Episodes
2 hours ago
Getting Tumors to Say “Eat Me”
2 hours ago
2 hours ago
While existing immunotherapies have changed cancer care, there are several types of cancer where they have limited or no efficacy. Pheast Therapeutics is addressing that by looking to macrophages, part of the innate immune system. These white blood cells gobble up pathogens, cancer cells, and other foreign substances. Certain tumors, though, can evade their attack by expressing checkpoints that serve as “don’t eat me” signals. Pheast is developing macrophage checkpoint inhibitors to block these signals and enlist macrophages in the fight against cancers. We spoke to Roy Maute, cofounder and CEO of Pheast Therapeutics, about how tumors evade the innate immune system, the company’s experimental macrophage checkpoint inhibitor, and its initial focus on ovarian and triple negative breast cancer.
Wednesday Nov 13, 2024
Targeting the Dark Matter of the Genome to Treat Diseases
Wednesday Nov 13, 2024
Wednesday Nov 13, 2024
About 98 percent of the the human genome consists of non-protein coding regions known as the “dark genome.” Once derided as “junk DNA,” these regions are increasingly understood to play a critical role in the regulation of the genome and offer a novel means of targeting diseases. Haya Therapeutics is exploring long non-coding RNAs as potential therapies to treat a range of diseases. We spoke to Samir Ounzain, co-founder and CEO of Haya, about the dark genome, the potential to use lncRNAs to treat diseases, and its recently announced collaboration with Eli Lily to use Haya’s platform technology to discover therapies for obesity and related metabolic conditions
Wednesday Nov 06, 2024
Using AI to Discover Small Molecule Alternatives to Biologics
Wednesday Nov 06, 2024
Wednesday Nov 06, 2024
One of the promises of AI is to redefine what’s possible by enabling the discovery of compounds that exist in a much larger chemical space than scientists have previously been able to explore. Deepcure is using AI and physics to discover small molecule therapies that can bind to difficult to target proteins. We spoke to Kfir Schreiber, co-founder and CEO of Deepcure, about the company’s AI technology platform, its focus on autoimmune diseases, and why he believes its technology will allow it to develop small molecule drugs that can provide alternatives to biologics to treat these conditions.
Wednesday Oct 30, 2024
A BET on a Novel Approach to Treat Autoimmune Conditions
Wednesday Oct 30, 2024
Wednesday Oct 30, 2024
The BET family of proteins regulates gene expression. Their overexpression has been implicated in both cancer and inflammatory diseases. Vyne Therapeutics is developing oral and topical BET inhibitors that treat inflammatory conditions ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to the skin condition vitiligo. We spoke to Vyne CEO David Domzalski and Vyne Chief Scientific Officer Iain Stuart, about the role BET plays in autoimmune diseases, its platform technology, and its efforts to develop BET inhibitors that are both potent and specific.
Wednesday Oct 23, 2024
Cell Therapies that Can Do a Solid for People with Cancer
Wednesday Oct 23, 2024
Wednesday Oct 23, 2024
In August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Adaptimmune’s Tecelra, the first engineered cell therapy to treat a solid tumor. The T cell receptor gene therapy is approved to treat synovial sarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer that most often affects young adults. We spoke to Adrian Rawcliffe, CEO of Adaptimmune, about the approval, how TCR therapies differ from CAR T therapies, and what other cancers might benefit from such an approach.
Wednesday Oct 16, 2024
Going to Extremes to Discover New Drugs
Wednesday Oct 16, 2024
Wednesday Oct 16, 2024
Hibernation is not just a matter of deep sleep. Animals that hibernate are able to do so without suffering damage to tissue and muscle. Understanding the biology of hibernation can unlock potential insights into obesity, heart attack and stroke, muscle atrophy, neuroprotection, and longevity. Fauna Bio is studying genomic data from so-called "extreme mammals" and applying its proprietary AI platform to perform comparative genetic analysis to find gene-disease links and leverage millions of years of evolutionary adaptations to identify new therapeutic opportunities for human health. We spoke to Ashley Zehnder, founder and CEO of Fauna Bio, about the types of insights that can be gleaned from the genetics of hibernating animals, the wide range of human health conditions that might be addressed with such an approach, and the company’s deal with Eli Lilly to apply its AI platform to discover new obesity drugs.
Wednesday Oct 09, 2024
Targeting Senescent Cells to Treat Aging-Related Diseases
Wednesday Oct 09, 2024
Wednesday Oct 09, 2024
Senescent cells, ones that no longer divide but are metabolically active, are associated with aging. They are also implicated in a broad range of aging-related diseases including cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative conditions. In the case of cancer, these cells can help protect tumors from a person’s immune system. Immorta Bio is seeking to address aging-related diseases by targeting senescent cells and killing them. We spoke to Thomas Ichim, president and chief scientific officer of Immorta Bio, about aging-related diseases, the role senescent cells play in these conditions, and why the company’s therapeutic approach may also have promise of addressing aging itself and extending healthy years of life.
Wednesday Oct 02, 2024
Bringing Cellular Diversity into Sharper Focus
Wednesday Oct 02, 2024
Wednesday Oct 02, 2024
From cell to cell within a given tissue, variability exists. Single-cell sequencing technologies from 10X Genomics is helping researchers and drug developers understand cellular diversity in tissue once thought to be made up of homogenous populations. This has the potential to lead to new understandings of diseases, open up new targets for drug developers, and provide for more tailored approaches to the treatment of diseases. We spoke to Michael Schnall-Levin, chief technology officer and founding scientist of 10X Genomics, about the company’s platform technologies, the diversity of the cellular populations within the body, and how this is changing our understanding of health and disease.
Daniel Levine
Daniel Levine is an award-winning business journalist who has reported on the life sciences, economic development, and business policy issues throughout his career. He is founder and principal of Levine Media Group, host of The Bio Report and RARECast podcasts, a senior fellow at the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, and author of Global Genes’ annual NEXT report on emerging trends in the world of rare disease. From 2011 to 2014, he served as the lead editor and writer of Burrill & Company’s acclaimed annual book on the biotech industry. His work has appeared in numerous national publications including The New York Times, The Industry Standard, and TheStreet.com.