👋 It’s not you, it’s science. 🧑🎓💔 MIT became the first school to say “nah, we’re good” to the White House’s proposed research-funding deal, basically swiping left on politics meddling in science. The message? Keep the bench free of bias.
📰 Headliners
🧪 Peter Marks Goes from FDA to Eli LillyAfter a decade steering vaccine and biologics oversight at the FDA, Peter Marks is trading in his regulator badge for a pharma one at Eli Lilly. The move reignited conversations about that ever-spinning “revolving door” between government and industry. Marks will head up R&D strategy in biologics, proof Lilly’s immunology ambitions are only getting bolder. Read Full Story
💰 Novo Nordisk Drops $5.2B for MASH ProspectNovo Nordisk just went shopping again, buying Akero Therapeutics for $5.2 billion. The prize: a Phase 3 FGF21 analogue for MASH (the liver disease formerly known as NASH). It’s a strategic move to expand beyond GLP-1s and lock in leadership across metabolic disorders.
⚖️ J&J Ordered to Pay $966M in Baby Powder LawsuitA jury hit Johnson & Johnson with a $966 million verdict in another talc-related cancer case. A stark reminder that its legacy baby-powder saga is far from over. J&J called it an “outlier,” but investors are watching whether more billion-dollar judgments follow.
🧫 BMS Buys Orbital for $1.5BBristol Myers Squibb snapped up Orbital Therapeutics in a $1.5 billion deal to bolster its in vivo CAR-T platform. Translation: BMS wants cell therapy that can be delivered like a vaccine, no hospital infusion chairs required.
➕ Quick Hits
J&J – Reportedly in talks to buy immunology partner Protagonist, whose shares jumped 30% on the news.
Halozyme – Acquiring Elektrofi for $900 million to expand its subcutaneous drug-delivery arsenal.
Roche + Jazz – Secured FDA approval for a combo therapy in small-cell lung cancer.
Novo Nordisk – Closing its cell-therapy unit and cutting staff, ending its Type 1 diabetes cure program.
AstraZeneca – Began construction on a $4.5 billion API plant in Virginia to scale U.S. manufacturing.
🧐 DEEP DIVE
Immune System Drama? Meet the Nobel Winners Who Found the Cells That Keep the Peace
When you think “immune system breakthroughs,” you probably picture flashy cancer therapies or next-gen vaccines. The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to a quieter, more foundational discovery that changed how we understand immune system self-control, i.e. the ability to attack foreign invaders without turning on our own tissues.🏅 The Winners and the PrizeThe 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance. The prize totals 11 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million USD), to be shared equally among the three laureates.🧫 What They DiscoveredThe trio’s work revealed how a special group of immune cells, regulatory T cells (the cool kids call them Tregs 😎), act as peacekeepers inside the immune system. When immune cells are activated to fight infections or cancer, regulatory T cells step in afterward to calm the response, preventing collateral damage to healthy tissues. Without them, the immune system can spiral out of control, leading to autoimmune diseases like lupus, type 1 diabetes, or multiple sclerosis.💁♀️ In layman's terms: If your immune system were a house party, regulatory T cells are the sober friend making sure no one throws a punch or sets the couch on fire.Sakaguchi first identified regulatory T cells in the 1990s. Brunkow and Ramsdell later uncovered how a single gene, FOXP3, controls their development and function. Together, they mapped out the core mechanism behind peripheral immune tolerance, i.e. how the immune system learns to recognize “self” and stand down.📚 Who They Are
Mary E. Brunkow (Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle) helped define how mutations in the FOXP3 gene disrupt regulatory T cell function, leading to autoimmune disease.
Fred Ramsdell, a longtime immunologist and biotech leader, was part of the team that connected FOXP3 to immune regulation and disease.
Shimon Sakaguchi, based in Japan, pioneered the discovery of regulatory T cells and continues to lead research into their therapeutic potential.
⚖️ Why It MattersTheir discoveries reshaped immunology. Understanding regulatory T cells explains how the body avoids attacking itself and how that balance can go wrong. It also opened the door to new treatments: boosting regulatory T cells to calm autoimmune diseases or suppressing them to enhance anti-cancer immunity. Dozens of therapies now in clinical trials trace their lineage to this work.🌍 The TakeawayThe Nobel committee honored a breakthrough that revealed the immune system’s built-in safety switch. The $1 million prize recognizes decades of work that continue to shape the next generation of immune-based medicine.
🔢 KEY FIGURE
1,000
At least this many CDC staffers received layoff notices Friday night as part of sweeping government cuts already shaking up public health. For many scientists, it feels like pandemic-era burnout on repeat, minus the job security.
Plot twist…just a day after sending layoff notifications the Trump administration said…my bad…and quickly recalled select CDC staff who had been laid off the night before. They blamed it on a “glitch in the system.” 🤦♀️
🌐 COMMUNITY VIBES
What’s the buzz on life science social media this week? Jobs…or the lack thereof.
🤔 “Over 4,000 federal workers laid off, and somehow my LinkedIn feed still says ‘we’re hiring.’” — r/biotech comment
🤦♀️ “Recruiters asking for 10 years of CRISPR experience when the tech’s barely old enough to rent a car.” — r/biotech comment🥷 “If this market gets any tighter, I’m putting ‘pipette ninja’ on my resume.” — LinkedIn comment
🧬 Bio Bits
🧩 Precision Neuroscience is testing its minimally invasive brain-computer interface in first human patients, a major step for neurotech.
🤖 Heidi Health raised nearly $100 million for an AI assistant built for doctors. Basically ChatGPT with a stethoscope.
🌿 Jane Goodall, the legendary primatologist and conservationist, has passed at 91, leaving a global legacy for science and nature.
📺 Pharma Ads actually rose in September despite a White House crackdown. Because nothing can stop “Ask your doctor if…” season.
⚖️ Skye Bioscience shares cratered 60% after its weight-loss drug flopped in Phase 2. Obesity R&D remains a brutal arena.
💭 Word to Remember
“The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it.”
— Neil deGrasse Tyson
🌿 Lab Laugh
One plant says to the other, “Are you hungry?” The other replies, “I could use a light snack.” 😆☀️
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