neurological disorders Archives - Medical Design Sourcing

Inside BioXcel Therapeutics’ AI-driven drug reinnovation strategy

[Adobe Stock]

Friso Postma, vice president of AI for drug discovery at BioXcel Therapeutics, prefers the term “augmented intelligence” to “artificial intelligence.” His company uses AI tools to support human experts in drug repurposing efforts.

Postma, who holds a Ph.D. in signal transduction from the Netherlands Cancer Institute, transitioned to AI from wearable digital health devices. “I quickly found out that it’s very important to be able to contextualize AI,” he explains.

Now, Postma, trained as a biologist and electrophysiologist, that experience in contextualizing AI has been instrumental in developing and continuously refining an end-to-end platform for drug re-innovation, focusing on neurological rare and psychiatric disorders. This platform, which he helped create, is now central to his ongoing work. “Interestingly, I’m not a data scientist or an AI engineer, …

50 of the best-funded biotechs of 2023

[Adobe Stock]

As the year draws to a close, it is clear that molecular science and diagnostics is the hottest funding area in the biotech industry. In an analysis of 50 of the best-funded biotechs of 2023 focused on human health, molecular and science and diagnostics startups collectively attracting roughly $945 million, dwarfing the figures in other segments. The next popular two niches, gene therapies and oncology, had average funding levels of approximately $245 million and $170 million, respectively. While AI has received a significant amount of attention this year, biotechs specializing in that field garnered an average funding of only about $66 million. Outside of the life sciences, startups with a broader focus on AI raised a cumulative average of $202.47 million, based on an analysis of close to 1000 companies.

Caris Life Sciences has raised nearly $1.7B to date

In terms of best-funded companies overall,…

Epstein-Barr virus: Trigger and driver of multiple sclerosis?

Microscopic view of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), stained with Hematoxylin and eosin (HE). This color image highlights abnormal cells or tissue associated with EBV, a virus linked to several types of cancer and other disorders. Source: National Cancer Institute.

Recent research has indicated a link between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS), with some researchers going as far as to say that EBV might be a potential trigger of MS. However, it remains unclear whether the virus also drives the progression of the disease. Current treatments focus largely on moderating inflammation. In this article, we expand on the hypothesized correlation between MS and EBV, and underscore the need to consider antiviral protection in drug development.

Background

Multiple sclerosis. MS is an unpredictable and debilitating neurological autoimmune disease that turns the body’s immune system against itself, …