The math, which combines chaos, quantum theory, and infinitely complex fractal structures, has been called a “foundational result.”
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Study reveals new role for tau, a top target for Alzheimer’s drug development
In the race for new ways to treat Alzheimer’s and other devastating neurologic diseases, the protein tau has become a tantalizing target for drug developers. A new study lends support to those efforts by describing a previously unknown role that tau plays in neurodegeneration — and suggesting a novel way researchers might block the protein’s activity.
A team led by Stanford scientists found that tau can gum up the works of a cell’s mitochondria, its energy-producing powerhouse. The protein sends electrons flowing in the opposite direction of their usual microscopic relay race, a reversal that generates reactive oxygen species, cellular stress, and inflammation. Scientists found that blocking this phenomenon, known as reverse electron transport, reversed many of the harmful effects and improved learning and memory in flies and mice.
Whether the same will hold true in people is for now unclear, though an analysis of human cells grown in the lab and patient brain tissue suggests blocking the retrograde flow of electrons could make neurons healthier. Two of the study’s authors have started a biotech startup to put this idea to the test.
Encapsulation of AAVs into Protein Vault Nanoparticles as a Novel Solution to Gene Therapy’s Neutralizing Antibody Problem
My vaultAAV gene therapy invention for circumventing preexisting anti-AAV immunity has been published in ACS Synthetic Biology! This technology was the basis for my first company, Cathedral Therapeutics![Cathedral was acquired in 2025, now I’m an advisor and board member]. You can read the Open Access paper at this link https://doi.org/10.1021/acssynbio.6c00512
Additionally, here is Cathedral’s new (post-acquisition) website for those interested: https://www.cathedraltx.com/
Thank you to everyone who helped along the way. I’d particularly like to extend special gratitude to my mentor David T. Curiel!
Abstract. Although adeno-associated virus (AAV) has enjoyed enormous success as a delivery modality for gene therapy, it suffers from high prevalence of preexisting neutralizing antibodies in human populations, limiting who can receive potentially life-saving treatments. As a novel solution to this issue, we employed SpyTag-SpyCatcher molecular glue technology to facilitate packaging of AAVs inside of recombinant protein vault nanoparticles. Vaults are endogenous particles produced by mammalian cells. We therefore hypothesized that they may shield packaged molecules from neutralizing antibodies. Vaults have previously been utilized to deliver drugs and proteins into cells, but our study represents the first time anyone has packaged an entire virus inside of a vault. We showed that our vaultAAV delivery vehicle transduces cells in the presence of anti-AAV neutralizing serum. VaultAAV is positioned as a new gene therapy delivery platform with potential to overcome the neutralizing antibody problem, expanding the scope of AAV treatments.
A novel intervention to potentially improve the outcome of children with malnutrition
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital have uncovered an intervention that could potentially improve outcomes for children with malnutrition, a condition that contributes to nearly half of all deaths among children younger than 5. The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“One poorly understood consequence of malnutrition is intestinal barrier erosion, which allows bacteria to escape the gut and cause invasive infections, including sepsis, which are leading causes of mortality in malnourished children,” said study lead and co-corresponding author Dr. Geoffrey Preidis, associate professor of pediatrics—gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition and member of the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor and Texas Children’s.
The intestinal barrier is a dynamic system maintained through coordinated functions of the mucus layer, the junctions between epithelial cells lining the gut and immune cells. In addition, gut microbes and products of their metabolism also play a role in regulating intestinal barrier function, but how this occurs is not well understood.
CRISPR roadblocks: Scientists identify genes blocking gene therapy success
Like a delivery driver navigating crowded city streets, a gene-therapy-toting lipid nanoparticle faces a gauntlet of potential detours on its journey toward a cell’s nucleus. First, there’s entering the cell’s plasma membrane; then navigating around organelles like the Golgi apparatus, mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum—all destinations that can errantly absorb the particle’s payload, rendering it ineffective at best or harmful at worst. And that’s all before the particle even enters the nucleus and successfully makes a genetic change.
Anthropic Reportedly in Talks to Acquire Peer Decart for $6 Billion, Bolstering Compute Ahead of IPO
AI startup Anthropic is reportedly in talks to acquire peer Decart AI for approximately $6 billion (about NT$190 billion). If finalized, the deal would mark the largest acquisition in Anthropic’s history, coming at a time when the company is preparing for its highly anticipated IPO. Bloomberg first reported the deal on August 13, noting that the agreement has not yet been finalized and negotiations could still fall through.
Anthropic has been moving at a rapid pace on both fundraising and listing preparations this year. In February, it completed a $30 billion Series G round at a post-money valuation of $380 billion. Less than three months later, in May, it closed a $65 billion Series H round, pushing its post-money valuation to $965 billion — nearly $1 trillion. In early June, Anthropic confidentially filed its S-1 registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), paving the way for a future public listing. If this acquisition goes through, it would occur during a period when the company’s valuation and IPO preparations are both accelerating simultaneously.
Market sources indicate that Anthropic, which has historically made very few large acquisitions, has been investing heavily in compute capacity to develop new products and serve customers. According to sources, Decart’s software enables chips to operate more efficiently, thereby reducing the cost of training AI models. This technology would help Anthropic’s existing infrastructure handle greater demand. Upon completion of the deal, Decart’s team would join Anthropic’s inference and performance division. According to Forbes, FierceBiotech, and other media tallies, Anthropic has completed at least four acquisitions this year, including compiler startup Stainless and biotech startup Coefficient Bio (in a roughly $400 million stock deal), but all were far smaller than the Decart transaction — $6 billion would be more than ten times the size of any previously known deal.
