LifeSciVC

AUGUST 5, 2024

In 2001, I was at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, one of the major players in the nascent field of genomics drug discovery, and that time has strong parallels to the changing state of drug development today. In fact, the Millennium of 2001 (pre-Takeda acquisition) had one drug approved which was Velcade (bortezomib).

Molecular Biology 85

Molecular Biology Production Small Molecule Drug Development 85

Codon

AUGUST 27, 2024

Allison Berke makes the case for real-time DNA sequencing and AI tools to detect pathogens before they spread widely. Reading DNA The first step in detecting a novel pathogen is recognizing it as an anomaly amidst a noisy background of other material. After copying the DNA to form a big pool, each piece is sequenced.

DNA 83

DNA Laboratories Hospitals Virus 83

PLOS: DNA Science

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

The most groundbreaking cancer drug approval was for Gleevec , with a mere 3-month trajectory at FDA before its approval in 2001. Gleevec is a small molecule that interferes with entry of an enzyme – a tyrosine kinase – that enables growth signals to enter specific cells and trigger division.

Treatment 52

Treatment FDA Approval DNA Small Molecule 52

PLOS: DNA Science

JUNE 22, 2023

A “DNA damage checkpoint” rests the cell cycle while special proteins repair damaged DNA. The candidate drug, vorasidenib, is a small molecule that inhibits survivin. After passing safety tests, Gleevec worked so well that it set a new record for drug approval—10 weeks, on May 10, 2001.

Drugs 52

Drugs Small Molecule DNA Bioethics 52

Codon

DECEMBER 12, 2024

DNA and RNA molecules are also built from exclusively right-handed nucleic acids. Glucose is a chiral molecule because its structure allows for two distinct configurations, or enantiomers, which cannot be superimposed on each other. The mirrored enzyme seamlessly transcribed 2,900 bases of mirrored DNA into mirrored RNA.

DNA 81

DNA RNA Vaccine Virus 81