A Dose of Reality with Charles Spence22 Huhti 2025

Bruce Dezube, Senior Vice President, Clinical Development at Xilio Therapeutics – HIV & Cancer Drug Development, Career at 60, Building Respectful Teams, and More

In this episode, I talked with Dr. Bruce Dezube, Senior Vice President, Clinical Development of Xilio Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing tumor-activated immuno-oncology therapies. Here he shares his extensive career in oncology and drug development, discussing his journey from academia to industry, the challenges he faced, and the importance of patient care. He reflects on his experiences with HIV patients, the role of executive coaching in his career transition, and the vibrant culture at Xilio Therapeutics.

Bruce emphasizes the significance of staying committed to a company for growth and contribution, and he offers valuable insights on leadership and teamwork.

Here's what you're in:

What is the specific moment in his life or career that helped drive him to where he is today?
The benefits of having an executive coach.
What did he learn from his career transition during his 60s?

Timestamps:

01:30 Career Beginnings in Medicine and Oncology

04:45 Transition to HIV Treatment and Impactful Moments

10:17 The Benefits of Having an Executive Coach

16:24 Career Transition at 60s

20:05 About Xilio Therapeutics and its Culture

28:12 Final Advice

About Bruce

Bruce Dezube is the current Senior Vice President, Clinical Development of Xilio Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing tumor-activated immuno-oncology therapies. He has worked in drug development, both in oncology and in HIV, for most of his 40 year career. He is proud to have led and contributed to teams that brought life-changing medicines to patients. He considers these patients on early treatment to be pioneers. Although he has not explored seas like Columbus or Magellan, he views his efforts as those of a modern-day explorer.

Connect with Bruce:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-dezube/

Company Website: https://xiliotx.com/

About me

My name is Charles Spence and I lead Discera. After many years working in the life-science recruitment world, I decided to work for myself. Before doing recruitment I graduated with a biomedical degree, have worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent a year working in diabetes research in Stockholm. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.

In 2023, I decided to launch my firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the biggest talent needs of early clinical stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/

Website: https://www.discera-search.com/

Opinions and comments expressed by the guest do not represent the company and are fully their own.

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