23
Sep
2020
How Lunch with Bill Gates, Sr. Changed My Life
“I’m gonna have the halibut and chips. And a medium vanilla milkshake. What about you, Thong?” I looked up at my towering companion as he peered down at me with a gentle smile. I’m about 5-foot-8, and he was about 6-foot-7. I quickly scanned the menu board, then made my choice. “You know, Mr. Gates, I think I’m going to... Read More
22
Sep
2020
Designing ‘Hyperstable Minibinders’ Against SARS-CoV-2: Q&A With David Baker
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21
Sep
2020
What We Know About COVID-19, and What We Don’t
He or she will have had fever and chills for the past few days, severe fatigue, muscle aches, and cough. They have no interest in food. They will have felt short of breath when doing the mildest of tasks, such as walking upstairs in their house. They might have had some lightheadedness and may say that they feel chest pain... Read More
17
Sep
2020
A Tribute to Bill Sr.
Before diving into a big week in biotech, let’s pause to think about the life of a tremendous human being we can learn from. RIP Bill Gates Sr. died at age 94. He had Alzheimer’s. The father of one of the world’s richest men was a prominent lawyer, and deeply engaged civic-minded figure in my hometown of Seattle. The older... Read More
16
Sep
2020
Graphite Bio Secures $45M Series A To Advance Targeted Gene Editing Therapy
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15
Sep
2020
America, the Engine of Biomedical Discovery, Should Be Trump’s ‘Most Favored Nation’
Imagine if John F. Kennedy had stepped to the podium at Rice University on Sept. 12, 1962 and said: “We choose to go to the moon. We don’t know how to do it, but we’ll pay what seems like a fair price for one rocket — something like what the Soviets are paying their people.” That wouldn’t inspire anyone. It... Read More
14
Sep
2020
Attralus Secures $25M Series A to Diagnose and Treat Amyloidosis
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10
Sep
2020
Industry and Academia Take a Stand for Science
Science is under attack. The FDA and the CDC have seen their credibility tarnished, largely because of the relentless pressure, and lies, of certain political leaders. The pharmaceutical industry, built on a bedrock of science, knows darn well that the whole business will come crumbling down if the world continues indulging in this bottomless cynicism and nihilism that says everything... Read More
9
Sep
2020
Recursion Pulls In $239M for AI Drug Discovery, Bayer Bets on Fibrosis
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8
Sep
2020
Becoming a Biotech VC: Otello Stampacchia on The Long Run
Today’s guest on The Long Run is Otello Stampacchia. He’s the founder and managing director of Omega Funds. Otello started Omega in 2004, and it’s now on Fund VI. Based in Boston, Omega has $1 billion under management, and invests in a wide variety of biotech companies – early stage, later stage, American, European, oncology, immunology, rare disease. There’s a... Read More
3
Sep
2020
FDA and CDC Credibility Tarnished; Pfizer Sprints Ahead With COVID19 Vaccine
Credibility takes years to build. It can crumble in seconds. Repairs can take a lifetime. The FDA and the CDC are two of the American public health agencies that became global models of excellence after World War II. We should remember that, and perhaps the FDA and CDC should plaster it up on their walls as a reminder. Both agencies... Read More
2
Sep
2020
Tech Impact Requires Deep Engagement With Biopharma Lead Users
In today’s Wall Street Journal, I review The Innovation Delusion, a new book arguing that innovation is overrated and maintenance is underrated; moreover, the authors assert, we have magical thinking around innovation, and often view it as fairy dust that can be imported from Silicon Valley then sprinkled on ossifying organizations to revive and rejuvenate them. (Steve Blank discussed the... Read More
2
Sep
2020
Beyond AAV: AVROBIO and Orchard Take Ex Vivo Approach to Gene Therapy
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1
Sep
2020
Mood Disorder R&D, Lacking Innovation, Turns to Psychedelics
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31
Aug
2020
The Data Are Telling Us to Prepare for a Difficult Fall
I could not resist using the above, peerless comic strip from Stephan Pastis. Indeed, the two “plagues” are not just co-existing, but they are mutually reinforcing each other and making things worse. We should take the “great wise ass on the hill” seriously and invest in science and (investigative, high quality) journalism. About two months ago, I wrote here about... Read More
28
Aug
2020
A Swing and a Miss from the CDC
Please help me understand the value of OUR Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2020. It’s baseball season — sort of. We have been waiting and waiting for the CDC to step up to home plate. The bases have been loaded for 7 months, and their fans have been waiting. The CDC is supposed to be our national cleanup... Read More
27
Aug
2020
Convalescent Plasma: Look Before You Leap
In the last few days I have been wondering how Michael Joyner and Arturo Casadevall have been feeling. Joyner and Casadevall are the first and senior authors, respectively, of the report, “Effect of Convalescent Plasma on Mortality among Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: Initial Three Month Experience,” posted on Medrxiv on August 12. The preprint server allows researchers to make their... Read More
26
Aug
2020
An Underappreciated Aspect of Power: Listening
As the summer draws to a close, I thought TR readers might enjoy a final August distraction. I’ve always been an avid reader, and lately, I’ve found myself increasingly drawn to the history and science of American politics. On the history front, and inspired by Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer (an expert on power and leadership), I’ve started Robert Caro’s famously... Read More
24
Aug
2020
Insurance Reform, Not Executive Orders, Is the Best Tool to Protect U.S. Patients and U.S. Pharmaceutical Innovation
With today’s Aug. 24 deadline looming, it’s important to explain how President Trump’s “most favored nations” executive order to purportedly lower drug prices would actually backfire, and hurt patients both at home and abroad. The order, which ties prices for certain drugs paid for by Medicare to the lowest prices paid in other countries, including Canada and much of Europe,... Read More
20
Aug
2020
Spiritual Renewal in the North Cascades, and Facing Homelessness
All of us need some time and space for spiritual renewal. Especially in a year like 2020. Mountain climbing does it for me. Last weekend, I was fortunate to get out to Mt. Shuksan in the remote North Cascades of Washington. It was a gorgeous climb, led by my friends and partners at Alpine Ascents International. The climb was a... Read More