324: Genentech's cancer pivot, Pfizer's sickle cell withdrawal, and a new schizophrenia drug

The Readout Loud

1:14:43

Artificial intelligence is evolving at an unprecedented pace—what does that mean for the future of technology, venture capital, business, and even our understanding of ourselves? Award-winning journalist and writer Anil Ananthaswamy joins us for our latest episode to discuss his latest book Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI . Anil helps us explore the journey and many breakthroughs that have propelled machine learning from simple perceptrons to the sophisticated algorithms shaping today’s AI revolution, powering GPT and other models. The discussion aims to demystify some of the underlying mathematical concepts that power modern machine learning, to help everyone grasp this technology impacting our lives–even if your last math class was in high school. Anil walks us through the power of scaling laws, the shift from training to inference optimization, and the debate among AI’s pioneers about the road to AGI—should we be concerned, or are we still missing key pieces of the puzzle? The conversation also delves into AI’s philosophical implications—could understanding how machines learn help us better understand ourselves? And what challenges remain before AI systems can truly operate with agency? If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Sign up for our newsletter at techsurgepodcast.com for exclusive insights and updates on upcoming TechSurge Live Summits. Links: Read Why Machines Learn, Anil’s latest book on the math behind AI https://www.amazon.com/Why-Machines-Learn-Elegant-Behind/dp/0593185749 Learn more about Anil Ananthaswamy’s work and writing https://anilananthaswamy.com/ Watch Anil Ananthaswamy’s TED Talk on AI and intelligence https://www.ted.com/speakers/anil_ananthaswamy Discover the MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship that shaped Anil’s AI research https://ksj.mit.edu/ Understand the Perceptron, the foundation of neural networks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptron Read about the Perceptron Convergence Theorem and its significance https://www.nature.com/articles/323533a0…

рік тому 32:02

MP3•Головна епізоду

Our colleague Jonathan Wosen joins us to discuss the recent setbacks and wins in oncology R&D, including Genentech's decision to shut down its cancer immunology group, and the global ambitions of Akeso, the Chinese biotech behind Summit Therapeutics’ recent positive results. We also chat about the latest news in the life sciences, including Pfizer’s sudden announcement to pull its sickle cell drug and the imminent approval of Bristol Myers Squibb’s schizophrenia treatment.

348 епізодів

#Business #Stats

The Readout Loud

324: Genentech's cancer pivot, Pfizer's sickle cell withdrawal, and a new schizophrenia drug

The Readout Loud

published рік тому

Поширити

MP3•Головна епізоду

348 епізодів

#Business #Stats

Усі епізоди

The Readout Loud

1
344: Trump's FDA commissioner nominee takes the hot seat 25:51

3 дні тому25:51

25:51

Will Marty Makary be confirmed as the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration? Will he bring back employees laid off by DOGE? And what did he get wrong during his confirmation hearing? We discuss all that and more during this week's special episode.

The Readout Loud

1
343: Turbulence at the FDA, Bluebird Bio's sale and young biotech VCs 32:01

10 днів тому32:01

32:01

It’s a STAT reporter two-fer guest episode. First, Lizzy Lawrence joins from D.C. to dish on the upheaval and drama taking place at the FDA. Then, we chat with Jason Mast about Bluebird Bio, its fire sale to private equity and what lies ahead for the unsettled world of genetic medicines. Before those discussions, Allison provides some insight into the “new kids” on the biotech VC block.…

The Readout Loud

1
342: FDA cuts, zombie biotechs, and too much weight loss? 41:00

17 днів тому41:00

41:00

Mizuho analyst Jared Holz joins to discuss Adam's column on biotech's dark period. We also talk about Elaine's latest article on the push for greater and greater weight loss from obesity drugs, along with developments at Solid Biosciences and federal job cuts.

The Readout Loud

1
341: NIH funding cuts, a U.S. brain drain, and bold claims from AI drug developers 26:39

24 дні тому26:39

26:39

We bring on biotech reporter Jonathan Wosen to discuss the NIH's decision to dramatically cut funding for overhead costs paid to research institutions and the potential implications for U.S. biomedical innovation. We also chat with health tech reporter Brittany Trang about the claims that two drug developers, Absci and Generate:Biomedicines, have made about the capabilities of their artificial intelligence technologies, and why some experts are skeptical.…

The Readout Loud

1
340: Crisis in CRISPR world, RFK Jr.'s promises, and a novel non-opioid pain drug 34:45

4 weeks тому34:45

34:45

We bring on our colleague Jason Mast to discuss the dramatic downturn in the once-swaggering field of CRISPR gene editing. We also talk about the advancement of RFK Jr.'s nomination to be HHS secretary, the latest pharma earnings, and the approval of a non-opioid pain drug from Vertex Pharmaceuticals.…

The Readout Loud

1
339: RFK Jr.'s confirmation hearings, MASH drugs, and a controversial obesity ad 34:29

5 weeks тому34:29

34:29

Our colleague Rachel Cohrs Zhang joins us to break down RFK Jr.’s confirmation hearings, including some contentious questions about vaccines and autism from Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). But first, we chat about Akero Therapeutics and the results reported this week from a study of its experimental drug that showed, for the first time, reversal of cirrhosis in patients with severe MASH. We critique that Hims & Hers commercial. And lastly, we talk about a new fund from biotech VC Curie.Bio and the money it’s invested in a still-stealthy gene therapy company trying to tackle ALS.…

The Readout Loud

1
338: Chinese biotechs, a WHO departure, and post-JPM thoughts 33:09

6 weeks тому33:09

33:09

We go over our closing thoughts from the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, including the chatter around Chinese drugs and a surprise run-in with a past cohost. Then, STAT's infectious disease reporter Helen Branswell joins us to explain the implications of Trump's decision to pull the U.S. out of the WHO.…

The Readout Loud

1
337: Eli Lilly CEO on Trump, obesity drugs, and a guidance miss 58:47

8 weeks тому58:47

58:47

We're live at the J.P Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco! We bring on Eli Lilly CEO Dave Ricks for a wide-ranging conversation about his views on the incoming Trump administration, the effects of Medicare's drug price negotiation, Lilly's recent disappointing guidance, pricing of the company's obesity medication Zepbound, and more. We also discuss the latest news from the J.P. Morgan conference, including M&A deals, licensing of drugs from China, and the broader sentiment in the industry.…

The Readout Loud

1
336: Pharma's big patent cliff, more obesity fundraising, and a failed ALS study 33:21

8 weeks тому33:21

33:21

We chat about how pharmaceutical companies are navigating a looming patent cliff. We also talk about yet another obesity startup and a failed study from Google’s secretive anti-aging company Calico.

The Readout Loud

1
335: A deep dive on Makary, Vertex's pain data, & 2025 predictions 33:43

11 weeks тому33:43

33:43

STAT's FDA reporter Lizzy Lawrence joins us to discuss her profile of Marty Makary, Trump's nominee for FDA commissioner. Then, we discuss the results of Vertex's latest pain drug trial, the medication launches to watch in 2025, and present our burning questions for the biopharma industry.

The Readout Loud

1
334: Pharma silence on RFK Jr. & parents trying to develop gene therapies for their children 34:30

12 weeks тому34:30

34:30

Washington correspondent John Wilkerson joins to discuss why drugmakers have not lobbied against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, despite his repeated criticisms of the pharmaceutical industry. We also bring on our colleague Jason Mast to talk about the major hurdles in the field of gene therapy and how one father is trying to overcome them.…

The Readout Loud

1
333: An H5N1 bird flu update and talent scarcity in the radiopharma field 27:55

13 weeks тому27:55

27:55

You might not be paying attention, or maybe you just hope it goes away. We’re referring to the serious bird flu outbreak that started a bit more than eight months ago. Well, bird flu is still here and the number of reported cases in people is growing. STAT’s infectious disease reporter Helen Branswell joins us for an update. But first, we break down the results from a GLP-1 showdown study that compared Eli Lilly’s Zepbound to Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy. Allison shares her recent reporting on a talent shortage that is posing new challenges to the fast-growing radiopharmaceutical industry.…

The Readout Loud

1
332: Pfizer's new R&D head, a VC deep-dive, and a new FDA commissioner? 35:08

15 weeks тому35:08

35:08

Atlas Venture Partner Bruce Booth joins the podcast to discuss his annual year in review report, the influence of China, and what the new Trump administration might mean for innovation. Adam and Allison also recap the latest news in the life sciences, including a new science chief at Pfizer, a new job for Ned Sharpless, and the ongoing presidential appointments.…

The Readout Loud

1
331: AbbVie’s stumble, Amgen’s tumble and more election fallout 30:16

16 weeks тому30:16

30:16

Why are AbbVie executives feeling the M&A blues? What does it take to slice $12 billion from Amgen’s market value? And why are STAT’s D.C. correspondents working so hard? We talk about all that and more on this week’s episode of the “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. It’s a “Chatty Cathy” episode! Elaine, Allison and Adam lead off with a discussion about AbbVie’s M&A miscue following the failure of a closely followed schizophrenia drug. You’d hate us if obesity drugs weren’t mentioned, so we oblige with a tick-tock on what went down between Amgen and a Wall Street analyst who noted a possible safety issue with the obesity drug candidate MariTide.…

The Readout Loud

1
330: How a Trump presidency could affect the FDA, the biotech industry, and its stocks 39:22

17 weeks тому39:22