Fatih Ozsolak

Good morning everyone! Do you like AI and graph neural networks? (see what i did there? :-) ) Our blog today helps you discover how SpatialGlue, a groundbreaking model published in Nature Methods, leverages graph neural networks and dual-attention mechanisms to integrate spatial and multi-omics data, providing unprecedented insights into tissue architecture and cellular interactions. Read our blog for a summary of how this innovative approach outperforms traditional models, offering precise mapping of complex structures and advancing research in fields like cancer and neurology. #SpatialTranscriptomics #ComputationalBiology #Bioinformatics #AI

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Nice in depth (and nostalgic) analysis of the new Illumina SmolSeq (🐱) by Keith Robison. Some really insightful points, most importantly IMO that SmolSeq is artfully positioned to create some competitive turbulence for Element Biosciences: "But now, $50K gets a very highly performing machine and $100K one which will fit many startup aspirations.  AVITI is still a sweet instrument, but Illumina just made that conversation more complicated." Also, why so shy about a DX version - "But even more surprising is that Illumina didn't outline a clear roadmap for clinical versions of the MiSeq i100 [🐱] - the DX model of the MiSeq received FDA clearance. The simpler workflows and smaller footprint would seem to make MiSeq i100 [🐱] a natural to try to put into pathology labs. So why the hesitancy to outline a path to get these into lucrative clinical markets?"

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New trends in M&A deal breakdown, IO in this case... ... May shed lights on domestic and international BD licensing deal negotiation in 2024 too. Here is my scientific breakdown of the same deal 2 days ago...https://lnkd.in/exG464j8 Good to learn the business side of the deal. Michael Mischke-Reeds

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Gordian Biotechnology is all about predicting patient outcomes, and are now hiring a Head of Translational Genomics to envision and enact strategy to identify patient segments most likely to match responses we're seeing preclinically. You'll have access to unprecedented in vivo datasets showing therapeutic potential from experimental tests in half a dozen species, as well as patient samples. From this and additional data you seek out, you'll explore and decide the best ways for us to identify patients likely to respond in clinical trials, e.g. endotypes sharing pathophysiology with preclinical models, biomarkers for responsiveness, and more. You would report directly to the CSO, and be supported by an outstanding team of disease experts and wet+computational biologists. Read more and apply: https://lnkd.in/gwFgvT3T #Hiring #Biotechjobs #Startupjobs #Bayareajobs #DrugDevelopment #HumanGenetics #ComparativeGenomics #SingleCell #Genomics #MASH #Fibrosis #HeartFailure #Osteoarthritis #CreatingTime

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🌟 Candid Therapeutics: Disrupting Cancer Treatment with a $370M Splash 🌟 Hot off the $4.1 billion sale of RayzeBio to Bristol Myers Squibb, biotech trailblazer Ken Song, M.D., is back with a groundbreaking venture—Candid Therapeutics. With an impressive $370 million Series A funding, Candid Therapeutics is set to dominate the T-cell engager space, bolstered by strategic acquisitions of Vignette Bio and TRC 2004. 🔑 T-Cell Engagers: The Future of Cancer Therapy T-cell engagers are the next-gen bispecific antibodies, engineered to precisely target cancer cells. Unlike the cumbersome CAR T-cell therapies, Candid’s flagship assets, promise revolutionary cancer treatment options. 🧑‍⚕️ Meet the Dream Team Timothy Lu, M.D., Ph.D.: Chief Medical and Scientific Officer Bernie Huyghe, Ph.D.: Chief Technology Officer Arvind Kush: Chief Financial and Business Officer Candid Therapeutics is on a mission to transform the biotech landscape! #Biotech #TCell #cancer #autoimmune

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Among the multitude of single-cell technologies, which one should you choose? A comprehensive benchmarking study by a team from Genentech can help make that choice easier. They used PBMCs to evaluate the performance of droplet, microwell, and combinatorial indexing-based methods from various companies that offer single-cell technology. 07/08/24 edit: please see response from Singleron by Harlin Jhyont below in the comment. “This study provides a comprehensive and systematic evaluation of commercially-available scRNA-seq kits and sheds light on the various strengths and weaknesses of each kit with respect to time, cost, functionality and performance, which should facilitate an optimal and informed selection of a suitable scRNA-seq approach.” “Overall, 10x FRP exhibited the highest ranked performance followed by 10x 3’, BD, Scale, 10x 5’ / Parse (tie), Fluent, Honeycomb, and Scipio. Singleron was excluded from the cell-based comparisons due to unreliable cell calling; however, based on UMI count, gene count, and usable mapped reads, it exhibited the lowest performance at the library level.” https://lnkd.in/eTk3jYVQ #singlecell #science

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RAPT Therapeutics Therapeutics and Shanghai Jemincare Pharmaceutical Announce Exclusive License Agreement for Novel Long-Acting anti-IgE Antibody SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RAPT Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: RAPT), a clinical-stage, immunology-based biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapies for patients with significant unmet needs in inflammatory diseases, and Shanghai Jemincare Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd (“Jemincare”), a subsidiary of Jiangxi Jemincare Group, a leading pharmaceutical company in China, today announced they have entered into an exclusive license agreement for JYB1904 (RAPT designation RPT904), a clinical-stage, half-life extended anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) monoclonal antibody. Under the terms of the license agreement, RAPT is granted worldwide rights excluding mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan (together, the “Jemincare Territory”) to develop and commercialize RPT904. As consideration for the license, Jemincare receives a $35 million upfront license fee, up to $672.5 million in additional payments upon the achievement of various regulatory and commercial milestones, and royalties on future sales of RPT904 outside the Jemincare Territory. RPT904 is being developed to offer patients a potentially improved therapeutic option compared to omalizumab (marketed as Xolair®), an anti-IgE monoclonal antibody approved for several allergic disorders, including asthma, chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps and, most recently, food allergy. RAPT plans to pursue development of RPT904 initially in food allergy. Separately, Jemincare is conducting Phase 2 clinical trials of JYB1904 in China in asthma and CSU. “We’re delighted to partner with Jemincare and excited by RPT904 and its potential to be a novel best-in-class treatment option for patients with food allergy. Omalizumab’s rapid uptake in food allergy since its approval earlier this year confirms the high unmet need and large opportunity in this growing market,” commented Brian Wong M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of RAPT. “RPT904 targets the same clinically validated epitope as omalizumab and combined with extended half-life, gives this molecule a best-in-class profile. We plan to initiate a Phase 2b clinical trial of RPT904 in food allergy in the second half of 2025.” https://lnkd.in/e92YkAmT

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Passive #LNP tissue targeting paper from Professor James Dahlman's lab. LNP67 was found capable of delivering #mRNA to murine HSCs in vivo, primary human HSCs ex vivo and CD34+ cells in rhesus monkeys in vivo at doses of 0.25 and 0.4 mg kg−1. 

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To use innovative science to do transformative good: that's what we're doing at Clene Nanomedicine, Inc.

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Trying to get my head around the strategy/game theory of this Illumina GRAIL spinoff (not an investment banker 🤣). It's very different from a normal deal because of the EU mandate: MUST divest & MUST add $1B if a spinoff. Seems to have 3 phases (M&A people feel free to weigh in with corrections/color): Phase 1 (completed Feb 24) Illumina hires 2 serious investment banks (JPM and Centerview) to run an M&A auction for Grail. Banks contact all likely (and unlikely) parties, interested parties go under NDA, do due diligence, maybe make an offer. I heard Illumina's ask was something like $2B so maybe potential buyers are thinking $1B. But no one makes an offer - we know this because any reasonable offer would be better for Illumina than moving to phase 2: Phase 2 (completed May 24) Lacking an offer, Illumina announced its plan to spin-off Grail to Illumina shareholders after adding the EU-mandated $1B to the deal. Really a last resort option because of the $1B which comes from Illumina cash unless the bankers can stitch together a PIPE which feels unlikely given the negative signal sent by the failure of Phase 1. Also the uncertainty of where GRAL stock will trade, could be (even more 🤪) embarrassing. Phase 3 (underway now) Here I'm really spitballing because the situation is so unusual. Let's say that some of the potential acquirers in Phase 1 were kind of interested but not prepared to pay much. Now they know that Illumina is down to its worst possible option, putting $1B into the spinoff. Maybe go back to Illumina and offer to take Grail off its hands for $0 if Illumina just puts in say $500M? That way Illumina saves $500M and eliminates the risk of floating GRAL. But if this was interesting to the acquirer it makes more sense to let the spinoff happen and then take GRAL private with $1B in the bank. Ah, that's why Illumina put the change-of-control prorated clawback in the spinoff docs 👏 Fascinating and unusual situation 🍿🍿🍿

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This FABulous team is doing FABulous work in the autoimmune space! I learn something new everytime I talk with them. Check out this article! I promise you'll learn something! (I had no idea genes from inactivated X-chromosomes are expressed. 😲 ) #drugdiscovery #womenshealth #autoimmunediseases #bispecifics #lifesciences

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While everyone's been focused on T cell engagers, Innate Pharma's quietly developed something rather clever: a tetraspecific antibody that turns NK cells into a precision cancer-fighting force. The science here is fascinating - their IPH6501 molecule simultaneously engages three NK cell receptors (including an IL-2 variant for proliferation) plus CD20 on B-cell lymphomas. It's like creating a molecular matchmaker that not only brings NK cells to their target but ensures they're properly activated and can multiply once they get there. What's particularly interesting about this approach: - Potentially better safety profile than T cell engagers - Multiple NK activation signals in one molecule - Demonstrated efficacy in both mice and primates And all this while other companies are stepping back from NK cell therapies. From "natural" killers to "precision-guided" killers 🎯 #CancerImmunotherapy #NKcells #AntibodyEngineering #Lymphoma ------------------- Hi, I'm James - I post about all things immuno-oncology. I am Vice President of Sales at ichorbio, a bulk manufacturer of in vivo antibodies and research biosimilars. If you like my content please reshare with your network and follow me to see more!

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Congratulations to Element Biosciences on Raising Over $277 Million! Element Biosciences, Inc. has secured over $277 million in a Series D investment round, bringing their total raised to over $680 million. Led by Wellington Management, the round included investors such as Samsung Electronics, Fidelity, Foresite Capital, T. Rowe Price Associates, and Venrock. The funds will support the commercialization of AVITI™, Element's benchtop DNA sequencer, and the launch of AVITI24™, the first instrument to combine sequencing and cyto-profiling into a single platform. This technology enables simultaneous examination of DNA, RNA, proteins, phosphoproteins, and cell structure within single cells, revolutionizing research. Molly He, CEO of Element Biosciences, stated, “Element’s innovative products and dedicated team have earned us a large, loyal customer base. This funding round underscores our mission to make cutting-edge science accessible to all.” #biotech #investment #dna #genomics #precisionmedicine #innovation #research #science #technology #healthcare

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Global Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) Industry Report – Market Size, Trends, & Forecasts, 2024 - https://lnkd.in/esH83uh Today, iPSCs are being utilized across a diverse range of applications, including: Cellular Therapy: iPSCs are being explored in a diverse range of cell therapy applications for the purpose of reversing injury or disease. Disease Modelling: By generating iPSCs from patients with disorders of interest and differentiating them into disease-specific cells, iPSCs can effectively create disease models “in a dish”. Drug Development and Discovery:iPSCs have the potential to transform drug discovery by providing physiologically relevant cells for compound identification, target validation, compound screening, and tool discovery. Personalized Medicine: The use of techniques such as CRISPR enable precise, directed creation of knock-outs and knock-ins (including single base changes) in many cell types. Pairing iPSCs with genome editing technologies is adding a new dimension to personalized medicine. Toxicology Testing: iPSCs can be used for toxicology screening, which is the use of iPSCs or their derivatives (tissue-specific cells) to assess the safety of compounds or drugs within living cells. Tissue Engineering: iPSCs can be seeded onto scaffolds made from biocompatible materials. These scaffolds mimic the structure and properties of the target tissue and can provide a supportive environment for cell growth and differentiation. Organoid Production: iPS cells can be coaxed to self-organize into 3D structures called organoids, which mimic the structure and function of organs. Organoids can be used for studying organ development, modeling diseases, and testing drugs. Gene Editing: iPSCs can be genetically modified using techniques like CRISPR-Cas9 to correct disease-causing mutations or introduce specific genetic changes. These edited iPS cells can then be differentiated into the desired cell type for transplantation or disease modeling. Research Tools: iPSCs and iPSC-derived cell types are being widely used within a diverse range of basic and applied research applications. Stem Cell Banking: iPSC repositories provide researchers with the opportunity to investigate a diverse range of conditions using iPSC-derived cell types produced from both healthy and diseased donors. Cultured Meat Production: iPSCs are being utilized in clean meat production by serving as the cellular foundation for the creation of lab-grown meat. 3D Bioprinting: iPSCs can be directed to differentiate into cell types of interest, such as skin, heart, or liver cells, which are then incorporated into bioinks. Wildlife Conservation and De-extinction Projects: iPSCs are being used in wildlife conservation and de-extinction projects. For example, Colossal Biosciences is using iPSC technology in an effort to achieve woolly mammoth de-extinction. #ipscells #celltherapy #drugdevelopment #research

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Can Polaris become the guiding star in this drug development #rAIvolution? A recent correspondence in Nature Portfolio's Nature Machine Intelligence, led by Cas Wognum of Valence Labs and Recursion, calls for "an industry-led initiative to critically assess machine learning for real-world drug discovery." This collaborative effort is both timely and crucial for our industry's future. Here's a free copy of the paper: https://lnkd.in/eNkQGqUR The authors, representing a consortium of ten leading biotech and pharmaceutical companies, argue that despite exciting innovations, we lack standardized benchmarks and evaluation methods tailored to drug discovery's unique challenges. This gap is delaying ML adoption and potentially misleading us about real-world impact. The fact that competitors are joining forces underscores the importance of this initiative. These include: Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, Novartis, Blueprint Medicines, Merck, Nimbus Therapeutics, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Relay Therapeutics. Why does this matter? The challenges we face in implementing ML for drug discovery are multifaceted: • Inconsistent datasets hinder progress • High-stakes decisions require reliable methods • Current benchmarks may not reflect real-world conditions • Interdisciplinary expertise is crucial but often siloed The proposed solution is an open-science, cross-industry initiative focusing on curating representative benchmark datasets, developing rigorous evaluation guidelines, and creating open-source tools to implement best practices. We have a responsibility to bridge the gap between perceived progress and actual impact. This Polaris - Benchmarks for methods that matter effort could become our guiding star in the vast sea of data and methodologies. By pooling our expertise and resources, we can establish a fixed point of reference to guide ML innovation in our field. The question now is: how can we all contribute to this initiative? What unique insights could each of us bring to the table? Our collective expertise can chart a more accurate course for innovation, potentially revolutionizing how we approach drug development and ultimately benefiting patients worldwide. Let's start a conversation about shaping the future of ML in drug discovery. #MachineLearning #DrugDevelopment #Innovation #Biotech #Collaboration Illustration EMxMJ

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Aviceda Therapeutics Raises Upsized $207.5 Million in Series C Financing Round to Advance Lead Program AVD-104 for Geographic Atrophy into Pivotal Trials - Business Wire CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aviceda Therapeutics (“Aviceda”), a private, clinical-stage biotech company focused on developing next-generation immunomodulators with a proprietary High Affinity Ligands of Siglecs (HALOS™) nanotechnology platform to alleviate chronic, non-resolving inflammation, today announced the closing of a $207.5 million Series C financing. Proceeds will support the ongoing Phase 2b/3 and planned pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for AVD-104 in geographic atrophy (GA), a vision-threatening condition secondary to advanced age-related macular degeneration, and the expansion into other ophthalmic indications. The Series C round was co-led by renowned healthcare funds, Omega Funds and TCGX, with participation from leading investment firms Enavate Sciences, Jeito Capital, Blue Owl Healthcare Opportunities, Longitude Capital, OrbiMed, Logos Capital, Marshall Wace, Catalio Capital Management, funds managed by abrdn Inc., and Digitalis Ventures. “We are proud to support Aviceda and its team of retinal specialists, whose blend of ophthalmic expertise and operational excellence drives Aviceda’s advancement of AVD-104 toward critical milestones,” commented Bernard Davitian, Partner at Omega Funds. AVD-104’s dual mechanism of action targets immune modulation and complement inhibition. By repolarizing overactivated macrophages to their healing stage and stabilizing complement factor H, AVD-104 has shown positive proof-of-concept efficacy in slowing GA lesion growth and preserving/enhancing visual function in a Phase 2a trial completed in early 2024, which underscores its potential for first-in-class efficacy and safety. Aviceda’s ongoing Phase 2b/3 trial evaluating two doses of AVD-104 versus avacincaptad pegol (Izervay) in patients with GA is fully enrolled, with 12-month primary endpoint data anticipated in the second half of 2025. https://lnkd.in/eAy_ChMb

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