| Synthetic - Part 13

What Illumina Ventures’ Portfolio Says About The Science And Business Models Of The Future Care Delivery System

October 28, 2020October 28, 2020 by Simons Chase

A look inside a leading venture capital firm’s portfolio is like a lens for understanding the current state of the future of healthcare. Illumina Ventures’ is an independently-managed, healthcare-focused venture firm in a strategic partnership with Illumina, Inc. The portfolio illustrates as much about business models as it does about the science behind synthetic biology. … Read more

This Chinese Biotech Is Developing A Immune-privileged Cell And Organ Platform

October 26, 2020October 26, 2020 by Staff

Hangzhou Qihan Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is innovating in transplantable cells, tissues, and organs to solve the massive organ shortage crisis. The company targets the scientific challenge of specific cell therapy by developing a multiplexable high-throughout gene-editing platform. The platform’s key feature is to reduce the immunogenicity of human stem cells, thus limiting their ability to … Read more

Here Is A New Class Of RNA Therapeutics

October 26, 2020October 26, 2020 by Staff

The approval in 2018 of a new drug to treat polyneuropathy caused by a rare and frequently fatal disease called hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (hATTR) marks the arrival of a new class of therapeutics. The new drug, called patisiran (Onpattro), is a small interfering RNA (siRNA) that is part of a class of therapeutics that can … Read more

Untangling U.S. Insurance Coverage and Reimbursement For Genetic Tests

October 22, 2020October 22, 2020 by Staff

In many cases, health insurance plans will cover the costs of genetic testing when it is recommended by a doctor. Health insurance providers have different policies about which tests are covered, however. Some people may choose not to use their insurance to pay for testing because the results of a genetic test can affect a … Read more

First Liquid Biopsy Companion Diagnostic Test Using Next-Generation Sequencing Receives FDA Approval

October 20, 2020October 20, 2020 by Staff

On August 7, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first liquid biopsy companion diagnostic that also uses next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology to identify patients with specific types of mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in a deadly form of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This is the … Read more

IPO: Codiak Biosciences Targets Exosomes

October 20, 2020October 20, 2020 by Staff

Codiak Biosciences is developing exosome-based therapeutics to treat diseases. Exosomes are naturally-occurring extracellular vesicles that carry proteins, genetic material, and other substances in and out of cells. Exosomes are like tiny bubbles that were originally believed to be a cellular waste product. Instead, exosomes can also be engineered for selective targeting of particular cells (ie. … Read more

Question: Can You Synthesize An Organism’s Entire Genome?

October 14, 2020October 14, 2020 by Staff

Can scientists synthesize an organism’s entire genome? The answer to this question is yes, and it has already been done. Some history. In 2002, scientists synthesized a viral genome for the first time. Viral genomes are much smaller compared to the genomes of most bacteria and microorganisms. Scientists showed that it was possible to create the polio … Read more

Chinese Healthcare Companies Listed on Major U.S. Stock Exchanges

October 13, 2020October 13, 2020 by Simons Chase

Chinese companies have capitalized on the U.S.’s open capital markets for decades. As the U.S.-China relationship frays, examining Chinese integration in the healthcare and biotech sectors must involve U.S. national security. This table includes Chinese companies listed on the NASDAQ, New York Stock Exchange, and NYSE American, the three largest U.S. exchanges. As of October … Read more

IPO: Cell Squeeze Technology Makes Debut With SQZ Biotechnologies Co

October 12, 2020February 1, 2021 by Simons Chase

SQZ Biotech IPO’d in November with a $350 million+/- market cap on the basis of a new technology called Cell Squeeze®. What we can observe about this company in the present is limited to a very short history and is mostly anecdotal and risky. The company and the science is a good example of how … Read more

The CRISPR Nobel Of 2020

October 9, 2020October 9, 2020 by Staff

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020 to: Emmanuelle CharpentierMax Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Berlin, Germany Jennifer A. DoudnaUniversity of California, Berkeley, USA Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna have discovered one of gene technology’s sharpest tools: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors. Using these, … Read more