Touching Base (GEN Podcasts)

AI for Scientists, FDA Reverses Course, and Advances in Cancer Therapeutics

The episode covers three main business stories: Tamarin Bio’s $13.6M Series A to build an AI model‑coordination platform that makes tools like AlphaFold accessible to wet‑lab biologists; the FDA’s reversal on Moderna’s mRNA‑1010 seasonal flu vaccine, spurring a modest stock rally and highlighting regulatory dynamics for mRNA vaccines; and Gilead’s $7.8B acquisition of Arcelis to secure the BCMA‑CAR‑T therapy AnidoCell, positioning it against Johnson & Johnson’s Carvykti in the multiple myeloma market. Guests share insights on how AI infrastructure is reshaping drug discovery workflows, the political and market implications of the FDA’s decision, and the strategic rationale behind big pharma’s CAR‑T investments.