#13: Carl Schoellhammer - Suono Bio

<p>Carl Schoellhammer is co-founder and president of Suono Bio, a preclinical-stage company focused on the ultra-rapid delivery of novel therapeutics to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This technology is super cool - essentially using ultrasound devices to deliver drugs through the skin. This is game-changing for people with, for instance, colitis and other inflammatory issues in their gut. We talk about the technology and its future capabilities, as well as how Carl and his partner Gio developed the invention and spun it off into a company. It's this cross-disciplinary collaboration &nbsp;(Gio a gastroenterologist, Carl a chemical engineer with experience in pharma) that allowed them to solve the problem - a feature of Robert Langer's lab which is emulated in research labs around the world.&nbsp;</p> <p>Carl was a post-doc in Langer Lab along with Gio and he describes the process of discovering the invention and working with Bob and MIT to commercialize it. For those who don't know, Bob Langer is the most cited engineer in history. He's a modern day Thomas Edison. He's published/developed something like 800 papers, 500 patents, thousands of researchers have passed through his lab, he's spun off dozens of startup companies, 100's of licensing deals and more. It was really interesting to hear what it's like to work in Bob's lab and co-found a company with him.&nbsp;</p> <p>Just read this quote from Bob on the website of one of their investors, <a href="https://www.engine.xyz/founders/suono-bio/">The Engine</a> - “Suono Bio exemplifies what I’ve observed is required for a successful company: a platform technology with potentially broad utility, proof that it works in animal models, powerful patents, and publications in top-tier journals,” says Professor Langer. “The ability to deliver unformulated therapeutics with this technology is a tremendous achievement in the field of drug delivery and has potential for widespread applicability in a range of diseases. Carl is highly driven, extremely brilliant, even by MIT s