News Feature in 2023

Nature Biotechnology’s annual survey highlights academic start ups that are, among other things, correcting misfolded or disordered proteins, creating second-generation GPCR agonists, building a new gene delivery platform and mining cancer genomes for novel targets.

As new technologies hit the market, synthetic DNA is available faster and cheaper than ever before. Regulators are preparing to step in to limit opportunities for misuse.

The Weissman lab is taking another swing at ‘don’t eat me’ signaling. They think they have a new and better target.

Bifunctional molecules that link kinase enzymes with new targets could rewire disease-related cellular processes

Two start-ups are taking a deep dive into cancer genomes to unearth new therapeutic targets.

Two veteran protein engineers team up to create a new gene-delivery vehicle.

Combining experimental and computational tools, this company is targeting disordered regions of proteins previously thought to be undruggable.

Biopharma M&A is back and IPOs are possible, but most biotechs aren’t out of the woods.

Some 700 approved therapies in the United States — roughly a third of all drugs on the market — target G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Now advances in high-throughput and structure-based screening are sparking a second golden age of GPCR-based drug discovery.

Stabilizing the unstable may be the road to therapeutics for unmet needs.

Harnessing the unusual biology of bats, researchers aim to turn drug discovery upside-down.

Small molecules that target messenger RNA have therapeutic potential, but the field still lacks an unqualified success. Companies differ on how to move the resurgent field forward.

Private biotech financing in 2023 is more discriminate, disciplined and demanding. Strong data and efficiency are de rigueur.

From made-to-order genetic therapies to model organisms engineered to be ‘patient avatars’, the technology exists right now to save patients with rare diseases.

Tumors are rife with bacteria and fungi. Their ubiquity is proving useful in detecting cancers, categorizing them, and even determining whether certain interventions will work.

2022 saw a 25% drop in new drug approvals and a less predictable regulator.