Top 50 Industry Voices in Biotech Twittersphere -- 2012

November 26, 2012 | By Ryan McBride

Tools

Dr. Tro Kalayjian (@TroKalayjianCRG)--Physician and biopharma analyst Organization: Chimera Research Group Followers: 2K-plus Profile: Kalayjian is the chief of research and an original member of the crew behind Chimera Research Group, which specializes in independent analysis of biotech and pharma stocks. When he's not surveying the biopharma scene, he works as a resident physician at a hospital. Lately, he's been churning out a lot of tweets and conversing with others (sometimes quite heatedly) about the obesity drug provider Vivus ($VVUS).
Robert West (@westr)--Teaching personalized medicine Organization: SUNY Upstate Medical University Followers: 5K-plus Profile: Personalized medicine is the future of treatment, but it's going to require an army of educators, clinicians and researchers to become reality. A longtime professor at SUNY Upstate Medical University, West specializes in application of genomics, digital technologies and social media to provide tailored care of patients.
Michael Eisen (@mbeisen)--Biologist for open access Organization: University of California, Berkeley Followers: 3K-plus Profile: When Eisen makes a discovery in genetics, he wants the global scientific community to know about it without having to pay hefty journal subscription fees. Such subscriptions could impede access to information, which runs counter to the ethos of the Public Library of Science (PLOS). Eisen co-founded PLOS, a publisher of free peer-reviewed scientific research and articles. And he's a hero to open-access advocates.
Bill Nye (@thescienceguy)--Inspiring scientists Organization: BillNye.com Followers: 540K-plus Profile: Yes, this is Bill Nye as in Bill Nye the Science Guy, his eponymous TV show that ran during the 1990s. Nye might not be a biotech industry guy, but he has done a lot to excite people of all ages, and particularly youngsters, about science. I'll bet there are scores of people working in the industry right now who once upon a time were riveted to episodes of Nye talking about the wonders of the natural world. The guy's a treasure.
Laura Strong (@scientre)--Runs biotech focused on cancer drugs Organization: Quintessence Biosciences Followers: 1K-plus Profile: Strong is the voice of Wisconsin biotech on Twitter. As head of operations for Madison, WI-based Quintessence Biosciences, the UW alum brings a unique perspective on the challenges of keeping a privately held drug-research outfit on track. And she isn't afraid to share her thoughts on hot topics such as company financing and partnering strategies.
Nathan Sadeghi-Nejad (@natesadeghi)--Biotech analyst and commentator Organization: Independent Followers: 2K-plus Profile: Sadeghi-Nejad is a veteran biotech analyst, and over the past year or so he's raised his profile with regulator contributions to TheStreet and Forbes that delve deeply into the assets of drug developers. His recent analyses of hepatitis C drug developer Achillion Pharmaceuticals ($ACHN) and past piece on Verastem ($VSTM) are two examples of how he's able to drill down to the essentials of these companies.
Jeff Raikes (@jeffraikes)--CEO of the world's largest health charity Organization: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Followers: Nearly 11K Profile: Raikes followed up his successful career at Microsoft with the top job at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has bankrolled with his vast fortune. The foundation is an active player in global health and, through efforts to bring better medicines to people in need, biotech.
John LaMattina (@john_lamattina)--Big Pharma veteran and commentator Organization: PureTech Ventures Followers: 1K-plus Profile: LaMattina used to run R&D for the largest drugmaker in the world, Pfizer ($PFE), and he now blogs for Forbes about the pharma industry with the authority of a man who has been to the belly of the Big Pharma beast--and, for a while, sat at the controls. He is now a senior partner at PureTech, which makes him affiliated with Appeering.
StocksMD (@StocksMD)--Mystery doctor and stock trader Organization: Unknown Followers: 2K-plus Profile: StocksMD doesn't list his actual name, but the mystery person claims to be an interventional gastroenterologist and part-time swing trader. I'd really like to know the person behind this Twitter account. So please let us know who you are, StocksMD. In the meantime, StocksMD's Twitter profile says: "Follow trades at your own risk."
Mike Havrilla (@mikehavrilla)--Pharmacist and biotech stock trader Organization: BioRunUp.com Followers: 4K Profile: Havrilla is another influential voice among stock traders in the biotech twitterverse. He's now involved in the website called BioRunUp.com, which provides tips to folks trying to capitalize on swings in biotech stock prices. He's also a licensed IV pharmacist, marathon runner and ex-Big Pharma employee (Wyeth).