STAT's Live AACR Coverage: Newsletter, Event, Recap
A heads up: starting Sunday, and through the beginning of next week, STAT is going to be taking the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research by storm. This is one of the best venues for spotting new ideas in cancer research and drug development, and @angRchen, @damiangarde and I will be on the ground, writing a daily newsletter, staging an live in-person event in San Diego that you want to attend if you can, and hosting a virtual recap next Thursday. It's a moral imperative that you sign up for newsletter, and, if you can, come bother the speakers at the events. Here's a photo of me doing crowd work for the algorithm
France Leads Approval of IV Ketamine for Suicidal Crises
Scientists test if ketamine has antidepressant effects under anesthesia; France is the first to approve IV ketamine for severe suicidal crisis https://t.co/s7W7YlAOMr
UCB to Acquire Neurona for $1.2B, Targeting Seizure Cell Therapy
UCB, betting on seizure cell therapy, to buy Neurona for up to $1.2B https://t.co/LxI1Omodan by @realJacobBell $UCB
Nanobody Fixes CFTR Misfolding, Boosts Cystic Fibrosis Therapy
A cell-penetrating nanobody repairs misfolded CFTR proteins in cystic fibrosis cells, restoring chloride channel function and showing strong synergy with existing therapies, potentially advancing treatment for protein misfolding disorders. biotechnology
OpenAI and InSilicoMeds Partnership Promises Significant Growth
A collaboration between @OpenAI and @InSilicoMeds has great upward potential. Would you be open to exploring this @sama ?
Pancreatic Cancer Study May Usher New Treatment Era
A pancreatic cancer expert on why Revolution Medicines’ study could ‘open up a new era’ of treatment https://t.co/npSBO8iR7n via @statnews
Demanding 1,200 Benchmark Test Before Claiming SOTA
Until they test it in @InSilicoMeds benchmarks (1,200 benchmarks), I will not believe that this is anywhere close to SOTA. Let's benchmark it folks. Whoever has access and would like to benchmark - let's collaborate
JNJ's HLD-0117 Enters Phase 1, Target Unreve
Second $JNJ ex-Halda "riptac", HLD-0117, goes into phase 1. Previously only known as "breast cancer riptac", target still undisclosed https://t.co/aJRe55AgYH
Scaling Bio‑Products: Funding, Forecasting, and Partnerships
Getting from pilot plant to commercial scale is where most bio-based products die. The science works. The economics don't. Or the capital isn't there. Or the supply chain can't handle the volume. This session at @SynBioBeta 2026 brings together people who've actually...
China’s Drug Innovation Surge Defies Industrial Policy Narrative
China Is Now a Global Drug Innovation Powerhouse. Industrial Policy Had Little to Do with It. .....industrial policies like Made in China 2025 played a negligible role... https://t.co/MKyZ6auvAS
Chinese Pharma Leads Speed, Insilico Wins on Novelty
Very insightful article in China Daily. There is a big delta between the AI CRO model and AI Biotech model. At Insilico, we do not compete with Xtalpi or other local companies. The most hardcore competitors now are the large...
AZD4956
Just disclosed in #AACR26 abstracts: $AZN AZD4956 = DNA pol theta inhibitor. My story from when it entered phase 1/2 Parthenon study +/-saruparib -> https://t.co/bHoOKqd7da
Kennedy Misstates Danish Tylenol Data, Ignoring Prescription Surge
This appears to be a case of Secretary Kennedy speaking without having full command of the facts. He calls the Danish study that "garbage" because it tracked whether women got Tylenol by whether they were prescribed it -- but he...
Minibinder Data for $149—Custom Assays Available
Get data on your minibinders for $149! Sequence in -> data out. Let us know other assays or protocols you'd like to see and we're happy to add to Ginkgo Cloud Lab.
AI‑Driven Trials Could Propel India’s Pharma Leaders
One of the most amazing encounters at Semafor World Economy was with Satish Reddy of Dr. @bindureddy's Laboratories , the largest or second largest pharma company in India, depending on how you look at it. Now, they are also looking...
Inside Moderna's Vision: Trust, Safety, and mRNA Future
Awesome to see @WSITYpod interview @moderna_tx president Stephen Hoge A great and wide reaching interview about trust, mRNA vaccines, spike protein, adverse events and what the future of mRNA technology is A candidate interview worth listening too.
AP-1 Activation Emerges as New Cancer Resistance Target
The knowledge of the many mechanisms by which cancer proves resistant to treatments keeps expanding. This week @Nature highlights activation of the AP-1 transcription factors, representing a new target https://t.co/UWSYDFM0IK https://t.co/6l4TISQonQ
Human‑scale Data Aims to Close Drug Trial Gap
90% of drugs that enter clinical trials fail. A big part of why: the models they're based on weren't trained on human biology. Mouse data, non-representative cell lines, sparse perturbation coverage. The gap between in silico predictions and what actually happens...
Gut Microbiome Predicts Melanoma Recurrence Post-Immunotherapy
Gut microbiome markers predict recurrence of cancer after immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma @CellCellPress https://t.co/k5YuNnqfvt https://t.co/9UbuNAcYJh
Lilly's Obesity Pill Gains Momentum; OpenAI Launches Discovery Tool
Lilly’s obesity pill off to a strong start; OpenAI debuts new drug discovery tool https://t.co/upwygATKAv $LLY $GILD $JANX #biotech
Ribupatide Must Shine; Late GLP‑1 Faces Market Hurdles
All I'm going to say is that ribupatide needs to be a helluva drug for any of this to make sense. A me-too GLP-1 coming in a decade late seems like a big commercial challenge. $KLRA https://t.co/MAmA5f6FZ8
Metformin Misses Target in Type 1 Diabetes Trial
As a medical school professor, I love when medicine humbles us. Metformin has been around for a century. We thought we understood it. We were wrong. A new clinical trial gave metformin to people with type 1 diabetes -- not type 2....
Join Dr. Robert Califf on Future of Drug Regulation
We are so excited to host Dr. Robert Califf on April 20th, 2026, at 3pm EST. From leading the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to shaping the future of clinical research and drug regulation, Dr. Califf has been at the center...
Leiden University Seeks Postdoc for Next‑gen GPCR Drug Discovery
🚨 Hiring Postdoctoral candidate for next generation GPCR drug discovery Leiden University The Faculty of Science and the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR) are looking for a:Postdoctoral candidate for next generation GPCR drug discoveryAre you excited about developing cutting-edge drug...
Review Panel Finds Anti‑amyloid Alzheimer Drugs Offer Little Benefit
Medical Review Group Questions Usefulness of Some Alzheimer’s Drugs Group says anti-amyloid treatments don’t offer noticeable benefits https://t.co/Z9tRQquyZX
GLP‑1 Drugs Show Promise for Treating All Addictions
GLP-1 medications get at the heart of addiction: study Diabetes and obesity drugs show promise in treating and preventing all substance use disorders https://t.co/buHywnw9Wk https://t.co/0lunbQbjsb
AI Creates Orexin Activator to Boost Focus, Reduce Sleep
Two researchers just used AI to design a selective orexin activator. If you care about focus, steady energy, or needing less sleep, this is worth paying attention to. https://t.co/3qbzB6J7X3
AI-Driven CRISPR‑GPT Enables Fully Autonomous Lab Experiments
A junior researcher walks up to a CRISPR experiment they've never run before. An AI agent has already decomposed the workflow, selected the guide RNAs, anticipated failure modes, and drafted the protocol. They run it successfully on their first attempt. That's not...
Choose the Right Design, Not One‑Size Truth
n=1 is can work for cancer and infectious disease, but often you need a clinical trial. We need to always be asking what the best tool is to get to truth. Don't assume that one experimental design is always correct. And don't...
OpenAI Unveils GPT‑Rosalind for Pharma Drug Discovery
I truly believe OpenAI is hoping to drive a ton of revenue based on what it can do with health/medical -> OpenAI launches GPT-Rosalind, an AI model for life sciences research, including drug discovery, as a research preview for customers...
RFK Jr. Defends FDA Chief Amid Industry Backlash
RFK Jr. defends FDA, Makary following Republican questions - also defends the $REPL CRL: "Marty made the correct decision to not approve that drug. But everybody goes after him because the industry is so powerful." https://t.co/CuEeNFCYpp
OpenAI Debuts GPT‑Rosalind, Entering Biopharma After Anthropic
NEW: OpenAI is the latest tech giant to move into biopharma, launching Thursday GPT-Rosalind, a life sciences-tailored version of its LLM Trails behind the very similar launch of Anthropic's Claude for Life Sciences by ~5 months. More here: https://t.co/zkXDwY0BBI
Flawed Study Groups Failed and Successful Alzheimer Drugs Together
This new analysis of Alzheimer's drugs is such a good example of why we can't make any headway as a society. There is probably a good debate to be had on whether the risks and costs of the two approved beta...
High‑Resolution TORC2 Structure Opens Path to Age‑Related Therapies
Activating TORC2 holds potential in medicine for treating age-related memory & hearing loss. New study out today @MolecularCell reveals the structure of TORC2 in highest-ever resolution - which is good news for drug developers & all of us who age...
Drug Discovery Expands Beyond AI to New Frontiers
The marked expansion of paths and methods for new drug development including and beyond AI @Joseph_C_Wu @james_y_zou @WuXuekun @ScienceMagazine https://t.co/hTJ4Rt181n https://t.co/H3U5BNR1ER
1q22 Gain Predicts Poor Prognosis in Myeloma
Prognostic significance of acquired 1q22 gain in multiple myeloma [Oct 28, 2021] Hadiyah Y Audil et al. @myelomaMD Am J Hematol https://t.co/qUKCUdnZPH #mmsm #PrecisionMedicine #oncopath HT @EagleMyeloma https://t.co/vd0BVZ6bRq
1q Abnormalities Define Distinct Proteomic Landscape in Myeloma
Proteomic profiling revealed unique disease biology associated with 1q abnormalities in multiple myeloma [Apr 14, 2026] Mangalaparthi et al. @Nature_NPJ https://t.co/XTcJZIGFh6 #mmsm #PrecisionMedicine HT @Myeloma_Doc https://t.co/XyrxJ29elO
From Static Snapshots to Dynamic Protein Modeling
AlphaFold solved protein structure prediction. That's a snapshot. But biology isn't static. Proteins flex, shift, and interact across time. Drug targets have multiple conformations. Cells don't act alone. The next hard problem is capturing that motion, and building models that reflect...
Scientists Propose Abandoning GLP‑1 as Obesity Target
Researchers behind GLP-1 obesity drugs advance new approach: Drop GLP-1 as a target https://t.co/ADzYb2Zqal via @statnews
ATAI Fully Acquires Ibogaine Program, Champions Psychedelic Shift
I am a strong believer in ibogaine, which is one of the reasons why @ataibeckley acquired the residual interest in its ibogaine program in Q4 2023 and now owns it 100%. I’m very encouraged to see the administration taking a positive...
FDA Pushes New
First autism, now low T - FDA continues to do its own literature searches and encourage sponsors to apply for new indications (never saw this in prior admins — with the exception of updating old cancer drug labels to include...
Replimune Downsizes While MeiraGTx Regains Eye Therapy
Replimune cuts staff; MeiraGTx reacquires eye gene therapy https://t.co/LqGPyNzRA3 $REPL $MGTX $JNJ $BIIB $RVMD $APLS
First Large Rapamycin Trial Aims to Boost Human Healthspan
Finally—this is the kind of study the field has been waiting for. A 720-person randomized clinical trial testing low-dose rapamycin in adults 65+ is about to get underway at @UAZPharmacy , with the goal of answering a simple but critical question:...
Third‑generation T‑cell Engagers Advance Cancer Immunotherapy
Cancer immunotherapy keeps revving up. Now onto a 3rd generation of T cell engagers https://t.co/h05f8h3i8L https://t.co/PP5XE8WWDr
New Drug Extends Rheumatoid Arthritis Remission Years Post‑Treatment
Breakthrough Drug Delays Rheumatoid Arthritis for Years After Treatment Ends. https://t.co/03MjFzkPTM #research #RheumatoidArthritis #Arthritis #Pharma #healthcare
Eltrombopag Proves More Cost-Effective than IVIG Perioperatively
Cost-effectiveness of eltrombopag vs intravenous immunoglobulin for the perioperative management of immune thrombocytopenia [Jan 31, 2022] @ThisIsManraj et al. @BloodJournal https://t.co/2hr1CFmUro #ITP https://t.co/Fz6ZRjJHlk
CM313 Shows Promise as New ITP Therapy
A Novel Anti-CD38 Monoclonal Antibody [CM313] for Treating Immune Thrombocytopenia [Jun 19, 2024] Chen et al. @NEJM https://t.co/o9wf1ogUi4 #NCT05694767 #ITP https://t.co/aSXzpOHOtF
Fostamatinib Shows 79% Response, 54% Complete Remission in ITP
Fostamatinib [Syk inhib] effectiveness and safety for immune thrombocytopenia in clinical practice [August 8, 2024] @tomasjosegonza2 et al. @BloodPortfolio https://t.co/wrctRVBZsJ #ITP 79% RR, 53.6% CR https://t.co/OJfMY0DMah
Rilzabrutinib Shows Safety and Efficacy in Chronic ITP
Safety and efficacy of rilzabrutinib vs placebo in adults with [persistent/chronic] immune thrombocytopenia: the phase 3 LUNA3 study [Jun 12, 2025] Kuter et al. @BloodPortfolio https://t.co/hhnzXg3bqu #NCT04562766 #ITP https://t.co/IkjLnu1kTd
Daratumumab Shows Safety and Efficacy in ITP
Safety and Efficacy of Daratumumab in Immune Thrombocytopenia (#ITP) [Aug 5, 2025] Tsykunova et al. @BloodPortfolio https://t.co/GHyJGG7YSe #NCT04703621 https://t.co/pBgjzTCGQl