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20 n e w h a v e n B I Z | N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 9 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m P E R S O N A L C U R E Some of New Haven's leading scientists and biotech industry leaders are on a personal mission to combat deadly diseases Duel to the Death By Natalie Missakian Bindra's father died of esophageal cancer just three weeks before he graduated from medical school. I n recent years, the New Haven region has seen an explosion of new biotech firms making strides on treatments for devastating diseases, from various cancers to Alzheimer's and ALS. For many of the founders, executives and researchers working on these groundbreaking new treatments, it's about more than building fortunes or advancing science: It's personal. Oen, a loved one has been im- pacted by the disease. For others, past or current patients are the ultimate inspiration. New Haven BIZ reached out to some of the people behind these young companies and asked them to share the personal experiences that are fueling their life-saving research. Here are some of their stories. Grow old with me While a cancer researcher at the University of Texas in 1998, Luca Rastelli had just given a speech to the American Brain Tumor Association when a woman in her 20s approached him with her young son. "Is your research going to help me see my child grow older?" the woman asked him. She had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. For Rastelli, who still gets emo- tional recounting that long-ago encounter, the question led to a promise. He decided to leave aca- demia for private industry so he'd have a closer hand in developing new cancer drugs. "It's the reason why I go to work every day," says Rastelli, whose résumé includes a list of biotechnol- ogy firms, including CuraGen, the genomics company renowned Yale scientist Jonathan Rothberg started and later sold for $94 million. Since April 2018, that work has been done at fledgling New Haven oncology biotech Kleo Pharma- ceuticals Inc., where Rastelli now serves as chief scientific officer. His mission at Kleo also hits close to home: his father-in-law, who lives in Hamden, suffers from PHOTO/ANDREW VENDETTI