müllner
- Episodes 103 - 104: One-Stop Shop vs. Specialist CDMO: A Scientist's Guide to CDMO Selection with Sigma Mostafa
Connect with Eric Moyal:
- Email: emoyal@projectinsulin.org
- Website: www.projectinsulin.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/projectinsulin
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/82500193
- TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@project.insulin
- YouTube: www.youtube.com/@ProjectInsulin
Next step: If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast platform. By doing so, we can empower more scientists like you. Stay tuned for more inspiring biotech insights in our next episode.