Faraz A. Choudhury, Ph.D.

As competition increases for biotech funding, the need for an effective pitch deck continues to grow. A common mistake is neglecting to address potential risks or setbacks. Companies may feel that this will give the impression of an ill-equipped organisation and ultimately erode investor confidence. However, it can have the opposite effect. Acknowledging the risks or potential setbacks you may face demonstrates a clear understanding of the volatile nature of biotech and can show investors that you're prepared to deal with this. If done well, addressing risks can drastically boost confidence and increase your chances of securing funding. #Funding #Biotech #PitchDeck

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We are partnering with National Science Foundation (NSF) to award $15.4 million in funding for research to help understand RNA biology and develop RNA-based technologies! https://lnkd.in/ejjjgcPh Researchers will focus on the structures, functions and interactions of RNA. They will also expand the capabilities of sequencing technologies to determine the sequence of any RNA molecules, including those with modifications that are difficult to detect. RNA is a molecule that is in all living cells and plays a role in nearly all biological processes, including carrying instructions for making proteins, helping build proteins and turning genes on and off. While RNA was discovered over a century ago, researchers are still uncovering new RNA-related pathways and RNA structures. Recent scientific advances have harnessed RNA to develop technologies and therapeutics such as small interfering RNA-based drugs and messenger RNA-based vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases. Learn more! https://lnkd.in/ejjjgcPh

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This is a "new product Sci-light" and exciting workshop announcement all in one post.   It's more bang for your buck.🤑 I've been in the conjugation space for almost 7 years now, and with the emergence of various interesting technologies, the need for antibody:oligo conjugates has never been greater.   Over the years, I've lost count of the amount of times I've been asked if the companies I worked for could conjugate antibodies to oligos that were compatible with the 10x Genomics workflows.   I'm so pleased to now be able to answer "yes" ✔️   Catalogue products are great, but bespoke services have always been my passion - there's something amazing about carving out a solution for a specific researcher's project.   If you have access to the 10X Genomics Chromium and are interested in maximising the success of your Intracellular CITE-seq experiments, then this webinar with Iván Godinez is the one for you. 🧠 I'll pop the sign up link in the comments ⬇️ Proteintech Group Proteintech Genomics #scseq #genomics #genexpression #antibodies

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In 2022 when Illumina and GRAIL leadership where touting how many lives would be saved if only the antitrust authorities got out of the way, here's what was really happening. Please read carefully, shows how this "life saving" test doesn't work: "[With the] San Francisco firefighters, the test did not identify the statistically expected number of cancers, provided false positives for half the cancers it did identify, and missed at least three cases of confirmed cancer. In other words, the exercise showed Galleri to be a disaster." "In this example prominently featured on GRAIL’s website and in marketing materials as an example of how “multi-cancer early detection screening can be critical for those at elevated cancer risk”—GRAIL provided 1,786 screenings to a group of San Francisco firefighters and their family members, a “high risk” group for certain kinds of cancer. During that testing round, which was conducted on December 6, 2022—Galleri generated six false positives and identified only five instances of cancer." "...such a result is alarming in light of the fact that, based on statistical experience, cancer should have been detected in about 29 (not five) of the 1,786 tests. Moreover, of the five instances of where cancer signals were identified, two individuals already knew they had cancer to begin with. Further, all of the instances of detected cancer were at a “late stage,” and where the cancer was too advanced to make a difference for the patients. One firefighter was diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer and is now in hospice, while another firefighter was diagnosed with lung cancer, which has now metastasized to the brain." "Galleri also missed at least six instances in which the San Francisco firefighters actually had cancer—failing to identify instances of melanoma, prostate cancer, and lymphoma that were identified by private doctors just months after the Galleri test indicated “no cancer signal.” "Further, in one instance in the San Francisco firefighters screening where Galleri generated a false positive, the patient underwent a painful bone marrow biopsy procedure to determine whether the patient did have cancer. In that case, the patient’s bone marrow biopsy procedure, clinically shown to involve “unbearable pain” to the “worst possible pain” a patient can experience, revealed that there was, in fact, no cancer." "The screenings provided to the San Francisco firefighters were an expensive “disappointment.” According to Tony Stefani, the organization’s founder, the screenings demonstrated that the probability of catching an early-stage cancer through the Galleri test was “negligible,” and the screenings only caught “some serious cancers at a later stage,” which likely would have been detected within one or two months without the test. Given the test’s high costs and useless real-world performance, Stefani stated that Galleri was a total “disappointment” and that the foundation had been sold a “bill of goods.” 🤯🤯🤯

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We're accepting abstracts for the 4th Annual AnaBios Translational Research Grant. The award of $15,000 in high-quality human tissue samples will help the winning academic #researcher advance his/her translational research project. To learn more details about the grant, including how to submit an abstract, visit our website. #drugdiscovery #heartresearch #painresearch #toxicology #translationalresearch

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Synthetic Biology is a truly disruptive technology. It is the artistic engineering of biology, achieving feats that might not have previously seemed possible. Here are three interesting examples of companies using Synthetic Biology to disrupt industries. Capra Biosciences has revolutionized chemical production using synthetic biology. Co-founders Elizabeth Onderko and Andrew Magyar discovered a way to repurpose biofilm to create retinol, a powerful anti-aging ingredient, at a fraction of the cost. Biofilm is an aggregate of microorganisms that adhere to surfaces, often responsible for infections. The process they use occurs in a bioreactor, a system engineered for developing biological mass. Their technology could impact industries such as industrial lubricants, personal care, aviation, aerospace, and electric vehicles. Ergbio uses innovative fermentation processes to manipulate biology and produce incredible outcomes. Imagine a world where agricultural waste and leftover wood chips can be transformed into aviation fuel. This company, led by founder Vineet Rajgarhia, who pioneered PLA bioplastics at Cargill and holds patents for polylactic acid (A type of plastic made often from sugarcane and corn), is turning this vision into reality. As these trends progress, and are supported with sound market strategies and adequate funding, these groundbreaking technologies have the potential to challenge traditional fossil fuel industries and contribute significantly to a more sustainable world. Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. modifies the DNA of silkworms to make spider silk. Spider silk is a remarkable and strong biological product. Though much lighter than steel, it has a stronger strength-to-density ratio. When I spoke to Jon Rice, COO, he told me that their silk products have applications in military, industrial, and consumer markets. Their product is in high demand; the company is profitable and even publicly traded (OTCQB: KBLB). These companies are great examples of the disruptive potential of synthetic biology. At Fruitionary, we spotlight groundbreaking innovations through our exclusive articles. If your startup is pushing the boundaries in this field, reach out to me at ali.darwish@fruitionary.com.

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I’m thrilled to announce the launch of Radar Therapeutics, dedicated to making programmable, safe, "smart" #mRNA-based therapies that only get activated in the right cells, at the right time. Working with Katherine Jones, Sarah Chesemore, and others at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we witnessed how Moderna and BioNTech SE/Pfizer catapulted mRNA therapies onto the world stage with unprecedented speed, saving millions of lives.   At Radar, we want to bring this promise beyond vaccines into the most complex therapeutic compartments by solving one of the biggest problems for these therapies: making sure these mRNAs only reprogram the right cells in the body, avoiding potentially toxic off-target effects. We are committed to making therapies with the highest bar of safety, and widely accessible to patients that need them. I was incredibly lucky to meet my co-founder Eerik Kaseniit (thank you Anna-Julia Storch), while at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Eerik was obsessed with the problem of precisely targeted, timely and controlled regulation of mRNA translation. Alongside Stanford Prof Xiaojing Gao and MIT Prof Jim Collins, we decided to direct those efforts towards saving lives by starting Radar Therapeutics. We attracted the brilliant minds Svetlana Lucas, David Schaffer, and Eric Klein along the way. We are grateful to NFX, Eli Lilly and Company, Biovision Ventures, and KdT Ventures for taking the lead on this round, alongside BEVC, Pear VC, ARTIS Ventures, Ten VC, Elementum Ventures, Emcure Pharmaceuticals Limited, SALT, Conscience VC, and more. Here’s to a future where we can program therapies to rewrite any disease with utmost safety and accuracy. I’ll be at #BIO2024 for anyone looking to connect! Sharing some information about the company here: Endpoints News - https://lnkd.in/g4MQT245 Firstword Pharma - https://lnkd.in/gq3heWsE Genetic Engineering News - https://lnkd.in/gNPDfHEs Chemical & Engineering News - https://lnkd.in/gUx8ijmY Longevity Technology - https://lnkd.in/gRwdtiKx PBR- https://lnkd.in/gvUG_c5M Businesswire - https://lnkd.in/gcv88QAM Alix Marduel Vasudev Bailey Asset Abdualiyev Shan-Lyn Ma Wesley Barrow Pioneer Fund Jackie Benson Shannon Dahl Jackie Papkoff, Ph.D. Nat Kolber Jon Levin Ilya Strebulaev StartX Ron Boger Howard Rosen

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My latest Timmerman Report piece, https://lnkd.in/eHg9VN8p , looking at recent, bracing Goldman Sachs report calling BS on some of the more extravagant expectations around AI, esp re: near-term productivity benefits. I review the GS report, discuss in context of biopharma R&D, and argue that "By steering a path between credulous mysticism on the one hand, and reflexive cynicism on the other, we can inquisitively explore and thoughtfully interrogate this powerful emerging technology, and identify meaningful opportunities for productive application in biopharma R&D."  cc: Isaac Kohane Peter Lee Carey Goldberg Subha Madhavan Allison Nathan James Bessen Derek Lowe Andreas Bender Jack Scannell Jeremy Goldberg Shai Shen-Orr Arielle Rothman Steve Lohr 👤 Adam Shaywitz Scott Gottlieb

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Molecule and CryoDAO are teaming up to defeat death with cryopreservation! This partnership supports CryoDAO's efforts by utilizing Molecule's IP-NFT and IPT technology. CryoDAO funds research projects with a high potential to increase the quality and capabilities of cryopreservation. They envision a world where organs and tissues preserved in vast biobanks are available to patients on demand, where journeys to distant stars become journeys in slumber, and where even life can be frozen in time. Through the use of Molecule’s IP technology, CryoDAO will bring cryopreservation research onchain and engage the wider DeSci community. Our team will aid CryoDAO’s scientific research deal flow team in experimental planning, IP strategy, and negotiation, leveraging an existing partnership with Nucleate. This collaboration marks an important step towards a more vibrant and innovative DeSci ecosystem, leveraging the strengths of both organizations to make a meaningful impact. Read the entire announcement here ⬇ https://lnkd.in/dkiZXZyh

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❗ One of the things I like most about Aron Knickerbocker is that he isn't hyping the hypable. 🤖 His company, Aulos Bioscience, was the first to put an AI-designed #monoclonalantibody in humans. It would be easy to glorify the #artificialintelligence. ⏩ Instead, he says the IL-2 human mAb Aulos is developing COULD have been designed solely by humans. But, Aulos' humans knew how to use tech to do it faster. 📺 🎧 Get Knickerbocker's pragmatic take on AI in biotech, and learn his secret to building successful biotechs (spoiler: it's all about the data) on this week's episode of the #businessofbiotech. Watch here https://lnkd.in/eur__HP, or listen anywhere you subscribe to podcasts. Life Science Connect Bioprocess Online

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Modified CRISPR-Cas9 with an Exonuclease Enables Stable Insertion of Large Genes https://lnkd.in/eKKe8-vj

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Join us for a #FREE #Webinar on June 17, 2024, from 10am to 11am EDT titled "Bispecific Antibody Therapeutics: Challenges & Future Directions." 📢 Speaker: Rob Ford, Field Application Scientist at GenScript Biotech, will delve into the innovative world of bi-specific antibodies (bsAbs) and their unique ability to target two antigens simultaneously. Rob's extensive background in biochemistry and protein chemistry ensures a deep dive into the challenges and strategies for optimizing bsAbs purification and production. Register now: https://bit.ly/3VFo6TM 🔍 Key Takeaways: - Understand the unique functionalities of bsAbs. - Explore the challenges in optimizing bsAbs purification. - Gain insights into diverse bsAbs architectures. - Discover cutting-edge approaches for efficient bsAbs production. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your knowledge and stay at the forefront of therapeutic advancements! #Biotech #Pharmaceuticals #AntibodyTherapeutics #Webinar #Innovation

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May 2024 Patent Highlights: STING antagonists, WIZ degraders, macrocyclic amine-based OX2R modulators, and More! | https://lnkd.in/g5hgKycB From STING antagonists to RNA degraders, our latest patent review at Drug Hunter showcases a diverse array of promising targets that are captivating drug hunters' interest. To help you quickly scan the patent literature, we’ve distilled down thousands of new documents into a searchable table of over 200 selected patents focused on key areas in drug discovery, all published in May 2024. This resource includes hand-crafted patent highlights featuring Novartis' WIZ degraders, Boehringer Ingelheim's STING antagonists, Vertex Pharmaceuticals' macrocyclic amine-based OX2R modulators, Denali Therapeutics' TMEM175 modulators, and more! Full article: https://lnkd.in/g5hgKycB

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At BioThera3 Advising & Consulting, LLC (BT3) we deliver expertise at the increasingly convergent overlap advanced biomaterial, cell-therapy, and gene-therapy industries. BT3 lies at the intersection of these fields, providing expertise from concept-to-product, strategy and IP, and building the right team along the way. Our goal is to help you – whether you are an individual, a startup, large business, government entity, or VC or private equity – and help the industry grow, thrive, and deliver new life saving therapies to patients. We believe people and talent come first and approach projects with deep expertise and personal empathy, understanding that scientists, engineers, and the entire corporate team are vital to the success of these new innovations. #CellTherapies #Biofabrication #Bioprinting #Biomaterials #Strategy #Teams #Healthcare

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While approximately 20,000 proteins are encoded in the human genome, these proteins can be modified in many ways to produce potentially millions of #proteoforms with different functions, half-lives, localizations, and more. Understanding the proteoform makeup of a cell, tissue, or organism may reveal the molecular underpinnings of its #biology and enable scientists to develop more effective #biomarkers and therapeutics. In our latest animation, learn how the Nautilus™ Proteome Analysis Platform is uniquely designed to enable #SingleMolecule analysis of intact proteoforms for in-depth studies that are not possible on other platforms. https://ow.ly/1P8E50Sg87u #Proteomics #UnleashTheProteome #ProteomicsRevolution #MassSpec #TeamMassSpec #Biotech

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Nikki Carter, our Director of Commercial Organoid Innovation, leverages decades of experience in large pharmaceutical companies to help researchers optimize organoid-based drug discovery and high-throughput screening programs. Check out her latest published perspectives on these topics and more: https://ow.ly/Xxm350SzKrR. ✏️ A Three-Pillar Approach to Driving Organoid Adoption in Drug Discovery: https://ow.ly/y6sq50SzKrQ ✏️ Patient-Derived Organoids in Disease Modeling: https://ow.ly/RAgJ50SzKrS #3dbiology #3dcellculture #organoids #drugdiscovery #drugscreening #drugdevelopment #diseasemodeling #labautomation #ai #machinelearning #deeplearning #highcontentimaging #highcontentscreening #scienceandtechnology #pharma #geneeditting #cellculture #pdo #imageanalysis

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“PolySia-NPs represent a potential breakthrough in addressing conditions such as GA/AMD caused by immune overactivation,” according to Anitha Krishnan, Ph.D, Sr. Director/Head of Biology at Aviceda Therapeutics. "Their systemic and ocular safety has been rigorously evaluated, making them a promising candidate for clinical trials. As the first therapeutic sialic acid-coated nanoparticle to enter human trials, PolySia-NPs may pave the way for effective treatments in retinal degenerative diseases.” You can read the piece Dr. Krishnan and colleagues published in the journal Pharmaceuticals here: https://lnkd.in/eq-wSDgr

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