Ryan Cross the Science Boss

The Science Boss is back! It's my first day at @endpts, a @FinancialTimes co. I'll be writing news, analysis, and features as the Senior Science Correspondent for Endpoints, with a focus on the science, reseach, and tech of biomed, biotech, and pharma. [email protected]

Orbital Therapeutics, a circular RNA startup that raised $270M for nex-gen RNA drugs in 2023, revealed its first program and first preclinical data for an in vivo CAR-T cell therapy for autoimmune disease. More details in my story for @endpts - endpoints.news/circular-rna-s…

(reposted w/ link) Returned from Japan at midnight ➡️@endpts Post-Hoc Live about @Sarepta at 1:30 pm ET today. Join me, @ArmstrongDrew and @Jared_Whitlock to catch up on all that's happened around Sarepta and its DMD gene therapy last week endpoints.news/endpoints-live…

David Baker’s lab @UWproteindesign uses AI to help catch nature’s squirmiest proteins, the notoriously undruggable intrinsically disordered proteins. I covered the new methods, which could have implications in cancer, diabetes, pain and more for @endpts - endpoints.news/david-bakers-l…

We are closely reporting on @Sarepta and the FDA's request to stop selling its Duchenne treatment If you have any tips, please contact me on Signal at jaredwhitlock.73, including if you work at Sarepta or were recently let go in this week's layoffs.

Sail Bio, the Flagship co. that combined the circular RNA startup Laronde and nanoparticle startup Senda, just cut its staff by 30%. The CEO and CMO left earlier this year. Now the CSO and heads of platform, legal and HR are gone. Read more in @endpts endpoints.news/sail-bio-cuts-…

Another Sarepta patient has died, the company confirmed, this time in a study of its limb girdle therapy, @Jared_Whitlock reports: endpoints.news/sarepta-patien…

Last week, @VardaSpace raised $187M to make drugs in space. @ArmstrongDrew and I, both long-time skeptics of 'drugs in space' hype, are talking to Varda CSO Adrian Radocea to see if the field is finally about to take off. Join @endpts live at 12:15 pm: endpoints.news/endpoints-live…

The FDA approved a new dosing of Lilly’s #Alzheimers drug #Kisunla to lower brain swelling risks known as ARIA-E, based on a new Phase 3 study where modified dosing caused ARIA-E in 14% of patients compared to 24% on original dosing. More in @endpts endpoints.news/fda-approves-n…

A new #CRISPR Cures center, funded by $20M from @czi and led by @UrnovFyodor, will create 8 custom therapies for patients in the next 3 years. “Our goal is to aggressively walk the walk of CRISPR platformization,” Urnov told me. More in @endpts: endpoints.news/crispr-cures-c…

It's a tough time to be a vaccine startup, but @centivax CEO @CurlyJungleJake raised $45M for a universal flu shot made with 22 different mRNAs encoding viral strains back to 1918. A clinical trial starts next year. My story for @endpts has all the details endpoints.news/startup-raises…

Former Pfizer CSO Mikael Dolsten told me he was “thrilled” by the FDA’s “renewed enthusiasm” cell and gene therapy. And he isn't worried about CRISPR getting lumped into political attacks on mRNA technology. Read more in @endpts: endpoints.news/former-pfizer-…

If you work at the FDA, I am interested to hear more about your perspective. Please consider reaching out to me on Signal: my username is adunn123.30 endpoints.news/sources-fda-ch…

Can't let the moment pass. Today marks the 9th anniversary of Endpoints News, after Arsalan Arif and I along with 2 stalwarts -- Shehla Shakoor and Igor Yavych -- took a leap of faith and launched the pub. No backers. No money. Just a real yearning to make our own way, in our…

If you are at #BIO2025 this morning, stop by room 251 at 9:00 am for my discussion with leaders from Aera, Alnylam, Intellia and Regeneron on "Platform Power" in genetic medicines.

In another interesting alternative to animal models, the organoid startup @ParallelBio has raised $21 million to test drugs and vaccines in its lymph node-in-a-dish technology, sourced from 100 human tissue donors. Read more in my exclusive for @endpts - endpoints.news/organoid-start…

I'm looking forward to breaking down this story with Dr. Cohen at 3:00pm ET. If you're looking for a primer on ACIP, and how its dismantling could affect the price and uptake of vaccines moving forward, tune in. We'll also address the broader message this sends to public health.