Axial $12 / month

Axial is centered around partnering with and investing in inventors and founders of early-stage life sciences companies. It explores innovative therapeutic approaches, such as immunotherapies beyond cancer, federated learning in healthcare, genetic tuning, and advancements in bioengineering tools. Axial highlights contributions from key figures in the industry and progress in addressing complex diseases.

Biotechnology Immunotherapy Machine Learning in Healthcare Genetic Engineering Proteomics Healthcare Innovation Drug Development Entrepreneurship in Life Sciences Federated Learning CRISPR Technology

The hottest Substack posts of Axial

And their main takeaways

Transforming biomanufacturing using software with Martin Permin

52 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Software Data Analytics AI Synthetic Biology
  1. Software and data analytics are being used to transform biomanufacturing, making it easier to control the complex variables involved in producing biological products.
  2. Invert, founded by Martin Permin, integrates with bioreactors and databases to help biomanufacturers manage and optimize their data using AI and analytics.
  3. Invert's platform streamlines bioprocessing by providing tools to plan experiments, monitor processes, analyze results, model scale-up, and collaborate with partners.

Engineering Antibodies to Avoid Escape Mutants

22 implied HN points • 03 Mar 24
🔬 Science Antibodies Engineering Immune System
  1. Combining antibodies directed at different viral targets helps neutralize infections like hepatitis B virus and RSV more effectively.
  2. Serial passage of virally infected cells during preclinical development helps ensure the continued efficacy of antibody combinations.
  3. Engineering antibodies through genetic manipulation can enhance effector functions and improve target specificity, increasing their efficacy in fighting infections.

Protein stability promotes evolvability

22 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
🔬 Science
  1. Extra stability in proteins can help them evolve new or improved functions by tolerating beneficial but destabilizing mutations.
  2. Computational simulations and lab experiments on P450 enzymes demonstrate that protein stability enhances evolvability by allowing proteins to accept a wider range of mutations while still retaining function.
  3. Understanding the relationship between protein stability and evolvability can guide protein engineering strategies and reveal insights into natural molecular evolution.

LabKey

7 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
💼 Business Startups Data Management Software Development Revenue Models Partnerships
  1. LabKey provides data management solutions tailored to researchers, clinicians, and biotech companies.
  2. LabKey's evolution from a project at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to a successful software company is inspiring for startups.
  3. LabKey's strategic shift to a tiered subscription service model helped in sustaining revenue and investing in new product development.

Roche's neurology strategy

7 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Alzheimer's Drug Development Research Therapies
  1. Roche is focusing on developing therapies for neurological diseases like Alzheimer's, with a new drug called trontinemab showing potential for rapid clearance of amyloid plaques in the brain.
  2. Roche's neurology strategy includes a diverse pipeline of treatments for various conditions like multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular disorders, and gene therapies for muscle-related illnesses.
  3. The company's commitment to Alzheimer's research is driven by the amyloid hypothesis, societal impact, and economic burden, aiming to improve patient outcomes and address the growing need for effective treatments in the aging population.
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Gompertz–Makeham law of mortality

7 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
🔬 Science Biology Aging Genetics
  1. The Gompertz-Makeham law of mortality is a mathematical model used to describe age-specific mortality rates in human and other species, crucial in actuarial science and studying aging.
  2. The law was developed by Gompertz with an exponential model showing increased mortality rates with age, later extended by Makeham to include an age-independent mortality term.
  3. While widely used, the Gompertz-Makeham law has limitations, inspiring researchers to propose alternative models to better capture the complexity of mortality patterns, especially at advanced ages.

GPCRs in kidney disease

7 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
🔬 Science Biotechnology Genetics Healthcare Research
  1. Kidney disease, particularly autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PKD), has been underinvested compared to other conditions like oncology and diabetes.
  2. The development of drugs targeting GPCRs PC-1 and PC-2 in PKD could significantly improve the quality of life for patients by reducing cyst size.
  3. Business models in drug development are shifting towards rare disease candidates like PC-1/2, emphasizing treatments that exceed the current standard of care.

Knowde

37 implied HN points • 14 Dec 23
💼 Business Startup E-commerce Supply Chain Innovation Marketplace
  1. Axial partners with great founders and inventors in early-stage life sciences companies
  2. Knowde aims to modernize the global chemical industry through its B2B marketplace
  3. Knowde's platform streamlines chemical procurement for buyers and provides digital storefronts for suppliers

The phenotypic landscape of essential human genes

7 implied HN points • 03 Mar 24
🔬 Science
  1. A study highlighted that knocking out essential human genes caused various cell defects, showing changes in nuclear morphology, cell size, and more.
  2. Identifying co-functional genes from diverse cellular activities allows for understanding novel gene functions and relationships.
  3. Essential genes often work together, shedding light on how genes collaborate in cellular processes and offering potential new targets for therapeutic interventions.

Human Immunology Biosciences

7 implied HN points • 03 Mar 24
🔬 Science Therapeutics Genetics
  1. Human Immunology Biosciences (HI-Bio) is a clinical-stage biotech company focused on precision medicines for immune-mediated diseases, with the aim to target specific cellular drivers of disease with therapeutics.
  2. HI-Bio's assets include felzartamab and HIB210, targeting dysfunctional plasma cells and other immune system components to potentially provide more effective treatments for diseases like membranous nephropathy and IgA nephropathy.
  3. The company utilizes a platform that integrates human genetics, immunophenotyping, data sciences, and therapeutic engineering to advance its clinical pipeline in understanding and addressing immune-mediated diseases.

An N terminomics toolbox combining 2-pyridine carboxaldehyde probes and click chemistry for profiling protease specificity

37 implied HN points • 12 Dec 23
🔬 Science Chemistry Biology Research Proteins Methods
  1. The paper introduces an expanded toolbox of reagents for profiling protease substrates and specificity using chemoproteomic methods.
  2. The work demonstrated high N-terminal selectivity with little intrinsic sequence bias beyond a requirement for a backbone amide at position 2.
  3. The 2PCA toolkit enables a broad range of applications in protease biology research by providing selective N-terminal labeling reagents that are easy to implement.

Margin of Safety

7 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
💰 Finance Investing Value Risk management Market Analysis Portfolio Management
  1. Investing success involves focusing on undervalued securities with a margin of safety to protect against errors and volatility
  2. Prioritize avoiding losses over seeking speculative gains; learn from others' mistakes to compound returns over time
  3. Value investing requires independent thinking, estimating intrinsic value, and maintaining a margin of safety to achieve excess returns

An Fc engineering approach that modulates antibody-dependent cytokine release without altering cell-killing functions

7 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🔬 Science Research Engineering Antibodies
  1. An innovative Fc engineering approach can adjust antibody-dependent cytokine release without impacting cell-killing functions. This shows that manipulating cytokine release independently is possible.
  2. Different IgG isotypes have varying abilities to stimulate proinflammatory cytokine release. This indicates the importance of isotype selection beyond just cytotoxicity.
  3. Engineering antibodies to selectively engage FcγRs can potentially enhance immune responses. This opens up new possibilities for optimizing antibody immunotherapies against cancer.

MoonLake Immunotherapeutics

7 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Biotechnology Clinical Trials Drug Development
  1. MoonLake Immunotherapeutics is developing a tri-specific nanobody therapy called Sonelokimab (SLK) that has shown significant efficacy in treating inflammatory diseases like HS, PsA, and PsO.
  2. SLK offers unique benefits like blocking all IL-17 pro-inflammatory dimers, enabling tissue penetration, and maintaining high response rates in patients with moderate-to-severe conditions.
  3. MoonLake's SLK has the potential to become a best-in-class IL-17 inhibitor in a multibillion-dollar market, with its innovative structure, clinical success, and competitive advantages over existing treatments.

Natural Product Synthesis in the 21st Century: Beyond the Mountain Top

7 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🔬 Science Chemistry Biology Prediction Automation Therapeutics
  1. Natural products and drugs have similarities but drugs are a balance between complexity and accessibility for optimization.
  2. Molecular complexity in drugs is increasing to improve IP coverage, binding affinity, and effectiveness for chronic diseases.
  3. Embracing enabling methods, computational modeling, and deep exploration of complex chemical space can revolutionize natural product synthesis for therapeutic goals.

Tune Therapeutics

37 implied HN points • 22 Oct 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Drug Development
  1. Axial partners with inventors and invests in early-stage life sciences companies.
  2. Tune Therapeutics focuses on genetic tuning for controlling gene expression without DNA alteration.
  3. Genetic tuning by Tune Therapeutics may enable treating complex diseases more precisely.

Profiles in Biotech (8/30/23)

29 implied HN points • 30 Aug 23
🔬 Science Biotech Cancer Treatment
  1. Axial partners with founders of early-stage life sciences companies
  2. Synthekine develops engineered cytokine therapeutics for cancer treatment
  3. Model organism Botryllus schlosseri offers insights into neurodegeneration pathways

Digest 5/29/23

29 implied HN points • 29 May 23
💼 Business Startups Investing Biotech Healthcare
  1. Axial invests in early-stage life sciences companies with great ideas
  2. Matchpoint Therapeutics focuses on developing new covalent inhibitors for immunology
  3. Founder Stories feature individuals like Özlem Türeci, highlighting the importance of balancing naivety and questioning in entrepreneurship

Axial Discovery - Voice in healthcare

37 implied HN points • 20 Feb 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Healthcare Voice technology Virtual assistants
  1. Voice technology in healthcare can help patients remember conversations with doctors, save physicians' time, and reduce billing errors.
  2. Companies like Abridge and Suki are developing voice products to translate patient-doctor conversations into actionable information.
  3. Voice products in healthcare could lead to virtual assistants in exam rooms, improve treatment plans, and enhance patient information.

Axial Discovery - Kidney disease

29 implied HN points • 06 Mar 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Genomics Drug Development
  1. Over 30 million people in the US are affected by kidney disease, leading to high healthcare costs and lowered quality of life.
  2. New tools like genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics are transforming drug development for kidney diseases.
  3. Companies like Goldfinch Bio and Chinook Therapeutics are developing medicines for rare kidney diseases with defined clinical milestones.

Axial Discovery - Machine learning and DNA-encoded libraries

29 implied HN points • 13 Feb 23
🔬 Science Machine Learning
  1. DNA-encoded libraries (DEL) use unique DNA barcodes to screen chemical compounds efficiently.
  2. Machine learning helps map out structure-activity relationships in DELs for virtual screening.
  3. Challenges in DELs include improving chemical diversity, developing better filters for virtual screening, and expanding screening criteria for more accurate models.