Episode 19 (April 26, 2024): This week, the GEN editors celebrated DNA Day by sharing some stories about their favorite observations and applications of DNA research.   Featuring Kevin Davies, PhD (Editorial Director, GEN), John Sterling (Editor in Chief, GEN), Uduak Thomas (Senior Editor, GEN), Alex Philippidis (Senior Business Editor, GEN), Fay Lin, PhD (Senior Editor, GEN Biotechnology), Jonathan Grinstein, PhD (Senior Editor, GEN), and moderated by Corinna Singleman, PhD (Managing Editor,...

Episode 18 (April 19, 2024):      Biology’s exploding data streams continue to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) tools to streamline drug development. How do we define AI in drug discovery? Who are notable players in the space? How do humans fit into these growing computational pipelines?     This week, Jonathan Grinstein, PhD (Senior Editor, GEN) and Fay Lin, PhD (Senior Editor, GEN Biotechnology) unpack one of the fastest growing topics in the biotech field, AI in drug...

Episode 17 (April 12, 2024):      This week, the GEN editors discuss the launch of Nvelop Therapeutics, a new start-up leveraging approaches developed by gene editing pioneers David Liu, PhD, and J. Keith Joung, MD, PhD, to advance delivery of genetic cargo. The GEN editors also recap highlights from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting held in San Diego, California.    Featuring Uduak Thomas (Senior Editor, GEN), Alex Philippidis (Senior Business Editor, GEN),...

Episode 16 (April 5, 2024): This week, the GEN editors discussed deep proteome profiling of home-sampled dried blood spots to assess the effects of SARS-CoV-2 in mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic, rapid liquid nitrogen treatment for converting tumor cells into carriers for gene editing tools that target cancer in vivo, Verve Therapeutics’ pausing of a clinical trial due to a serious adverse event, Iambic Therapeutics’ advancement of its first AI-designed candidate into the clinic, and the...

Episode 15 (March 29, 2024): From the expansion of Nvidia's generative artificial intelligence (AI) platform for drug discovery to AI notetakers that coach doctors to be more human, the GEN editors discuss the latest news in AI from two conferences in California: Nvidia GTC (San Jose) and Precision Med TRI-CON (San Diego).   Featuring Alex Philippidis (Senior Business Editor, GEN), Fay Lin, PhD (Senior Editor, GEN Biotechnology), Jonathan D. Grinstein, PhD (Senior Editor, GEN), moderated by...

Episode 14 (March 22, 2024): This week, the GEN editors cover identifying receptors and proteins for cellular uptake and intracellular processing of nanoparticles, and a new mRNA structure by adding multiple “tails” to the molecules that boosted mRNA activity levels in cells by 5 to 20 times.    Featuring Jonathan D. Grinstein, PhD, (Senior Editor, GEN), Uduak Thomas (Senior Editor, GEN), and moderated by Fay Lin, PhD, (Senior Editor, GEN Biotechnology)       Listed below are key references...

  Episode 13 (March 15, 2024): This week, the GEN editors discussed business news from NanoString, Curio, and Cellares.   Featuring Alex Philippidis (Senior Business Editor, GEN), Uduak Thomas (Senior Editor, GEN), Jonathan Grinstein, PhD, (Senior Editor, GEN), and moderated by Corinna Singleman, PhD, (Managing Editor, GEN and IPM).   Listed below are key references to the GEN stories, media, and other items discussed in this episode of Touching Base:   The State of Omics 2024 Registration ...

Episode 12 (March 8, 2024): Featuring Julianna LeMieux (Deputy Editor-in-Chief, GEN), Uduak Thomas (Senior Editor, GEN), and Alex Philippidis (Senior Business Editor, GEN), moderated by Fay Lin (Senior Editor, GEN Biotechnology)   This week, the GEN editors cover a recent interview with the Lost Women of Science, advances in delivery with lipid nanoparticles, Novo Nordisk’s expansion in the Boston area, and how organoids derived from amniotic fluid show promise for understanding fetal...

Episode 11 (March 1, 2024): After being diverted by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic to develop and manufacture COVID-19 vaccines, Moderna gets back to advancing rare disease mRNA therapeutics; a look at rare autoimmune diseases that fly below the public radar; Form Bio announced a partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks to bring their AI out of the computer and into gene therapy production by optimizing genetic payloads.   Listed below are key references to the GEN stories, media, and other items discussed...

Episode 10 (February 23, 2024): Researchers from Francis Collins’ lab developed an efficient CRISPR prime editing protocol to generate isogenic-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines carrying heterozygous or homozygous alleles for putatively causal single nucleotide variants. An RNA-based system known as PRINT can create and introduce site-specific, safe, and stable transgenes into the human genome. Astellas Pharma and Kelonia announced a nearly $800 million research collaboration and...

Episode 9 (February 16, 2024): Using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, British animal genetics firm Genus has generated a population of pigs that are resistant to the deadly porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus. Exscientia has fired its founder, CEO, and principal executive officer Andrew Hopkins, PhD, and removed him from the company’s board, after it concluded that he engaged in “inappropriate” relationships with two employees. Julianna LeMieux, PhD, Deputy Editor in Chief at...

Episode 8 (February 9th, 2024): Intellia and Ultragenyx gave updates on their clinical trials for gene therapies for inherited rare diseases. Novo Holdings, which manages the assets of the foundation that controls Novo Nordisk, agreed to buy Catalent for $16.5 billion to keep up with the high demand for its hit drugs Wegovy and Ozempic. Spatial biology tools developer NanoString Technologies filed for bankruptcy, blaming the $31 million jury award assessed against it last November in a patent...

Episode 7 (February 2, 2024): Simplify Genomics launches genome interpretation platform, COUR’s nanoparticles for autoimmunity, gene replacement therapy for heart condition, CG Oncology and ArriVent IPOs; an interview with Nautilus Biotechnology co-founders, Sujal Patel and Parag Mallick. Listed below are key references to the GEN stories, media and other items discussed in this episode of Touching Base: Human Longevity Spin-Out Aims to Tap into Variant Interpretation Market By Uduak Thomas,...

Episode 6 (January 26, 2024): 11-year-old regains hearing after gene therapy; Kyverna uses blood draw instead of apheresis for CAR T manufacturing; DNA production technology with GSK and Elegen, StockWatch with Nvidia and Recursion; an interview with renowned cardiologist, Eric Topol, MD   Listed below are key references to the GEN stories, media and other items discussed in this episode of Touching Base:    Gene Therapy Restores Hearing in 11-Year-Old After Just One Month GEN, January 24th,...

Episode 5 (January 19, 2024); RNAs to address Alzheimer’s disease; monkey cloned via somatic cell nuclear transfer; Cytokinetics stock roller coaster; an interview with founder and CEO of 1910 Genetics, Jen Nwankwo, PhD. Listed below are key references to the GEN stories, media and other items discussed in this episode of Touching Base: · Alzheimer’s Disease Linked to Toxic Short RNAs GEN, January 18, 2024. ·   Rhesus Monkey Cloned via Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer GEN, January 16,...

Episode 4 (January 12, 2024): Takeaways from the J.P. Morgan Health Care conference: Illumina, Danaher, 10x, Empress Therapeutics; an interview with Liberate Bio’s Shawn Davis and Walter Strapps.  Listed below are references to relevant GEN stories discussed in this episode of Touching Base:  JPM: Illumina’s new CEO spells out 2024 priorities, presents preliminary Q4 2023 results By Alex Philippidis, GEN, January 10, 2024.  JPM: Prime Medicine eyes 2024 IND for first prime editing therapy By...

Episode 3 (January 5, 2024): Interview with Co-founder and CEO of Moonwalk Biosciences and former CTO of Illumina, Alex Aravanis; Neuro gene therapy with Novartis and Voyager; GEN reporters look forward to the 2024 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference Listed below are key references to the GEN stories, media and other items discussed in this episode of Touching Base: Novartis, Voyager Ink Up-to-$1.3B Expansion of Neuro Gene Therapy CollaborationBy Alex Philippidis, GEN, January 2,...

Episode 2 (December 22, 2023): Interview with President and CEO of Tome Biosciences, Rahul Kakkar; intelligent lab partner using LLMs; AI for antimicrobials; mRNA vaccine production in Africa; Moderna’s positive cancer vaccine data. Listed below are key references to the GEN stories, media and other items discussed in this episode of Touching Base: The Next Chapter in Genome Editing? Tome Emerges from Stealth with $213M By Alex Philippidis, GEN, December 19, 2023.Artificial...

Episode 1 (Week ending December 8, 2023): Nevan Krogan (UCSF) mapping autism pathways; Nvidia’s latest AI partnership; CAR-T regulations; epigenome editing; mRNA therapeutics. References to the GEN stories, media and other items discussed in this episode of Touching Base: ·        Autism’s Molecular Mechanisms Uncovered through Protein-Protein Interaction Network By Julianna Lemieux, GEN, December 5, 2023. ·        Rhapsody in B: Tune Therapeutics Presents Data for Hepatitis B Epigenetic...