We’re excited to feature an interview with Ignacio Sancho-Martinez, who recently joined the SDDN Governing Board. Learn more about his background, his vision, and what drives his passion for science.
How did you get interested in the field of Drug Discovery?
Like many scientists, my curiosity started with an inspiring science teacher in high school, Manuel. Those teachers are often the first real promoters of scientific passion; they open your eyes to the idea that curiosity itself can be a profession. There’s really nothing quite like that first spark when someone makes biology feel alive.
That early influence led me to study biology and eventually pursue a PhD, first at the University of Oviedo and later at the DKFZ in Germany, where I became deeply fascinated by how complex biological systems could be decoded and ultimately reshaped to restore function. This passion deepened at the Salk Institute, where the mentorship of Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte and the influence of great minds like Tony Hunter and Geoff Wahl had a profound impact on my approach to science. They consistently pushed me beyond my perceived limits in what became a highly prolific period of my career. That experience ignited my drive to translate scientific discovery into tangible therapies, and I am immensely thankful for it.
Ultimately, what began as curiosity to understand how living systems work, evolved into a lifelong drive to connect science with real medical impact.
Can you share a bit about your professional/scientific career and your current role?
I’ve spent over two decades moving between academia, biotech, and global pharma, leading multidisciplinary teams across different therapeutic areas from fibrosis and oncology to RNA-based therapies and regenerative medicine.
I began my international research career at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), where I investigated signaling pathways in glioma and neural regeneration. That was my first contact with biologics and translational research. Our original Cancer Cell paper in 2008 was rather provocative, breaking a well-established dogma in the apoptosis field. The resulting patent led to the development of Asunercept/APG101 which advanced through clinical trials, first in glioblastoma and later, for the treatment of different inflammatory diseases.
Later at the Salk Institute in California, I led high-impact research programs on multiple therapeutic areas and modalities, resulting in a somewhat “explosive” publication record and multiple patents. My team and I uncovered groundbreaking regenerative mechanisms, such as microRNA-based cardiac repair, which we were able to license to a biotech company for further development, pioneered the first stem cell–derived kidney organoids, and built high-throughput screening and in vitro efficacy/toxicity platforms, including two large-scale collaborations with Sanofi and many more interesting projects that really helped expand my understanding of different therapeutic areas and drug development.
After that academic phase, I became a faculty member at King’s College London, where I established two independent laboratories in regenerative and translational medicine, led multidisciplinary teams, and built collaborations with industry and clinical partners. That experience shaped my approach to leadership, combining academic rigor with translational vision.
Then, I did my transition to industry, joining the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) in California, where I led both a drug discovery unit and an in vivo pharmacology unit. Over the years, I contributed to programs that reached clinical development, including Tropifexor (NASH, Phase II, FDA fast-track designation), Nidufexor (CKD, Phase II), and LXE408 (Leishmaniasis, Phase II). I was also part of strategic committees that defined Novartis’s next-generation focus areas in fibrosis, RNA-based therapeutics, and molecular targeting.
After over a decade and a half abroad, I returned to Spain as Executive Director at FAES Farma. I built the company’s Drug Discovery Department from the ground up, designing and implementing its R&D strategy, managing a multimillion-euro portfolio, and advancing programs toward clinical readiness.
Today, as CEO and Managing Partner at INBISTRA, I focus on connecting scientific innovation with business strategy. Our work helps early-stage biotech companies and investors quantify risk, define value, and design fundable, sustainable development plans. In many ways, I am proud to say that INBISTRA integrates everything I’ve learned throughout my career rigorous science, cross-functional leadership, and strategic clarity.
What kind of research are you focused on right now?
My personal focus right now lies in developing and applying new advanced financial models for biotech valuation, integrating dynamic portfolio simulations, standardized risk-adjusted methodologies, and scenario-based planning frameworks. This approach goes beyond traditional financial modeling, combining scientific insight with quantitative strategy to assess value, uncertainty, and decision pathways across R&D portfolios.
Which technical and soft skills are crucial for your position?
On the technical side, scientific depth is essential, but it’s not enough. You need to be fluent in both the language of science and the language of capital, able to quantify uncertainty, weigh competing hypotheses, and allocate resources accordingly. Understanding translational data and development risk is equally critical, because the numbers are only as good as the biology behind them. The ability to translate between these two worlds is at the core of what I do.
On the soft-skills side, clarity in communication and structured thinking are absolutely essential. You need to guide teams and investors through complexity without oversimplifying it. That means listening, prioritizing, and making decisions under uncertainty while keeping everyone aligned on evidence and objectives.
What accomplishment/s in your career do you feel most proud of?
So far, what I’m most proud of isn’t a single achievement, but a journey: having directly led programs that advanced from early discovery into clinical development. In biotech, that transition is far from guaranteed, and it changes the way you see science, because it becomes tangible. Witnessing it firsthand also gives you a deep respect for how complex and fragile progress can be. I’ve been fortunate to contribute to programs that made that leap, and that experience continues to shape how I approach every new project at INBISTRA. Still, I see it as part of a longer path, there’s much more ahead to build and deliver.
How do you balance work and personal life, especially when research demands are high?
By learning to draw boundaries and design routines that preserve perspective. Burnout clouds good judgment, so I focus on maintaining structured days, spending time outdoors, and constantly reading (both scientific and non-scientific material) to stay curious and balanced. I am a firm advocate of out of the box thinking and feel that exposing myself to multiple different areas, from tech to productivity, finance, cooking and also videogames, really opens the way we think and approach strategic decisions.
What part of your job do you find the most fulfilling or exciting?
Seeing the moment when a founder, or a team suddenly sees their project differently because of a structured framework or a new insight. It’s deeply rewarding to witness the moment when scientists realize that their work, what started as a deeply personal research project, can actually become a real therapy.
What emerging technologies or trends in Drug Discovery are you most excited about?
The intersection of AI and biology is transformative, but what excites me most is when these tools are grounded in solid experimental data. We’re entering a phase where the real breakthrough will come from integrating these technologies with decision systems, using AI not just to generate hypotheses, but to steer portfolio and investment strategy in real time.
What are your thoughts about the current impact of Drug Discovery in Spain?
Spain’s biotech ecosystem has matured rapidly in the last decade, with exceptional scientific output and growing entrepreneurial ambition. What’s still missing is structural capital and a culture of early-stage risk-taking with an understanding on the long timelines and commitment that Drug Discovery requires. But I’m optimistic: the talent is there, the science is world-class, we now just need to bridge the gap between innovation and investment.