Jo Shen

We are thrilled to announce that SciTech Development, Inc. has received an additional supply of fenretinide, a key pharmaceutical ingredient in our ST-001 investigational drug product and drug pipeline, from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This critical provision enables SciTech to treat over 300 patients and accelerate the progress of their Phase 1a and 1b trials for relapsed or refractory T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma across six U.S. locations, as well as in other cancer indications. With this new supply, we’re taking a bold step forward in developing innovative cancer therapies that SciTech brings hope to those facing difficult-to-treat cancers. 🗓 Join Us for an Exclusive Opportunity: On Wednesday, October 9th at 1 PM EST, we are hosting SciTech’s CEO, Earle Holsapple III, for an insightful discussion on the latest developments. If you’d like to learn more or be a part of this event, send me a message and join us as we dive into the exciting future of SciTech’s cancer therapies. #SciTechDevelopment #CancerResearch #TCellLymphoma #Pharmaceuticals #Biotech #CancerInnovation #Investors #Phase1Trials #BiotechInnovation

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What is the motivation towards finding a leadership role outside the lab? WIB-San Francisco Bay Area ran a panel with some fantastic women from scientific backgrounds who successfully transitioned from the lab to leadership positions, moderated by Kara Calhoun (NGM Biopharmaceuticals). Let’s say that you are someone like Becky Pferdehirt, PhD (Andreessen Horowitz) who enjoys the initial phase of ideation but when it comes to assay optimization your brain has already moved on to the next ideation process; then a job where you get to set up partnerships (#BD) or invest in budding start-ups (#VC) will be a better fit for you. Bonus: you also get to bring your personality into this. Great, now we have identified that BD or VC or (add your dream non-lab-bio-job here) is for you, but what are the steps to getting there? Estelle Paysinger-Hill, PMP (Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc.) suggests you do all the informal interviews you can. Reflect on your skills and get those first interview nerves out of the way. Ok, you are doing this, but the process feels uncomfortable and on top of that the imposter syndrome feelings start getting to you. Executive coach and psychotherapist Nidhi Kaul advises you embrace the discomfort and focus on improving the things that you can actually control, including, self awareness, emotion regulation, and communication. And now you are wondering, everyone always talks the talk about how communication is key, but how do you actually improve? Marica Grskovic (CareDx, Inc.), who has been with the same company for ~12 years, a very unorthodox Bay Area story, says that practicing with your family is a good start. You will always have a different audience, so practise delivery by using different people of different backgrounds and seniority. Getting exposure to managing a team (even if it’s the smallest team) will also help you manage these people dynamics! Within this dynamic era of translational science, a lot of us are likely to be looking into transitioning. It never feels easy, but listening to these 5 women who were so comfortable in their skin was very heartwarming!! (two exclamation marks for Becky) If you are unhappy in your current role, the time to change is always now. #WomenInBio #VC #CareerTransition #jobchange #bio #PhD

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Did you miss this very interesting session on next generation #ELN and #FAIRdata in #biopharma and other related industries? Really worth a listen, and you can still catch it on the link below!

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ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd.(NASDAQ: IPA $1.01) Investors, Healthcare/Pharmaceutical Researchers & Executives, and Artificial Intelligence(AI) Advocates really need to read this Investor Report - "Unleashing The Potential"(attached below) Please read in the context of all the recent news/developments at ImmunoPrecise Antibodies. Especially regarding their new partnership with InterSystems(the leading provider of data solutions for industries with complex challenges like healthcare...) IPA (ImmunoPrecise Antibodies) BioStrand (a subsidiary of IPA) InterSystems Dirk Van Hyfte Ingrid Brands Arnout Van Hyfte #ai #HYFTs #HYFTTechnology #drugdiscovery #healthcare #biotech #pharma #personalizedmedicine #omics #LENSai #immunoprecise #AIDrugDiscovery #systemthinking #bioinformatics #antibodies #machinelearning #multiomics #multimodality #biotherapeutics #techbio #LLMs #datascience #nlp #ontologies #semantics #knowledgegraphs #lifesciences #bigdata #informationintegrationdilemma #patternrecognition #insilico https://lnkd.in/g9rQmrvk

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Working with Ksenia Burka and Giorgio Fracassoover the past six months was a pleasure. Delivery of genomic medicine is an important thesis area for us, and Reactosome opens up a new vector in this space. Reactosome's breakthrough is a Synthetic Nucleus, which mimics the functions of a cell nucleus, carrying with it a DNA/RNA payload and packaged enzymes to continuously and controllably express cargo sizes that existing methods cannot deliver. The company is looking for industry partners and pharma advisors as they advance the platform. Recommendations will be appreciated! One last thing, it was wild learning that this approach is inspired by Giorgio Fracasso's study of the origin of life. To study how life comes together he modeled life bottom-up with cell-free synbio methods - modeling how artificial cells can come together and operate as a system. Studying these complex and dynamic biological systems warrants one learn and work with biological noise and variability - building in many layers of control and tunability - something Reactosome's tech does exceptionally well. #synbio #demo-day #indiebio #series-seed #life-sciences

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Overweight or obesity is not just a cosmetic concern, it can have serious implications on overall health, increasing the risk of various diseases. Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals's GZR18 injection has shown promising results in reducing body weight and improving BMI. This innovation could potentially offer a solution for the challenges faced by overweight or obese populations. #Qiming #QimingPortfolio #GanLee #ClinicalTrial #AmericanDiabetesAssociation #ADA #GZR18 #Injection #Biotech #Healthcare #Obesity #BMI #Overweight

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Great to catch up with Ron Leuty at San Francisco Business Times at #BIO2024: When Moonwalk Biosciences Inc. CEO Alex Aravanis MD PhD started his presentation at the BIO convention in San Diego earlier this week, he saw a standing-room-only crowd, and after his 15-minute talk he was peppered with questions. In more formal meetings with potential partners, Aravanis faced more questions. "I think there's a lot of people who are curious about (epigenetics)" — how DNA modifications can be passed cell to cell — "curious about the capabilities, how mature it is," Aravanis said. "In the partnering meetings, there're folks who have an immediate use for it, and there are folks who said, 'Look, we reached out to you because we realized this is an exciting new area.'" The ability to spread a company's scientific message with hundreds, if not thousands, of people in a few days is why companies come to the Biotechnology Innovation Organization's annual convention, which closes today in San Diego. More than 20 Bay Area life sciences companies were scheduled among the scores making formal presentations in tiny "theaters" on the convention's exhibit floor, such as South San Francisco's Moonwalk, or in BIO's "Startup Stadium." Read the article (subscription required): https://lnkd.in/eTEdgDEa

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Excellent way to spend 1 minute, 30 seconds. DSO shares via an embedded video in the article below how Modality.AI is making an impact with patients. It is wonderful to have NIH SEED as a partner on this journey. Relentless Venture Fund David "DSO" Suendermann-Oeft #Neurotech #AI #BIO2024 #precisionmedicine #clinicaltrials #healthtech #healthcare #digitalhealth

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#digitalisation and #automation of #biopharma #manufacturing workflows, leading to #smartmanufacturing - don't miss this Bruker #webinar in a few weeks, with Anna Codina Matteo Pennestri and Sergey Shilov

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As always, great thoughts from Bruce Booth of Atlas Venture https://lnkd.in/dewT7jdy And it's so important to focus on early quality of team, science and initial data set (not excluding reasonable valuations and lean cap table)

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More potent AAV... Great to see the public launch of Latus Bio from ex-spark founders. The company is developing novel capsids with significantly-higher transduction potential. This is exciting news and just in time for #ASGCT24. More potent AAV would simultaneously solve a number of key hurdles for the field, including: - low yields in manufacturing (including loss during downstream purification) - toxicities associated with higher doses The AAV field has been through a bit of a winter period but has the proven ability to be able to deliver to differentiated organs / targets. Its success will rely on companies like Latus solving these critical issues (and examples of commercial success, but perhaps Sarepta's starting to take care of that, too!) Reach out to discuss all things AAV and gene therapy in Baltimore next week. We'll be at booth 1962. #genetherapy #venturecapital #pharma https://lnkd.in/gtP9wQsB

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The U.S #DoD Releases 12 Awards for Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program. The #award is a great recognition of Onego Bio's global-level expertise. Congrats to the whole team! The significant $2 million funding from the United States Department of Defense supports Onego Bio's innovative work in strengthening the #defense industry's #supply #security. Onego Bio offers #sustainable and self-sufficient food solutions in crisis situations, contributing to national security and long-term supply security. Successful projects that were selected under the competitive announcement can receive follow-on awards that would provide access to up to $100 million to build a U.S.-based bioindustrial manufacturing facility. Onego plan a facility to produce #ovalbumin, a #protein that is found in eggs, that may be used as a high-quality protein source in food supplies. Onego is considering facility sites in the Midwest. #food #security #NATO #precision #fermentation #bioproduction #infrastructure #Bioindustrial #DoD #government VTT #spinoff #funding #Manufacturing #DBIMP #bioeconomy

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As we approach a potential vote in the United States Senate, now is the time for #biotech leaders to stand up for reputable #CDMOs in China like WuXi AppTec. The #biosecure act is misguided and politically motivated in an election year. Trying to discredit companies that have become trusted members of the US #biopharma ecosystem and key contributors to our R&D programs based on unsubstantiated and unvalidated allegations is disgraceful. What is a “biotechnology company of concern?” Biotechnology Innovation Organization John F. Crowley

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Takeda, Astellas Pharma, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation – SMBC Group announced a groundbreaking agreement on April 22, 2024. This agreement solidifies the formation of a new joint venture company aimed at nurturing early drug discovery programs from Japan to pioneer innovative therapies by mid-2024. Under the tripartite agreement, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Astellas Pharma Inc., and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation will jointly establish a new entity focused on fostering early drug discovery initiatives. The joint venture will initially receive approximately 600 million yen, equivalent to around $3.9 million, with Takeda and Astellas each holding 33.4% of its shares and Sumitomo owning the remaining 33.2%. Leading the helm will be pharmaceutical expert Toshio Fujimoto, the original CEO of iPark Institute, a Takeda subsidiary. The venture will be located at Shohan Health Innovation Park, overseeing about 150 firms, including drug startups. This collaborative effort aims to revitalize Japan's drug discovery landscape by leveraging its academic prowess and leading pharmaceutical expertise. Despite Japan's strong position in drug discovery, recent years have seen challenges in translating academic research into practical treatments, leading to a decline in clinical trials and new medicine introductions. Through this joint venture, Takeda, Astellas, and Sumitomo aim to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world therapies, streamlining the drug discovery process and facilitating the formation of startup companies. The joint venture will focus on three primary objectives: >> Advancing innovative drug discovery programs from Japan into the global pharmaceutical market. >> Incubating globally competitive drug discovery technology and fostering entrepreneurship. >> Establishing high-caliber startup companies to unleash the potential of Japan's drug discovery ecosystem. Full article: https://lnkd.in/eBPCE8tv

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Investment, therapeutic viability, and next-gen. technologies... That's what the cell therapy field needs. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jason C. Foster of Ori Biotech recently on their podcast to talk all things cell therapy, the enabling technologies that support this modality, and the need for more investment. What did we touch on (and link to full podcast below)? Investors needing to see a return when investing in cell therapies. Need to bring manufacturing costs down to expand access. Next-gen. tools to create better, more robust therapies. Purpose-built therapies require purpose-built tools! Our consulting practice, how we help our clients, and how we view the field of advanced therapies. We take a differentiated approach to tracking, following, and mapping key trends across advanced therapies to bring novel, business-impacting insights to our clients. Want to discuss any of the above? Where the field of cell therapies are going? What it means for your own development pipeline? Reach out and let me know what you think in the comments! #celltherapy #venturecapital #consulting https://lnkd.in/g7SH9FAU

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Great insights! 🤔👏 ➡️ We prefer companies addressing large unmet needs and having clear paths to regulation. ➡️ High-potential areas - precision oncology and improving AI applications in drug development. ➡️ Companies need to prioritize pipeline positioning and leverage partnerships to attract investor interests. ➡️ Deep specialization in the underlying biology. 🧬🥼🧫 🔬 🧪 #biotech #lifescience #healthcare #therapeutics #startup #founders #precisiononcology #AIapplications #drugdevelopment #venturecapital

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Large-scale AI foundation models for biology will be vital to unlock the next generation of biotechnology innovations. However, they require extremely large datasets in order to perform well. To build the best AI models for biotech, we need to create strategic data reserves with sustained and focused investment from both the private sector and government. These are some of the thoughts I shared Monday with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken during his visit to the Bay Area to discuss biotechnology innovation and leadership in the United States. Thank you to Christina Smolke, Ph.D., for hosting, and for the opportunity to include my insight into how #AI and the right data reserves can give the U.S. a significant advantage on the global stage, and support self-sufficiency and future pandemic preparedness by enabling faster, cheaper creation of new medicines.

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As AI shifts the focus in biotech from discovery to design, value will move up the stack. Companies leveraging AI in R&D will produce more safe, durable, and effective molecules over time. If you believe in this future, AI will make every chemist and wet lab biologist significantly more effective and efficient, and differentiation at the frontier will come from superior skills in clinical indication selection and clinical trial design.

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Some quick thoughts and notes while reading through the Cerebras S-1, with Aman Kabeer Themes: * The chip wars * Timing is everything? * The return of the small IPO? * Growth vs profitability * Hardware vs software * Revenue concentration

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