News from Tunnell Consulting

Tunnell is excited to share that Lisa Cozza has rejoined the Life Sciences team as a Principal. She is focused on helping to grow our presence with emerging biotechs and CDMOs and to deliver CMC operations expertise to our clients. She previously worked with Tunnell from 2013-2015.

Lisa brings over 35 years of biopharma experience and leadership in many areas of CMC, including process development, quality, analytical, manufacturing, supply chain, business development and contract negotiation. Most recently, she was COO at Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, where she was responsible for driving the successful manufacturing and supply of a BARDA funded program. Previously, Lisa was Vice President, Change Management and Operational Performance, at Catalent Cell and Gene Therapy. This position was during COVID and the majority of her efforts were related to managing supply chain and inventory challenges. Lisa has extensive experience managing and negotiating with CDMOs while at AstraZeneca and BDO, as well as working in operations in CMOs such as Lonza, HGS (now GSK) and Laureate BioPharma, recently managed by Thermo Fisher.

Lisa earned her BS in Medical Technology at University of Lowell, MA, her MBA from Northeastern University and most recently, a USCG Master Captain License, allowing her to sail catamaran charters in the British Virgin Islands.

She offers clients her seasoned experience and pragmatic solutions, delivered with passion and a team-based approach.

You are a CxO at an early-stage BioPharma company. You've succeeded in obtaining your first round of funding, and those investors and your small team are excited about the prospects of your unique therapy for patient outcomes. That said, you are losing sleep each night. As you toss and turn, three key questions seem to haunt you:

1. How do I get into the clinic?

2. How do I get the right people for our team?

3. How do I meet milestones to keep raising funds?

Even as you grasp at potential answers to these questions, sleep continues to elude you as you realize that the questions are interrelated; answers to one seem to depend on the answers to others. And on it goes, late into the night.

Given limited capital and staff resources, emerging pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies depend significantly on suppliers for drug development success from initial discovery to first in human clinical trials and regulatory approval. As a result, the sourcing and procurement function requires a strategic mindset aligned with business goals to drive an efficient purchasing process throughout the entire supply chain, from initial raw materials to patient delivery. This mindset and process transformation are essential in helping emerging companies gain a competitive edge in therapeutic development, market approval, and return on investment.