From designing drugs with a simple text prompt to running experiments guided by extended reality, a new wave of agentic AI is transforming the modern lab. Our editors discuss the latest autonomous systems accelerating biological discovery. In business deals, Gilead Sciences has acquired Tubulis in a transaction worth up to $5 billion, strengthening the buyer’s position in antibody–drug conjugates for cancer. Correspondingly, Eli Lilly and Biogen are each making billion-dollar-plus bets, acquiring Centessa, a sleep disorder drug developer, and Apellis, known for its work in immunology and rare diseases. Our episode rounds out by unpacking the dynamic obesity drug market, where intensifying competition from Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill is prompting Lilly to temper the 2026 sales outlook for its oral obesity drug, Foundayo.

Join GEN editors Corinna Singleman, PhD, Fay Lin, PhD 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:

Can AI Agents Automate Scientific Discovery?

By Fay Lin, PhD, GEN Edge, April 1, 2026

Gilead to Acquire Tubulis for Up to $5B, Expanding Cancer ADC Capabilities

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, April 7, 2026

Lilly Acquires Centessa for Up to $7.8B; Biogen Buys Apellis for Up to $6.1B

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, March 31, 2026

StockWatch: Price War Dampens Lilly Surge After Oral GLP-1 Wins FDA Nod

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, April 5, 2026

Touching 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.

This week, agentic AI steps into the limelight buoyed by the momentum from generative AI. And there’s a new virtual cell model in town courtesy of AI-drug developer Xaira Therapeutics. From the frontiers of AI, our discussion turned to feats of engineering in regenerative medicine and lipid nanoparticles. In one study, scientists redesigned LNPs to avoid the liver and accumulate in the lymph nodes. In the other, efforts to develop and implant a lab grown esophagus from donor pigs bear fruit. Finally, Novartis plans to spend up to $3 billion to expand its cancer pipeline with the acquisition of Pikavation Therapeutics. And Merck is acquiring Terns Pharmaceuticals for approximately $6.7 billion also with an eye towards boosting its cancer portfolio.

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:

NVIDIA GTC 2026: Agentic AI Inflection Hits Healthcare and Life Sciences

By Fay Lin, PhD, GEN Edge, March 18, 2026

Xaira’s First Virtual Cell Model Is Largest To-Date, Toward Complex Biology

By Fay Lin, PhD, GEN Edge, March 25, 2026

Modified Lipid Nanoparticles Boost mRNA Vaccine Delivery to Lymph Nodes

GEN, March 24, 2026

Engineered Esophagus Rebuilds Missing Organ Segment in Pig Models

GEN, March 20, 2026

Novartis Acquires Pikavation for Up to $3B, Expanding Cancer Pipeline

GEN, March 22, 2026

Merck Bolsters Cancer Pipeline with $6.7B Terns Buyout

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, March 25, 2026

Touching 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.

A new study from the J. Craig Venter Institute simulates the complete life cycle of a minimal bacterial cell in 4D space and time at nanoscale resolution. Meanwhile, in gene editing, a new technology has designed DNA donors that evade the immune system, allowing safer large gene insertion that is one step closer to scalable mutation-agnostic therapies. In brain diseases, researchers have found a novel blood-based biomarker that can predict a woman’s risk of developing dementia as many as 25 years before symptoms appear. Our episode rounds out with uniQure’s roller coaster stock, following Vinay Prasad, MD, and his second departure from the FDA.

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:

Simulating Life: 4D Whole-Cell Model of a Minimal Bacterium

GEN, March 9, 2026

Safer Large DNA Insertion Moves Genetic Medicine Toward Scalability

By Fay Lin, PhD, GEN, March 11, 2026

Blood Biomarker Predicts Women’s Dementia Risk Up to 25 Years Early

GEN, March 10, 2026

StockWatch: Under Fire from FDA, uniQure Stock Roller-Coasters

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, March 8, 2026

Touching 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.

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 Biology

By Fay Lin, PhD, GEN Edge, February 24, 2026

StockWatch: FDA Reversal Boosts Moderna, But Not Other Vaccine Companies

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, February 21, 2026

Gilead to Acquire Arcellx for $7.8B, Adding Anito-Cel to Cancer Pipeline

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, February 23, 2026

Astellas, Vir Biotechnology Launch Up-to-$1.7B Prostate Cancer Collaboration

By Alex Philippidis, GEN, February 26, 2026

New Protein-Like Polymers Target, Degrade “Undruggable” Proteins Driving Cancer

GEN, February 11, 2026

Drug-Controlled CAR T Cells May Enable Safer Immunotherapy

GEN, February 23, 2026

Touching 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.

Women in Science Day (February 11) was the top of the list for discussion for GEN editors in this week’s podcast. They shared an anecdote on the history of the term “scientist”—hint it was coined for a woman. A modern scientist, Medra CEO Michelle Lee, discussed with GEN how the company is integrating robotics with AI for use in biological research. GEN attended SLAS this week and we got an update on the automation updates along with endeavors to increase the presence of women in biotech leadership. Finally, we get an update on Eli Lilly’s recent major deals followed by an update on Nektar Therapeutics clinical trial updates.

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:

Data Is a Robotics Problem, Medra CEO Says Physical AI Will Transform Biology

By Fay Lin, PhD, GEN Edge, February 11, 2026

Robots on the Red Line: A Video Update from SLAS 2026

GEN, February 11, 2026

SLAS Highlights: AI Labs, Small-Molecule SPR, Protein Interaction Assays, and Paper Labware

By Uduak Thomas, GEN, February 11, 2026

SLAS Highlights: Opening Keynote Spotlights Novel Target in Genomically Unstable Tumors

By Uduak Thomas, GEN, February 11, 2026

Opentrons Uses Nvidia Tech to Build Training Data That Powers Physical AI in the Lab

By Uduak Thomas, GEN, February 9, 2026

Beyond Obesity: Lilly Inks Up to $11.25B in Cancer, Immune System Deals

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, February 10, 2026

Lilly, Seamless Ink Up-to-$1.12B Hearing Loss Collaboration

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, January 28, 2026

Touching 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.

We kick off the very first episode of 2026 with a major legal development. This week, the former CEO of CytoDyn was sentenced to 30 months in prison, more than a year after being convicted on multiple charges including four counts of securities fraud, two counts of wire fraud, and three counts of insider trading. Also, we examine recent investments in artificial intelligence by several major drugmakers, and where they are hoping the technology can make an impact. Then, the latest from 10x Genomics and its plans to expand into clinical diagnostics through new collaboration. And for some research news, a new study that explores how functional forms of amyloid can create stable memories.

Join GEN editors Corinna Singleman, PhD, Alex Philippidis, Fay Lin, PhD, and Uduak Thomas 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:

Ex-CytoDyn CEO Sentenced to 30-Month Prison Term on Fraud, Insider Trading

By Alex Philippidis, GEN, January 27, 2026

Pharma Bets Big on AI Platforms with Flurry of New Year Deals

By Fay Lin, PhD, GEN Edge, January 22, 2026

JPM: Nvidia Launches AI Collaborations with Eli Lilly, Thermo Fisher

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, January 13, 2026

Clinical Ambitions: 10x Expands Beyond Research with Trio of Collaborations

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, January 26, 2026

Chai’s the Limit for AI Antibody Designer After $130M Series B Funding

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, December 16, 2025

Lilly Expands AI Ties to Insilico, from Customer to Drug Discovery Partner

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, November 10, 2025

How Brain May Deliberately Form Amyloids to Turn Experiences Into Memories

GEN, January 26, 2026

Touching 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.

Stories on lung organoids and autism were some of the most read this week. We kicked things off by digging into recent breakthroughs in both areas including an automated method for manufacturing iPSC-derived lung organoids and how a combination of supplements reduced autism-linked behaviors in mice. Still on the topic of new research, we discussed how a protein in the extracellular matrix helps muscle stem cells repair aging muscles. In business news, the bidding war between Lundbeck and Alkermes over Avadel Pharmaceuticals has ended. We talk about the possible implications of Lundbeck’s decision to back out and next steps for Alkermes. Then we dive into Protego Biopharma’s recent fundraising round, and efforts to develop small-molecule pharmacological chaperones that modulate protein stability in disease.

Join GEN editors Corinna Singleman, PhD, Alex Philippidis, and Uduak Thomas 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:

Lung Organoids Generated in Bulk Using Stirred Bioreactor Technology

GEN, December 1, 2025

Autism-Linked Behaviors in Mice Reduced by Nutrient Trio

GEN, December 3, 2025

Muscle Stem Cells Bolstered by ECM Protein Tenascin-C

GEN, December 5, 2025

Protego Closes $130M Series B to Fund Pivotal Trial of AL Amyloidosis Candidate

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, December 3, 2025

Lundbeck Ends Bidding War for Avadel, After Alkermes’ Up-to-$2.37B Offer

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, December 1, 2025

Touching 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.