The Bio Report

Levine Media Group

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LIFE SCIENCES
UPDATED WEEKLY

The Bio Report podcast, hosted by award-winning journalist Daniel Levine, focuses on the intersection of biotechnology with business, science, and policy.

1 DAY AGO

Preventing a Deadly Disease by Detecting It Before It Becomes Cancer

Esophageal cancer is a growing healthcare concern with a steady increase in the number of cases in the last four decades, a development that runs counter to what’s been seen in other major types of cancer. Some 22,000 people are diagnosed each year in the United States with the disease and it is responsible for 16,000 deaths annually. Now, though, Lishan Aklog, chairman and CEO of Lucid Diagnostics, says today esophageal cancer is preventable through early detection in the pre-cancer stage. We spoke to Aklog about Lucid’s test to detect esophageal cancer, how it works, and its potential to change outcomes for people with the condition by catching it before it turns into a deadly cancer.

37 min
20 NOV

Getting Tumors to Say “Eat Me”

While existing immunotherapies have changed cancer care, there are several types of cancer where they have limited or no efficacy. Pheast Therapeutics is addressing that by looking to macrophages, part of the innate immune system. These white blood cells gobble up pathogens, cancer cells, and other foreign substances. Certain tumors, though, can evade their attack by expressing checkpoints that serve as “don’t eat me” signals. Pheast is developing macrophage checkpoint inhibitors to block these signals and enlist macrophages in the fight against cancers. We spoke to Roy Maute, cofounder and CEO of Pheast Therapeutics, about how tumors evade the innate immune system, the company’s experimental macrophage checkpoint inhibitor, and its initial focus on ovarian and triple negative breast cancer.

25 min
13 NOV

Targeting the Dark Matter of the Genome to Treat Diseases

About 98 percent of the the human genome consists of non-protein coding regions known as the “dark genome.” Once derided as “junk DNA,” these regions are increasingly understood to play a critical role in the regulation of the genome and offer a novel means of targeting diseases. Haya Therapeutics is exploring long non-coding RNAs as potential therapies to treat a range of diseases. We spoke to Samir Ounzain, co-founder and CEO of Haya, about the dark genome, the potential to use lncRNAs to treat diseases, and its recently announced collaboration with Eli Lily to use Haya’s platform technology to discover therapies for obesity and related metabolic conditions

33 min
6 NOV

Using AI to Discover Small Molecule Alternatives to Biologics

One of the promises of AI is to redefine what’s possible by enabling the discovery of compounds that exist in a much larger chemical space than scientists have previously been able to explore. Deepcure is using AI and physics to discover small molecule therapies that can bind to difficult to target proteins. We spoke to Kfir Schreiber, co-founder and CEO of Deepcure, about the company’s AI technology platform, its focus on autoimmune diseases, and why he believes its technology will allow it to develop small molecule drugs that can provide alternatives to biologics to treat these conditions.

32 min
30 OCT

A BET on a Novel Approach to Treat Autoimmune Conditions

The BET family of proteins regulates gene expression. Their overexpression has been implicated in both cancer and inflammatory diseases. Vyne Therapeutics is developing oral and topical BET inhibitors that treat inflammatory conditions ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to the skin condition vitiligo. We spoke to Vyne CEO David Domzalski and Vyne Chief Scientific Officer Iain Stuart, about the role BET plays in autoimmune diseases, its platform technology, and its efforts to develop BET inhibitors that are both potent and specific.

25 min
23 OCT

Cell Therapies that Can Do a Solid for People with Cancer

Adrian Rawcliffe, CEO of Adaptimmune, discuses the approval the first engineered cell therapy to treat a solid tumor, how its T cell receptor gene therapies differ from CAR T therapies, and what other cancers might benefit from such an approach.

52 min
16 OCT

Going to Extremes to Discover New Drugs

Hibernation is not just a matter of deep sleep. Animals that hibernate are able to do so without suffering damage to tissue and muscle. Understanding the biology of hibernation can unlock potential insights into obesity, heart attack and stroke, muscle atrophy, neuroprotection, and longevity. Fauna Bio is studying genomic data from so-called "extreme mammals" and applying its proprietary AI platform to perform comparative genetic analysis to find gene-disease links and leverage millions of years of evolutionary adaptations to identify new therapeutic opportunities for human health. We spoke to Ashley Zehnder, founder and CEO of Fauna Bio, about the types of insights that can be gleaned from the genetics of hibernating animals, the wide range of human health conditions that might be addressed with such an approach, and the company’s deal with Eli Lilly to apply its AI platform to discover new obesity drugs.

32 min
9 OCT

Targeting Senescent Cells to Treat Aging-Related Diseases

Senescent cells, ones that no longer divide but are metabolically active, are associated with aging. They are also implicated in a broad range of aging-related diseases including cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative conditions. In the case of cancer, these cells can help protect tumors from a person’s immune system. Immorta Bio is seeking to address aging-related diseases by targeting senescent cells and killing them. We spoke to Thomas Ichim, president and chief scientific officer of Immorta Bio, about aging-related diseases, the role senescent cells play in these conditions, and why the company’s therapeutic approach may also have promise of addressing aging itself and extending healthy years of life.

32 min

See All (539)

The Bio Report podcast, hosted by award-winning journalist Daniel Levine, focuses on the intersection of biotechnology with business, science, and policy.

Creator

Levine Media Group
Years Active

2014 - 2024
Episodes

539
Rating

Clean
Show Website

The Bio Report

The Bio Report

Episodes

Preventing a Deadly Disease by Detecting It Before It Becomes Cancer

Getting Tumors to Say “Eat Me”

Targeting the Dark Matter of the Genome to Treat Diseases

Using AI to Discover Small Molecule Alternatives to Biologics

A BET on a Novel Approach to Treat Autoimmune Conditions

Cell Therapies that Can Do a Solid for People with Cancer

Going to Extremes to Discover New Drugs

Targeting Senescent Cells to Treat Aging-Related Diseases

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