AI for Scientists, FDA Reverses Course, and Advances in Cancer Therapeutics

In the industry news section of this week’s episode, we kick things off with Tamarind Bio’s efforts to develop user-friendly artificial intelligence tools for science researchers. Then we examine the impact of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s reversal on its earlier refusal to review Moderna’s mRNA vaccine for the flu, discuss Gilead’s acquisition of Arcellx to expand its cancer therapy pipeline, and dive into Takeda’s investment in Vir Biotech’s prostate cancer candidate. Then on the research front, we get into the science behind new protein-like polymers engineered to target and degrade some of cancer’s most challenging driver proteins. And we discuss a potential control switch for CAR T cells that could make these immunotherapies much safer. Join GEN editors Corinna Singleman, PhD, Fay Lin, PhD, Uduak Thomas and Alex Philippidis for a discussion of the latest biotech and biopharma news.  Listed below are links to the GEN stories referenced in this episode of Touching Base:  Tamarind Bio Secures $13.6M Series A to Make AI More Accessible for BiologyBy Fay Lin, PhD, GEN Edge, February 24, 2026 StockWatch: FDA Reversal Boosts Moderna, But Not Other Vaccine CompaniesBy Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, February 21, 2026Gilead to Acquire Arcellx for $7.8B, Adding Anito-Cel to Cancer PipelineBy Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, February 23, 2026Astellas, Vir Biotechnology Launch Up-to-$1.7B Prostate Cancer CollaborationBy Alex Philippidis, GEN, February 26, 2026New Protein-Like Polymers Target, Degrade “Undruggable” Proteins Driving CancerGEN, February 11, 2026Drug-Controlled CAR T Cells May Enable Safer ImmunotherapyGEN, February 23, 2026Touching Base Podcast Hosted by Corinna Singleman, PhD  Behind the Breakthroughs Hosted by Jonathan D. Grinstein, PhD  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.