From Family Pharmacy to Fighting Cancer: Vishal Doshi’s Journey
When you’re eight, you’re probably still learning to tie your shoes and learn how to carry a backpack. But for Vishal Doshi, it was the time he spent helping his dad and grandfather stack shelves in their old‑school pharmacy that planted the seed of a lifetime mission.
Early Lessons in Empathy
- Vishal noticed that people coming in for medication often left with a heavy bill, not because the drugs were expensive themselves, but because the price of care felt out of reach.
- The realization struck him hard—our biggest treasures are health, wellbeing, and life, yet for many, these are unaffordable luxuries.
- Those early observations didn’t just become a memory; they became a compass guiding his future.
Academic Path: From India to the UK
After studying pharmacy in India, Doshi took the next step at Kingston University, UK, where he earned his badge as a medicinal chemist. While there, he also dove into breast cancer research—because if you’re going to fight disease, you start with the science that matters.
Corporate Boardroom to Startup Studio
- Doshi built a career negotiating and running global healthcare deals that totaled over $4 billion USD (approx. SG$5.4 billion).
- Yet the spark from his family still whispered: “Let’s make a real impact,” leading him in 2018 to co‑found AUM Biosciences, a Singapore‑based biotech venture.
“Cancer as a Lifestyle Disease”—A Reality Check
Us all know the dream of a cure is a moonshot. But Doshi sees a step‑ahead solution:
- Turn cancer into a chronic illness that people can manage—think of it like turning hypertension into a routine check‑in.
- This means treating cancer so that side effects are mild and patients can keep living their normal lives.
- In short, patients get a longer, more productive life without the drama of a full‑blown battle each season.
AUM’s Big Win—and Why He Needs Even More
Last year, AUM closed a $27 million USD Series A round, one of the largest for a Southeast Asian cancer‑focused biotech. “This is just the beginning,” Doshi explains. The goal is to maximize every dollar:
- Optimise the drug tech pipeline from Phase I through Phase III.
- Raise the success rate from the industry norm of 9 % to at least 30 %.
- Fast‑track breakthrough therapies so patients see real benefits sooner.
Current Pipeline and Future Horizons
AUM already has two promising products in the works, earmarked to be ready for release in 2023 and 2024. That’s a lot of optimism wrapped up in two product lines for a company still packaging its first division.
Final Thought: One Man’s Vision
Doshi is not content with just an incremental step in cancer treatment. He’s on a mission to redefine cancer as a manageable lifestyle disease. He knows the cure might still elude him, but his conviction says: “I won’t stop until cancer bows down.”
That’s the kind of dedication that makes anyone’s grandparents proud.
Original article appeared in The Peak.
