The Bio Report

Industry Calls for New Incentives to Spur Development of New Antibiotics

As concerns grow about the rise of antibiotic resistant bugs, the ability to combat them is being undermined by the economics of antibiotic drug development. Many large pharmaceutical companies stepped away from the space and despite the passage of the GAIN Act in 2012 and government investment in antibiotic research and development, drug companies argue more action is needed. We spoke to Michael Dunne, chief scientific officer at Iterum Therapeutics, about the state of the antibiotic arsenal today, the challenges drug developers face, and whether Congress will be willing to provide the industry incentives to address societal needs at a time when there is growing animosity towards the industry over issues such as pricing.

Company Seeks to Prove Marine-Derived Alzheimer’s Drug Is No Fish Story

Neurotrope is developing its experimental therapy bryostatin as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. The company believes the drug has multiple mechanisms of action and can stimulate synaptic growth factors to repair damaged synapses, form new ones, and prevent neuronal death. The company, though, found itself in a controversy over the way it characterized results from a phase 2 study of the drug in 2017. It is now conducting a second phase 2 study of the drug in the hopes of demonstrating meaningful benefits for patients. We spoke to Daniel Alkon, chief scientific officer of Neurotrope, about bryostatin, the controversy over the way it reported its previous results, and the path forward for the drug.

Targeting the Plasma Proteome to Address Diseases of Aging

As people age, their bodies lose the ability to regenerate as well as they were able to when they were younger. Alkahest believes this is tied to changes in the mix of proteins that are present in the blood as we age. It is developing therapies for diseases of aging that seek to target specific proteins that are upregulated in diseases of aging, as well as providing a wide set of proteins drawn from purified human plasma as a therapeutic approach to counter the depletion of regenerative proteins. We spoke to Elizabeth Jeffords, chief commercial and strategy officer for Alkahest, about the science underlying the company’s approach, the controversy around others who have offered so-called “young-blood” transfusions, and the pipeline the company is pursuing.

Teaching Scientists to Be Effective Communicators

There was a time when scientists could spend their careers talking only to other scientists about their work, but that’s changed. Whether it’s the current funding climate, the need to understand complex scientific issues underlying public policy debates, or opportunities to fund translational work and commercialize important discoveries, scientists are increasingly being tasked with addressing lay audiences. In “Championing Science: Communicating your Ideas to Decision Makers” the husband and wife team of Roger and Amy Aines offer a detailed guide for scientists on how to communicate effectively with non-scientists. Roger Aines is chief scientist of the energy program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Amy Aines is CEO of Damianakes Communications. Each bring their professional experience to the book. We spoke to the duo about their book, why it's needed, and why they believe scientists not only need to learn how to communicate their ideas, but to compel action and change the world for the better.

Designing Small-Molecule, Immuno-Oncology Drugs That Act Like Biologics

Kleo Pharmaceuticals is a developing next-generation immuno-oncology drugs that are small-molecule compounds designed to act like biologics. Kleo’s compounds activate patients’ immune systems to target and destroy cancer cells but are faster and less costly to design and produce than biologics. We spoke to Doug Manion, CEO of Kleo, about the company’s platform technology, why he thinks it will produce safer and more effective immunotherapies, and the potential to use these compounds in conjunction with existing biologics to enhance their activity.

Biohacking for the Masses

Josiah Zayner calls himself a biohacker. He’s got a Ph.D. in molecular biophysics from the University of Chicago and worked as a fellow in NASAs synthetic biology program. But it is Zayner’s evangelism for democratizing the tools of biotechnology, his flair for attention-grabbing self-experimentation, and efforts to share the knowledge and equipment necessary to perform procedures like gene editing that have given him some notoriety. As founder and CEO of The ODIN, Zayner is helping move biotechnology from the labs of universities and biopharmaceutical companies to high schools and garages. We spoke to Zayner about his efforts, how biotechnology is becoming accessible to laypeople, and how he sees this fueling innovation.

A Hearts and Minds Strategy for Cardiovascular Disease

One-third of adults suffer from high blood pressure and 9.4 million people a year will die from complications relating to the condition. In fact, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Quantum Genomics is developing a new class of drugs that target an enzyme in the brain for the treatment of high blood pressure and the prevention of related cardio-vascular risks. We spoke to J.P. Milon, CEO of Quantum Genomics, about its platform technology, how it works, and why it may have promise as an approach to treating both hypertension and heart failure.

A Drug Hunter Finds Greater Freedom at a Nonprofit Institute

Atrial fibrillation, a condition characterized by an irregular and rapid heartbeat, affects up to 6.1 million Americans and can cause strokes. It is not well addressed by current medical approaches. Chris Larson, an adjunct associate professor at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute is part of a team working to find new drugs to treat the condition by identifying every gene in the human genome that can affect the rhythm of the heart. We spoke to Larson about the condition, SBP’s drug discovery efforts, and why he left industry to work on drug discovery at a non-profit institute.