Robby Moot

Today, San Diego, is the fastest-growing biotech hub in the US❗ But how exactly did San Diego become the go-to destination for biotechnology? San Diego’s biotech story began back in 1955-1965 when leading research institutions such as the Salk Institute, Scripps, and the University of California San Diego (UCSD) were founded close to one another. City leaders designated Torrey Pines to scientific research and development. In 1978, two young UC San Diego academics named Ivor Royston and Howard Birndorf had an idea. He believed his research into monoclonal antibodies could be the future of disease diagnosis. He and his assistant, Howard Birndorf, hoped to begin making the antibodies commercially for hepatitis testing. Using the new science of biotechnology, they could make better products for research and therapy. Their idea became Hybritech, San Diego’s first biotech company. By the early 80s, San Diego attracted complementary firms, patent attorneys, venture capitalists and PR companies, all eager to support innovative start-ups, creating medical breakthroughs. Hybritech was sold for $450 million in 1986. Today, a quarter of San Diego’s Life Sciences organizations have roots that can be traced back to Hybritech, reports Biocom. So, I think it’s safe to say there wouldn’t be such a successful biotech business in San Diego without researchers like Royston, who himself went on to become a venture capitalist to invest in local Life Sciences. In the early 90s, as the Cold War was winding down, defense spending in the area had decreased, meaning San Diego-based aerospace companies were closing their doors. The local economy collapsed, and California faced its gravest recession in over 50 years. To secure more biotech business, civic leaders agreed to relax some of the city’s rigid regulations surrounding construction, permits, and zoning. Because of the loosening of rules, along with the research from UCSD, the Salk Institute, the Burnham Institute, and Scripps, a tidal wave of biotech businesses emerged. In 1995, Biocom was formed to be the voice of the Life Sciences industry in California. Today, San Diego’s Life Sciences industry is thriving, from Biotech, Pharmaceutical, Healthcare and Medical Devices. While San Diego has a rich history that has planted its feet firmly in the sand of Life Sciences, start-ups continue to emerge and grow, expanding economic value, attracting skilled workers, and contributing to the INNOVATION Ecosystem. INNOVATE SAN DIEGO will feature the people, products, services, technologies and contributors who make this possible. Please use the link below to submit a thought leader or company who you believe should be showcased as a Life Sciences contributor in the upcoming book, INNOVATE SAN DIEGO. https://lnkd.in/g_ikdGWm #BiotechSD #MedicalDeviceSD #PharmaceuticalSD 

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Antibody-Degrader Conjugates (not a cytotoxic payload) are barreling into the oncology clinic. Will be interesting if this new modality can quickly find a therapeutic window by leveraging such well-validated targets.

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Sickle cell gene therapy - who's winning? This is a key question between duelling sickle cell gene therapies - one from bluebird bio priced at $3.1 million, the other from partners Vertex Pharmaceuticals & CRISPR Therapeutics at $2.2 million. Vertex and CRISPR is winning with direct patient access, with cell collection started with five patients (versus only one for bluebird). But bluebird bio has 64 qualified treatment centers activated (versus Vertex and CRISPR's 25). Additionally regarding revenue recognition for their respective sickle cell gene therapies - bluebird's aiming for Q3 this year, while Vertex and CRISPR are aiming for Q2. It's ultimately a long-game - who can get more patients in AND which gene therapy can provide longer term efficacy (if any clawbacks are in place if sickle cell symptoms reappear). ⬇️ Full article in the comments ⬇️ —————————— Comprehensive, daily coverage of the biotech and pharma industry, straight to your inbox (and all in one email) - that's TLDR Biotech. 🧬🔔 #pharmanews #biotechnews #tldrbiotech

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We are hiring a manufacturing lead for HelixNano, a clinical stage startup building next-gen mRNA tech to augment the immune system. You'll be perfecting our manufacturing processes/strategy and removing blockers. Here are some problems you might need to solve in the next year: * R&D develops a therapeutic that involves complex (~1e3) libraries of mRNA, and wants to make large batches for preclinical toxicology and NHP efficacy studies. You are tasked with rapidly adapting the existing manufacturing process to to enable multiplexing, including identifying and fixing methods that generate unacceptable biases, and finding or developing library-compatible QC strategies for DNA, mRNA, and LNP-formulated mRNA. * You have built an internal system for managing reagent inventory both internally and across all partners involved in product manufacturing. However, you notice that a specific team at a CDMO partner instead uses their own internal tool, syncing with the HelixNano tool too rarely to be useful (every ~2 months). You need to address by first figuring out why they are not using the HelixNano system, in case this identifies gaps in our system or processes and we need to tweak them. Similarly, you need to check whether any processes are breaking down at the CDMO, and advise them on how to address this.n * You are deploying a more automated, computer-vision-based robotics process in GMP manufacturing. You end up having to liaise with OSHA to ensure that the system is safe for the technicians working in the clean room. If this sounds exciting, find out more at https://lnkd.in/gQG73AuP.

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Such a great and detailed approach to evaluating early stage pharmaceuticals and biotech from an investor perspective. I'm supportive of standardizing pitch decks to follow this approach: target validation, evidence & belief in the pharmacology, path to PoC, and product opportunity. I think many early stage founders in the life sciences omit information about target validation and pharmacology because we "assume" angel investors & VC don't care about the science details, and would rather see market impact, the founding team, and the projected financials, but the right investor should care about the underlying science and feel compelled by it.

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Our joint G2 Intelligence / Today's Clinical Lab webinar on the FDA's final LDTs rule is just over 24 hours away! I recently chatted via email with one of our speakers, regulatory expert Shannon Bennett, to get his initial thoughts on the final rule. Here's what he had to say about what was most surprising about the rule, what labs may find most challenging, and what labs should do right away to prepare: https://lnkd.in/gw3WuQjM #LDTs #FDA #ClinicalLaboratory #MedicalLaboratory

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All eyes on TIGIT Roche's TIGIT drug candidate, tiragolumab in combination with PD-L1 inhibitor Tecentriq® (atezolizumab), failed to outperform Merck's established PD-1 inhibitor, Keytruda® (pembrolizumab), in a key lung cancer trial (SKYSCRAPER-06). SKYSCRAPER-06 compared tiragolumab + Tecentriq (atezolizumab, another PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor from Roche) and chemotherapy to Keytruda and chemotherapy in previously untreated, locally advanced unresectable or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (nSq NSCLC) patients. Survival data favored Keytruda, with a hazard ratio of 1.33 for overall survival (OS) and 1.27 for progression-free survival (PFS) at the first interim analysis (higher hazard ratio indicates the control, Keytruda, performed better). This negative outcome prompted Roche to halt SKYSCRAPER-06 and re-evaluate its broader TIGIT program. https://lnkd.in/etvjth_m Roche Genentech Merck #Keytruda #TIGIT #tiragolumab #lungcancer #NSCLC

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🤔 Reasons to be optimistic? Layoffs have been a big talking point within the Biotech space for the last 2 years. My monthly updates typically contain a long list of organizations who've cut programs, shut down sites, wiped out entire teams or stopped operations completely. The month of June saw just 4 companies officially announces layoffs ⤵ ⤵ ⤵ Barinthus Biotherapeutics - 25% reduction in staff eFFECTOR Therapeutics, Inc. - company to cease operations G1 Therapeutics, Inc. - announced a pause on all future hiring plans with an undisclosed number of layoffs set to follow GeNeuro SA - down but not out, there will be employee reductions as they re-strategize their pipeline 📉 For context, this is the lowest number of layoffs announced in a month since December 2022. 📉 This is also only the second time since 2022 the number of company layoffs announced in a month is in single digits. ℹ For those who don't know, not all layoffs are disclosed as public information. Depending on the state, there are different rules around the circumstances in which a company is legally obliged to announce employee cuts to the public. So....... Let's hear what you think ⤵ ⤵ ⤵ Is this a sign that the market is improving or just an anomaly in what's been a tough time for so many people?

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Re-dosing with CRISPR/Cas9-edited gene via LNP delivery. Data presented at the Peripheral Nerve Society annual meeting this week. These are proof-of-concept data collected in tandem with clinical trials, hopefully giving future alternatives if one administration does not yield sufficient edited gene product. #CRISPR #geneediting #CGT https://lnkd.in/gJW8wdqK

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While it's long been known (if underutilized!) that human genetics can help drive more effective target selection, gene expression has been hazier. Clearly important, yes. But *how* valuable? Alex Greenfield takes us through exciting new results from the Teichmann lab on the value of incorporating gene expression when picking drug targets. We're building Fresnel to synthesize *across* all of these modalities to drive effective target selection and validation throughout Biopharma. Interested? Reach out!

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Did you think lipid composition was just a minor detail in LNP formulations of mRNA? 🧐 This update from Verve Therapeutics suggests otherwise! They've recently paused their VERVE-101 gene therapy trial due to unexpected side effects linked to their LNP delivery system, highlighting the crucial role of lipid composition in gene therapy safety and effectiveness. 🛑💉 The move to a new LNP formula for their upcoming VERVE-102 trial underscores the ongoing challenges and innovations in targeted drug delivery. A reminder that in biotech, every detail counts! 🔬💡 🔗 https://lnkd.in/etsJtcTs #GeneTherapy #Biotech #DrugDelivery #InnovationInHealthcare #LNPtechnology #Pharmaceuticals #mRNA #Biotechnology #HealthcareInnovation #ScienceAndResearch

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🌟 Attention Biotech and Venture Capital Leaders 🌟 This morning, I picked up the #NVCA Quarterly report (1Q'24) for some reference data and came across a statement that made me pause: “However, many biopharma startups are pre-revenue and need to burn a significant amount of capital while making advances clinically.” While this statement is factual, it opens up significant opportunities for interpretation and, more importantly, ACTION. Today, I pose the following questions to our community: 💰 Investors: Besides leveraging AI what steps are you taking to support emerging biopharma companies through this historically challenging paradigm? 🕴 Biopharma Executives: Have you considered adopting an alternate business model to sustain the biotech business? At #UbuntuResearch, we have a unique perspective based on our current work, but I would love to hear from the community. Let’s engage meaningfully to address the complex issue of biotech financing. How can we collaborate to find innovative solutions? Source: Venture Monitor - Q12024 #Biotech #VentureCapital #GlobalDrugDevelopment #UbuntuResearch #BiotechExec

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🔬 After a few turbulent years, the biotech industry is finding its footing in 2024! 🚀 Venture investment has stabilized, with U.S. private drug companies raising $3.8 billion in Q1, matching last year's pace. New venture groups like Regeneron's arm and Goldman Sachs' life sciences fund are emerging, while established players like Arch Venture Partners and Canaan Partners are gearing up for big investments. Despite a dip in preclinical funding, clinical-stage biotechs are thriving, attracting more selective and strategic investments. The future looks bright for biotech! 🌟 #Biotech #VentureCapital #Innovation #Investment #Biotechnology

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Exciting news from Viridian Therapeutics, Inc.! The company is gearing up to kick off two phase 3 clinical trials, REVEAL-1 and REVEAL-2, for VRDN-003, an anti-IGF-1R antibody, in August 2024. These trials will focus on treating moderate-to-severe thyroid eye disease (TED). VRDN-003, designed for subcutaneous administration as infrequently as every eight weeks, aims to enhance patient access and adherence to treatment. REVEAL-1 and REVEAL-2 will involve around 84 and 126 patients, respectively, evaluating the proportion of patients achieving a minimum 2mm improvement in proptosis at week 24. With topline results expected in the first half of 2026, if successful, Viridian plans to file a Biologics License Application by the end of 2026. The company envisions launching VRDN-003 with an autoinjector pen for easy administration, believing it could set a new standard in TED treatment and improve outcomes for patients. To learn more about Viridian's groundbreaking trials and VRDN-003, 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://lnkd.in/dnaDkaM8 #ViridianTherapeutics #ClinicalTrials #HealthcareInnovation Atanas Atanasov Laura A Epelbaum 🦁

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Today, BioPharma Dive published a database of patent expirations of 30 top selling drugs, tracking how long companies like AbbVie, Merck, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk can expect to protect multi-billion-dollar revenue streams. Do you know something about upcoming court decisions or patent-office filings that could change this picture? Please let us know! #biotech #pharmaceutical #patent #drugdevelopment

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16July: How does Orum Therapeutics plan to replace chemo with the targeted conditioning agents for gene editing therapies that it will work to develop with Vertex Pharmaceuticals? Read about the collaboration in my latest for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News: https://lnkd.in/epKWDUbZ

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5 Uncomfortable Truths Most Biotech & Pharma Folks Spend Their Careers Avoiding: 1. Failure is the Norm, Not the Exception. Companies spend years crafting the perfect drug candidate, only to see it fail Phase III trials. Devastating, yes, but par for the course. Most drugs never make it - that's the brutal reality. 2. "Breakthroughs" Often Take Forever (and Sometimes Never Happen). We chase revolutionary cures, but true innovation is a slow burn. Incremental improvements are the backbone of progress, not overnight miracles. Here's why it takes so long to learn this truth: Limiting Belief 1: The Eureka Myth: We expect sudden solutions, neglecting the iterative nature of science. Limiting Belief 2: Funding Fixation: The pressure for quick wins due to funding cycles discourages long-term, foundational research. Limiting Belief 3: Fear of Failure: The stigma around failure stifles open discussion and learning from setbacks. Avoid this trap: Celebrate small wins and embrace calculated risks. Failure is a stepping stone, not a dead end. 3. The Market, Not Science, Often Dictates Priorities. Great science doesn't always translate to a commercially viable product. Rare/Orphan diseases with limited patient pools often get sidelined for more profitable endeavors. 4. Marketing Can Make or Break a Drug (More Than You Think). A brilliant drug can languish without a strong marketing push. Patient education, physician outreach, and clear messaging are crucial for adoption. If you neglect marketing: Your groundbreaking drug becomes a hidden gem. If you overhype benefits: You risk patient backlash and regulatory scrutiny. If you prioritize sales over education: You erode trust and hinder long-term success. Choose wisely. 5. Passion, Not Just Profits, Should Drive Innovation. Most people think: Invent a blockbuster drug, get rich. In reality, it's flipped: True breakthroughs come from a genuine desire to improve lives, and profit follows genuine impact. Don't get stuck in "analysis paralysis" or fear of the unknown. Embrace calculated risks, celebrate progress over perfection, and remember: science serves humanity, not the other way around. Actions, not intentions, will ultimately determine your impact.

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Is Biotech back? Well, IDK I'm not a VC and have no real data other than my gut. But.... I see the signs. When the hiring market heats up the first group of candidates we see to become hard to hire are Sr. Research Associates. They have the skills and training to add value on day one by taking over the workflows that might be time sucks for a Sr. or Principal scientist. These candidates are "Goldilocks" candidates. where they're not too experienced to where they want to lead. But there also not too green to where you have to spend a ton of time training them on your workflows. They're bench science workhorses and the real MVPs of many teams. And we are starting to see this level of candidate get reabsorbed into hiring companies at a pretty fast rate. So, if you're hiring for a Sr. Research Associate level individual my advice is to move quickly on the candidates you like, odds are others will want these candidates as well. #movequick #biotech #sfbayarea

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