“Being lighthearted and fun is always more charming than being serious and critical.”
~Robert Greene
Unexpected Articles from this Week
Dr. Iwao Ojima, a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Stony Brook University, has spent decades developing a second-generation taxane conjugate in a nanoemulsion formulation called NE-DHA-SBT-1214 to be used as an anti-cancer agent. This agent has shown great promise against solid tumors, particularly colorectal cancer. TVM Capital Life Science is investing up to $24 million to help advance the drug to clinical trials in humans. The drug is expected to be an effective alternative medicine to treat colorectal cancer and other solid tumors. Read more here.
A new study has identified a marker that could be used to predict the risk of metastasis in squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common skin cancer. The marker is linked to the protein dyskerin and the tumor cells’ shift from consuming glucose to using LDL cholesterol molecules, allowing them to survive the process of migration to other organs. This marker could be used to create treatments with lipid metabolism inhibitors to prevent metastasis. Read more here.
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index revealed that home prices across the US saw an overall 5.8% year-over-year increase in December, the slowest rate since August 2020. Key markets, such as Miami, Tampa, Atlanta, and Charlotte, posted double-digit growth, while San Francisco and Seattle experienced annual declines. Washington, Cleveland, and New York saw the smallest declines in year-over-year home price gains compared with November. Read more here.
Chatbots are a new, complex technology driven by artificial intelligence. They are designed to have conversations with humans and can learn from the data they receive from those conversations. However, due to the complexity of the technology, the chatbots can learn from bad sources, which can lead to churlish and unnervingly creepy behaviour. Scientists believe humans must take responsibility for this, as they are inadvertently influencing the chatbot’s responses. They warn that the technology can lead people away from truth and into dark places and advise caution when using them. Read more here.
He Jiankui, a Chinese biophysicist has promised to come up with a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rare genetic disease, in two years. He was in contact with universities and research institutions in Hong Kong to conduct research on gene therapy for rare diseases. He has proposed to use gene-editing technology to treat DMD, which could be the perfect solution for rare genetic diseases. His plan has been met with scepticism from the scientific community, as it is unlikely to be completed in two years. Read more here.
What I am reading
•Neuroscientist: Consciousness Didn’t Evolve. It Creates Evolution (Article)
•An Old Idea, Revived: Starve Cancer to Death (Article)
•Engines That Move Markets (Book)
•Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat (Book)
•The Future for Investors (Book)
If you are looking for an investment in your startup, please tell me about your project.
As always – I would enjoy hearing from you (what you found interesting, the format of this email, notes from your own explorations, etc.), feel free to just respond to this email.
Until next week,
Ian Eliason