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Big Ideas in 2024: Programming Medicine’s Final Frontier with Jorge Conde
7 segments available
Traditional drug development is like single-use rockets—costly and bespoke. But, inspired by SpaceX's rocket reusability, imagine programmable medicines that reuse components, transforming the way we innovate. General PartnerJorge Conde shares his Big Idea for 2024 and how the FDA is embracing this shift, adopting the FAA's approach to aviation safety for transparent and flexible evaluations of programmable medicines. Timecodes: 00:00 - Big Ideas in Tech 2024 01:39 - Programming Medicine’s Final Frontier 03:07 - The three stages of developing drugs in 2023 06:35 - The impact of programmable medicine 10:48 - The FDA and office of The Office of Therapeutic Products 16:01 - What does programmable medicine unlock for business? 17:52 - Regulation, cost, and access Resources: View all 40+ big ideas: https://a16z.com/bigideas2024 Find Jorge on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JorgeCondeBio Stay Updated: Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/ Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosure
Segments Timeline
Big Ideas in Tech 2024
In this segment, the a16z partners introduce their list of over 40 big ideas for 2024, highlighting major technological advancements across various sectors. From smart energy grids to democratizing miracle drugs, they set the stage for a deep dive into innovative concepts that could reshape industries.
"Precision delivery of medicine entertainment franchise games absolutely exploding small modly reactors and the nuclear Renaissance plus AI moving into very complex workflows now these were just a few ..."
Programming Medicine’s Final Frontier
Jorge Conde presents his big idea for 2024: programming medicine's final frontier. He draws parallels between traditional drug development and SpaceX's reusable rockets, emphasizing the potential of programmable medicines to revolutionize the biotech industry by reusing components and lowering costs.
"one of the general Partners here at ad Dre and Horwitz I'm on the Bion health Team where I focus on investments in the Life Sciences my big idea for the year is programming medicine's final frontier w..."
The Pain of Traditional Drug Development
Conde explains the painstaking, time-consuming, and expensive nature of traditional drug development, which can take 10 to 15 years. He breaks down the three stages of drug development: discovery, preclinical development, and clinical trials, highlighting the challenges faced in bringing new medicines to market.
"is so compelling this idea of programming medicine um certainly sounds like something that uh the whole world could benefit from but before we get into that maybe you could just break down a little bi..."
Impact of Programmable Medicine
This segment discusses how programmable medicine could transform drug development by allowing for the reuse of components across different therapies. Conde illustrates how gene therapies can deliver various genetic payloads using the same delivery vehicles, potentially speeding up the innovation process.
"play here and how does that maybe change the Paradigm across each of those stages or where does it have the potential to really reshape that Arc yeah so I think this is where um the concept of a progr..."
The FDA's Adaptive Approach
Conde outlines the FDA's new initiatives to adapt its regulatory processes for programmable medicines, including the establishment of the Office of Therapeutic Products. He discusses how the FDA is learning from the FAA's approach to aviation safety to create more flexible evaluation processes.
"about that where the FDA seems to be taking maybe some inspiration or at least that's what you um allude to with the FAA right so what can we what can they learn from the rocket reability in this anal..."
Unlocking Business Opportunities
In this segment, Conde explores what programmable medicine unlocks for businesses, emphasizing the potential for faster drug development and the ability to target diseases more effectively. He discusses how this paradigm shift could lead to new business models in the biotech industry.
"little more to that like if we are able to see this Confluence um that you're discussing and this idea of programmable medicine becoming a reality what does that really mean in in terms of like the th..."
Regulatory Challenges and Future Prospects
Conde addresses the regulatory challenges facing programmable medicines, including safety concerns and the high costs associated with these therapies. He encourages builders to innovate in biology to improve accessibility and reduce costs, ultimately paving the way for a future where cures for previously intractable diseases become a reality.
"guess just to close things off you've painted this beautiful picture of what may be to come could you share a little bit more about the blockers if any whether regulatory whether it has to do with the..."