#21 - It’s all in the AI programming
The coffee break biotech roundup, by SomX.
Good day, fellow genome enthusiasts.
This week’s edition features stories that’ll have you recalibrating your algorithms:
AI-designed antibody cages are giving old blockbuster drugs a new lease on life, spatial transcriptomics continues to dazzle by keeping tissue context intact, and a neural crest cell revelation is rewriting the cellular reprogramming rulebook. Oh, and penguin selfies are getting an AI upgrade to help track climate change – science never ceases to surprise!
Keep on coding,
Dodo
If there’s anything you’d like to see in future editions of Biotech Dodo, send us a message.
Discover 🔍
🏅A startup backed by Nobel winner David Baker takes an AI twist on antibodies (Endpoints): Seattle’s Archon Biosciences, armed with $20 million in seed funding, is pioneering “antibody cages” – where AI-designed proteins are attached to standard antibodies, granting them entirely new capabilities, and changing how they distribute and engage within the body. With 17 staff and a shiny new lab, Archon is diving head-first into next-gen therapeutics for hard-to-treat diseases.
Our take: Archon’s “antibody cages” are certainly no ordinary antibodies, turning them into bespoke, high-performing therapeutic couriers…and their timing is impeccable. With patent cliffs looming over blockbuster drugs, this tech could give old therapies a fresh edge – just as competition from biosimilars heats up. If it works, it could open up more therapeutic possibilities for diseases long considered insurmountable.
🧬 Spatial Transcriptomics: A window into disease (Labiotech): Spatial transcriptomics, dubbed Nature’s Method of the Year in 2020, is now making waves in our understanding of complex diseases like cancer and neurodegeneration – helping identify not just which genes are active, but precisely where they’re making mischief. By keeping the tissue context intact, scientists can unravel tumour-immune skirmishes and explore brain intricacies more precisely. And if spatial biology has piqued your interest, peer over GEN’s Top 10 Spatial Biology Companies of 2024.
Our take: By preserving the spatial arrangement of gene expression within tissues, scientists can now observe the intricate interactions between cells and their surroundings – insights previously out of reach. This opens doors to discovering new therapeutic targets and biomarkers, particularly in complex diseases where the cellular neighbourhood is crucial. Integrating this spatial information with other 'omics' could usher us into a truly holistic understanding of biology and precision medicine.
🛠️ Researchers challenge longstanding theories in cellular reprogramming (ScienceDaily): In a remarkable discovery, researchers at the University of Toronto have found that neural crest stem cells – those rare chaps tucked away in skin, bone and connective tissue – are the true source of reprogrammed neurons. This upends the popular notion that any mature cell can be coaxed into becoming a completely different type through transcription factors, suggesting instead these rare, multi-talented neural crest stem cells are the true architects of cellular identity shifts.
Our take: Well, this certainly ruffles the feathers of conventional wisdom! If neural crest stem cells are the true agents capable of reprogramming, it might explain the inefficiencies that have long bedevilled the field. Perhaps it's time for us to recalibrate our compass and zero in on these neural crest stem cells in the hopes of unlocking more reliable pathways to cell therapies. Rather like finding the proper key to a long-sealed, mysterious door.
🤖 Nxera Pharma and Antiverse enter collaboration to design novel GPCR-targeted antibody therapeutics using generative AI (BioSpace): Nxera Pharma – formerly Sosei Heptares – is joining forces with Antiverse, a techbio company with a knack for tackling tricky targets. By combining Antiverse's generative AI and 'epitope-specific libraries' with Nxera's GPCR target and validation platform, the pair will develop and commercialise novel antibody therapies in diseases with high unmet need.
Our take: GPCRs are the molecular multitaskers of our genome, orchestrating everything from neurotransmission to immune responses. But despite accounting for a whopping 34% of FDA-approved drug targets, many remain stubbornly “undruggable”, with their complex, shape-shifting structures proving elusive. Tackling these targets with precision has long been a scientific headache, but combining Nxera’s GPCR prowess with Antiverse’s AI-driven antibody magic could help unravel some of biology’s most hard-to-target diseases.
🐧 AI can use tourist photos to help track Antarctica’s penguins (New Scientist): Fancy a selfie saving penguins! Researchers at Stony Brook University have turned casual tourist photos into 3D digital maps of entire Adélie penguin colonies, using an AI-driven mapping tool developed by Meta. With AI’s ability to analyse photos in seconds, this approach could track colony movements and climate change impacts in some of Earth’s remotest regions
Our take: Dodo’s all for good news, especially for our feathered kin and their environments. This new AI application is not just a parlour trick for penguin tracking but a demonstration of how artificial intelligence can deftly sift through vast swathes of unstructured data – for example histological images, medical scans and cellular microscopy. From penguins to pathology, it seems AI’s potential knows no bounds – who knew holiday snaps could be so…scientific?
Tune in
🐮 Confronting the task of delivering scalable amounts of protein to a billion cows
Dr. Ivan Liachko, the CEO of Seattle-based Phase Genomics, discusses ultra-long range genome sequencing and the practical considerations in developing and scaling proteins.
🚨 How smart risk management safeguards your biotech venture
Helen Kargaryani, VP Global Head of Quality/Quality Services at SSI Strategy, talks about how risk management should be tailored and integrated to a company's size, resources, and specific needs.
💪 AI & Better Health...
Dr. Daniel Kraft, Tech Nation Health Chief Correspondent, chats about how AI can personalise health advice and help people make better choices to stay healthy and avoid major illnesses.
Apply ✍️
💻 Scientist I/II in Computational Biology, Flagship Pioneering: Ready to unravel the secrets of genomics? Use your expertise to design experiments, analyse complex datasets, and drive new therapeutic discoveries, pushing the boundaries of disease treatment.
📊 Lead Biopharma Analyst, Endpoints News: Got an eye for trends in biopharma? Craft impactful, data-rich reports, shape Endpoints Signal’s research division, and empower smarter industry decisions with exclusive intelligence.
🧬 Senior Scientist, TCR Gene Therapy, AstraZeneca: Want to work on the next generation of drug modalities? This is your chance to dive into cutting-edge data analysis and develop strategies to increase anti-tumour potency of TCR-engineered T-cells.
RSVP 📆
📈 13-14.11 | Annual Biotech Startup Symposium | Online: Join industry experts at Merck’s free, two-day virtual event dedicated to helping biotech startups accelerate their path to commercialisation.
💬 19.11 | BioCentury & BIA’s 2nd CEO & Investor Dialogue: Biotech's Next Challenge | London, UK: Join CEOs, boards, and investors as they tackle the big questions in biotech – from advancing pipelines to leveraging AI in drug development.
⚙️ 18-19.11 | Pharma Automation and Digitalisation Congress | Zurich, Switzerland: Listen to pharma professionals share their experiences on achieving digital maturity and building their way through the digital space.
🫂 20.11 | Biotech Buddies | London, UK: A casual gathering for biotech experts to network and build life science sector relationships whilst relaxing amongst professional peers and key life science opinion leaders.
🎄 27.11 | SomX & Google Cloud Healthtech Talks Christmas Party | London, UK: Join us for a nearly end-of-year shindig (festive dress encouraged!) at Google’s Kings Cross HQ. The festive season gets hectic so we wanted to get into your diaries early!
Got news, jobs or events you think are worth coo-ing over? Post an event here, or email us at biotechdodo@substack.com!
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