It’s the 25th anniversary of the founding of Google … and 23 years ago, Google founders - Larry Page and Sergey Brin – came to the Tech Nation studios to do their very first radio interview. There’s lots to learn there, including they believed what humans demanded of search, and why they did what they did. 

Dr. Robert Ladner, the Founder of CV6 Therapeutics in Belfast, Northern Ireland, tells us about their work to make a cornerstone cancer chemotherapy, even more effective. First trials are in colorectal and gastrointestinal cancers...  

Science journalist Tom Ireland tells us about a burgeoning field of science, which is changing the fight to successfully treat antibiotic infections. His book is “The Good Virus: The Amazing Story and Forgotten Promise of the Phage”. 

Osteoarthritis – mostly in the knee, but pick a joint. Dr. Diem (Zem) Nguyen (N’Win) is the CEO of Xalud (Za-lood) Therapeutics. We’ll talk about their work to reduce the inflammation that drives pain. It’s now in human clinical trials.

Why use one AI approach when you can use 25? CEO Dr. Ben Thomas and Chief Commercial Officer Dermot Tierney from Amply Discovery talks about how their novel approach to AI in drug discovery.

Modern cannabis products, with higher potency than those from the past, can lead to acute cannabis intoxication. Anebulo Pharmaceuticals, led by Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Ken Cundy, is working on an antidote that counteracts the negative effects of THC overdose, potentially benefiting both adults and children.

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive form of brain cancer, and progress in treating Glioblastoma has been elusive. Now, Toronto-based Medicenna has completed a successful Phase 2 with its innovative drug, and is now deep into planning the Phase 3 Trial. Also of interest, the FDA agreed to an unprecedented approach in Phase 2, which not only yields better science, but reduces the cost of the clinical trials themselves. To be sure, this approach will be carried forward into Phase 3. Dr. Fahar Merchant is the President & CEO of Medicenna Therapeutics. 

In this week's BioTech Nation, we discuss Geovax, a company working on a novel approach to treat head and neck cancers, which are often difficult to treat after standard options have been exhausted. Geovax is developing A2 component therapy, using an enzyme delivered directly to the tumor by a needle injection, followed by an infusion of an inactive form of a chemotherapeutic drug, which becomes toxic to the tumors when processed by the enzyme. The treatment aims to localize the effects, reduce side effects, and potentially activate the immune system to target other tumor cells in the body. Phase two trials are underway, with promising results so far.

In this week's episode of Biotech Nation, Dr. Jeffrey Cleland, the President and CEO of Ashvattha Therapeutics, discusses their drug development efforts to address long COVID. They discuss the definition of long COVID by the World Health Organization, the prevalence of the condition, and the chronic inflammation that occurs in the body, including the brain. Dr. Cleland explains how their nanomedicine approach aims to selectively target and turn off reactive inflammatory cells, potentially offering a treatment for long haul COVID and other diseases.

In this week's episode of Biotech Nation, Dr. Greg Frost, CEO of Exuma Biotech, discusses their innovative approaches to cancer treatment. They are working on a method to shorten the time and eliminate hospital stays for CAR-T therapy, while also developing a new technology called G-car that combines T cells and NK cells to create a more gentle and effective cancer therapy.