AI Longevity Promises Overlook Tiny Real-World Gains
If you hear another AI celebrity telling you on stage that in the next 5 years we will double lifespan or eliminate all diseases - please show them this output from their own LLMs and ask them "How?". This simple analysis makes me very sad because statistically, it means that if all my longevity drugs get approved, impact on human longevity will be just a few QALY in the best case and it will take years until these drugs get validated beyond the approved indications and diffuse into population as longevity therapeutics. We need more people working on this problem and more alternative approaches.
Moderna CEO Labels Spike Protein “Garbage” In New Vaccine
Whoa. 🫣 This is incredible. Stephen Hoge, president of Moderna, gave an interview on April 17 to the "why should I trust you?" podcast in which he referred to the spike protein — famously in all the Covid vaccines —...
Preprints Safeguard Vaccine Safety Data From FDA Suppression
"The Paper That Didn't Disappear" FDA reportedly held back several vaccine safety papers headed to publication. Fortunately, one was on medRxiv and remains available. Why preprints matter; my latest Substack: https://t.co/YfTbkEPBU4 Also discussed in #healthandveritas podcast. https://t.co/k24zPtoGA2
AI Poised to Spark Trillion‑dollar Biotech Revolution
Last day @synbiobeta and had a fascinating discussion with my friend @andrewhessel about the SynBio space. His insight was that SynBio and Biotech feels very much like the AI space pre LLM acceleration. AI will accelerate Biotech and Genetic Agency. Today's biotech...
CRISPR Selectively Eliminates KRAS‑mutant Cancer Cells
The CRISPR Killer as in KRAS mutated cancer cells https://t.co/y1zrmYbIAQ Explainer thread @N8Krah co-author https://t.co/CIweqZMUqY
SGLT2 Inhibitors Cut Cardiovascular Death by 14%
As a medical school professor: when I trained, "diabetes drugs" meant blood-sugar drugs. That ceiling has been broken. Meta-analysis in Am J Med (Jaiswal et al, U Chicago, Mar 26 2026) pooled 18 RCTs, n=95,913 patients with diabetes, heart failure, or...
High Hs‑CRP, Not LDL, Drives Statin Benefit
"But my cholesterol is normal." JUPITER trial (NEJM): 18,000 people, normal LDL, high hs-CRP. Statin → cardiac events ↓44%, heart attacks ↓54%, strokes ↓48%. 322,000-person UK Biobank: hs-CRP outranked LDL. Full episode 🎙 https://youtu.be/FBLB1CQGBPM
Angelini Pharma Acquires Catalyst, Boosts US Rare‑Disease Portfolio
Angelini Pharma buys Catalyst Pharmaceuticals and its rare disease drugs for $4.1B The deal will expand the Italian pharma company’s work in the U.S. https://t.co/BwO6uGKvrT
Catalyst Poised as Florida’s First Multi‑Billion Biotech Exit
Is Catalyst (based in Coral Gables) the first Florida biotech to have a multi billion exit?
Kalshi Offers Odds on FDA Commissioner Makary’s Tenure
Kalshi now has odds on Commissioner Makary’s term at FDA. Very thin liquidity and wide spreads so I wouldn’t put much credence into these numbers currently but still interesting. https://t.co/rMdpTWB5ES
Targeted Therapies Resurge; some Phase 3 Trials Risk Obsolescence
With a rapid fire raft of trial updates coming out of #esmobreast26, one thing stood out... targeted molecules are back in fashion and a few companies might be left holding the baby if their phase 3 trials have already started: https://t.co/jlKDLsecVZ...
Oncology Care Ignores Patient Survival vs QoL Preferences
"Patient preference for extending survival or maintaining QoL was not associated with up-front treatment modifications or downstream outcomes, suggesting a possible lack of responsiveness of the current oncology care delivery system to patient preference." https://t.co/0RXf4h2dr3 In: Outcomes of Older Adults With Advanced...
Japan's TMS-007 Shows Promise for Stroke Treatment
@ej23ny @BiotechXGuru @biotech_cash @Ceazar_Black Anyone here look at Japan Biotech? I'm far from an expert, but I think 4891.T (TMS) is worth looking into. Its a nano cap with dilutive equity warrants (and a smallish cash runway) but their main...
Unfunded $24B Could Have Delivered 100‑Day Prototype Vaccines
Every so often I think about how, in 2022, for $24B we could had "prototype vaccines ready for each of the 26 known viral families that cause human disease" so they can be deployed in 100 days if there was...
MRNA Flu Shot Cuts Illness in 50+, Raises Reactogenicity
Prasad wanted high-dose flu vaccine comparator - hence the original Refusal-to-File. FDA then agreed to a split application for over-65's and under, and accepted the revised application.
Even a Dog Loves Scaling Virtual Biology Panel
Not all our #SynBioBeta2026 attendees walk on 2 legs 🐶 Taco here found the "From Cells to Patients: Solving the Scale Mismatch in Virtual Biology" Main Stage Panel particularly interesting. https://t.co/6xMHnozSqd
First‑in‑class Molecular Glue Shows Breakthrough Pancreatic Cancer Results
We're seeing major advances vs pancreatic cancer. Today @NEJM data for daraxonrasib @RevMedicines https://t.co/IinceclK6w Context for this first-in-class molecular glue https://t.co/IinceclK6w https://t.co/odhmXQqzMF
Quick Turnaround: Good Longevity Trial News Arrives
I post about working around longevity clinical trials and an hour later @j_n_justice tells me good news about longevity clinical trials... 😍
Trump Drug Strategy Clashes With New Funding Policies
Trump administration’s drug strategy is at odds with recent actions on funding, policy https://t.co/UDiuVnEMDZ via @statnews
AI End‑to‑End Models Will Accelerate BioPharma Innovation
AI + Biopharma @synbiobeta Fireside w/ @AnthropicAI , Mithrl, & @obviousvc Insights: - Anthropic aren't going to make their own science models, they'll be training the same base model everyone uses - Base Science models already well served - Anthropic wants to help...
Peptides Boost Hormones, Yet Trigger Serious Metabolic Side Effects
People mistakenly believe peptides are only good. Peptides can be bad, too. They can cause adverse effects. Some dangerous. I did a peptide experiment and measured its effects in my body. The results are complicated. I tried a peptide called CJC-1295....
Hamilton Unveils Integrated Glucose Sensor, Marks Decade Milestone
Hamilton Company has been coming to @SynBioBeta for years. This year, they showed up with something new. Tyler Schweder from Hamilton's process analytics team walked Gary George through their full upstream workflow: pH, dissolved oxygen, viable cell density, total cell...
Heroic Psilocybin Dose Dramatically Rewires Brain Connectivity
“Scientists gave people a “heroic” dose of psilocybin and then looked at their brain. Here’s what happened” https://t.co/M9FjCRGNNq
80+ Therapeutic Peptides Approved Across Major Disease Areas
Did you know... over 80 therapeutic peptides have been approved to treat a wide array of diseases, ranging from infectious diseases, cardiovascular, dysmetabolic diseases, and cancer: https://t.co/kW4zgAcmE3
Scientists Remove Essential Amino Acid, Redefining Life's Code
All Life Uses 20 Amino Acids. Scientists Just Deleted One in Bacteria The synthetic bacteria push the limits of life and could open the door to designer proteins and new medicines https://t.co/mVZrQ0z7vz https://t.co/zFzSpnrk6h
Briumvi’s Optional Subq Gives It Market‑share Edge
On the $TGTX call the following was casually mentioned in response to a question about subq: "We feel actually very confident in our ability to deliver a quarterly product." It's important to understand that Briumvi will be the only product that...
Pill GLP‑1 Drugs Activate Amygdala Reward Circuit, Not Hypothalamus
Discovery of a new brain reward circuit in the amygdala for small molecule (pill) GLP-1 drug effect, unlike the injectables (hypothalamus), as shown in mice https://t.co/3lkfxROh5Z
Blood Test Now Gauges Tumor Microenvironment Non‑invasively
We've known how important the tumor microenvironment is for cancer progression and treatment, but we never had a non-invasive blood test to assess it. Today, as reported @nature, one has been discovered https://t.co/rDaF5YUwTq
Chicago Trip Reveals GLP-1 Adoption Still in Infancy
being in Chicago for a few days has made me realize how insanely early we are in the GLP-1 adoption cycle
Gene Therapy Field Focused on FDA Shifts in Rome
Even at a meeting in Rome, FDA shifts are top of mind for gene therapy field https://t.co/J9WXJqzqTY via @statnews
GLP‑1 Use Surges, Unlocking $100B Anti‑obesity Market
i think roughly 40% of Americans are significantly overweight so still plenty of upside for GLPs. $LLY
Harvard-Backed Trials Still Face Skeptical Disagreement
Have a team at Harvard Medical School, and drug pipeline in human trials, and scientific papers dating back to 2008 challenging that assumption No - I don’t agree 🤣
Aurobindo Pharma Unit-VII Receives FDA VAI Classification
Aurobindo Pharma Unit-VII Gets US FDA VAI Classification Aurobindo Pharma's Unit-VII oral solid dosage facility in Telangana receives Voluntary Action Indicated (VAI) classification from US FDA, closing the inspection with 9 Form 483 observations. AUROPHARMA 1,471.60 43.50 (3.05%)
Trump Plan Cuts Drug Costs 6% but Still Double Abroad
WH says Trump's drug plan will reduce drug spending by about 6%, still leave us paying twice as much as people Canada and Europe.
Brain IGF-1 Shields Male Mice From Age‑Related Decline
Central IGF-1 protects against features of cognitive and sensorimotor decline with aging in male mice https://t.co/7U25aLdLFv
Tricare Drug Prices Hidden, Generics Offer Cheaper Alternative
Now I’m going to flip it. Tricare has the VA pharma contract. @ewarren tried to get a copy of their contract, with pricing to the taxpayer. They won’t provide it. She has done a good...
FDA Blocks Proven Therapies, Permits Untested Peptides
So let me get this straight - this FDA 1) won’t approve life saving melanoma and Huntington’s disease drugs based on BS objections related to control groups that would not be ethical 2) blocks large study showing exquisite safety of...
Awaiting Faster
Looking forward to the implementation of quicker/less bureaucratic path to first in human and only one pivotal study required for approval. Question is when these changes will happen and will all FDA offices/divisions support.
BioNTech's Remarkable Vaccine Supply Chain: A Bittersweet Legacy
For those of us (OK, mainly me) obsessively tracking the details of BioNTech's *INCREDIBLE* vaccine supply chain buildout during COVID-19, this piece is bittersweet. What BioNTech achieved for humanity in 2020-21 is simply an incredible story. https://t.co/H0YcTszLjr
FDA Approvals for Aging Therapies: Updated Insights
My 20min talk on FDA approvals of aging therapies & more coming soon from the Dec 2025 Longevity Summit at the Buck Institute is now on YouTube: https://t.co/L024jUz9iT It's an updated version of the one I gave at Vitalist Bay May'25. I'll be...
Viridian Data Boosts Thyroid Eye Disease Drug Prospects
Viridian data lift prospects for thyroid eye disease drug https://t.co/fjfkebQ99D by @Lilah_Alvarado $VRDN + 28% $AMGN
Pfizer Scrubs Trillium Pipeline, CD47 Concept Proves Bust
Sometimes in biotech you can get lucky and win even though you were dead wrong. $PFE just dumped the rest of the Trillium ( $TRIL) pipeline - it all came to naught. I made out nicely when PFE bought TRIL,...
Biotech Poised to Create Universal Anti‑venom Breakthrough
Day 1 @SynBioBeta first panel on building a universal anti-venom "We haven't innovated in 125yrs, since injecting horses with venom worked okay" We're now on the cusp of a universal anti-venom thanks to modern biotech https://t.co/wNbPwXjHPi
Orexin Therapies Unlock New Horizons Beyond Narcolepsy
Orexin drugs for narcolepsy and more. Listen to Richard Pops @popsalks discuss the emerging opportunity, and his 35-year-career, on The Long Run. Sponsored by @AlphaSenseInc & Dash Bio. https://t.co/Qr6oJ8AwzB
Single 25 Mg Psilocybin Dose Triggers Month-Long Brain Changes
A single 25 mg dose of psilocybin leads to brain structural changes that were seen at 1 month. From a cross-over study of 28 healthy volunteers, no prior psychedelic, who also were also assessed after 1 mg. Behavioral results in...
Cytospire Secures $83M to Develop Novel T‑Cell Engager
Cytospire hauls in $83M for a new type of T cell engager https://t.co/19BkL5JiHk by @gwendolynawu #biotech #startups
Multivitamins Show No Overall BP Benefit, Help Low‑Diet Individuals
Long-Term Effect of Multivitamin Supplementation on Incident Self-Reported Hypertension and Blood Pressure Changes in the COSMOS Trial "MVM supplementation versus placebo did not reduce hypertension incidence or lower BP overall. Exploratory analyses showed greater reduction in hypertension risk and BP changes...
Genetic Variant Determines Individual GLP‑1 Drug Response
As a medical school professor, I get asked why GLP-1 drugs work miracles for some and barely budge for others. A new Nature paper from 23andMe gives part of the answer: your genes. Researchers ran a genome-wide association study in 27,885...
RAGE Gene Therapy Cuts Inflammation, Not Lifespan
It's a gene therapy that targets the RAGE pathway (Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-Products) that mediates inflammation and oxidative stress signaling. So far, the mice data doesn't show significant longevity benefits and mostly reduced inflammation and vascular stiffness and kidney damage. On...
Agents Without Moats Will Falter in Fierce Market
Pointed ironies in the SERD wars, plus ADC hype, and what really works in breast cancer... How agents with no moat, no differentiation, and no clear advantage will struggle in a tough competitive market: https://t.co/2Efcy5ItNM https://t.co/FBDM2eDJd4