Austin Landgraf is an M.D.-Ph.D. candidate at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he recently completed his Ph.D. in Molecular Pharmacology. His research integrates genomics, proteomics, and metabolism to investigate liver physiology and metabolic disease. Before medical school, Austin worked as a Research Associate at FibroGen, contributing to early-stage oncology drug discovery and the development of epigenetic therapeutics, and collaborated with BioMarin on projects focused on rare diseases and orphan drug development. He is passionate about translating scientific discoveries into therapies that improve patient care and is particularly interested in the intersection of biotechnology, venture capital, and precision medicine. Austin plans to pursue a career as a physician-scientist in academic medicine while remaining actively involved in biotechnology investing and entrepreneurship.

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What excites you most about working with ARTIS?

I am excited by the opportunity to work alongside entrepreneurs, scientists, and investors who are defining the next generation of technology and biotechnology. Artis Ventures invests at the forefront of innovation, and I am eager to learn how transformative ideas are identified, evaluated, and translated into companies that can improve lives.

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What is the most influential content you read last year?

One of the most influential books I read was Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang. It offers a compelling examination of the strengths and weaknesses of the American and Chinese innovation ecosystems, highlighting how higher education, freedom of expression, entrepreneurship, and capital markets shape technological leadership. It reinforced my appreciation for the institutions that enable scientific discovery to become transformative companies.

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From your perspective, what recent innovation has had the greatest impact in tech/health?

The development of GLP-1 receptor agonists has fundamentally changed the landscape of medicine. Originally developed for diabetes, they have demonstrated remarkable benefits across obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, and are now being investigated for neurodegenerative disease and certain cancers. Their broad therapeutic impact illustrates how a single scientific breakthrough can reshape multiple fields of healthcare.

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