Base to Base Biotech

Base to Base Biotech

by Jim Cornall
MedicineLife Sciences
Base to Base biotech podcast 73: Polymacrocyclic peptides and AI in drug discovery and diagnosis
This week, our guests are chief scientific officer of Valo Health, Karin Conde-Knape, and Karsten Eastman, CEO of Sethera Therapeutics. Times: 03:06 Sethera Therapeutics 20:08 Valo Health Valo Health Our guest from Valo Health is chief scientific officer Karin Conde-Knape. As head of global drug discovery at Novo Nordisk, she helped expand the company’s research pipeline to more than 100 programmes across new therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular and liver diseases. Earlier this year, she joined Valo Health, bringing AI, real-world patient data and predictive chemistry to rethink drug discovery from the ground up. Valo Health said it is redefining drug discovery and development through its AI-enabled human causal biology and closed loop chemistry platforms. It uses AI to understand disease causality, identify patient sub­types across heterogeneous diseases, and pin­point novel drug targets. The company validates targets using 3D engineered human tissue models that mimic mature human physiology and structure. The company’s closed loop chemistry platform enables rapid development of potential molecules from trillions of starting points. Valo’s approach aims to identify more impactful drug targets and small molecule therapeutics, faster, and with greater precision than traditional R&D methods. The company works with global pharmaceutical partners, including Novo Nordisk and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in addition to advancing its own pipeline. Valo was founded by Flagship Pioneering in 2019. Sethera Therapeutics Sethera Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing a polymacrocyclic peptide discovery platform based on enzymatic cross-linking chemistry. The platform enables the generation and screening of highly constrained peptide architectures designed to access chemical and biological space that is difficult to reach with conventional small molecules, biologics, or traditional peptide approaches. Sethera's technology was originally developed at the University of Utah and is exclusively licensed to the company. By collaborating with industry leaders and research institutions, Sethera aims to unlock new possibilities in drug discovery and development for targets that are difficult to address with existing therapeutic modalities. The company recently announced a collaborative breast cancer research project with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has received funding through the Fiscal Year 2025 Breast Cancer Research Program Breakthrough Award, administered by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). The award supports innovative, high-impact research aimed at advancing the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer. To get in touch with guest suggestions, or to sponsor or advertise on the podcast, please email jim@deeptechdigest.com
E73
Aug 28, 2026
50:49
Base to Base biotech podcast 72: Cell-free DNA bioproduction
This week, we have a conversation about the Flexible Automation for Scalable Health (FLASH) programme, focused on the development of scalable cell-free DNA bioproduction capabilities. Our guests are John Schiel, program manager at ARPA-H; DNA Script co-founder and CTO, Xavier Godron; and John Nelson, senior biosciences principal and FLASH program lead at GE HealthCare’s Healthcare Technology and Innovation Center. $26m ARPA-H funding for cell-free DNA bioproduction DNA Script and prime awardee GE HealthCare have been awarded up to $26m in funding for a four-year initiative from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The award will support the advancement of the FLASH programme, focused on the development of scalable cell-free DNA bioproduction capabilities and powered in part by DNA Script’s enzymatic DNA synthesis (EDS) technology and SYNTAX platform. Led by GE HealthCare, FLASH aims to develop a modular, automated platform for the rapid, distributed manufacturing of high-fidelity DNA to support research and potential future applications in personalised medicines, vaccines, and other genetic health technologies. DNA Script’s EDS technology supports this goal by enabling faster and more flexible DNA manufacturing workflows. DNA Script is contributing its EDS technology and acting as the technical solution integrator for the project. It has adapted its solution to incorporate GE HealthCare’s DNA scaling technology, complementing DNA Script’s EDS technology, with the goal of eventually deploying the integrated platform across US medical research centres, universities, and federal agencies. John Schiel, program manager at ARPA-H, said: “ARPA-H solutions are designed to address hard problems with bold, practical approaches. Projects like FLASH exemplify how scalable, platform-based technologies can transform the way health solutions are developed, produced, and delivered.” Marc Montserrat, DNA Script CEO, said: “Our enzymatic DNA synthesis platform is ideally suited for the on-demand manufacturing model FLASH is pioneering. Collaborating with GE HealthCare on an ARPA-H program of this scale shortens the path from research bench to patient bedside for next-generation therapies, personalized vaccines, and the broader genetic-medicine pipeline.” John Nelson, senior biosciences principal and FLASH program lead, GE HealthCare’s Healthcare Technology and Innovation Center, said: “GE HealthCare’s Technology & Innovation Center drives exploratory and translational research focused on addressing healthcare challenges through federal funding, academic collaboration, and private-sector research and development. As personalized and time-sensitive genetic medicines continue to advance, there is a growing need for manufacturing approaches that are faster, more flexible, and more accessible. Our vision for the FLASH program is to develop new DNA-based medicines on demand quickly, safely, and at scale.” To get in touch with guest suggestions, or to sponsor or advertise on the podcast, please email jim@deeptechdigest.com
E72
Aug 21, 2026
35:40
Base to Base biotech podcast 71: The IgA/CD89 axis
This week, we have a conversation Paweł Szczepański, CEO of JJP Biologics about specially-built antibodies to tackle autoimmune diseases and cancer. JJP Biologics JJP Biologics is a clinical-stage biotech that leverages its in-depth understanding of immune pathway science in autoimmune diseases and cancer. Starting from deep mechanistic insights, JJPBio engineers antibodies that are built-to-order, designed to restore immune balance and deliver better disease control for patients with significant unmet need, because we believe that we can do better for patients. JJPBio is the first company to generate clinical validation of the IgA/CD89 axis, establishing first-mover advantage in a disease area with broad implications across autoimmune conditions including IgA nephropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and celiac disease. Its immuno-oncology programme targets the CD270/HVEM checkpoint pathway in cancer. Backed by the long-term, socially responsible capital of the Starak family and the Polpharma Group, JJPBio operates with the scientific freedom and financial stability to pursue mechanisms others simply cannot. To get in touch with guest suggestions, or to sponsor or advertise on the podcast, please email jim@deeptechdigest.com
E71
Aug 14, 2026
27:14
Base to Base biotech podcast 70: Taking the lead on GI motility disorders
This week, we have a conversation with Peter G. Milner, founder and director of Renexxion, about GI motility disorders. Renexxion Renexxion, Inc. is a privately held US-headquartered clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, with a subsidiary in Ireland, committed to developing new therapies for patients with gastrointestinal disorders. Renexxion’s lead program is naronapride, a late-stage drug candidate being developed for multiple unmet indications in the upper and lower GI tract. Dr. Falk Pharma GmbH, a research-based pharmaceutical company specializing in digestive and metabolic medicine, and Renexxion recently announced positive results from MOVE-IT, a global phase 2b, randomised placebo-controlled trial evaluating the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of naronapride in adults with gastroparesis. To get in touch with guest suggestions, or to sponsor or advertise on the podcast, please email jim@deeptechdigest.com
E70
Jul 31, 2026
32:02
Base to Base biotech podcast 69: nrHSV-1 technology and environmental testing through hair
Times: 01:33 Cyllene Tx 21:37 LinusBio This week, we have conversations with LinusBio founder and Mt. Sinai environmental professor, Dr. Manish Arora, as well as with Philippe Chambon, CEO of Cyllene Therapeutics (Cyllene Tx). Cyllene Therapeutics Cyllene Therapeutics is a global leader in non-replicating HSV-1 (nrHSV-1) vector technology in neurology. It is currently executing a phase 1/2 study in the US with its lead DNA medicine candidate, EG110A, in patients with neurogenic detrusor overactivity (neurogenic bladder)-related incontinence. This is the first human study with nrHSV vectors targeting sensory neuron-based diseases. EG110A is being developed to address multiple severe bladder diseases, including overactive bladder (OAB), and has the potential to be a major improvement over existing therapies, resulting in better care for patients and lower costs for healthcare systems. The company's HERMES platform delivers pinpoint neurotherapeutics to treat prevalent diseases of the peripheral and central nervous system. Its vectors can achieve focal transduction and then selective expression of transgenes in targeted subsets of neurons. With demonstrated clinical safety and possible repeat dosing, the large payload capacity of nrHSV-1 vectors allows for versatile DNA delivery and smarter DNA medicine. LinusBio LinusBio’s Traced, which launched this month, is the first direct-to-consumer wellness test that uses a single strand of hair to provide a day-by-day view of exposure to 15 elements—including nutrients like zinc and magnesium, as well as toxic elements such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, and aluminium—over the course of 30 days. Traced uses LinusBio's proprietary platform, combining advanced robotics, laser ablation, and mass spectrometry to identify exposure patterns over time. Traced provides consumers with a 30-day history of all measured exposures. Levels are measured relative to LinusBio's proprietary global reference database. It is not a measure of health or a diagnosis of any condition; it's meant to inform consumers and empower them to take steps to mitigate their exposure. Developed from research at Mount Sinai, Traced offers a different approach than traditional blood or urine testing by showing how exposures change over time and helping consumers connect those patterns to their daily routines, travel, homes, and environments. To get in touch with guest suggestions, or to sponsor or advertise on the podcast, please email jim@deeptechdigest.com
E69
Jul 24, 2026
53:58
Base to Base biotech podcast 68: Water from air for pharma and beyond
This week, we have a conversation with Kyle Cordova, founder and CEO of AquaPoro. AquaPoro AquaPoro is a deeptech company engineering systems that can harvest water from the atmosphere based in California that was spun out of Jordan's Royal Scientific Society. Atmospheric water generators (AWGs) aren't uncommon as freshwater becomes scarcer for use in a variety of industries from food and beverages to pharmaceutical companies. AquaPoro's approach is different. Traditional AWGs require more than 60% humidity to function. AquaPoro's can function with less than 10%. Its atmospheric low-humidity moisture adsorption (ALMA) technology, based on Nobel Prize winning chemistry frameworks, extracts water from ambient air at lower energy and cost, regardless of temperature or humidity. Its process is continuous, and its modular "Stream" systems integrate directly into manufacturing facilities for more efficient output. To get in touch with guest suggestions, or to sponsor or advertise on the podcast, please email jim@deeptechdigest.com
E68
Jul 17, 2026
27:07
Base to Base biotech podcast 67: Synthetic DNA and crossing the blood-brain barrier
Times: 02:58 Deep Science Ventures 22:16 4basebio This week, we have a conversation with Amy Walker, CEO of 4basebio, and Adam Tomassi-Russell, senior director, climate, at Deep Science Ventures. 4basebio 4basebio is a UK-based biotechnology company pioneering the use of synthetic DNA to enable next-generation therapeutics and vaccines. Through its proprietary enzymatic DNA synthesis platform, 4basebio produces GMP-grade synthetic DNA and mRNA with superior speed, purity, and scalability, overcoming the limitations of plasmid-based systems. The company offers application-specific DNA constructs tailored to the diverse needs of gene therapies, genome editing, mRNA production, and DNA vaccines, helping partners accelerate proof-of-concept studies and reach clinical milestones more efficiently. Deep Science Ventures Deep Science Ventures (DSV) is a venture creator building deeptech companies in four sectors: agriculture, climate, computation and pharmaceuticals. For just under a decade, DSV has pioneered venture creation through funded partnerships with organisations like Coca-Cola, AbbVie, Anglo American, the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) and Cancer Research UK. DSV and Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC), a life sciences service dedicated to turning drug discovery into commercial breakthroughs, recently announced a strategic collaboration to address challenges in delivering medicines into the brain. DSV's portfolio, worth more than $700m, has raised more than $270m from investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Sequoia, Sam Altman, and Patrick Collison. DSV is a global team of scientists and exited founders based in London, Tokyo, and Boston, with backgrounds from Bell Labs, Imperial College, and Intel. To get in touch with guest suggestions, or to sponsor or advertise on the podcast, please email jim@deeptechdigest.com
E67
Jul 10, 2026
45:37
Base to Base biotech podcast 66: The future of clinical trials and breakthroughs in molecular testing
This week, we have a conversation with Jeff Fischer, president of Longhorn Vaccines & Diagnostics, and with Hannah Amies, founder and CEO of Luvida. Times: 03:03 Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics 25:03 Luvida Longhorn Vaccines & Diagnostics on breakthroughs in molecular testing Maryland-based Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics is a IND-enabling stage biopharmaceutical company developing vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and diagnostics targeting pathogens. The company focuses on innovative approaches to addressing major public health challenges including antimicrobial resistance, sepsis, and inflammatory disease. Started in 2006 with the invention of inactivating molecular transport media for collection of respiratory samples and the stabilization of nucleic acid at ambient temperature for weeks to months, Longhorn created the product category and the predicate device at the U. S. Food and Drug Administration. Luvida – solving clinical trial bottlenecks Luvida is an AI data platform that helps pharma, biotech, and CRO teams design clinical trials. Most trials don’t fail because of bad science. The biology is well understood, but the factors that drive recruitment, adherence, and drop-out aren’t used at scale. Luvida solves this with proprietary Electronic Life Records, a data layer that captures how patients live, and uses explainable AI to surface trial risk before a single patient is enrolled. The result is faster, data-driven protocols, with fewer costly amendments, and trials that complete faster. Ultimately, this means medicines that reach patients sooner. To get in touch with guest suggestions, or to sponsor or advertise on the podcast, please email jim@deeptechdigest.com
E66
Jul 3, 2026
1:00:42
Base to Base biotech podcast 65: Giving medicine a genetic camouflage
This week, we have a conversation with Houdini Bio CEO and co-founder Jonathan Cohen-Gold. Houdini Bio has announced its official launch, having raised approximately £1.5m in non-dilutive grant funding and capital from an oversubscribed pre-seed round. The funding enables Houdini Bio to validate its technology and achieve projected technical milestones in a third of the predicted time. The platform- a machine learning-guided DNA sequence design infrastructure- is engineered to overcome the biological barriers limiting genetic medicines. Positioned for rapid commercial scaling ahead of its next funding round, Houdini Bio provides the infrastructure required to make genetic medicines work durably, consistently and cost-efficiently at scale- transforming outcomes for patients suffering from blindness, cystic fibrosis, haemophilia, dementia, cancer and more. While gene and cell therapies are progressing rapidly, their real-world impact is held back by a fundamental biological hurdle: the human cell often mistakes therapeutic DNA for a viral invader. To protect itself, the cell triggers natural defences that 'silence' the medicine. This premature shutdown limits the treatment's long-term effectiveness, drives up manufacturing costs and demands high doses which can cause dangerous immune reactions in patients. Current industry attempts to keep these therapies active rely on trial-and-error experimentation, which is slow, costly and unreliable. Houdini Bio solves this problem at the level of the genetic code itself. By combining machine learning with a deep understanding of cellular defences- specifically a master silencing mechanism known as the human silencing hub (HUSH) complex - Houdini Bio has created a toolkit to re-engineer therapeutic DNA. This gives the medicine a genetic camouflage, preserving its medical purpose while making it invisible to the cell's defences. The platform uses advanced sequence design to reliably boost gene expression output by more than 10-fold compared to current state-of-the-art methods, ensuring therapies work more efficiently, at lower doses, for longer. The company's foundational science bridges academic discovery and industrial application. The HUSH complex was originally discovered by Paul Lehner at the University of Cambridge, who identified how the body silences foreign genetic material. Building on this breakthrough during his PhD in molecular genetics, Houdini Bio CEO and co-founder Jonathan Cohen-Gold discovered a novel set of molecular rules that allow certain DNA sequences to escape this cellular lock-down. Houdini Bio has accelerated these insights using AI, building an engineering platform that paves the way for more affordable, durable gene therapies and cell therapies like CAR-T. To drive its commercial strategy, Cohen-Gold is joined by co-founder and chief business officer Lee Dunham. Having worked with more than 100 cell and gene therapy companies over the past decade- including as a director of business development at Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult- Dunham has seen first-hand why promising therapies stall, founding Houdini Bio after recognising its unique ability to solve a huge industry challenge. With its platform fully validated ahead of schedule, the company will maintain momentum to expand its team and scale co-development partnerships with pharma companies, deep tech innovators and pioneering developers looking to integrate anti-silencing technology into next-generation drug pipelines. To get in touch with guest suggestions, or to sponsor or advertise on the podcast, please email jim@deeptechdigest.com
E65
Jun 26, 2026
26:46
Base to Base biotech podcast 64: Solving logistics challenges
This week on Base to Base, we have a conversation with Bora Pharmaceuticals’ chief commercial officer Jean-Baptiste (JB) Agnus. Bora Pharmaceuticals Bora Pharmaceuticals is an international contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specialising in formulation development, clinical and commercial manufacturing, and packaging of complex oral solid dose, liquid, semi-solid, biologics, and sterile injectable pharmaceutical products. With sites in North America and Asia, they deliver drug products to more than 100 markets around the world. In May, Bora Group announced the acquisition of MacroGenics’ GMP manufacturing operations for $122.5m. To get in touch with guest suggestions, or to sponsor or advertise on the podcast, please email jim@deeptechdigest.com
E64
Jun 19, 2026
23:43
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