Discovering Drugs for Cancer and Autoimmunity: Ansu Satpathy

Ansu Satpathy is today’s guest on The Long Run.

Ansu is a physician-scientist and an associate professor of pathology and immunology at Stanford University. He’s co-director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Center at Stanford Medicine, and the co-founder of several startup companies. These include Cartography Biosciences (a cancer drug developer), Santa Ana Bio (a developer of precision autoimmune therapies) and Immunai, which maps the immune system to guide drug discovery. 

Ansu’s work focuses on using the new tools of biology – ones that gather genomic, proteomic, metabolomic and other comprehensive datasets – down to the level of single immune cells and cancer cells.

He is one of the people using the tools to probe in ever-greater levels of detail, what’s happening in healthy states, diseased states, and what happens at the molecular level before and after patients get experimental treatments.

Scientists in Ansu’s orbit are seeing things that scientists haven’t been able to see before. It’s throwing off all kinds of promising ideas and discoveries. It’s heady stuff.

Before we get started, a word from the sponsor of The Long Run.

 

After a year of defensive maneuvering against immediate threats, 2026 marks the healthcare industry’s critical shift from mere survival to fundamental, structural transformation. Leveraging exclusive expert insights, this report provides the definitive roadmap for organizations racing to execute high-stakes strategies and ensure their long-term financial viability in a changing landscape.

Download the Report Here

 

And are you tired of inconsistent bioanalysis results and waiting months for data that should take days?

Dash is the only bioanalysis CRO built from the ground up with a tech-first approach, designed to deliver better, faster, and cheaper than anyone else.

With Dash, you get:

• Faster turnaround, with results in days, not months.
  
• High-quality data across major assay types including ELISA/MSD, LC-MS, and PCR, supporting all modalities and therapeutic areas
  
• Customer-first policies, like guaranteed outcomes and transparent pricing.
  

From preclinical to late-stage studies, Dash helps you move from assay development and validation to sample analysis with unmatched speed. Founded by industry veterans who’ve felt the pain of traditional CROs, Dash is the partner researchers and clinical leaders actually need: reliable, fast, and easy to work with.

So if slow bioanalysis CROs are costing you money and missed deadlines—put Dash to the test.

Visit www.dash.bio and see how fast bioanalysis can be.

 

Lastly, planning is underway for the next big Timmerman Traverse for Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. It will be Aug. 2-5 in the High Sierras of Northern California. Join me for a pair of back-to-back day hikes that will deliver spectacular views of peaks in the 13,000-14,000-foot range. If you are physically fit, enjoy the outdoors, and are able to raise significant money for cancer research – ask me for an invitation. luke@timmermanreport.com.

Now, please enjoy this conversation with Ansu Satpathy on The Long Run.