Life Science/Diagnostics: Thermo Fisher Scientific • Gianluca Pettiti
Catalysts of Discovery: Powering Innovation in Biology and Medicine
In this episode, Nic speaks with Gianluca Pettiti, Executive Vice President at Thermo Fisher Scientific, about the company’s vision for the future of life sciences, diagnostics, and healthcare.
The conversation explores how Thermo Fisher positions itself as a value-added partner to the ecosystem, building seamless solutions that help customers achieve success. Gianluca shares perspectives on the company’s competitive advantage, the opportunities created as engineering and biology converge, and how integrated sciences and multi-omics are unlocking new dimensions of discovery—from gene-gene interactions to higher-order biological systems.
A deep look at how Thermo Fisher sees the field evolving, and how innovation at the intersection of disciplines may reshape science and health in the years ahead.
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Gianluca Pettiti is an Executive Vice President at Thermo Fisher Scientific, overseeing technology businesses and initiatives, and life sciences and diagnostics since January 2021. With a career spanning Europe, South America, China and the US, he has been with Thermo Fisher since 2006, leading various international business efforts. He is also involved in advancing technology and healthcare through board memberships at the Italian Institute of Technology and HP Inc and advocated for data-driven decision making. He has published articles on AI and healthcare. He has led seminars internationally in an Ivy League institutions here in the US and technology and business, including a popular series in the Self Driving Enterprise, and holds a Master of Science and Engineering from Politecnico di Torino, which recognized him as an alumnus testimonial in 2017 for his contributions to innovation.
Host: Gianluca, it is a pleasure having you. Thank you for being on unNatural Selection.
Gianluca Pettiti: Nic, it's my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
Host: I always like to start with the same signature question just as a foundation and to level set for the audience that's listening. So, Gianluca, can you please tell us what need or impact drives your work?
Gianluca Pettiti: Certainly, Nic. I was born and raised in a very small village in the northern part of Italy. I think we share some DNA, by the way.
Host: We do. As I heard. And in Italy, my mother's side.
Gianluca Pettiti: Yes, I think you were focusing on the financial side of things. I went to the US to do my MBA at MIT. I decided to spend some time in Silicon Valley. I actually became part of a biotech startup after my graduation, but very early on, I realized that what drives me is to make a difference in people's lives and to use technology to transform what it is that we do and how we live. So, I spent a lot of time in my career in the last few years looking at how we can use technology and innovation to accelerate life sciences and healthcare. When I think about what keeps me awake at night, it's that there is a big gap between science and the actual application of science to people's life and their healthcare journey. I think we have an incredible innovation engine today that generates wonderful science, but there is a lack of mechanism to translate that science into actual benefits for the patient. And so I'm driven to try and close that gap. That's one of the main components of my work. The second is I've spent a lot of time in the lab environment in life sciences, and I've always been extremely interested in the quality of the data, the quality of the insight, and how we can use technology to actually generate better science and better healthcare. That is one of the main tenets of what we do at Thermo Fisher Scientific. We've been doing that for more than 100 years. And that's really what drives me today, Nic, is that gap between science and people's lives? How do we close it, and how do we do it faster?
Host: Yeah, that's incredibly profound, and especially that word faster. I think that's one of the biggest challenges that we have. So speaking of that gap and technology, I'm curious to know how you think about the intersection of AI and healthcare. Is AI a threat, is it a tool, or is it a transformation for the industry? How do you think about that?
Gianluca Pettiti: I think it's all three. I think AI is a threat if it's not used responsibly. I think it's a tool that is incredibly powerful, and I think it is a transformation for the industry because it's going to change the way we do science. And it's going to change the way we actually think about healthcare. I think we're at the very beginning of this journey. I think AI has the potential to actually accelerate everything we do in life sciences and healthcare. It can help us to actually accelerate drug discovery. We can go from a 10-year cycle to a two-year cycle. It can help us to actually better diagnose. It can actually help us to actually improve the quality of the data in the lab, which is key to everything we do in life sciences. So I'm incredibly optimistic about the power of AI, but I also think it comes with a huge sense of responsibility and ethics. And I think we need to talk about that quite a bit.
Host: Yeah. And I think that ethical framework is one of the most critical things. We haven't figured that out yet as a society. That's a huge challenge. So when you think about that, what are the three biggest challenges that you see in implementing AI responsibly in healthcare?
Gianluca Pettiti: That's a great question. Number one is data. AI is nothing without data. And the quality of the data is key. Today, the data that we use in healthcare is extremely fragmented. It's not clean, and it's not always equitable. So, we need to focus on actually improving the quality of the data we collect. And we need to focus on actually having more diverse data. The second one is talent. We need to actually have more people that understand both science and AI. You need to speak both languages to be successful in this space. And the third one is policy and regulation. The policy and regulatory framework is lagging behind the technology. And we need to actually think about how we can accelerate that. You cannot innovate as fast as we would like if the regulatory framework is not catching up. So those are the three main challenges I see: Data, talent, and policy.
[05:00]
Host: And that's a tremendous articulation of the challenge, especially the regulatory piece. And when you think about that, is that a global effort, or is this something that individual countries or regions should tackle separately?
Gianluca Pettiti: It has to be a global effort. You cannot have a global innovation engine and then have fragmented local regulation. So, we need to actually find a way to work together as a global community. I'm not saying we need one regulator, but we need to have a common framework. We need to actually have a common ethical framework for AI in healthcare. I think Europe is actually doing a wonderful job with the AI Act to actually start to address some of these questions. And I think the US and the rest of the world will follow suit. But it has to be a global conversation. You cannot do it locally.
Host: Yeah. And speaking of a global conversation, your background is fascinating in that you've worked in so many different regions: Europe, South America, China, and the US. How does that global perspective inform your strategy at Thermo Fisher Scientific?
Gianluca Pettiti: That's a great question, Nic. I think the global experience is key. Every region has a different approach to innovation. The US is very fast, very aggressive, very focused on the commercial side of things. Europe is very focused on the ethical side of things, very focused on policy and regulation. China is very focused on the speed of implementation, very focused on scaling the technology fast. I think you need to actually take the best of all worlds. You need to actually combine the speed of the US with the ethical framework of Europe and the scalability of China. And that's what we try to do at Thermo Fisher Scientific. We have a global footprint, and we try to actually embed the best of all regions into our strategy. We are a global company that thinks locally.
Host: Yeah. I love that. Global company that thinks locally. You mentioned drug discovery earlier and the potential to go from a 10-year cycle to a two-year cycle. That's a massive acceleration. What is the most promising application of AI that you see in accelerating the drug discovery pipeline?
Gianluca Pettiti: I think the most promising application is in target identification and hit identification. I think that's where we can actually accelerate the process quite a bit. Today, we spend a huge amount of time and money in actually trying to identify the right target for a drug. AI can actually help us to actually do that much faster and much more accurately. It can also help us to actually optimize the clinical trial design, which is another huge component of the drug discovery process. It can help us to actually select the right patient for the right trial, which is key to the success of any drug discovery program. So I think those are the two areas where I see the biggest impact in the short term: Target identification and clinical trial optimization.
[10:00]
Host: And that's a very practical answer. So moving to a different, but related topic, you're on the board of the Italian Institute of Technology and you've advocated for data-driven decision making. How do you instill a culture of data-driven decision making in a large, global scientific organization like Thermo Fisher Scientific?
Gianluca Pettiti: That is one of the biggest challenges we have. It's a huge organization. We have more than 130,000 employees. You need to actually start from the top. You need to actually have a commitment from the top leadership to actually be data driven. And you need to actually have the right talent and the right tools in place. The data is useless if you don't have the people that can actually interpret the data and make decisions based on the data. So it's a combination of culture, talent, and technology. I think the biggest challenge is the culture piece. You have people that are used to making decisions based on intuition or past experience. You need to actually convince them that the data is the new oil. And you need to actually show them the benefits of actually being data driven. So we invest a huge amount of time in training and in actually creating a safe environment where people can actually experiment with data and learn from their mistakes. I think that's the only way to actually instill a data-driven culture. You have to actually make it part of the DNA of the company. And you have to make it part of the performance management system. You need to actually reward people that are data driven.
Host: Yeah. And I love that concept of a safe environment to learn and make mistakes. That's one of the key tenets of innovation. And you've worked in so many different aspects of technology. You've published articles on AI and healthcare, you've led seminars on the Self-Driving Enterprise. How do you personally stay at the cutting edge of all these rapidly evolving technologies?
Gianluca Pettiti: I think the key is curiosity. You need to be extremely curious. You need to read a lot, you need to talk to a lot of people. I spend a huge amount of my time talking to startups, talking to venture capitalists, talking to professors, talking to students. You need to actually have a continuous learning mindset. And you need to actually have a network of people that can actually challenge your thinking. I think that's the only way to actually stay at the cutting edge. You cannot do it alone. And I think the board memberships I have, like the Italian Institute of Technology, they actually help me to actually stay connected to the academic world, which is key to actually understanding the fundamental science and technology. So it's a combination of reading, networking, and continuous learning.
[15:00]
Host: That's wonderful. And I think that speaks to the engineering background that you have: the methodical approach. Speaking of the academic world, you hold a Master of Science in Engineering from Politecnico di Torino, and you're recognized for your contributions to innovation. What role do you see institutions like the Politecnico di Torino and MIT, where you got your MBA, playing in educating the next generation of leaders at this intersection of science and technology?
Gianluca Pettiti: I think the role of the academic institution is absolutely key. They need to actually produce the talent we need. I mentioned the talent gap earlier. The academic world needs to actually create programs that integrate science, technology, and ethics. You cannot have a standalone AI program anymore. You need to actually integrate that with the actual application of AI in a specific domain. And you need to actually teach students how to be responsible innovators. That's key. The second is they need to be the engine of fundamental research. A lot of the innovation we see today comes from fundamental research done in universities. We need to actually continue to fund and support that. And the third is they need to be a convener for the different stakeholders. They need to bring together the private sector, the government, and the academic world to actually discuss the policy and regulatory framework. So they have a huge role to play. I think they're doing a great job, but they need to move faster. Everything in this field is about speed. And the academic world has to actually accelerate its pace.
Host: Yeah. That's a great point. And you know, you're the executive vice president overseeing technology businesses and initiatives, and life sciences and diagnostics. That's a massive portfolio. What are the key priorities that you have for the next three to five years in that role?
Gianluca Pettiti: The key priorities are centered around accelerating innovation and closing the gap between science and patient benefit. Number one is to actually continue to invest in AI and machine learning to accelerate our R&D. We need to actually be the best in the world in using AI to accelerate the tools we provide to our customers. The second is to actually continue to invest in personalized medicine. We need to actually provide tools and technologies that enable our customers to actually deliver personalized medicine to their patients. That's the future of healthcare. The third is sustainability. We need to actually ensure that our operations and the products we provide are sustainable. We are a large company. We have a huge sense of responsibility on the environmental side of things. So those are the three main priorities: AI, personalized medicine, and sustainability.
[20:00]
Host: I think that is a beautifully articulated and important trifecta of priorities. And speaking of sustainability, which is a major, major challenge globally, how is Thermo Fisher Scientific, as a global leader in life sciences, addressing that challenge?
Gianluca Pettiti: We're addressing it in two ways. One is internal operations. We're committed to actually reducing our carbon footprint, reducing our waste, and actually making our operations more efficient. We have very aggressive ESG goals that we track every single quarter. The second is product innovation. We need to actually provide products to our customers that are more sustainable. Think about a lab that uses less water, less plastic, less energy. That's what we're focused on. We're actually providing new instruments and new reagents that are designed to be more sustainable. And I think that's where we can have the biggest impact, by actually helping our customers to be more sustainable. So it's a combination of internal focus and product focus.
Host: Yeah. And it's one of the, I think one of the more important things that large companies have to face right now. And I commend you for taking that on. And I think as a final question, you know, your career has spanned so many regions and so many different aspects of technology and business. What is the one piece of advice that you would give to the next generation of leaders who are looking to make an impact at the intersection of science and business?
Gianluca Pettiti: I would give them one piece of advice: be relentlessly curious. I think that's the key. You need to actually be curious about the science, about the technology, about the business, about the ethics, about the policy. You need to actually be a T-shaped leader. You need to actually have a deep domain expertise, but also a broad set of interests. And you need to actually have a global perspective. You need to actually understand that the world is interconnected, and you need to actually be able to work across cultures. So, relentless curiosity and a T-shaped mindset. That's the advice I would give them.
[25:00]
Host: That's wonderful. And I think that's a perfect encapsulation of not only the challenges, but also the opportunities in this field. Gianluca, thank you so much for your time. It's been an absolute pleasure talking to you. I think the vision that you have for the future of Thermo Fisher and the industry overall is incredibly encouraging. And I look forward to watching how you and the company continue to shape that future. Thank you again for being on unNatural Selection.
Gianluca Pettiti: Nic, it's my pleasure. Thanks for having me. I'm incredibly encouraged to spend time with the team at NGB and seeing the directional travel. I'm incredibly encouraged that even in these challenging times in terms of pressure on health systems, we were able to have the word Medical Innovation Forum to talk about innovation and importance of innovation, not as a cost to the system, but there's a benefit to actually create more sustainability.
[39:26]
We can do all of that. We can also fulfill that vision of my grandfather or Esther that was born in 1918. That said work is important, but helping other to your work is perhaps even more important.
Host: Gianluca, this has been a thrilling conversation for me.
[39:42]
It's been great getting to know you. It's really exciting to see the vision that you see for the future of not only Thermo Fisher, but the industry in healthcare overall. I relate and and identify with a lot of that as well. I think we have very similar backgrounds when it comes to engineering and life sciences.
[39:58]
Thank you very much for your time. It's you've been very generous. Thank you for being a natural selection and I look forward to maybe getting some Italian food at Little Italy North End here in Boston at some point. I might cook for you. I'm. Known to. Be a good host from that vantage point so we might do it as a home cooked meal, which for Italians is always an honor and a pleasure and will be a pleasure to host you Nic, Thank you for having me.
