Jen Asher, Ph.D.

By leveraging AI with vast genetic databases, we are not only quickening the pace of identifying potential drug targets but also enhancing the accuracy of clinical diagnostics and predictive modeling. Recently, I had the privilege of discussing the profound impact AI is having on pharmaceutical R&D with Kim Branson, GSK's SVP Global Head of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Listen on Raising Health: https://lnkd.in/g6QUm2-A

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💊🔬 #MondaysMajorMoves - Pharma Industry Updates Positive News: 🎉 World Health Organization's Milestone: Egypt eradicates malaria after nearly a century. 🤝 Strategic Partnership: Samsung Biologics signs a $1.24B production deal. 🚀 Clinical Success: Monopar Therapeutics Inc. Therapeutics' shares soar after Phase 3 success for Wilson disease drug. 🔥 Pipeline Development: Lundbeck plans to have four NMEs in Phase 3 trials in 2026, including an epilepsy drug from the Longboard Pharma acquisition. 💰 Septerna raises $288M in IPO to fund Phase 1 hypoparathyroidism drug targeting GPCRs. 🏭 GSK to invest up to $800M to expand Marietta, PA plant, doubling capacity and adding 200 jobs, including R&D facilities. 👁️ TEVOGEN BIO joins Microsoft's startup program to advance AI algorithms for drug development; shares rise 54%. 📊 Ipsen raises 2024 revenue growth forecast to 8% and operating margin over 31% after strong quarterly results. 📊 Sanofi reports Q3 revenue up 15.7% to €13.44B, boosted by 25.5% growth in vaccine sales. 🟢 FDA approves Pfizer's RSV vaccine Abrysvo for adults aged 18-59, expanding eligibility for vaccination. 🤝 M&A Activity: Merck acquires Modifi Bio for $30M upfront to expand its cancer drug pipeline. 🟢 BeiGene's Tevimbra receives positive EU opinion for extended use in gastric and esophageal cancers after improved survival in trials. Challenges and Setbacks: 📉 Clinical Trial Trends: Industry-sponsored trials decline in Europe. Dropping to 12% of global share; Spain bucks trend with increased studies. ❌ Job Cuts: Bayer to cut 400 jobs in France. ❌ Marinus Pharma's ganaxolone fails Phase 3 trial in tuberous sclerosis seizures; shares plummet 83%. 😢 Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard lays off 87 employees claiming to aim to stay at forefront of technological changes as key partnerships end. 🔴 Store Closures: Walgreens to close 1,200 pharmacies over 3 years as a cost cutting exercise amid rising expenses and lower prescription reimbursements ❌ Alto Neuroscience fails Phase 2b trial in depression; stock plunges 70% after missing primary endpoint. Interesting: 👁️ U.S. pharma CEOs shift political donations toward Democrats, with most supporting Democratic candidates over Republicans. 💼 Roche CEO urges authorities to block Novo Holdings' acquisition of Catalent Pharma Solutions, citing competition concerns. 🔄 Catalent Pharma Solutions assures clients company will continue as CDMO post-acquisition by Novo Holdings. What are your thoughts on these developments? #pharma #biotech #healthcare #drugdevelopment #clinicaltrials #biopharma #innovation #healthcarenews #pharmaindustry

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Wow - 2 ex-Meta employees launch EvolutionaryScale landing $142m to advance AI in biology. EvolutionaryScale has introduced ESM3, a cutting-edge language model for biology that predicts protein sequences, structures, and functions. This model can simulate millions of years of evolution, generating new proteins with potential applications in medicine, research, and sustainability. ESM3 represents a significant advancement in AI's ability to design and engineer biological systems. There will be comparisons with AlphaFold3, intrigued where this goes... https://lnkd.in/dhtQDtsA #AIinDrugDiscovery #genomics #proteomics

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Merck taps AI-focused biotech for new ADC pact worth $376M Biolojic Design, Ltd., a biotechnology company that uses computational biology and artificial intelligence (AI) to transform antibodies into programmable, intelligent medicines, today announced that it has entered into a multi-target drug discovery collaboration with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The partnership will leverage Biolojic Design’s AI-driven discovery platform to design therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of cancer and immunological disorders. Under the terms of the agreement, Biolojic Design will receive a low double-digit million euro upfront payment and research funding from Merck. It will also be eligible for drug discovery, development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments that may total up to €346 million. Biolojic Design will also be eligible to receive tiered royalties on net product sales. #biotech #antibodies #artificialintelligence #biopharmatrend Image credit: Biolojic Design

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🚀 Big News in Biopharma! 🚀 Profluent is making waves at the intersection of biotech and AI. Their innovative approach promises to revolutionize gene editing, and they're doing it with a bold move: open-sourcing their work! 🌐🔬 Introducing OpenCRISPR 🧬 Profluent's OpenCRISPR initiative is set to provide customizable gene-editing proteins designed entirely by AI. Imagine AI-generated CRISPR-like proteins that have never been seen before, capable of editing the human genome with unparalleled precision. 🔍 Highlights: AI-Powered: Trained on vast databases of protein sequences, Profluent's AI can generate hundreds of thousands of CRISPR-like proteins. OpenCRISPR-1: Their top-performing AI-created gene editor boasts 400+ mutations compared to CRISPR-Cas9, reducing off-target editing by 95% and keeping unwanted genetic changes below 1%. Why This Matters Attempting to edit human DNA with AI-designed systems is nothing short of a scientific moonshot. Profluent's success points to a future where AI can design bespoke cures for diseases, democratizing gene editing. 🔬 Real-World Impact: While AI-designed drugs have been in clinical testing for years, CRISPR tech just got its FDA green light last year with Casgevy for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. These treatments show the incredible potential of gene editing to transform lives. Open Collaboration Profluent invites researchers to test and provide feedback on OpenCRISPR-1. Their goal is to partner with top research institutions and drug developers to expedite the development of new genetic therapies, ensuring safe and ethical practices. Recent Milestones $35M Funding: Backed by Spark Capital, Insight Partners, Air Street Capital, and top angel investors from OpenAI, Salesforce, and Google. Join the Revolution This is a watershed moment in gene editing. Profluent is not just pushing the boundaries of what's possible; they’re opening the doors for global collaboration. Let's build the next generation of genetic medicines together! 👉 Read more and get involved: https://lnkd.in/gN9p-H6j #GeneEditing #CRISPR #AI #Biotech #OpenSource #Innovation #Profluent #HealthcareRevolution

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Learn more about our SPEO Model and the impact of a KRO in your drug development journey!!

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One of the prevalent fallacies about investing in deep tech / biotech is that it’s all about technical risk rather than market risk: Who wouldn't want better cancer therapies? If you build it, they will come etc etc I'm not satisfied with that for 2 major reasons. 1) Sometimes identifying the exact market risk is not exactly straightforward. The specifics of the product use case matters. A drug that doesn't clear the current standard of care in a clinically valuable way will not get adopted. A drug that is marginally effective but is multiples more expensive than alternatives will not get adopted. A drug that is quite effective but is extremely difficult to tolerate will likely not get adopted. In this sense, the importance of identifying what is the market risk is real. 2) Even if you have identified the market risks AND have de-risked the tech risks, that doesn't necessarily make for useful / valuable products There’s a long distance from a) tech or platform risk being minimized to b) having actually useful products. Lots of q's to still answer e.g, can the team identify where to point the platform technology in order to generate clinically valuable products? Were the tech risks addressed the right ones to focus on in giving the co a sustainable advantage in building clinically useful products? IMO it’s not an either or of market vs technical risk. The specific market spec should drive the technical risk - or which technical problems need to be surmounted to make clinically useful products. Investors (and management) should underwrite accordingly. Let's keep building 🙏

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What worked yesterday isn't guaranteed to work tomorrow. As biotech startups transition from early- to late-stage development, their needs change. Lean teams, for example, may no longer be enough to support your operations as they continue to scale. Startups that recognise this and make sure they're prepared to adapt will experience a smoother transition. #Startups #Biotech #BusinessManagement #Scaling

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🧬 Unlocking the Microbial Universe Join Erum Azeez Khan and me as we interview Yuji Suzuki, the CEO of bitBiome, Inc., sharing his journey from economics to leading a groundbreaking biotech company. Discover how bitBiome's advanced whole-genome, single-cell sequencing technology is revolutionizing microbial research, potentially sequencing billions of species in record time! 🚀 The bitBiome team is 🔹 Reshaping industries from pharma to sustainability 🔹 Defining the future of biotechnology 🔹 Overcoming the challenges of microbial big data 🔹 Driving global collaboration to advance science and research Tune in to #GrowEverything, where we explore how biology, the oldest technology, can be engineered to change our world. What are we growing? Find out by listening on: Apple: https://lnkd.in/emyMG286 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eYVm3Yx8 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/evagcKXW #microbiome #syntheticbiology #groweverything

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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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“Anything in the IRA [Inflation Reduction Act] that stops us from using drugs to their maximum potential is a mistake,” says Emil Kakkis. At the Stanford Biodesign Policy Program’s Health Technology Innovation Policy Conference 2024, Kakkis and other speakers on the biotechnology panel — Jeff Allen, Ken Drazan, Peter Kolchinsky, and Peter Marks — discussed the implications of the IRA on orphan drugs, and the unintended negative consequences on patients and drug manufacturers. Acknowledging that the IRA has accomplished some important things that will make a real difference in affordability and access to healthcare, the panelists highlighted, however, that the impact for orphan drug development may be felt in the next few decades as companies limit investment/research into additional indications for orphan drugs. The panelists also discussed the potentially transformative impact of cell and gene therapies and what can be done from a regulatory perspective to support that ecosystem. If you were unable to join us, here’s a replay of the discussion https://lnkd.in/gji8d5XE Many thanks to Stanford Biodesign’s D. Michael Ackermann, director, biotechnology, who moderated the session. #healthpolicy #biotech #healthtech #SBDHealthtechInnovationPolicy

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Pharma M&A activity has hit its lowest level in nearly a decade, with only 558 deals worth $67.2 billion completed by late November—half the value of last year’s activity, according to the Financial Times. This decline reflects several converging trends: rising valuations of larger biotech companies, caution in digesting prior large-scale acquisitions, and political and regulatory uncertainties, including stricter antitrust oversight under the FTC. Interestingly, Big Pharma’s focus has shifted to earlier-stage biotechs and smaller, bolt-on acquisitions under $5 billion, as companies like Merck, Novo Nordisk, and Lundbeck supplement their pipelines and R&D strategies with niche innovations. For example, Merck’s acquisition of privately held EyeBio for up to $3 billion highlights the appetite for targeted deals that enhance specific therapeutic areas, such as ophthalmology. However, the upcoming patent cliff, estimated to create $59 billion in revenue losses by the decade's end, raises questions about whether these bolt-ons will be enough to fill the gap. Larger, transformative acquisitions may regain momentum in 2025, fueled by potential political shifts towards more lenient environment for M&A and increasing pressure on pharma companies to offset their loss of exclusivity challenges. For the biotech sector, this period underscores the importance of balancing valuation expectations with the need to attract strategic investments. Companies working on breakthrough platforms or early-stage innovations still have opportunities to secure partnerships, especially as Big Pharma refocuses on long-term R&D growth. The coming year will be pivotal for both industries, as 2025 may mark the start of a more active and diversified M&A landscape. Read the full FT article on the link below: https://lnkd.in/ezqkd5TY #financings #manda #biotech #lifescience #deals #acquisitions

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An (unusual) request. From July 1997 to April 2003 I designed and published "BIOTECH LINK" news communication under contract to the UK LGC (main contractor was the UK Department of Trade and Industry. It reported the outcomes of the many Life Science collaborative Projects (50:50 Public sector : private sector funded). This was mailed out to over 2000 UK academic and industry contacts. Despite the dates, much of the content is still relevant today - the work was essentially seed research for future businesses, processes and products. I am making a book of these (part science, part sentiment). The covers - but not the content yet - are on my website. My request is has anyone out there got issues 3, and or 5? I have lost my physical copies and the print files are no longer on my PC. As an example I append the cover of my final (and one of the most popular) issues. I would be grateful if you could also pass on my request to your own contacts. I can be messaged via LinkedIN Thanks, Michael #LINK #request #LINKBIOTECH #Publication #lostissues

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Formation Bio Nets $372M to Build Pipeline and Expand AI Platform AI-driven drug developer Formation Bio has raised $372M in a Series D financing led by a16z, with significant participation from Sanofi. Current investors also joined the round. The company plans to use the new funds to expand its AI capabilities and in-license more candidate drugs. Its business model is to use AI and other expertise to streamline and accelerate drug development of acquired and partnered drug candidates. The company currently has three drugs in its pipeline, in Phase II and III. https://lnkd.in/dVFWT6J5 #PrecisionMedicine #Innovation #DrugDiscovery #DrugDevelopment #Pharma #Medicine #Biotech #ArtificialIntelligence #AI Formation Bio

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Could AI change the paradigms of drug discovery? Empress co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer Sabrina Yang recently joined a panel of experts at Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News’ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗿𝘂𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 to discuss the potential for #AI to transform therapeutics. Among the benefits she highlighted: • 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, such as going from data to development candidates in under two years vs. the industry average of seven. • 𝘐𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, allowing the rapid evaluation of multiple indications and data sets • 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘤, by starting with molecules already compatible with human biology. She added that AI is already enabling things that were not possible before, such as directly predicting chemical structures from DNA sequences. 📺 Watch the summit: https://lnkd.in/gh8U2Zcb  📚 Read a summary: https://lnkd.in/gfhKh_CM #Chemilogics #smallmolecule #drugdiscovery #AI #machinelearning #microbiome 

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🔍 Join our facilitator Alexander Ivliev at his Roundtable Discussion at the AI in Drug Discovery Xchange 2024, Boston! 🧪 📚 Dive deep into the realm of target discovery with our esteemed facilitator, Alexander Ivliev, Director of Computational Biology at Ikena Oncology. In this interactive roundtable discussion, we will brainstorm the vital components essential for a robust target discovery engine and unravel the mystery of how to integrate them effectively. ⌚ Time: 15:40 – 16:40 📅 Date: 20th June 2024 📍 Location: Woburn Hilton Hotel, 2 Forbes Road, Woburn, US 🪧 Join us today & claim your COMPLIMENTARY pass today! 🪧 https://bit.ly/43qUJXC ✨ Session Highlights ✨ 🔵 The balance between in-house experimentation and leveraging public resources in target identification. 🔵 Exploring the most informative experimental approaches and data types. 🔵 Navigating approaches tailored for efficacy versus safety. 🔵 Strategies for managing the trade-off between target novelty and confidence level. 🔵 Piecing together the components into a cohesive framework. 🗣️ Alexander brings a wealth of expertise to the table, with a master’s and PhD in Bioinformatics and over a decade of experience in the field. Having spearheaded bioinformatics initiatives at Clarivate Analytics, supporting diverse clients in pharmaceutical and biotech sectors, Alexander now leads the computational biology domain at Ikena Oncology. His role is pivotal in accelerating the development of small-molecule inhibitors for cancer treatment. Only available for Senior Scientists and above, from Bio and Pharma companies with a drug pipeline. 💊 * Agenda subject to change #TargetDiscovery #DrugDiscovery #Bioinformatics #AIinHealthcare #AIinDrugDiscovery #InnovationInMedicine #RoundtableDiscussion #Biotech #Pharmaceuticals #DataDrivenDiscovery #ExperimentalApproaches #EfficacyVsSafety #NovelTargets #ConfidenceInDiscovery #InHouseExperimentation #PublicResources #CollaborativeScience #ScientificAdvancements #BiomedicalResearch #PrecisionMedicine #FutureOfMedicine #StrategicThinking #BioinformaticsInsights #hubXchange #Roundtable #FreePass #RegisterNow #ComplimentaryPass

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University of Pennsylvania spinout Interius BioTherapeutics raises $67M in a private equity round. The Philadelphia company is seeking to raise a total of $82.5 million from its Series B round. July 9, 2024 Interius was granted Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) approval and Clinical Trial Notification (CTN) clearance by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to commence a first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial of INT2104, its lead in vivo CAR candidate for treatment of B-cell malignancies. #funding #financing #genetherapy #invivo #CARtherapy #therapeutics #Bcellmalignancies #celltherapy #genetherapy #advancedtherapies #regenerativemedicine #lifescience #lifesciences #biotech #biotechnology #clinicaltrials #seriesfinancing #equityfinancing

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Wow, that was an action packed morning at #synbiobeta! What are my takeaways? Here's quick summary so far - The space frontier is driving demand for finding better methods that introduce more efficiencies, more sustainability through miniaturization and portability. There was a rallying cry for inserting a swab into portable box that would immediately generate a DNA library out the other side. Product innovation anyone? Synthetic biology companies are at the cusp of breaking through with commercialization, but they need to make sure they can scale from a biomanufacturing standpoint. Companies like Shiru are delving into online marketplaces and creating digital tools to cross reference desired protein with potential industrial application against naturally occurring proteins for feasibility. What a fantastic way of gauging market opportunity and customer need! AI is certainly being leveraged already, but need to be mindful over quality training data sets in order to get useful output. Great to see the embrace of AI, but understand this practice still needs continuous refinement. So much initiative has been put behind reducing the cost and optimizing sequencing technology, but DNA synthesis technology has fallen behind to summarize Emily Leproust. There are many opportunities to further improve synthesis quality, access to more complex and longer sequences, but how can we juggle the trade off in getting the synthetic DNA of your dreams at a reasonable price point and at quick turnaround? Overall these companies at #synbiobeta2024 are passionate in finding ways to improve both therapies and industrial applications. How can #synbio further shorten the time frame between discovery and go-to-market? More updates to come! #bioinspace #bioengineering #dnasynthesis #syntheticdna #bioeconomy #synbio #syntheticbiology

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Private biotech funding rises as venture firms deploy cash Drugmakers in the U.S. and Europe raised $6.8 billion in venture capital funding during the first three months of the year, nearly $1 billion more than the most active quarter in 2023. By: Gwendolyn Wu Private funding for biotechnology startups rose during the first three months of the year, suggesting some of the sector’s momentum has translated to stepped-up investment in young drugmakers. Twenty-six companies closed private fundraising rounds worth more than $100 million in the first quarter, according to data from HSBC Innovation Banking shared with BioPharma Dive in April. While venture rounds have grown in size in recent years, $100 million is typically viewed as a significant threshold. https://lnkd.in/gE-dPrhU

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