The Bio Report

34:22

Leveraging Generative AI to Design Therapeutic...

The Bio Report ·

2023/09/27

Antibody discovery is a long, costly, and complex process. LabGenius is reinventing that process by using its platform technology that combines AI with robotic systems capable of designing, conducting, and learning from its own experiments. Its platform not only has the potential to accelerate the drug discovery process but can generate high-performing molecules that likely would not have been found through conventional discovery methods. We spoke to James Field, founder and CEO of LabGenius, about

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19:49

Managing Pain without Addiction

The Bio Report ·

2023/09/20

Opioid overdose, abuse, and addiction affect an estimated 3 million Americans and accounts for $35 billion in U.S. healthcare costs every year. Tris Pharma is developing the opioid Cebranopadol, as an effective pain management therapy without the addictive potential of FDA-approved opioids. We spoke to Ketan Mehta, founder and CEO of Tris Pharma, about Cebranopadol, how it modulates the addictive potential by targeting two receptors at once, and its potential to address the opioid crisis. An

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34:01

Using AI to Match Cancer Patients to their Best...

The Bio Report ·

2023/09/13

With the rapid advances in cancer research, it can be difficult for physicians to stay on top of all of the emerging treatments in clinical development. Leal Health has developed an AI-powered platform that provides a personalized list of treatment options to match a patient’s precise diagnosis to advanced therapies in clinical testing. We spoke to Tzvia Bader, co-founder and CEO of Leal Health, about her own experience with cancer, how that led to the creation of Leal Health, and how it is

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43:52

A Venture Capitalist’s View of the Current Biotech...

The Bio Report ·

2023/09/06

Earlier this year, the venture capital firm SR One closed a $600 million fund, its second since spinning out from the pharmaceutical giant GSK. Despite the difficult investment landscape today for biotechs, it’s a reminder that significant capital is available to be deployed. We spoke to Simeon George, CEO and managing partner for SR One, about the firm’s investment approach, how the current landscape is causing venture capitalists and therapeutics developers to think differently, and what advice

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30:54

Realizing the Therapeutic Potential of Cytokines by...

The Bio Report ·

2023/08/30

Cytokines, which play an essential role in immune cell signaling, have long been recognized as having great therapeutic potential, but efforts to harness them have been hampered by their toxicity. Bonum Therapeutics is overcoming this limitation by engineering cytokines with a sensor domain that makes their activity dependent on their environment. While the company is focusing its efforts to develop regulated cytokine to treat cancer, it also has potential as an approach to autoimmune, metabolic,

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31:11

Targeting Cancer and Autoimmune Conditions with...

The Bio Report ·

2023/08/23

The Epstein-Barr virus is among the most common viruses associated diseases including multiple sclerosis and certain cancers. Atara Biotherapeutics is developing off-the-shelf, T-cell immunotherapies designed to target cancers and autoimmune conditions driven by the Epstein-Barr virus. It is also using its EBV T-cell platform to develop next-generation allogenic CAR T therapies to target a range of non-EBV associated diseases. We spoke to Pascal Touchon, president and CEO of Atara, about the role of

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19:29

Reprogramming the Tumor Microenviroment to Activate...

The Bio Report ·

2023/08/16

Myeloid cells can stimulate anti-tumor effects in the body and recruit additional immune system cells to turn a cold tumor hot. Bolt Biotherapeutics is developing a new category of immunotherapies that combines the precision of antibody targeting with the strength of the innate and adaptive immune systems. By activating and recruiting myeloid cells, the company’s experimental therapies are designed to re-program the tumor microenvironment and invoke an anti-tumor immune response. We spoke to Randy

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33:18

Making Safer and More Effective Vaccines with...

The Bio Report ·

2023/08/09

The development of mRNA-based vaccines has represented a major advance in the field of vaccine development. Rather than using weakened or inactivated viruses to stimulate an immune response to generate protective antibodies, mRNA-based vaccines provide a potentially safer and more effective approach. mRNA vaccines work by introducing a small piece of mRNA into the body, which encodes instructions to produce a specific viral protein for the cell to manufacture. This protein then triggers an immune

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23:20

Addressing a Global Need with RNA Vaccines and...

The Bio Report ·

2023/08/02

Infectious diseases and microbial resistance represent major concerns in developing nations. The combination of globalization with the expanded use of antibiotics in resource-constrained environments is worsening the problem. In fact, hospital acquired infection rates in some regions are three times greater than in the United States and as much as 30 percent of all such infections are antimicrobial resistant. HDT Bio is developing immune activators and RNA-based vaccines to address this challenge

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29:35

Targeting Bacteria in Chronic Diseases

The Bio Report ·

2023/07/26

Bacteriophage are viruses that target bacteria. Though they emerged in the 1920s as treatments for infectious diseases, because of their high level of specificity, they fell out of favor with the advent of broad-spectrum antibiotics. BiomX is developing both natural and engineered phage cocktails designed to target and destroy harmful bacteria in chronic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and atopic dermatitis. We spoke to Jonathan Solomon, CEO of BiomX, about the case

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22:01

Targeting Solid Tumors with Off-The-Shelf CAR T...

The Bio Report ·

2023/07/19

CytoMed, a spin out of A*STAR—Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology, and Research—is developing novel cell-based immunotherapies that can go beyond the limitations of existing CAR T therapies. The company is focused on the development of off-the-shelf therapies derived from the delta gamma T cells from healthy donors. We spoke to Wee Kiat Tan, chief operating officer of CytoMed, about the company’s platform technology for off-the-shelf CAR T therapies, the advantages they provide over existing

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45:34

Reimagining the Development of Immunotherapies with a...

The Bio Report ·

2023/07/12

For academic scientists who make groundbreaking discoveries that can lead to new medicines, bridging the so-called valley of death—the gulf between the lab and having a validated candidate that is ready to begin human clinical trials—continues to be daunting. Foundery Innovations, which bills itself as a venture studio, sees a big opportunity in partnering with academic researchers to carry promising new immunotherapies through to the clinic. Its team has deep experience in immunotherapy development

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32:03

Repairing the Body with Advanced Cell Therapies

The Bio Report ·

2023/07/05

Vericel, which acquired Sanofi’s cell therapy and regenerative medicine unit, markets advanced cell therapy products for sports medicine and severe burn care. The company’s MACI is an autologous cellularized scaffold used in the repair of cartilage defects of the knee. Epicel, its cultured epidermal autografts, are a permanent skin replacement for the treatment of patients with deep dermal or full thickness burns greater than or equal to 30 percent of total body surface area. We spoke to Nick

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48:21

Achieving Precision with AI Pathology

The Bio Report ·

2023/06/28

Understanding the physical relationship of cells and how they interact can provide new understanding of diseases and help improve drug development and clinical treatment decisions. Nucleai uses its AI-powered spatial biology platform to transform pathology data into insights. The digital assays it develops enhances drug development, supports treatment decisions, and helps stratify patients to improve care. We spoke to Ken Bloom, head of pathology for Nucleai, about the company’s AI spatial biology

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16:57

Inducing Potent and Durable T Cell Responses to Fight...

The Bio Report ·

2023/06/21

Vaccitech first gained attention as co-inventor of the Covid-19 vaccine licensed to AstraZeneca. The University of Oxford spin-out is developing a pipeline of T cell immunotherapies to treat and cure chronic infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancers. The company’s lead experimental therapy is a potentially curative monotherapy for chronic hepatitis B viral infection. We spoke to Bill Enright, CEO of Vaccitech, about the company’s platform technologies, how they work, and how they enable

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29:00

Developing Immunotherapies that Target the Drivers of...

The Bio Report ·

2023/06/14

One reason that CAR T therapies haven’t been more effective at treating solid tumors is their reliance on targeting antigens on the surface of cells, which can often be present on healthy cells as well. Affini-T Therapeutics is addressing this weakness in current cell therapies by using its platform technology to develop T cell receptor engineered T cells. Its so-called TCR-T cells are able to recognize intracellular targets and attack the drivers of mutations that are inaccessible to CAR-T

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27:06

Using Phase 0 Trials to Bring Precision Medicine to...

The Bio Report ·

2023/06/07

More than 138,000 people in the United States and 1.4 million people worldwide are struggling with malignant brain tumors. The average five-year survival rate of people with the most common malignant brain tumor—glioblastoma multiforme—is less than 5 percent and there have been no notable improvements in the last three decades. The Ivy Brain Tumor Center is using phase 0 clinical trials to provide individualized treatment to patients with brain tumors. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration

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27:57

Restoring Feeling and Function to Damaged Nerves

The Bio Report ·

2023/05/31

Traumatic injuries and surgical procedures can damage peripheral nerves and cause the loss of muscle or organ function, pain, and the loss of sensation. Axogen has a portfolio of regenerative medicine products to enable surgeons to repair peripheral nerves without the need to harvest nerves from a patient’s own body. We spoke to Karen Zaderej, CEO of Axogen, about peripheral nerve injuries, the company’s portfolio of products, and how it is changing the way surgeons can repair and regenerate damaged

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22:48

Enlisting Vaccines in the Fight Against Chronic Diseases

The Bio Report ·

2023/05/24

About 20 years ago, the number of people dying from chronic diseases surpassed the number of people dying from infectious ones. Though vaccines have contributed to this shift, they’ve generally not been harnessed to address chronic conditions. Vaxxinity is seeking to change that by using vaccine technology to address the growing burden of chronic diseases. It’s advancing a new class of synthetic, peptide-based vaccines designed to activate the body’s immune system to produce antibodies to

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21:38

Extending the Reach of Protein Degradation Therapies

The Bio Report ·

2023/05/17

Developing therapies that work by degrading disease-causing proteins has shown promise, but first-generation approaches have been limited to targeting intracellular proteins and can’t reach membrane and extracellular proteins that represent about 40 percent of the proteome. EpiBiologics is working to expand protein degradation therapies to include membrane and extracellular targets with the goal of eliminating disease-causing proteins that were previously not addressable by traditional therapeutic

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