Podcasts about therapeutics

What if the failure rate in clinical trials isn't about picking the wrong drug candidates—but about testing them in the wrong models?When you move cells from a 2D culture plate into a bioreactor, you're not simply scaling volume. You're fundamentally changing the biological context. Cell density shifts. Mass transfer dynamics evolve. Mechanical cues emerge. The cells sense these changes and respond—often in ways that derail strategies built on oversimplified assumptions.Most preclinical research still relies on flat plastic surfaces and animal models that miss critical aspects of human biology. The result? Therapeutics fail late in development because the models couldn't predict how human tissues would actually respond.In this episode, David Brühlmann speaks with Catarina Brito, Principal Investigator at ITQB NOVA and Head of the Advanced Cell Models Laboratory at iBET and ITQB NOVA in Portugal. Catarina's career-defining insight came early: studying glycan-protein interactions in murine versus human cells revealed that species differences weren't just nuances—they were fundamental gaps that could mislead entire research programs.Catarina and her team have developed neural, liver, and tumor models that capture the multicellular complexity and microenvironmental cues that 2D cultures cannot replicate. Her work creates preclinical models sophisticated enough to predict human responses while remaining scalable for drug development workflows.Highlights of the episode:Limitations of traditional 2D cell cultures and animal models in capturing realistic tissue behavior and therapeutic responses (06:27)Catarina Brito's personal scientific journey: from discovering model limitations to pioneering 3D culture systems in neural and liver tissues (04:19)How advanced 3D models recreate cell-to-cell interactions, tissue-specific microenvironments, diffusion gradients, and multicellular complexity (10:35)Regulatory movements toward reducing animal models, and the challenge of validating advanced alternatives for systemic biology studies (09:10)Key differences in designing bioreactors for various cell types, with practical examples from liver and neural models (15:16)The impact of scalable, robust 3D models on accelerating drug development and improving selection of candidate therapies (17:22)Key Takeaway:Bioprocess development starts when you choose the model that validates your therapeutic approach. If that model can't capture the biology that matters, every downstream optimization is built on a flawed foundation.In Part 2, Catarina reveals how 3D tumor microenvironments expose drug resistance mechanisms invisible in 2D cultures, and her vision for AI-powered digital twins enabling personalized medicine.Subscribe & Review:If this conversation changed how you think about preclinical model selection, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your reviews help other biotech scientists discover these insights.For more CMC development insights, visit smartbiotechscientist.com.Connect with Catarina Brito:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/catarina-brito-ibetAdvanced Cell Models Lab – iBET: www.ibet.pt/laboratories/advanced-cell-models-labNext step:Need fast CMC guidance? → Get rapid CMC decision support hereSupport the show

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. The Business of Biotech was back in San Francisco for the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference (January 12 - 15) and this week we sit down with Marc Salzberg, M.D., CEO, CMO, and Board Chair at Airway Therapeutics, a company developing a recombinant version of human surfactant protein D for several respiratory, inflammatory, and infectious diseases including bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), which is currently in Phase 2b/3 trials. Brian talks about why he selected BPD as a lead clinical indication (a disease primarily affecting preterm infants), what he learned through founding and selling a CRO, how a private biotech funds a pivotal trial across continents, and offers an industry outlook for 2026.   Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

How do you go from a 60% pay cut to becoming a VP of Sales in one of the most competitive industries in the world?In this episode, Dave Hazard (Vice President of Sales at Nuo Therapeutics, Inc) breaks down the "unfiltered" reality of medical sales. Whether you are trying to break into the industry, ace the notorious Stryker Gallup interview, or understand the billion-dollar shift in wound care technology, this conversation is your masterclass. Dave reveals why relationships are your only "currency," the science behind the disruptive Aurix PRP platform, and the "white-knuckle" reality of scaling a medical startup from zero to 250+ distributors.In this video, you will learn:• How to survive the "Mule Year" as an Associate Rep.• Tactical tips to pass the Stryker Gallup Interview.• The "loophole" in the $12B skin substitute market.• Why Vitamin C is the missing link in chronic wound healing.• 1099 vs. W2: How to spot a medical sales scam.TIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Introduction: Meet Dave Hazard2:15 - Taking a 60% Pay Cut: "Why I started at Arthrex"5:30 - How to Ace the Stryker Gallup Interview (Pro Tips)8:45 - The Power of Relationships in Med Device Sales11:20 - Transitioning from Corporate to a Startup15:45 - The $12B Wound Care Market & Medicare Loopholes19:10 - The Science of Aurix: How PRP + Vitamin C Heal Wounds23:00 - 1099 Sales: What to look for (and what to avoid)26:45 - High-Performance Habits & Discipline32:15 - Advice for my 25-Year-Old Self RESOURCES MENTIONED:MiMedx Platform: https://www.mimedx.com/ Connect with Dave Hazard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-hazard-b625615/

In this episode of Wellness at the Speed of Light, Dr. Stefano Sinicropi speaks with Dr. Abilash Haridas about burnout, wellbeing, and redefining success at the highest levels of medicine. Dr. Haridas is a double board-certified pediatric and cerebrovascular neurosurgeon, CEO of Astra Neurosurgical Institute, and President of the Society for Brain Mapping & Therapeutics. With thousands of complex brain and spine surgeries behind him, his professional achievements are extraordinary. In this conversation, however, the focus shifts from credentials to the personal cost of sustained performance and the overlooked realities of physician wellbeing. The episode explores what years of caring for elderly patients taught Dr. Haridas about longevity and quality of life, why burnout should be understood as a system-wide issue rather than an individual failure, and how success can quietly outpace health. He reflects on the emotional weight carried by neurosurgeons, the pressure to remain relentless, and the moment he realized that professional accomplishment without presence and fulfillment was not sustainable. Listeners will hear a thoughtful discussion on balance, legacy, and what it means to live well while continuing to lead, operate, and innovate. This episode is especially relevant for healthcare professionals, leaders, and high-achievers navigating burnout, purpose, and long-term wellbeing. It offers perspective on choosing happiness, redefining success, and staying human in demanding careers.

Goldman Sachs surging to fresh records as earnings top estimates, while some Mag7 stocks continue to struggle against the broader market. So will the big bank keep bumping, or can the big tech trouble make a turnaround? Plus the weight loss drug wars are heating up, with focus turning to the GLP-1 pill. The latest data from one pharma company, and what the CEO sees in store for the company as competition continues to climb.Fast Money Disclaimer Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The biotech industry stands on the verge of a radical transformation thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). But even the most sophisticated algorithms are only as smart as the data feeding them.David Brühlmann sits down with Troy Lionberger, Chief Business Officer at A-Alpha Bio, whose team has quietly shattered the data ceiling by measuring and curating more than 1.8 billion protein interactions. Troy Lionberger brings an insider's perspective from the frontlines of machine learning-powered drug discovery. From partnering with leading biotechs to redesigning classic antibodies for previously “impossible” targets, Troy's work pushes the edges of what's tractable in biologic therapeutics.What you'll hear in this episode:Limitations of public data sources like the Protein Data Bank and their impact on current protein engineering approaches (03:11)Why combining energetic (ΔG) and structural data matters for building predictive protein engineering models (05:43)A-Alpha Bio's approach to generating 1.8 billion protein interaction measurements for machine learning—what this enables today and what's possible next (06:30)Examples of how A-Alpha Bio's platform solves challenging therapeutic problems, such as optimizing molecules for 800+ HIV variants and engineering dual-specific antibodies (07:36)The ongoing debate: What capabilities should biotech companies keep in-house, and what works best outsourced to service providers? (09:59)The potential of synthetic epitopes as vital tools for training models beyond the Protein Data Bank—introducing the Synthetic Epitope Atlas (12:09)Key takeaways for scientists: the importance of diligence amidst rapidly evolving AI claims, and advice for accelerating R&D with the right data (14:57)Wondering how to move protein therapeutics from “interesting” to “impactful” without waiting for years of crystal structures? Listen in to learn how you can harness next-gen machine learning tools and custom datasets for your development projects.Connect with Troy Lionberger:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/troylionbergerA-Alpha Bio website: www.aalphabio.comNext step:Need fast CMC guidance? → Get rapid CMC decision support hereSupport the show

Antibody therapeutics have transformed modern medicine, but for many scientists, developing new candidates still feels like searching for a needle in a haystack—a slow, expensive, and unpredictable process. Structural biology and high-throughput data generation are now collapsing that haystack, offering unprecedented visibility into the molecular handshake that drives life: protein-protein interactions.In this episode, David Brühlmann sits down with Troy Lionberger, Chief Business Officer at A-Alpha Bio, for an in-depth discussion on protein-protein interactions and how advances in data generation and machine learning are transforming antibody discovery and drug development.Troy Lionberger shares his journey into biotechnology, challenges long-held beliefs about antibody development, and explains how Alphabio's high-throughput affinity measurements are shortening timelines and improving outcomes for therapeutic development.In this episode, you'll learn about:The historical and current challenges in characterizing these interactions at scale (06:22)How new technologies—especially high-throughput platforms—are changing the needle-in-the-haystack approach (08:40)A comparison of traditional in vivo and in vitro antibody discovery methods, along with their strengths and limitations (09:06)The evolving role of AI and machine learning in antibody discovery and lead optimization (12:11)Real-world examples of how A-Alpha Bio's approach is compressing years of work into months without sacrificing quality (13:58)The science behind A-Alpha Bio's AlphaSeq technology and how it leverages yeast display and genomics for large-scale affinity measurements (20:43)The practical affinity range the technology can measure, covering most therapeutic applications (23:25)Whether you're a scientist navigating CMC or a biotech professional curious about next-generation workflows, this episode offers practical insights into both traditional and emerging methodologies in the field.Connect with Troy Lionberger:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/troylionbergerA-Alpha Bio website: www.aalphabio.comNext step:Need fast CMC guidance? → Get rapid CMC decision support hereOne bad CDMO decision can cost you two years and your Series A. If you're navigating tech transfer, CDMO selection, or IND prep, let's talk before it gets expensive. Two slots open this month.Support the show

This content has been developed for healthcare professionals only. Patients who seek health information should consult with their physician or relevant patient advocacy groups.For the full presentation, downloadable Practice Aids, slides, and complete CME/MOC/NCPD/CPE/AAPA/IPCE information, and to apply for credit, please visit us at PeerView.com/MZC865. CME/MOC/NCPD/CPE/AAPA/IPCE credit will be available until December 30, 2026.Revealing New Sequences in CLL: Collaborative Care Planning With Real-World Evidence and Modern Therapeutics In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by PVI, PeerView Institute for Medical Education, and CLL Society. PVI, PeerView Institute for Medical Education, is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.SupportThis activity is supported by an educational grant from Lilly.Disclosure information is available at the beginning of the video presentation.

Cofounders Jeremy Wohlwend and Gabriele Corso join the a16z podcast to discuss the launch of Boltz, a public benefit company building AI infrastructure for molecular biology. The conversation explains how breakthroughs following AlphaFold moved the field beyond protein structure prediction into modeling biomolecular interactions and binding strength, why open-source Boltz models saw rapid adoption across pharma and biotech, and how that work is now being productized. They outline the launch of Boltz Lab, a platform that brings protein and small-molecule design agents into scientist workflows, Boltz's decision to operate as an infrastructure company rather than a therapeutics company, and how AI could reduce early drug discovery bottlenecks by improving molecular design and speeding iteration between computation and the lab. Resources: Follow Gabriele on X: https://twitter.com/GabriCorso Follow Jeremy on X: https://twitter.com/jeremyWohlwend Follow Jorge X: https://twitter.com/jorgecondebio Follow Zak on X: https://twitter.com/zakdoric   Stay Updated:If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends!Find a16z on X:https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zListen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYXListen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg](https://x.com/eriktorenbergPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dr. Tien Lee, Founder and CEO of Aardvark Therapeutics, draws a clear distinction between appetite and hunger and the implications for treating metabolic conditions and managing weight. The Aardvark lead drug candidate, an oral bitter taste receptor agonist designed to activate the gut-brain connection to turn off hunger, is showing effectiveness in treating Prader-Willi Syndrome and general obesity.  There are also signs that this drug could be effective for those using GLP-1s to avoid nausea and prevent rebound weight gain experienced after discontinuing GLP-1 drugs. Tien explains, "That difference between hunger and appetite is the central thesis for our entire company, and your brain actually regulates how much you should eat. And it's driven by both appetite and hunger. So appetites like the carrot, and hunger is like the stick. Appetite is what you feel when you really enjoy a certain food, like ice cream or cake. And the appeal and the deliciousness of that food is a reward that your brain chases. Hunger is the feeling that you get when you have fasted for a prolonged period of time, and it really bothers you, and you feel real discomfort from not eating. And then at that point, food quality matters less, and you just want to escape that negative sensation. And we believe a lot of the current drugs are good at reducing appetite, but they don't so much address hunger like what our approach is pursuing."  "In obesity, there's probably a combination of both appetite and hunger at play. And they're both important. In fact, your body has both appetite and hunger that are regulated. And when we eat food, our gut releases a number of gut hormones that help tamp down and give us satiety for both appetite and hunger. However, there are certain conditions where hunger is the predominant issue. And with the disease that is our lead indication is a condition called Prader-Willi syndrome. It's a rare genetic disorder that affects about one out of 15,000 live births. And patients with this condition have this unabated, unrelenting hunger that they feel that really starts to manifest when they're about four or seven years old. And then characteristically, patients will even feel compelled to eat garbage to the point of stomach rupture if unregulated with their food access. So it's a very debilitating condition with a lot of suffering for the patients and their families."   "There are actually quite a number of new revelations in the scientific literature, and there's a greater appreciation of gut-brain signaling. So there are actually as many neurons in your gut as there are in your spinal cord, almost as many neurons as in the cat brain. And there's a greater appreciation of a two-way communication between your brain and the gut. So the vagus nerve is the largest nerve in your body, and there's actually a two-way communication between the gut and the brain. About 80% to 90% of the signal is actually from the gut to the brain. And even the drugs that people know currently, the Ozempic and the Zepbound drugs, are working through this gut path hormone. But naturally, a lot of the signals actually come from the gut to the brain through this vagus nerve conduction." #AardvarkTherapeutics #Hunger #Appetite #PraderWilliSyndrome #PWS #Hyperphagia #RareDiseases #BiotechInnovation #ObesityTreatment #GutBrainAxis #TasteReceptors #ClinicalTrials #Therapeutics #MetabolicHealth #PharmaceuticalInnovation  aardvarktherapeutics.com Download the transcript here

Dr. Tien Lee, Founder and CEO of Aardvark Therapeutics, draws a clear distinction between appetite and hunger and the implications for treating metabolic conditions and managing weight. The Aardvark lead drug candidate, an oral bitter taste receptor agonist designed to activate the gut-brain connection to turn off hunger, is showing effectiveness in treating Prader-Willi Syndrome and general obesity.  There are also signs that this drug could be effective for those using GLP-1s to avoid nausea and prevent rebound weight gain experienced after discontinuing GLP-1 drugs. Tien explains, "That difference between hunger and appetite is the central thesis for our entire company, and your brain actually regulates how much you should eat. And it's driven by both appetite and hunger. So appetites like the carrot, and hunger is like the stick. Appetite is what you feel when you really enjoy a certain food, like ice cream or cake. And the appeal and the deliciousness of that food is a reward that your brain chases. Hunger is the feeling that you get when you have fasted for a prolonged period of time, and it really bothers you, and you feel real discomfort from not eating. And then at that point, food quality matters less, and you just want to escape that negative sensation. And we believe a lot of the current drugs are good at reducing appetite, but they don't so much address hunger like what our approach is pursuing."  "In obesity, there's probably a combination of both appetite and hunger at play. And they're both important. In fact, your body has both appetite and hunger that are regulated. And when we eat food, our gut releases a number of gut hormones that help tamp down and give us satiety for both appetite and hunger. However, there are certain conditions where hunger is the predominant issue. And with the disease that is our lead indication is a condition called Prader-Willi syndrome. It's a rare genetic disorder that affects about one out of 15,000 live births. And patients with this condition have this unabated, unrelenting hunger that they feel that really starts to manifest when they're about four or seven years old. And then characteristically, patients will even feel compelled to eat garbage to the point of stomach rupture if unregulated with their food access. So it's a very debilitating condition with a lot of suffering for the patients and their families."   "There are actually quite a number of new revelations in the scientific literature, and there's a greater appreciation of gut-brain signaling. So there are actually as many neurons in your gut as there are in your spinal cord, almost as many neurons as in the cat brain. And there's a greater appreciation of a two-way communication between your brain and the gut. So the vagus nerve is the largest nerve in your body, and there's actually a two-way communication between the gut and the brain. About 80% to 90% of the signal is actually from the gut to the brain. And even the drugs that people know currently, the Ozempic and the Zepbound drugs, are working through this gut path hormone. But naturally, a lot of the signals actually come from the gut to the brain through this vagus nerve conduction." #AardvarkTherapeutics #Hunger #Appetite #PraderWilliSyndrome #PWS #Hyperphagia #RareDiseases #BiotechInnovation #ObesityTreatment #GutBrainAxis #TasteReceptors #ClinicalTrials #Therapeutics #MetabolicHealth #PharmaceuticalInnovation  aardvarktherapeutics.com Listen to the podcast here

This roundtable on the role of AI in the biotech sector features Frank Yocca, Senior VP and Chief Scientific Officer at BioXcel Therapeutics, Joanne Taylor, Senior VP for Research at Gain Therapeutics, and Martin Brenner, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer at iBio. The conversation covers the historical adoption of AI in biotech, its current use in drug discovery, and future possibilities.  AI is not a new phenomenon in biotech and has evolved from data processing to sophisticated models that can screen vast amounts of data. There is a critical need for high-quality, structured data to train effective AI models, and these experts caution about the hype surrounding AI-generated discoveries and emphasize the need for real-world biological and human testing. Frank explains, "We are all about AI right from the get-go. We sort of inherited that from the parent company, BioXcel, which is now BioXcel, LLC. The company started by deploying data science on big biomedical and other datasets. Much of the data was unstructured and required significant curation, which at first was largely manual. Later, we began deploying more natural language processing and knowledge graphs to predict whether drugs that initially failed but were safe could be repurposed for other indications. More recently, the latest evolution has really been to use large language models and more agentic workflows to generate hypotheses and insights."   Joanne explains, "So Gain has had for many years, I think 10 years also, a virtual drug discovery platform where we've been able to screen millions of compounds virtually to discover allosteric binding molecules. But about three or so years ago, we made the change from screening millions of compounds to screening, now we're up to the capability of screening trillions of compounds." "We can screen in days, whereas it would take you months and maybe a year to do high-throughput screening. But in terms of having introduced AI into this system, it means that we can do things better because obviously, if you can screen trillions of compounds, you're screening more of the possibilities, you are going to be making better drugs. At least that's the hypothesis than if you are screening fewer compounds. So it's the fact that this is a fast tool set that makes you able to do things that you wouldn't have been otherwise able to do, but it doesn't necessarily make the process itself that much faster because you are doing much more." Martin elaborates, "So we had the good fortune to start from scratch. We're a very small company. We have made from the get-go the decision that our scientists would be bilingual. They're not only data and AI scientists, but they're also biologists. That makes it a lot easier to translate between the two disciplines. We literally started, or Rubrik Therapeutics started, on the hypothesis that would be a model of structure prediction for proteins. So the company was clearly ahead of its time, and we started by making molecules that set up better than existing ones. And that's, I think, a very low hurdle that a lot of people are doing right now. And you hear sometimes this overreaching argument: we make AI drugs. First of all, tomorrow medicines take 10,000 steps, and enabling three of them is not making an AI drug, but making better molecules. This was the first important step." #BioXcel #GainTherapeutics #iBio #AI #ClinicalAI #ArtificialIntelligence #Biotechnology #DrugDiscovery #PersonalizedMedicine #HealthcareInnovation #BiopharmaAI #ClinicalTrials #RareDisease #Neuroscience #PrecisionMedicine #HealthTech #BiotechLeadership #AIinHealthcare #DrugDevelopment #MedicalInnovation bioxceltherapeutics.com  gaintherapeutics.com  ibioinc.com Listen to the podcast here    

Lawrence Blatt, Chairman, President, and CEO of Aligos Therapeutics,  describes the current gaps in treating the hepatitis B virus and how the disease can potentially lead to end-stage liver disease and liver cancer. Current therapies were initially developed for HIV and can suppress the virus but not eliminate or prevent the disease. The lead Aligos drug candidate blocks all steps of viral replication and prevents the virus from integrating into infected liver cells, where it can activate cancer-causing genes. Lawrence explains, "Hepatitis B virus is actually the most prevalent chronic viral infection in the world that makes patients very ill, and they can actually die from this disease. There's almost 250 million, a little bit more than 250 million people infected with Hepatitis B. And it really affects people in all walks of life across many different demographic groups. So there's not a typical HPV patient out there."   "So HBV needs to be treated for life, currently very similar to HIV, and actually HBV and HIV share common features. And early on in the HIV epidemic, patients who were treated with a class of drug called nucleoside analogs, who were also coinfected with HBV, we saw responses to those drugs. So the drugs that worked in HIV, called nucleoside or nucleotide analogs that were purposely built for HIV, worked against HBV, and they worked to a certain degree. They can suppress the virus, but they can't eliminate the virus, and they can't completely suppress all the components of the viral lifecycle that end up causing disease."   "So we're not going to affect the damage that's there initially, but we're blocking that damage from occurring. Now, one thing that's really interesting is that our livers are regenerative organs. So the liver is constantly replacing itself with new healthy hepatocytes or cells that make up the liver. And so if you could block the ongoing disease processes, the liver will have time to heal itself and eventually reverse the scarring. And that's really the only organ in our body that can regenerate. If you get scarring on your lungs or any other part of your body, that is for life. But in the liver, if you block the disease processes, you can reverse that scarring. So it's a very important and unique finding."  #AligosTherapeutics #HepatitisB #Biotechnology #DrugDevelopment #LiverHealth #ClinicalTrials #MedicalBreakthrough #PatientCare #Virology #PharmaceuticalInnovation #Vaccines Aligos.com Listen to the podcast here  

Lawrence Blatt, Chairman, President, and CEO of Aligos Therapeutics,  describes the current gaps in treating the hepatitis B virus and how the disease can potentially lead to end-stage liver disease and liver cancer. Current therapies were initially developed for HIV and can suppress the virus but not eliminate or prevent the disease. The lead Aligos drug candidate blocks all steps of viral replication and prevents the virus from integrating into infected liver cells, where it can activate cancer-causing genes. Lawrence explains, "Hepatitis B virus is actually the most prevalent chronic viral infection in the world that makes patients very ill, and they can actually die from this disease. There's almost 250 million, a little bit more than 250 million people infected with Hepatitis B. And it really affects people in all walks of life across many different demographic groups. So there's not a typical HPV patient out there."   "So HBV needs to be treated for life, currently very similar to HIV, and actually HBV and HIV share common features. And early on in the HIV epidemic, patients who were treated with a class of drug called nucleoside analogs, who were also coinfected with HBV, we saw responses to those drugs. So the drugs that worked in HIV, called nucleoside or nucleotide analogs that were purposely built for HIV, worked against HBV, and they worked to a certain degree. They can suppress the virus, but they can't eliminate the virus, and they can't completely suppress all the components of the viral lifecycle that end up causing disease."   "So we're not going to affect the damage that's there initially, but we're blocking that damage from occurring. Now, one thing that's really interesting is that our livers are regenerative organs. So the liver is constantly replacing itself with new healthy hepatocytes or cells that make up the liver. And so if you could block the ongoing disease processes, the liver will have time to heal itself and eventually reverse the scarring. And that's really the only organ in our body that can regenerate. If you get scarring on your lungs or any other part of your body, that is for life. But in the liver, if you block the disease processes, you can reverse that scarring. So it's a very important and unique finding."  #AligosTherapeutics #HepatitisB #Biotechnology #DrugDevelopment #LiverHealth #ClinicalTrials #MedicalBreakthrough #PatientCare #Virology #PharmaceuticalInnovation #Vaccines Aligos.com Download the transcript here  

This roundtable on the role of AI in the biotech sector features Frank Yocca, Senior VP and Chief Scientific Officer at BioXcel Therapeutics, Joanne Taylor, Senior VP for Research at Gain Therapeutics, and Martin Brenner, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer at iBio. The conversation covers the historical adoption of AI in biotech, its current use in drug discovery, and future possibilities.  AI is not a new phenomenon in biotech and has evolved from data processing to sophisticated models that can screen vast amounts of data. There is a critical need for high-quality, structured data to train effective AI models, and these experts caution about the hype surrounding AI-generated discoveries and emphasize the need for real-world biological and human testing. Frank explains, "We are all about AI right from the get-go. We sort of inherited that from the parent company, BioXcel, which is now BioXcel, LLC. The company started by deploying data science on big biomedical and other datasets. Much of the data was unstructured and required significant curation, which at first was largely manual. Later, we began deploying more natural language processing and knowledge graphs to predict whether drugs that initially failed but were safe could be repurposed for other indications. More recently, the latest evolution has really been to use large language models and more agentic workflows to generate hypotheses and insights."   Joanne explains, "So Gain has had for many years, I think 10 years also, a virtual drug discovery platform where we've been able to screen millions of compounds virtually to discover allosteric binding molecules. But about three or so years ago, we made the change from screening millions of compounds to screening, now we're up to the capability of screening trillions of compounds." "We can screen in days, whereas it would take you months and maybe a year to do high-throughput screening. But in terms of having introduced AI into this system, it means that we can do things better because obviously, if you can screen trillions of compounds, you're screening more of the possibilities, you are going to be making better drugs. At least that's the hypothesis than if you are screening fewer compounds. So it's the fact that this is a fast tool set that makes you able to do things that you wouldn't have been otherwise able to do, but it doesn't necessarily make the process itself that much faster because you are doing much more." Martin elaborates, "So we had the good fortune to start from scratch. We're a very small company. We have made from the get-go the decision that our scientists would be bilingual. They're not only data and AI scientists, but they're also biologists. That makes it a lot easier to translate between the two disciplines. We literally started, or Rubrik Therapeutics started, on the hypothesis that would be a model of structure prediction for proteins. So the company was clearly ahead of its time, and we started by making molecules that set up better than existing ones. And that's, I think, a very low hurdle that a lot of people are doing right now. And you hear sometimes this overreaching argument, we make AI drugs. First of all, tomorrow medicines take 10,000 steps, and enabling three of them is not making an AI drug, but making better molecules. This was the first important step." #BioXcel #GainTherapeutics #iBio #AI #ClinicalAI #ArtificialIntelligence #Biotechnology #DrugDiscovery #PersonalizedMedicine #HealthcareInnovation #BiopharmaAI #ClinicalTrials #RareDisease #Neuroscience #PrecisionMedicine #HealthTech #BiotechLeadership #AIinHealthcare #DrugDevelopment #MedicalInnovation bioxceltherapeutics.com  gaintherapeutics.com  ibioinc.com Download the transcript here    

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. On this week's episode of the Business of Biotech, Nick Manusos, CEO at Kenai Therapeutics, talks about his experiences building cell therapy spinouts from FujiFilm Cellular Dynamics, learning from big pharma decision-making processes, and dosing the first patient with Kenai's allogeneic neuron replacement cell therapy for Parkinson's disease. Nick also talks about funding an early-stage cell therapy company and forging key manufacturing and therapy administration partnerships. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

The company has also fully enrolled the Phase 2/3 VISTA clinical trial for its XLRP gene therapy.

Rick Pierce, Co-Founder and CEO of Decoy Therapeutics. is using AI and machine learning to accelerate drug discovery and is developing broad-acting antivirals using peptide conjugates that target a shared invasion mechanism of hundreds of viruses.  The company is using small language models and a high-speed peptide synthesizer to dramatically reduce drug creation time. Rick predicts that the future of drug discovery will combine AI-driven design with advanced biological models, such as organoids, to better predict drug toxicity and efficacy. Rick explains, "Decoy Therapeutics was founded years ago, during the COVID era. And what we've learned during that was that in order to develop drugs rapidly and scale up their manufacturing, we needed to use machine learning and AI. And the drugs that we're looking at developing today as a result of that are broad-acting antivirals that can be used against multiple viruses. So one drug can be used against multiple viruses like Flu, COVID, and RSV." "So we chose antivirals as a space because viruses have what is called polypharmacology, and in plain layman's terms, what that means is that about 250 of these viruses share the same invasion machinery, meaning the way the virus enters the healthy cells is shared across all those viruses. It's slightly different in each of those viruses, but effectively for drug development, very similar."   "That allows us to use peptides, which are also alpha helices, to be able to design drugs with AI and machine learning that physically block the invasion machinery and thus basically the virus from binding to a healthy cell. Peptides are uniquely positioned as drugs for this set of viral targets. Again, it's a rich set of targets among 250 viruses across multiple viral families."   #DecoyTherapeutics #PeptideConjugates #BroadSpectrumAntiviral #AIinBiotech #NextGenMedicine   decoytx.com Download the transcript here  

Rick Pierce, Co-Founder and CEO of Decoy Therapeutics. is using AI and machine learning to accelerate drug discovery and is developing broad-acting antivirals using peptide conjugates that target a shared invasion mechanism of hundreds of viruses.  The company is using small language models and a high-speed peptide synthesizer to dramatically reduce drug creation time. Rick predicts that the future of drug discovery will combine AI-driven design with advanced biological models, such as organoids, to better predict drug toxicity and efficacy. Rick explains, "Decoy Therapeutics was founded years ago, during the COVID era. And what we've learned during that was that in order to develop drugs rapidly and scale up their manufacturing, we needed to use machine learning and AI. And the drugs that we're looking at developing today as a result of that are broad-acting antivirals that can be used against multiple viruses. So one drug can be used against multiple viruses like Flu, COVID, and RSV." "So we chose antivirals as a space because viruses have what is called polypharmacology, and in plain layman's terms, what that means is that about 250 of these viruses share the same invasion machinery, meaning the way the virus enters the healthy cells is shared across all those viruses. It's slightly different in each of those viruses, but effectively for drug development, very similar."   "That allows us to use peptides, which are also alpha helices, to be able to design drugs with AI and machine learning that physically block the invasion machinery and thus basically the virus from binding to a healthy cell. Peptides are uniquely positioned as drugs for this set of viral targets. Again, it's a rich set of targets among 250 viruses across multiple viral families."   #DecoyTherapeutics #PeptideConjugates #BroadSpectrumAntiviral #AIinBiotech #NextGenMedicine   decoytx.com Listen to the podcast here  

This week on Careers in Discovery, we're joined by Peter Hamley, Founder and CEO of Scripta Therapeutics.  Peter didn't follow the typical founder path. After a long and successful career in big pharma R&D and business development, he made the leap into Biotech with a mission: to unlock the potential of transcription factors in treating neurodegenerative diseases. What followed was a complete mindset shift - from structure and scale to agility and risk.  In this episode, Peter shares the thinking behind Scripta's unique approach to drug discovery, how his experience at Sanofi and AstraZeneca shaped his leadership style, and why failure, iteration, and clarity of purpose are more important now than ever. 

Recorded live at the NCLifeSci 2025 Annual Meeting, Marcel Frenkel, co-founder and CEO of Ten63 Therapeutics, joins hosts Heather Matthews and Lauren DeMoss for an exciting conversation about the future of drug discovery. Marcel shares how Ten63 is using advanced AI and computational tools to take on one of the hardest problems in medicine: the 80% of the human genome considered “undruggable.” By creating groundbreaking therapeutics and redefining what's possible for patients, Ten63 is opening the door to new treatments for cancer and rare diseases like Ewing sarcoma. Marcel explains how their approach could transform drug discovery, speed up development, and bring hope to patients who currently have no options. Listen now!

Daniel Locke, M.S., is a dedicated healthcare professional and entrepreneur based in Jacksonville, Florida. He earned his Master of Science in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics from the University of Maryland's School of Pharmacy in May 2024. This advanced education has equipped him with a comprehensive understanding of cannabis pharmacology, chemistry, and clinical applications.In 2017, Daniel founded Compassionate Alternative Care, a veteran-owned medical cannabis consultation firm. The organization is committed to providing personalized guidance and support to patients seeking alternative treatments. Under his leadership, the firm has educated patients on various aspects of medical cannabis, including its chemistry, drug delivery methods, and state and federal regulations. His efforts have positioned Compassionate Alternative Care as a premier practice in North Florida, supporting more than 3,000 patients.Before his work in medical cannabis, Daniel served as a Search and Rescue Swimmer in the United States Navy, demonstrating his commitment to service and helping others. He also founded Locke Roofing Company, where he managed projects, identified business opportunities, and led a team to complete large-scale roofing projects.Daniel's dedication to community service is evident through his role as Purchasing Director and Fundraising Manager for Habitat for Humanity in Jacksonville. In this capacity, he developed budgets for 200 houses annually, managed purchasing operations, hired subcontractors, and secured significant contributions from manufacturers.Throughout his diverse career, Daniel has been recognized for his entrepreneurial spirit, leadership, and advocacy for social justice. He continues to be a catalyst in the cannabis industry, striving to educate patients and healthcare professionals about the benefits and applications of medical cannabis.

Thursday, November 13, 2025 MBN was on the road to the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center of East Lansing, MI. This month's LRCC Economic Club luncheon featured this year's annual Celebration of Regional Growth. For those who attended or couldn't make it this is a 12 1/2 minute highlight of that program. As time permits we'll generate a journalized longer form video from this year's CORG. LANSING, MI – The Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce (LRCC) proudly recognized five outstanding organizations today whose leadership and investments are helping to shape and transform the Greater Lansing region during the Celebration of Regional Growth (CORG) Awards, held at the Lansing Economic Club luncheon at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on November 13, 2025. The Celebration of Regional Growth Awards honor businesses and institutions that have made significant contributions to the region's economic vitality, community well-being, and long-term prosperity. Since its inception, CORG has recognized more than 90 businesses that have collectively invested over $5 billion in the regional economy. This year's honorees exemplify the innovation, collaboration, and community spirit that define Greater Lansing's success: • Strikeout Baseball – Founded by Jeff Lazaros, with support from Lansing native and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz, Strikeout Baseball is creating opportunities for youth across the region through accessible, inclusive, and community-driven baseball programming. • McLaren Greater Lansing – Recognized for the opening of McLaren Grand Ledge, a $40 million freestanding emergency department and multidisciplinary medical campus in Delta Township that expands access to high-quality healthcare and strengthens the region's medical infrastructure. • Michigan State University Student Recreation and Wellness Center – A forward-thinking $200 million investment in student health and sustainability, this new facility provides state-of-the-art recreation spaces that promote well-being and serve as a model for future campus development. • IONETIX Corporation – A Lansing-based innovator advancing medical technology that supports cancer diagnostics and treatment. The company is expanding its operations in the Lansing region with a $25.75 million investment and a new Alpha Therapy and Therapeutics facility, creating high-tech jobs and strengthening the region's growing role in medical research and development. • Tailgaters – What began as a small donut shop has evolved into one of Greater Lansing's premier convenience destinations. Combining local ownership with national brands such as Dunkin' and Sunoco, Tailgaters continues to expand, create jobs, and give back to the communities it serves. The Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce congratulates the 2025 CORG Award recipients and extends its gratitude to the many partners, sponsors, and community leaders who continue to make Greater Lansing a region of opportunity and growth. Special thanks go to program sponsors PNC Bank and Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC, as well as the Economic Club Series Sponsor, Mid-Michigan Business Travel Coalition; Printing Sponsor, BRD; Photography Sponsor, AA Studios; Event Management Sponsor, Michigan Premier Events; Official AV & Video Partner, Message Makers; and the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center for hosting the event. For more information, visit LansingChamber.org About the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce: The Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce works to help businesses connect, grow, and thrive. For nearly 125 years, the Chamber has served as the voice of the Greater Lansing business community. More information about the Chamber and its programs and services can be found online at lansingchamber.org ###

In today's episode, I'm opening the first chapter of what I believe is the most important series I've ever created — a deep dive into progesterone and why it became the heart of my medical practice. For more than 20 years, I've watched this “simple, humble hormone” transform women's lives in ways most conventional medicine overlooks. What started in two small treatment rooms has grown into a 25,000 sq ft facility, and the core of our success comes down to understanding progesterone's impact on the female brain, stress response, and emotional resilience. In this episode, I break down: Why progesterone is far more than a reproductive hormone How it regulates the female stress response (amygdala, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex) Why anxiety, insomnia, irritability, and emotional overwhelm often map directly to progesterone decline Why so many women feel “unraveled” in their 40s — and why it's not their fault The science behind oral vs. sublingual progesterone (and why I use troches) How conventional medicine often misses the root cause The importance of physicians showing their work, their data, and their citations The lived stories and clinical outcomes that changed how I practice medicine If you've ever felt dismissed, unseen, or told that your anxiety or mood changes are “just stress,” this episode is for you. This is the beginning of a 7-part series where I break down the neurobiology, endocrinology, testing, dosing, delivery methods, breast health, perimenopause, and more.   Citations: Brinton, Roberta Diaz, et al. “Neurosteroids and Brain Function.” Steroids, vol. 81, 2014, pp. 61–78. Epperson, C. Neill, et al. “New Insights into Perimenopausal Depression: A Neuroendocrine Vulnerability Framework.” The Lancet Psychiatry, vol. 9, no. 2, 2022, pp. 110–118. Frye, Cheryl A. “Neurosteroids—Endogenous Modulators of GABA_A Receptors.” Pharmacology & Therapeutics, vol. 116, no. 1, 2007, pp. 58–76. Genazzani, Andrea R., et al. “Progesterone, Stress, and the Brain.” Human Reproduction Update, vol. 16, no. 6, 2010, pp. 641–655. Meeker, John D., et al. “Environmental Endocrine Disruptors: Their Effects on Human Reproduction and Development.” Reproductive Toxicology, vol. 25, 2008, pp. 1–7. Mellon, Stanley H. “Neurosteroid Regulation of Central Nervous System Development.” Pharmacology & Therapeutics, vol. 116, 2007, pp. 107–124. Mizrahi, Romy, et al. “The Role of Allopregnanolone in Stress, Mood, and Trauma.” Neurobiology of Stress, vol. 11, 2019, 100198. Paul, Steven M., and Graziano Pinna. “Allopregnanolone: From Molecular Pathways to Therapeutic Applications.” Current Opinion in Neurobiology, vol. 48, 2018, pp. 90–96. Pluchino, Nicoletta, et al. “Progesterone and Allopregnanolone: Effects on the Central Nervous System in the Luteal Phase and in Perimenopause.” Gynecological Endocrinology, vol. 36, no. 6, 2020, pp. 441–445. Rasgon, Natalie L., et al. “Perimenopausal Changes in the Brain and Mood: A Review.” Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, vol. 107, no. 4, 2022, pp. 1120–1134. Reddy, Doodipala Samba. “The Neurosteroid Allopregnanolone and GABA-A Receptor Modulation in Epilepsy and Mood Disorders.” Frontiers in Neuroscience, vol. 12, 2018, 933. Schiller, Crystal E., et al. “The Neuroendocrinology of Perimenopausal Depression.” Trends in Neurosciences, vol. 44, no. 2, 2021, pp. 119–135. Schumacher, Michael, et al. “Neuroprotective Effects of Progesterone and Its Metabolites.” Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, vol. 33, 2012, pp. 415–439. Selye, Hans. “The General Adaptation Syndrome and the Diseases of Adaptation.” Journal of Clinical Endocrinology, vol. 6, no. 2, 1946, pp. 117–230. Sheng, Jun, and György Buzsáki. “Neuronal Firing and Theta Oscillations in the Amygdala During Fear Conditioning.” Neuron, vol. 53, 2007, pp. 653–667. Smith, Sheryl S. “Progesterone Withdrawal Increases Neuronal Excitability in the Hippocampus: A GABA_A Mechanism.” Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 28, 2008, pp. 10171–10179. Snyder, Jonathan S., et al. “Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Stress Regulation.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience, vol. 12, 2011, pp. 1–9. Stanczyk, Frank Z., and Jerilynn C. Prior. “Progesterone and Progestins: A Review of Pharmacology, PK, and Clinical Use.” Steroids, vol. 82, 2014, pp. 1–8. Tu, Ming-Je, et al. “Oral, Vaginal, and Transdermal Progesterone: PK, Metabolism, and Tissue Distribution.” Drug Metabolism Reviews, vol. 52, no. 2, 2020, pp. 1–28. Wang, Jun, et al. “Stress, Amygdala Plasticity, and the Neuroendocrine Interface.” Nature Neuroscience, vol. 10, 2007, pp. 1093–1100. Weinstock, Marta. “The Hippocampus and Chronic Stress.” Neurochemical Research, vol. 42, 2017, pp. 1–12. World Health Organization. Progesterone and Reproductive Function: Clinical Perspectives. WHO, 2019.   Dr. Brendan McCarthy is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Protea Medical Center in Arizona. With over two decades of experience, he's helped thousands of patients navigate hormonal imbalances using bioidentical HRT, nutrition, and root-cause medicine. He's also taught and mentored other physicians on integrative approaches to hormone therapy, weight loss, fertility, and more. If you're ready to take your health seriously, this podcast is a great place to start.  

Join Hedi Ben Brahim, CEO of One Biosciences and a leading figure in the French biotechnology ecosystem, in an in-depth conversation with Gary Fowler as they explore how single-cell technologies are transforming precision medicine. Learn how One Biosciences is unlocking new therapeutic targets, expanding to the U.S., and navigating the challenges of scaling an innovation-driven biotech company.Insights You'll Learn:✓ What single-cell analysis enables that traditional drug discovery cannot✓ How One Biosciences identifies new targets for difficult-to-treat diseases✓ Challenges and opportunities in expanding a European biotech to the U.S. market✓ Why computational biology is central to the next wave of precision therapeutics✓ How to build an integrated discovery engine combining wet lab and in-silico innovation✓ Lessons from leading biotech, oncology, and immunotherapy organizations✓ The current biotech landscape — and what founders must prepare for nextWhy This Matters:Single-cell technology is redefining how we understand disease at a molecular level. One Biosciences sits at the forefront of this revolution, combining computational power with multidisciplinary research to accelerate new therapies for complex conditions.Hedi's leadership—across public policy, oncology, immunotherapy, and biotech scaling—offers rare insight into what it takes to bring breakthrough science from Europe to the global stage.Expert Background:• Chief Executive Officer of One Biosciences• Former CEO of Transgene, a leader in immunotherapy and oncology• Veteran of France's Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Health• Held leadership roles across biotech, healthtech, and research institutes• Board member at GeNeuro and Kolibri• Recognized expert in precision medicine, oncology, and biotech innovationAbout One Biosciences:One Biosciences leverages advanced single-cell analysis to power a new wave of precision medicine. Its integrated discovery engine fuses computational biology and multidisciplinary expertise to find therapeutic targets for complex, difficult-to-treat diseases. Supported by Institut Curie and Home Biosciences, it is accelerating breakthroughs in drug discovery.

Synopsis: This episode is proudly sponsored by Quartzy. In this far-reaching conversation, Rahul Chaturvedi speaks with John Lepore, CEO & President of ProFound Therapeutics and CEO-Partner at Flagship Pioneering, tracing a career shaped by a deep commitment to understanding the causal machinery of human disease. John shares how a Harvard-trained physician-scientist evolved into a biotech leader building one of the industry's most ambitious platform companies. Reflecting on 17 years at GSK — from academic cardiologist to running global research — John describes the moment he realized traditional target discovery had reached its limits. That insight propelled him into Flagship's venture-creation ecosystem and ultimately into leading ProFound Therapeutics, where the team is uncovering tens of thousands of previously unknown human proteins that could fundamentally reshape drug discovery and unlock true first-in-class opportunities. John also offers a candid look at today's biotech leadership realities: navigating capital-tight markets, fostering high-trust pharma partnerships, making disciplined early kill decisions, and using AI to extract causal insights from vast proteomic datasets. Together, he and Rahul explore why the expanded human proteome may be medicine's next great frontier — and what it takes, scientifically and psychologically, to lead a company bold enough to pursue it. Biography: John Lepore, M.D., is CEO and President of ProFound Therapeutics and CEO-Partner at Flagship Pioneering, where he is leading a new era of drug discovery by harnessing the expanded proteome to build a pipeline of first-in-class medicines. A physician-scientist and accomplished pharma executive, he joined ProFound following a 17-year career at GSK, where he was most recently SVP, Head of Research, leading a 2,500+ person global team and driving a renewed focus on immunology and human genetics across target discovery and validation, modality platforms, drug discovery, and clinical translation. He also chaired GSK's Research Review and Investment Board, guiding capital allocation and R&D strategy. Under his leadership, GSK advanced 15 Phase 1 programs with first- or best-in-class potential and executed $1B+ in strategic R&D deals. Before joining the biopharma industry, Dr. Lepore was a faculty cardiologist and research investigator at the University of Pennsylvania, where his lab investigated the transcription regulation of cardiovascular development. He currently serves on the boards of ProFound, KSQ Therapeutics, and the Innovation Growth Board of Mass General Brigham. Dr. Lepore received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Scranton and his M.D. from Harvard Medical School, after which he completed his residency and post-doctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health.

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. On this week's episode of the Business of Biotech, Dan Schmitt, President and CEO at Actuate Therapeutics, talks about building a company around elraglusib, a GSK-3β inhibitor for cancer. Dan describes his fast-fail approach to early product testing and development, using basket trials to evaluate chemotherapy combinations, and choosing pancreatic cancer as a lead program. He also talks about surviving an IPO during a brutal funding cycle for biotech, building lean teams and efficient operations, and potentially onshoring API in response to changing U.S. policy. Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

Did you know that a single crumb of bread is enough to cause an autoimmune response in children with celiac disease? Dr. Pankaj Vohra, Professor of Pediatrics and Board-Certified Pediatric Gastroenterologist, joins medical student Andrea Smith to discuss the evaluation and management of celiac disease, as well as essential guidance for following a gluten-free diet. Specifically, they will: Review the epidemiology of celiac disease and identify common symptoms and presentations of celiac disease Describe the pathophysiology of celiac disease including histopathological changes to the duodenum Identify diagnostic tests and criteria for diagnosing celiac disease in the pediatric population Identify common sources of gluten and the basics of identifying gluten on food labels Discuss typical management of celiac disease including appropriate screening tests and managing accidental gluten ingestion Special thanks to Dr. Rebecca Yang and Dr. Neeharika Bade for peer reviewing this episode. CME available free with sign up: Link coming soon! References: Bolia, R., & Thapar, N. (2023). Celiac Disease in Children: A 2023 Update. In Indian Journal of Pediatrics. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-023-04659-w Gidrewicz, D., Potter, K., Trevenen, C. L., Lyon, M., & Butzner, J. D. (2015). Evaluation of the ESPGHAN celiac guidelines in a North American pediatric population. American Journal of Gastroenterology, 110(5), 760–767. https://doi.org/10.1038/ajg.2015.87 Hill, I. D., Fasano, A., Guandalini, S., Hoffenberg, E., Levy, J., Reilly, N., & Verma, R. (2016). NASPGHAN clinical report on the diagnosis and treatment of gluten-related disorders. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 63(1), 156–165. https://doi.org/10.1097/MPG.0000000000001216 Husby, S., Koletzko, S., Korponay-Szabó, I., Kurppa, K., Mearin, M. L., Ribes-Koninckx, C., Shamir, R., Troncone, R., Auricchio, R., Castillejo, G., Christensen, R., Dolinsek, J., Gillett, P., Hróbjartsson, A., Koltai, T., Maki, M., Nielsen, S. M., Popp, A., Størdal, K., … Wessels, M. (2020). European Society Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Guidelines for Diagnosing Coeliac Disease 2020. In Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (Vol. 70, Issue 1, pp. 141–156). Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. https://doi.org/10.1097/MPG.0000000000002497 Nenna, R., Tiberti, C., Petrarca, L., Lucantoni, F., Mennini, M., Luparia, R. P. L., Panimolle, F., Mastrogiorgio, G., Pietropaoli, N., Magliocca, F. M., & Bonamico, M. (2013). The celiac iceberg: Characterization of the disease in primary schoolchildren. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 56(4), 416–421. https://doi.org/10.1097/MPG.0b013e31827b7f64 Sahin, Y. (2021). Celiac disease in children: A review of the literature. In World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics (Vol. 10, Issue 4, pp. 53–71). Baishideng Publishing Group Co. https://doi.org/10.5409/wjcp.v10.i4.53 Salden, B. N., Monserrat, V., Troost, F. J., Bruins, M. J., Edens, L., Bartholomé, R., Haenen, G. R., Winkens, B., Koning, F., & Masclee, A. A. (2015). Randomised clinical study: Aspergillus niger-derived enzyme digests gluten in the stomach of healthy volunteers. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 42(3), 273–285. https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.13266 Schuppan, D., Mäki, M., Lundin, K. E. A., Isola, J., Friesing-Sosnik, T., Taavela, J., Popp, A., Koskenpato, J., Langhorst, J., Hovde, Ø., Lähdeaho, M.-L., Fusco, S., Schumann, M., Török, H. P., Kupcinskas, J., Zopf, Y., Lohse, A. W., Scheinin, M., Kull, K., … Greinwald, R. (2021). A Randomized Trial of a Transglutaminase 2 Inhibitor for Celiac Disease. New England Journal of Medicine, 385(1), 35–45. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa2032441 Tack, G. J., van de Water, J. M. W., Bruins, M. J., Kooy-Winkelaar, E. M. C., van Bergen, J., Bonnet, P., Vreugdenhil, A. C. E., Korponay-Szabo, I., Edens, L., von Blomberg, B. M. E., Schreurs, M. W. J., Mulder, C. J., & Koning, F. (2013). Consumption of gluten with gluten-degrading enzyme by celiac patients: A pilot-study. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 19(35), 5837–5847. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v19.i35.5837 Husby S, Koletzko S, Korponay-Szabó IR, et al. European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition guidelines for the diagnosis of coeliac disease. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2012; 54: 136–160

Welcome to the Psychedelic Conversations Podcast!In this episode, we discuss the emerging frontier of psychedelic-assisted neurorehabilitation with clinical neurologist Burton Tabaac. We explore his path into psychedelic science, his work with Johns Hopkins University, and the groundbreaking Fathom Trial—a study investigating whether psilocybin, paired with enriched, non-task-based play, can reopen critical periods of neuroplasticity to support stroke recovery far beyond the traditional healing window. We also dive into the legal and regulatory challenges of Schedule I substances, the evolving balance between clinical and ceremonial approaches, and the importance of honoring indigenous lineages while expanding patient access. Together, we reflect on the art of medicine, the role of set and setting, and the hopeful future of psychedelics in neurological healing.About Burton:Dr. Burton J. Tabaac, MD, FAHA, brings a wealth of expertise in neurology and stroke rehabilitation to Rose Hill. As an Associate Professor and Section Chief of Neurology at The University of Nevada's Reno School of Medicine, and Medical Director of Stroke at Carson Tahoe Health, Dr. Tabaac has been at the forefront of innovative neurological treatments. A graduate of the prestigious cerebrovascular neurology fellowship program at The Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Dr. Tabaac's accolades include being a three-time recipient of The Arnold P. Gold Foundation's Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award and induction into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He recently published an eight-part paper in the American Journal of Therapeutics reviewing psychedelics as therapeutics for primary care clinicians. Dr. Tabaac's groundbreaking research focuses on the application of psychedelics in brain injury and stroke rehabilitation. Dr. Tabaac was recently appointed by the Governor of Nevada to serve as a member of the state's Psychedelic Medicines Working Group, which provides expertise and testimony relating to the therapeutic use of entheogens. As the host of The Zero Hour Podcast, he engages with leading experts in psychedelic research. His commitment to advancing the field was further highlighted in his 2022 TEDx talk at UCLA, “Mental Health Meets Psychedelics.”Connect with Burton:- Website: https://rosehill.life/- Twitter: https://x.com/burtontabaac?lang=en- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/burtontabaacThank you so much for joining us! Psychedelic Conversations Podcast is designed to educate, inform, and expand awareness.For more information, please head over to https://www.psychedelicconversations.comPlease share with your friends or leave a review so that we can reach more people and feel free to join us in our private Facebook group to keep the conversation going. https://www.facebook.com/groups/psychedelicconversationsThis show is for information purposes only, and is not intended to provide mental health or medical advice.About Susan Guner:Susan Guner is a holistic psychotherapist with a mindfulness-based approach grounded in Transpersonal Psychology, focusing on trauma-informed, community-centric processes that offer a broader understanding of human potential and well-being.Connect with Susan:Website: https://www.psychedelicconversations.com/Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/susan.gunerLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-guner/Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/susangunerTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/susangunerBlog: https://susanguner.medium.com/Podcast: https://anchor.fm/susan-guner#PsychedelicConversations #SusanGuner #BurtonTabaac #PsychedelicPodcast #Microdosing #PsychedelicScience

Drs. Camacho and Lewiecki discuss emerging osteoporosis therapies that are revolutionizing bone health treatment, with promising developments like oral parathyroid hormone medications and dual-action anabolic agents that challenge traditional injection-based approaches. Biosimilars, particularly for denosumab, are expanding patient access by offering highly similar, potentially more affordable alternatives to brand-name drugs, signaling a transformative era in osteoporosis care.

On this episode of Big Biz Show, Kirk Huntsman, CEO of Vivos Therapeutics, discusses their pivot to acquiring medical sleep practices and testing centers and the subsequent growth of their business. Jack Lu of Ainos joins us to talk about the last frontier of AI's healthcare revolution–the sense of smell. We're also joined by friends of the show, Shep Hyken and Dan Negroni.

Sully, Mike Costa and Mary Burt-Godwin host a jam-packed show today with Corey Perlman of Impact Social Media talking about social media trends that businesses need to know about and Patrick DeHaan of Gas Buddy sharing the latest in gas price trends around the country. The show also features Jim Joyce of Sigyn Therapeutics and David Garofalo of Gold Royalty Corp.

Michael Cloonan, CEO of Sionna Therapeutics, shares his insights about leadership in biopharma and how Sionna is working to restore the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator for people living with cystic fibrosis.

It is well known that inside nearly every living cell on this planet, there are instructions powering the dynamics of everything in the cell, known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Enoch Yeung, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UC, Santa Barbara, explains how DNA is the genetic code that tells cells where to live, how to live, and how to adapt when things get tough. Editing DNA has unlocked new potential in biology, enabled new therapeutics, diagnostics, and modes of treating diseases. Since DNA is double-stranded, it literally maintains a backup copy of itself to proof-read and facilitate stability of code. The double-stranded nature of DNA also means it can sometimes encode two messages in a given length! In short, DNA is amazing. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Science] [Show ID: 41040]

It is well known that inside nearly every living cell on this planet, there are instructions powering the dynamics of everything in the cell, known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Enoch Yeung, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UC, Santa Barbara, explains how DNA is the genetic code that tells cells where to live, how to live, and how to adapt when things get tough. Editing DNA has unlocked new potential in biology, enabled new therapeutics, diagnostics, and modes of treating diseases. Since DNA is double-stranded, it literally maintains a backup copy of itself to proof-read and facilitate stability of code. The double-stranded nature of DNA also means it can sometimes encode two messages in a given length! In short, DNA is amazing. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Science] [Show ID: 41040]

It is well known that inside nearly every living cell on this planet, there are instructions powering the dynamics of everything in the cell, known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Enoch Yeung, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UC, Santa Barbara, explains how DNA is the genetic code that tells cells where to live, how to live, and how to adapt when things get tough. Editing DNA has unlocked new potential in biology, enabled new therapeutics, diagnostics, and modes of treating diseases. Since DNA is double-stranded, it literally maintains a backup copy of itself to proof-read and facilitate stability of code. The double-stranded nature of DNA also means it can sometimes encode two messages in a given length! In short, DNA is amazing. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Science] [Show ID: 41040]

In this week's episode, Blood editor Dr. Laura Michaelis interviews authors Drs. Terri Parker and Peter Lenting on their latest papers published in Blood Journal. Dr. Lenting discusses his work on introducing a new therapeutic approach to von Willebrand disease with the development of a novel bispecific antibody (KB-V13A12) that links endogenous mouse VWF to albumin, extending VWF half-life twofold with cessation of provoked bleeding. Dr Parker shares the results of a 43-patient phase 2 study that evaluates the single agent isatuximab, a CD38 monoclonal antibody, in patients with relapsed/refractory AL amyloidosis. With a hematological response rate of 77%, organ response rates between 50 and 57%, and an excellent safety profile, the current study lays the foundation for future use of isatuximab across treatment settings and combination strategies.Featured ArticlesIsatuximab for Relapsed and/or Refractory AL Amyloidosis: Results of a Prospective Phase 2 Trial (SWOG S1702)A bispecific nanobody for the treatment of von Willebrand disease type 1

Aging quietly shapes everything - our economies, our politics, our families, and the horizon of what nations can become. Jacob and longevity expert Dylan Livingston, founder of the Alliance for Longevity Initiatives (A4LI), take a dive into the emerging science that treats aging not as fate, but as a solvable biological problem with staggering geopolitical consequences. The two explore how extending healthy human life could transform productivity, rebalance global power, upend healthcare economics, and challenge long-held assumptions about decline. At its core is a question: what happens when longevity becomes a public policy frontier, not a personal fantasy?--Timestamps:(00:00) - Introduction(00:21) - The Importance of Longevity(02:48) - Personal Journey into Longevity(04:48) - Historical Quest for Immortality(10:02) - Modern Longevity Science(13:13) - Challenges and Societal Implications(19:53) - A4LI's Mission and Achievements(27:38) - Policy and Future Goals(32:51) - FDA Guidance and Incentives for Therapeutics(34:01) - Supply Chain Concerns and American Manufacturing(35:32) - Political Perspectives on Longevity(37:13) - Bipartisan Efforts and Advocacy(41:55) - Challenges and Opportunities in Longevity Research(52:28) - Economic and Demographic Implications of Longevity(01:01:45) - Closing Remarks and Future Conversations--Referenced in the Show:A4LI - https://a4li.org/ --Jacob Shapiro Site: jacobshapiro.comJacob Shapiro LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jacob-l-s-a9337416Jacob Twitter: x.com/JacobShapJacob Shapiro Substack: jashap.substack.com/subscribe --The Jacob Shapiro Show is produced and edited by Audiographies LLC. More information at audiographies.com --Jacob Shapiro is a speaker, consultant, author, and researcher covering global politics and affairs, economics, markets, technology, history, and culture. He speaks to audiences of all sizes around the world, helps global multinationals make strategic decisions about political risks and opportunities, and works directly with investors to grow and protect their assets in today's volatile global environment. His insights help audiences across industries like finance, agriculture, and energy make sense of the world.--

Now in its second season, this exclusive CNS Summit podcast series features biopharma leaders sharing bold ideas, breakthrough innovations and what it takes to move smarter and faster for patients. How is a mid-sized, family-owned company scaling with impact in specialty neurology? Stefan König, CEO of Merz Therapeutics, joins guest host Andy Moniz, VP of Therapeutic Strategy and Innovation at Syneos Health at the 2025 CNS Summit. Together, they explore what it takes to lead through volatility, invest globally and grow with intention, all while upholding culture and delivering with purpose. In this episode: How Merz is leveraging global capital to expand its neurology pipeline What today's market volatility reveals about opportunity Why “balanced disruption” matters for scaling innovation The views expressed in this podcast belong solely to the speakers and do not represent those of their organization. If you want access to more future-focused, actionable insights to help biopharmaceutical companies better execute and succeed in a constantly evolving environment, visit the Syneos Health Insights Hub. The perspectives you'll find there are driven by dynamic research and crafted by subject matter experts focused on real answers to help guide decision-making and investment. You can find it all at https://www.syneoshealth.com/insights-hub. Like what you're hearing? Be sure to rate and review us! We want to hear from you! If there's a topic you'd like us to cover on a future episode, contact us at podcast@syneoshealth.com.

Andrew Rosen, Chief Executive Officer of the National Ataxia Foundation, has a dual mission of accelerating research for treatments and cures for Ataxia while supporting the patients affected by this rare disease. Ataxia describes both a group of hereditary genetic diseases and symptoms of lack of coordination seen in other conditions.  While genetic tests exist for hereditary Ataxia, a significant challenge in drug development has been the lack of a reliable biomarker. To encourage drug development, NAF has funded translational research and the world's most extensive study for SCAs, Spinocerebellar Ataxias, providing new data on the progression of the disease and for the design of future trials. Andrew explains, "NAF has been around for a long time. We were founded in the late 1950s by a neurologist in western Minnesota who had a disease called Ataxia in his family. And NAF's mission has really been twofold ever since that. Our formal statement is that we are trying to accelerate the development of treatments and a cure while working to improve the lives of those living with Ataxia. And so we really focus on research and support. We do a lot in the research world. We fund grants for researchers who are looking into the various types of Ataxia. You'd be hard pressed to find an Ataxia researcher in the world, I think I can say now at this point that hasn't received a grant from NAF at one time or another in their career. We also do a lot of translational-type research. We fund the largest natural history study in Ataxias."   "So, the term ataxia itself is even complex because it both describes a genetic disease, and I think of that as capital 'A' - Ataxia, but it's also a symptom of many other conditions. So small 'a', if you will. Ataxia just means a lack of coordination. It comes from a Greek word. And so what I mean by both hereditary and other things is if you, for instance, have too much to drink, you would show signs of Ataxia. You might stumble when you walk, and your speech might be slurred. Those are the two classic symptoms of hereditary Ataxia. Right. So that's really the Ataxias that we at NAF focus on. So hereditary, as in passed from parent to child, there are several hundred forms of hereditary Ataxia, and they continue to find more as more specific genetic mutations are discovered year after year now."  #NationalAtaxiaFoundation #Ataxia #PatientAdvocacy #RareDisease #SCA ataxia.org Download the transcript here

Andrew Rosen, Chief Executive Officer of the National Ataxia Foundation, has a dual mission of accelerating research for treatments and cures for Ataxia while supporting the patients affected by this rare disease. Ataxia describes both a group of hereditary genetic diseases and symptoms of lack of coordination seen in other conditions.  While genetic tests exist for hereditary Ataxia, a significant challenge in drug development has been the lack of a reliable biomarker. To encourage drug development, NAF has funded translational research and the world's most extensive study for SCAs, Spinocerebellar Ataxias, providing new data on the progression of the disease and for the design of future trials. Andrew explains, "NAF has been around for a long time. We were founded in the late 1950s by a neurologist in western Minnesota who had a disease called Ataxia in his family. And NAF's mission has really been twofold ever since that. Our formal statement is that we are trying to accelerate the development of treatments and a cure while working to improve the lives of those living with Ataxia. And so we really focus on research and support. We do a lot in the research world. We fund grants for researchers who are looking into the various types of Ataxia. You'd be hard pressed to find an Ataxia researcher in the world, I think I can say now at this point that hasn't received a grant from NAF at one time or another in their career. We also do a lot of translational-type research. We fund the largest natural history study in Ataxias."   "So, the term ataxia itself is even complex because it both describes a genetic disease, and I think of that as capital 'A' - Ataxia, but it's also a symptom of many other conditions. So small 'a', if you will. Ataxia just means a lack of coordination. It comes from a Greek word. And so what I mean by both hereditary and other things is if you, for instance, have too much to drink, you would show signs of Ataxia. You might stumble when you walk, and your speech might be slurred. Those are the two classic symptoms of hereditary Ataxia. Right. So that's really the Ataxias that we at NAF focus on. So hereditary, as in passed from parent to child, there are several hundred forms of hereditary Ataxia, and they continue to find more as more specific genetic mutations are discovered year after year now."  #NationalAtaxiaFoundation #Ataxia #PatientAdvocacy #RareDisease #SCA ataxia.org Listen to the podcast here

In this episode, Steven Ringel, CEO of the Kazuna Foundation and Nome Therapeutics, joins the podcast to discuss how his team is using artificial intelligence to make personalized medicine accessible for rare disease patients. 

Dave and Brandon talk about Q3 earnings. Plus Brandon dissects the financial ratio that many analysts believe to be the most important financial ratio on Wall Street and Dave share's a listeners option strategy.

In this episode, Steven Ringel, CEO of the Kazuna Foundation and Nome Therapeutics, joins the podcast to discuss how his team is using artificial intelligence to make personalized medicine accessible for rare disease patients. 

For the first time in human history, we can diagnose thousands of genetic diseases—often for under $1,000—but we still can't treat most of them. The problem isn't understanding what's broken; it's delivering the fix to the right cells.Eric Kelsic, CEO of Dyno Therapeutics, joins a16z's Jorge Conde to explain how AI-designed protein shells are solving gene therapy's delivery crisis. They explore why Huntington's patients can now get 15 extra years of healthy life, how Dyno inverted the liver-to-brain delivery ratio by 1000x, and why capsids evolved by nature are now being designed by machine learning models trained on millions of variants.Eric introduces the concept of genetic agency—humanity's first-ever ability to take action at the DNA level—and details why solving delivery for common diseases will make ultra-rare disease treatments economically viable. Plus: what happens when gene therapy requires neurosurgery today but could be a simple injection tomorrow, why recent deaths in clinical trials prove we need better technology now, and how genetic medicine could become as routine as surgery within our lifetimes. Resources:Follow Eric on X: https://x.com/ekelsicFollow Jorge on X: https://x.com/JorgeCondeBioLearn more about GATC 2025: https://www.dynotx.com/gatc2025 Stay Updated:If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends!Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zListen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYXListen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenbergPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us a textIn this episode of WTR Small-Cap Spotlight, Anthony Tennyson, CEO and Co-Founder of Solvonis Therapeutics (LSE: SVNS | OTC: SLVNF), joins host Tim Gerdeman, Vice Chair and Co-Founder of Water Tower Research, and analyst Robert Sassoon to discuss the company's mission to transform care for addiction and mental health disorders.Tennyson shares Solvonis' journey from inception to its Phase 3 lead program for alcohol use disorder (AUD), which achieved 86% patient sobriety in prior Phase 2 trials, and details how the company's **dual R&D strategy—repurposing existing molecules and discovering new small molecules—**has allowed it to progress with exceptional capital efficiency. The discussion also covers the SVN-001 and SVN-002 programs, commercialization strategy, and Solvonis' strong financial position and runway through 2027 as it works toward redefining treatment for one of the world's most pervasive unmet medical needs.

In this episode of Cannabinoid Connect, host Kevin Carrillo sits down with Brendan McKee, Co-Founder and COO of Silver Therapeutics — a cannabis retailer that has grown from a single dispensary in Massachusetts to a multi-state operation with locations across the Northeast. Brendan shares: His founder journey — from pro athlete to cannabis entrepreneur Lessons from launching one of the first adult-use dispensaries on the East Coast How Silver Therapeutics scaled exceptional customer service across states The evolving retail landscape: from $400 ounces to market saturation Smart growth strategies, local sourcing, and community-focused retail Navigating complex regulatory frameworks in each state His outlook on federal legalization, distressed assets, and acquisitions

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. On this week's episode of the Business of Biotech, we're speaking with Bernard Ravina, M.D., CEO at Vima Therapeutics, a company that emerged from stealth in May with $60 million Series A financing to develop an oral candidate for dystonia, a movement disorder. Ravina talks about transitioning from government and academic medicine to industry, partnering with Atlas Ventures and defining the company's thesis, the reasons behind working in stealth mode and when to emerge, and the clinical plan and potential for VIM0423.  Access this and hundreds of episodes of the Business of Biotech videocast under the Business of Biotech tab at lifescienceleader.com. Subscribe to our monthly Business of Biotech newsletter. Get in touch with guest and topic suggestions: ben.comer@lifescienceleader.comFind Ben Comer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencomer/

 Confused About Hormones or HRT? Dr. Nicole Lovat Helps You Navigate Midlife Health with Confidence and Clarity  Midlife health is not one-size-fits-all — and “normal” doesn't always mean optimal. When you understand your hormones, you can advocate for care that helps you feel your best — inside and out.