TomorrowScale Podcast

Drug discovery is changing. Deep generative models, as being pioneered by our guest Dr. Alex Zhavoronkov, founder and CEO of InSilico Medicine, are able to generate entirely new molecules and even, as we’ll hear, can discover new targets altogether. Within days.

This fall, InSilico and collaborators published an application of their generative reinforcement learning (GENTRL) to generate tens of thousands of novel compounds, synthesized only the 6 best, and identified a selective and nanomolar-potent candidate among them. We discuss deep generative drug discovery models, promise and criticism on these new methodologies, and dive into new research from their pending publications on NASH and we hear about a breaking new contribution by the InSilico team regarding a potential treatment for CoronaVirus. This is the TomorrowScale Podcast. I’m Justin Briggs.

Sources:

“Deep learning enables rapid identification of potent DDR1 kinase inhibitors” (Zhavoronkov 2019)

“Reply to: Assessing the Impact of Generative AI on Medicinal Chemistry” (Zhavoronkov 2020)

https://insilico.com

https://tomorrowscale.com

The TomorrowScale Podcast was created by Justin Briggs to showcase scientists and entrepreneurs who are building the future, and hear stories about how to build the future. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own, and the content of this show should not be considered legal, tax, or investing advice. Thank you to our guests for sharing their time and knowledge with us. Thanks for listening. Please science responsibly.

Guests: Dr. Dale Pfost, CEO & Dr. Steven Colletti, SVP R&D - Lodo Therapeutics

On this episode, we'll hear about Lodo and their plan to discover medicine from microbes. This is the TomorrowScale Podcast. Hosted by Justin Briggs.

Lodo Therapeutics is a drug discovery company based in New York City. Founded based on work by Dr. Sean Brady at Rockerfeller University to discover, develop and even produce medicines by exploring the uncultured microbiomes in our environment. Lodo’s platform could potentially unlock therapeutic molecules encoded within the genes of these bacteria by sequencing the microbial DNA. By doing so first, and at massive scale, they’re able to bridge next-generation sequencing with high-throughput screening to discover what they call “genetically-encoded small molecule” therapeutics. Armed with hit-producing microbes and mountains of data, they then leverage machine learning and synthetic biology to optimize and even produce these drug candidate compounds rather than relying on traditional synthesis approaches. It’s modern drug discovery and development from the ground up.

To guide us through this complex technology stack, we’ll meet two guides. Dr. Steve Colletti spent 24 years building multiple discovery pipelines across Merck, and currently leads R&D at Lodo. Dr. Dale Pfost is a five-time biotechnology CEO and former General Partner at venture firm Advent Life Sciences, who recently joined Lodo Therapeutics as CEO and Chairman.

Lodo Therapeutics: http://lodotherapeutics.com

TomorrowScale Website: http://TomorrowScale.com

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tomorrowscale

The TomorrowScale Podcast was created by Justin Briggs to showcase scientists and entrepreneurs who are building the future, and hear stories about how to build the future. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own, and the content of this show should not be considered legal, tax, or investing advice. Thank you to our guests for sharing their time and knowledge with us.  Thanks for listening.

Guests: Dr. Ana Jaklenec, MIT Langer Lab & Dr. Kevin McHugh, Rice University

Vaccines save lives. Yet, despite concerted global efforts more than 1.5 million children die each year from vaccine preventable diseases. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are at the center of this massive endeavor, and have enlisted labs around the world to help solve intractable problems in the developing world, including work was recently published in Science Translational Medicine. The technology involves a microneedle patch that can administer a standard vaccine, painlessly, but also leave an invisible vaccination record right on the skin. Meaning those who need vaccines can get them, even in the most remote locations, and those who don't need them, can prove they are protected without the need for paper or even digital records. You could carry the proof of prophylaxis with you, invisibly, as long as the vaccine protects you.  

On this episode, we’ll meet two of the paper’s co-authors, out of the Langer Lab at MIT: Dr. Ana Jaklenec and Dr. Kevin McHugh.

This is the TomorrowScale Podcast. Hosted by Justin Briggs.

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tomorrowscale

TomorrowScale Website: http://TomorrowScale.com

Publication (McHugh 2019): https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.aay7162

The TomorrowScale Podcast was created by Justin Briggs to showcase technology companies building the future. Interviews may be with old friends or were cold-contacted by Justin directly to be on the show. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own, and the content of this show should not be considered legal, tax, or investing advice. Thank you to our guests for sharing their time and knowledge with us.  And thank you for listening. Please science responsibly.

On this episode, we’ll meet Melanie Matheu, Ph.D., a scientist turning light into life. Her company, Prellis Biologics, has developed what may be a defining technology for the bioprinting industry: A method to print biology on the cellular level. They're shipping printed vasculature and organoids now, and have a plan to be in the clinic with printed organs within 3 years; that's right, some day you might walk around with a Prellis Biologics bioprinted organ inside you. Another interesting startup with huge potential. This is the TomorrowScale Podcast. Hosted by Justin Briggs.

The TomorrowScale Podcast was created by Justin Briggs to showcase technology companies building the future. Interviews may be with old friends or were cold-contacted by Justin directly to be on the show. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own, and the content of this show should not be considered legal, tax, or investing advice. Thank you to our guests for sharing their time and knowledge with us.  And thank you for listening. Please science responsibly.

 Visit us at http://TomorrowScale.com

Unanticipated results can lead to great discoveries. Zeakal is a company founded by turning such an unexpected outcome into a promising biotechnology company. We conducted multiple interviews between 3 cities, two hemispheres, and a dozen time zones. We have one of the co-inventors, Dr. Greg Bryan, CTO, take us through the science behind the PhotoSeed and the genetics of photosynthesis. Then, stateside, we dig into the agricultural biotech industry and how Zeakal the company is approaching it, with CEO Han Chen. This is the TomorrowScale Podcast. Hosted by Justin Briggs. 

The TomorrowScale Podcast was created by Justin Briggs to showcase fascinating technology companies building the future. Interview may be with old friends or were cold-contacted by Justin directly to be on the show. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own, and the content of this show should not be considered legal, tax, or investing advice. Thank you to our guests for sharing their time and knowledge with us.  And thank you for listening. Please science responsibly.

Visit us at http://TomorrowScale.com

What is the difference between an entrepreneur and a serial entrepreneur? Is there a difference? We dig into this question with a four-time hard tech entrepreneur. 

Mike Moradi is the co-founder and CEO of Sensulin, a company marrying nanotechnology with biotechnology to develop a novel treatment for diabetes that releases insulin on when a patient has high blood sugar.  Mike has founded or helped establish more than a dozen nanotechnology and biotechnology companies, and was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Sensulin: http://sensulin.com

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The TomorrowScale Podcast is a series of conversations with the scientists and entrepreneurs who are building the future.

We explore cutting edge technologies with huge potential, and go deep to understand how these founders and inventors must chart entirely new territory to bring their technology to market. We'll learn - quite literally - how science fiction becomes reality.