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Vicki Sato

Chairman of the Board, VIR BIOTECHNOLOGY INC

Search every verified Vicki Sato interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Vicki Sato, chairman of the board at Vir Biotechnology, discussed her career in biotechnology on the podcast "The Long Run" in July 2018. She reflected on her transition from academic research to the biotech industry, noting that mentors and admired scientists becoming involved in the field influenced her decision. Sato also described the challenges of building a company, saying that "weaving together the persistence, the constant innovation and a group of people who can stay with the problem" is harder than expected. Sato also spoke about her time at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which she left in 2005, calling it "a great run" with scientifically exciting programs in hepatitis C and cystic fibrosis. She expressed concern about the pharmaceutical industry's reputation at that time, saying it was viewed "with incredible disdain and distrust," and that she believed "we need better ways to make drugs." She voiced optimism about the next generation of scientists, describing them as "technologically savvy, broad, energetic, committed."

Recent appearances

  • Vicki Sato: Building Modern Biotech Through the Pull and Push

    March 20, 2026 · 📺 Harvard Biotech Club

    Dr Vicki Sato (https://www.hbshealthalumni.org/s/173...) is a pioneering biotech leader who helped shape the modern biotech industry. She currently serves on the board or in the advisory role for several biotech companies, including Vir Biotechnology, Denali Therapeutics, Allogene Therapeutics, and as a venture partner at ARCH Venture Partners. Vicki started her career as an academic scientist. She was a professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at Harvard. She later made a bold leap into biotech industry, initially joining Biogen and ultimately becoming Chief Scientifi…

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  • Ep22: Vicki Sato (Take 2)

    June 11, 2025 · 📺 The Long Run with Luke Timmerman

    Vicki Sato on her career in biotech.

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  • Founder Stories: Vicki Sato, Chairwoman of Vir and President/CSO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals

    January 16, 2022 · 📺 Axial

    Vicki Sato is the Chairwoman of Vir Biotechnology. She has had a legendary career in biotechnology serving as the CSO then President of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, VP of Research early on at Biogen, and a Professor at Harvard. https://axialobservations.substack.co... #biotechnology #science #vc #startup #startups #startupideas #biology #biotech #chemistry #business #speech #speeches #investing #investment #lifescience #casestudy #scientist #scientists #inventors #inventor #inventions #invention #research #innovation #siliconvalley #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurs #healthcare #genom…

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  • FIRESIDE | GCT Regulatory Framework | Why Different?

    June 21, 2021 · 📺 World Medical Innovation Forum

    Moderator: Vicki Sato, PhD, Chairman of the Board, Vir Biotechnology Peter Marks, MD, PhD, Director, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, FDA

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  • Dr. Vicki Sato on Prize4Life

    August 10, 2011 · 📺 Prize4Life

    Dr. Vicki Sato, a Professor at Harvard Business School, former President of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Board member at Prize4Life, shares her thoughts on the development of ALS drugs and the role prizes can play in spurring biomedical innovation. This is an extended cut of an interview of Dr. Sato that was featured in the video 'Driving Breakthroughs in ALS Research: Prize4Life and the $1M ALS Biomarker Prize.' That video can be seen here:    • Driving Breakthroughs in ALS: Prize4Life a...   For more information on Prize4Life, visit http://www.prize4life.org

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The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →