Jean-Pierre Latere, EsoBiotec

What do you do when a family member gets a life-changing diagnosis?

How do you convince investors to back the impossible?

And why should you ask every expert to kill your idea?

I’m joined by JP Latere, CEO of Esobiotec. Based in Belgium, Esobiotec pioneered in-vivo cell therapy and was acquired by AstraZeneca in a billion-dollar deal in 2025.

Of course, we’ll talk more about the deal (and the science) at the end of the episode.

About LifeScience ORG

It’s no secret that Europe is a global leader in generating translational science. We’re grateful at LifeScience ORG to have a community of over 400 life science CEOs – leaders driving change in biotech, medtech, techBio and healthcare.

The conversations inside our community – stories of conviction, navigating challenges, and making bold decisions – inspire us every week. To hear the stories, lessons, and experiences of our life science leaders, listen to A Call to Lead @ LifeScience ORG, available on all good podcasting platforms.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction

2:35 When Cancer Gets Personal

5:47 No More Options

7:48 The Manufacturing Crisis

12:18 A Crazy Idea Worth Exploring

12:57 Betting on the Impossible

17:16 How to Kill an Idea

28:19 The China Pivot

34:06 Good Data Screams

38:54 Cell Therapy for Everyone

42:03 The Patient Is the Ultimate Shareholder