Suzanne Eldridge: How to align a research group and a spinout around a single mission

In this episode, we meet Sue Eldridge, co-founder of ReFleks, a Queen Mary University of London spinout developing a single-injection therapy for osteoarthritis, a disease affecting more than 600 million people worldwide.

In this episode, Sue shares:

• How aligning academic activity with a translational goal keeps her research group and the company pulling in the same direction.

• Why a publication only advances science, while a patent is what lets you advance a cure.

• How losing two years to a grant cycle that ended in a no finally pushed them to spin out.

• Why crossing from engineering into molecular biology felt "like jumping into an ice pool," and how she pushed through that initial shock.

• How healthcare economics is impacting their global go-to-market strategy.

• What it's like navigating the notorious commercialisation "Valley of Death".

Sue's story is one of true resilience, fuelled by a passion to solve a huge problem. It brings to life many of the systemic challenges that prevent world-changing innovations from getting from lab to market.

This episode is essential listening for any researcher working to commercialise a new drug, therapy or anything in the healthcare sector that must balance great science with the reality of healthcare economics.