Tokenless

Drug development

From Tokens to Cells: Foundation Models for Single-Cell Biology - Akram Baharlouei, Altos Labs

From Tokens to Cells: Foundation Models for Single-Cell Biology - Akram Baharlouei, Altos Labs

Akram Baharlouei from Altos Labs discusses the engineering hurdles in developing foundation models for single-cell biology. The talk covers the importance of single-cell analysis for cellular rejuvenation and drug discovery, the complexities and challenges of single-cell data (particularly RNA-seq), and a comparative analysis of current foundation model approaches, highlighting the limitations of transformer-based models and the potential of flow matching techniques like PrimeFlow.

The Brutal Truth About Biotech: Why $2B Per Drug Is Killing Innovation

The Brutal Truth About Biotech: Why $2B Per Drug Is Killing Innovation

Venture capitalists Elliot Hershberg and Lada Nuzhna analyze the structural crises facing the biotech industry, from Eroom's Law driving drug development costs to $2.5 billion, to China's rapid, low-cost clinical trials outmaneuvering US startups. They argue that for American biotech to survive, it must shift from competing on commoditized platforms to inventing entirely new modalities and medicines that are impossible to create without bleeding-edge tools like AI, targeting massive opportunities like aging.