By Dr. Lawrence Jones II

A biotech startup is a company that focuses on developing and applying biotechnology to create new products, services, or technologies, typically in the fields of healthcare, agriculture, environmental sustainability, or industrial applications. These startups are generally small, innovative companies that bring scientific breakthroughs to market, often intending to disrupt established industries.

My observation of a biotech startup often includes:

1. Innovation: Biotech startups often work on cutting-edge scientific research or develop new methods to solve problems in biology, medicine, or environmental science.
2. Technology-driven: A biotech startup's core usually uses advanced technology or scientific processes. This can involve anything from gene editing (e.g., CRISPR) to synthetic biology, bioinformatics, or new drug delivery methods.
3. High Risk and High Reward: Biotechnology startups typically face uncertain outcomes. Their innovations require years of research and development and often depend on regulatory approvals (such as the FDA for medical products).
4. Investment: Biotech startups often seek venture capital, angel investors, or grants to fund their research and development, as biotech ventures can require significant upfront investment before any products hit the market.
5. Interdisciplinary Expertise: These companies often have teams of experts, including biologists, chemists, engineers, medical professionals, and business managers, who collaborate to translate scientific discoveries into real-world applications.

Examples of biotech startups include companies developing new medicines, creating sustainable agricultural solutions, producing bio-based materials, or developing technologies to improve environmental health.

Years ago, I created an original metaphor influenced by Morgan's metaphors of organizational dysfunction (Morgan, 2008) (Jones, 2020). My proposed new metaphor includes some corporate examples. The metaphor is a Pygmalion Mirage. Pygmalion (1968) “In Greek mythology, Pygmalion was a sculptor that became fascinated with his work that he fantasized it was a living and breathing masterpiece.” A Pygmalion Mirage is a situation where an organization's culture becomes overly confident in its perception of a problem, often due to the leader's influence. The mirage can lead to the leader experiencing an illusion of success.

A Pygmalion Mirage in the context of biotechnology startup companies refers to a phenomenon where high expectations or inflated perceptions of a company's potential by the leadership team can lead to unrealistically positive beliefs about its success, even when it is foundations or actual achievements might not justify them. The term draws from the "Pygmalion effect," a psychological principle suggesting that higher expectations increase performance (Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968). However, in the "mirage" (Mirage, 2020) aspect, these expectations are based on distorted or idealized perceptions, often disconnected from the reality of the company's capabilities, research, or financial stability.

In the context of biotechnology startups, this could manifest in several ways:

1. Overhyped Products or Technologies: A biotech company may be perceived as having the next big breakthrough or revolutionary treatment, but in reality, the science behind the product is still unproven, or there are significant hurdles in the development process that are not immediately apparent to investors, partners, or the public. These false perceptions can generate hype and attract capital that the product's true potential might not justify.
2. Investment FOMO (Fear of Missing Out): Biotechnology startups often attract venture capitalists, angel investors, and other stakeholders who may be swept up in the hype surrounding the company of what the company could become, investors may feel compelled to participate, driven by a fear of missing out on the next big biotech success without solid data or proof of concept.
3. Media Amplification: Media outlets may amplify the company's narrative by focusing on sensational aspects of its technology or team, inflating public and investor expectations. This can create a "mirage" where everyone involved believes that the company is poised for enormous success when, in reality, it may still be dealing with fundamental issues like regulatory approval, clinical trial results, or financial instability.
4. Founder of Team Expectations: The leaders of biotech startups, particularly visionary founders, may begin to believe in their narrative of success, sometimes to the point where they ignore the risks or challenges (Hamm and Symonds (2006, November 26). This self-reinforcing belief can result in overconfidence, which distorts decision-making and can lead to poor choices—whether in product development, hiring, or scaling.
5. Market Trends and Herd Mentality: The biotech industry is often influenced by trends—such as the popularity of gene editing, personalized medicine, or immunotherapy. A startup that aligns with these trends may be seen as a potential leader in the field, even though it may not have the infrastructure or proven results to live up to those projections. This creates a "mirage" where the perceived opportunity is much greater than the actual reality of what the startup can deliver.

Consequences of a Pygmalion Mirage in Biotech Startups:

• Failure to Meet Expectations: Overblown expectations can lead to investors and stakeholders may losing confidence. I have seen first hand that this outcome can lead to crashes in valuations, layoffs, or the failure to secure further funding.
• Resource Drain: Because of overconfidence, companies may waste time, energy, and resources on initiatives that were never feasible in the first place, leading to unsustainable growth.
• Delayed Innovations: Focusing on unrealistic projections can divert attention from more viable, smaller-scale innovations or practical solutions that might be more successful in the long term.

Mitigating the Mirage:

• Focus on Clear Milestones: Setting realistic, science-backed milestones and emphasizing transparency can help mitigate the overhype.
• Cautious Expectations: Encouraging a balanced view of what can be achieved and understanding the long, uncertain road biotech companies often face can prevent companies from falling into the trap of chasing mirages.
• Realistic Valuations: Ensuring authentic company valuations are based on solid data, regulatory approvals, and the technology's true potential rather than speculative projections can prevent unrealistic expectations.

In short, a Pygmalion Mirage in biotech startups could result in companies building more on the perception of their value than their actual achievements or potential, leading to a risky bubble that might burst if those high expectations are unmet. These consequences and considerations are not just for a startup; any company (even older ones) that does not monitor its performance closely can experience a Pygmalion Mirage.

References:

Hamm, S., & Symonds, W. C. (2006, November 26). Mistakes made on the road to innovation. Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2006-11-26/mistakes-made-on-the-road-to-innovation

Jones, L. (May 2020). Pygmalion Mirage as an Organizational Metaphor. Organizational Metaphors.

Lewin, A. Y., & Stephens, C. U. (1994). CEO attitudes as determinants of organization design: An integrated model. Organization Studies, 15(2), 183–21

Mirage [Def. 1]. (2020). Merriam-Webster Online. In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved November 26, 2015, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/citation

Morgan, G. (2006). Images of organization (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.

Powell, S. (2011). The nexus between ethical corporate marketing, ethical corporate identity and corporate social responsibility. European Journal of Marketing, 45(9/10), 1365-1379.

Pygmalion [Def. 1]. (1968). Merriam-Webster Online. In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved November 26, 2015, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/citation

Rosenthal, R., & Jacobson, L. (1968). Pygmalion in the classroom. The Urban Review, 3(1), 16–20.

Tags: Metaphors

By Dr. Lawrence Jones II

Reuters (July 22, 2024) reported that Tesla will have humanoid robots in "low production" for the company's internal use next year, CEO Elon Musk said on Monday, months after he announced a rollout by the end of 2024. The automaker will have the robots "hopefully" in high production for other companies in 2026. Musk, on his social media platform X, said that the Tesla robot, called Optimus Gen 2, would be able to perform tasks in the factory by the end of this year and could be ready for sale as soon as the end of 2025. The name was inspired by "Optimus Prime the fictional character and the protagonist of the Transformers movie franchise.

Technology is moving faster and faster every month and every year. Jones (2024) mentioned earlier this year that artificial intelligence is emerging everywhere, and "general tasks have been programmed with broad human-like cognitive capabilities autonomously engaging on unfamiliar tasks like discerning and making decisions without human guidance. However, the super intelligent task AI "represents a future form of AI where machines could surpass human intelligence across all fields, including creativity, general wisdom, and problem-solving." Tesla put out the first generation of its Optimus robot, dubbed Bumblebee, in September 2022. The company, he predicted, will have "over 1,000, or a few thousand, Optimus robots working at Tesla" in 2025.

Musk just mentioned a couple of days ago (September 20, 2024) that his company's (Tesla) aim is to produce millions of humanoid Optimus Gen 2 and 3 robots and will ramp up production until millions of Optimus across the globe. Musk plans these robots to do countless tasks around your house; you only need to spend $20,000 for your robot. Tesla is confident that it has the most advanced humanoid robot in the world and boasts that the Optimus 3 could be a homemaker, launder your clothes, or even home-school your kids. According to (2024), "Elon has confidently stated multiple times they could truly replace humans in the tedious dangers and repetitive daily chores of life."

Optimus Gen 2 is the second generation of Tesla's humanoid robot. It is designed to be a general-purpose machine that can assist humans in various domains, such as manufacturing, construction, healthcare, and entertainment. Optimus Gen 3 will be able to perform even more complex tasks compared to Optimus Gen 2. Although humanoid robots have been developing for several years by Japan's Honda and Hyundai Motor's Boston Dynamics, "companies are betting on them to meet potential labor shortages and perform repetitive tasks that could be dangerous or tedious such as logistics, warehousing, and manufacturing." Tesla put out the first generation of its Optimus robot, dubbed Bumblebee, in September 2022. 

References:

Jones, L. (June 25, 2024). Our Cultural Fixation of Artificial Intelligence is Becoming Part of Our Lives. The Narrative Matters. St. Louis, MO

Kolodny, L. (June 13, 2024). Elon Musk claims Optimus robots could make Tesla a $25 trillion company more than half the value of the S&P 500 today. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/13/elon-musk-says-optimus-robots-could-make-tesla-25-trillion-company-.html

Reuters. (July 22, 2024). Tesla to have humanoid robots for internal use next year, Musk says. Tesla to have humanoid robots for internal use next year, Musk says | Reuters

Tesla.(August 25, 2024). The Tesla Bot 2025 Update is HERE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96g2Dap_l3U

Tesla.(December 13, 2023).Optimus Gen 2 | Tesla. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpraXaw7dyc

Tesla.(September 20, 2024). It Happened! Elon Musk Review Everything Tesla Bot Optimus Gen 3 Can Do! Homemaker and Hard Worker!

Photo credit: https://cyberguy.com/future-tech/next-generation-teslas-humanoid-robot-makes-debut/

Tags: A.I., Tesla

Photo Credit Image: Chaz Bharj. iStock/Getty Images Plus

By Dr. Lawrence Jones II

Lovelace (November 12, 2022) reported on covid-19 vaccine recipient Mr. Da’Vion Miller, who developed myocarditis shortly after his second covid-19 vaccine shot. The young man of 22 years of age experienced “chest pain two days after getting vaccinated, followed by fatigue, shortness of breath and dizziness.” As a result, Da’Vion’s doctor advised him not to receive a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. A tiny group in the United States has experienced myocarditis following vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. Both vaccines have mRNA technology.

Myocarditis is an inflammation and damage of the heart muscle known as the myocardium. Most commonly caused by a viral infection, but it can also be an infection of bacteria, fungi, parasites, or a reaction to a drug. Pericarditis is an Inflammation of the pericardium (thin membrane around the heart), causing chest pain. The CDC has identified at least 1,000 vaccine-related heart conditions(myocarditis or pericarditis) in children under age 18. Most vaccine recipients who developed the condition have fully recovered, although research has only looked at how well they do after several months. However, doctors wonder if it can cause permanent damage to the heart.

U.S. research is tracking adverse health effects that may appear in the years following a diagnosis of vaccine-associated heart problems. Moderna has already launched two trials, and Pfizer confirmed that at least one of its trials, including up to 500 teens and young adults under age 21, will begin very soon. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration has required drugmakers to conduct several studies of the long-term impacts of mRNA vaccines on heart inflammation. Some trials will follow those who developed the condition for as long as five years. The tests will be monitored for myocarditis. The chance of having myocarditis after vaccination is slight.

A study by Canadian researchers in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that men younger than 40 who got the Moderna vaccine had the highest risk of heart issues, usually within 21 days after the second dose. The study was observational, one of only a few studies to compare the risk of myocarditis between the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine and the Novavax vaccine makers reported no heart inflammation concerns in their patients during clinical trials of its vaccine. New reports and findings will unfold in the upcoming years 2023-2025.

References:

Klein, N. (October 21, 2021). Myocarditis Analyses in the Vaccine Safety Datalink: Rapid Cycle Analyses and “Head to Head” Product Comparisons. Update on myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (cdc.gov)

Lovelace, B. ( November 12, 2022). Myocarditis after Covid vaccination: Research on possible long-term risks underway. Myocarditis after Covid vaccine: Research on long-term effects underway (nbcnews.com)

Shimabukuro, T. (July 23, 2022).Update on myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. Update on myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (cdc.gov)

Su, J. (October 21, 2021). Myopericarditis following Coivd-19 vaccination: Updates from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting (VAERS) Update on myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (cdc.gov)

Tags: Covid-19 Therapeutics

Image Credit: Alexyz3d / Shutterstock

By Lawrence Jones, PhD

Protease inhibitor technology used commonly as a strategy to treat HIV and hepatitis C is now a strategy for SARS-CoV-2 antiviral therapy development. Researchers for SARS-CoV-2 have focused on “main protease (Mpro) which plays a dominant role in processing CoV-encoded polyproteins which mediate the assembly of replication-transcription machinery and is thus recognized as an ideal antiviral target (Cui, et. al, 2020.” The SARS-CoV-2 antiviral therapy development may consist of repurposed drugs as the push for a breakthrough is not only a goal by Pfizer but other biopharma companies in pursuit. “The first protease inhibitor to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was saquinavir, in December 1995, and within months, two other protease inhibitors, ritonavir, and indinavir were approved (Cully, 2018).”

So far, Pfizer has been able to deliver to the public. Thus, the company has been a significant player during the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine production and distribution with effective outcomes regarding their vaccine efficacy and ability to produce the quantity of vaccine needed. Pfizer’s protease inhibitor outlook for the first U.S.-approved SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics is fast-tracked to their initial clinical phase 1 trial. Pfizer’s early stage one clinical trial on an oral antiviral therapy that can treat a SARS-CoV-2 patient effectively is now on the horizon. The quest to get the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic under control is continuing with urgency and caution.

The aim of the drug is for the first developing symptoms, which according to Pfizer (March 23, 20201), would make it the first oral antiviral treatment of its kind for coronavirus. Pfizer (March 23, 2021) “the trial is randomized and includes placebo groups with both single and multiple-dose studies.” What is promising is that the Pfizer company “is also studying an intravenous antiviral to treat SARS-CoV-2, which will become an option for some hospitalized patients over time.” Pfizer’s “PF-07321332 “protease inhibitor” has been formulated to attack the “spine” of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and stop it replicating in our nose, throats, and lungs.”

Pfizer’s Chief Scientific Officer, Mikael Dolsten reports that he is hopeful that their early raises the prospects of a cure for future pandemic threats. For now, laboratory “invitro” for animal tolerance is of the foremost importance before being tested in humans. Clinical trials will be intensive, and the screening and dosing steps and outcomes of the dosing step will be crucial for determining the drug’s safety and tolerability. The upcoming months of 2021 and early 2022 look very promising for technology combination therapies to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infections.

References:

Butz, B. (March 23, 2021). Pfizer launches trial for novel oral SARS-COV-2 therapeutic. https://www.drugdiscoverytrends.com/pfizer-launches-phase-1-trial-for-novel-oral-SARS-CoV-2-therapeutic/

Cui, W., Yang, K., & Yang, H. (2020). Recent progress in the drug development targeting SARS-CoV-2 main protease as treatment for COVID-19. Frontiers in molecular biosciences,

Cully, M. (November 28, 2018). Protease inhibitors give wings to combination therapy. https://www.nature.com/articles/d42859-018-00015-7

Holzberg, E. (March 23, 2021). Pfizer Testing A Pill To Treat Covid. Pfizer Testing A Pill To Treat Covid (forbes.com)

Lucy, P. (April 28, 2021). Pfizer CEO says oral SARS-COV-2 pill could be ready by the end of the year. https://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/pfizer_ceo_says_oral_SARS-CoV-2_pill_could_be_ready_by_the_end_of_the_year_1368720

Pfizer (March 23, 2021). Pfizer initiates phase 1 study of novel oral antiviral therapeutic agent against sars-cov-2. https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-initiates-phase-1-study-novel-oral

Tags: Covid-19 Therapeutics, Protease Inhibitors

Blog post by Lawrence Jones, Ph.D.

2021 will be a year that forecasts and trends from a few years ago that came to a halt are now at the forefront of technical publications again. For instance, a year ago, emerging trends in biotechnology proved exciting as we embarked on an optimistic future of long-awaited drug developments for Alzheimer’s disease. Biogen’s FDA filing for new drugs was promising as they acquired from Pfizer Incorporated’s a novel drug for the potential treatment of patients with behavioral and neurological symptoms. However, with the onset of the scientific focus, health focus, and public health focus of SARS-Cov-2, this biotech topic dominated many of the projected trends of 2020.

The vaccine industry has been revamped and tweaked in ways that we have never seen before. I could touch on the up and coming vaccines, therapies, and strategies for SARS-Cov-2 and the variants that appear in various parts of the world and country; however, there are daily updates about this topic. Nevertheless, 2021, like 2020 and 2019, will continue to utilize and improve technologies that apply genome editing beyond traditional human drug development. Veterinary Medicine, which continues to enhance animal livestock, and animal agriculture, will evolve like never. The launch of Prime Medicine by David Liu, Ph.D., and associates has developed a technology geared for creating or correcting any single-base transition mutations and treating sickle cell disease.

The development of the two mRNA vaccines by Pzier and Moderna, currently being used to vaccinate millions of Americans and people worldwide, are new technologies that will enhance gene therapy innovation strategies for health care in the future. 2021 will reveal official and unofficial partnerships of various companies evaluating their portfolios. Digital therapeutics will also continue to play significant roles in monitoring and tracking disease and infection rates and health management. Research and development for SARS-CoV-2 disease control methods through various treatment by way of therapeutic antibodies, therapeutic antivirals, and vaccines (whole virus, RNA or mRNA based, non-replicating viral vector, and protein subunit) will continue to be at the forefront.

There will be continual surveillance through PCR (molecular) tests to detect the virus’s genetic material to determine the presence of active infection with SARS-CoV-2. More rapid antigen testing to see pieces of proteins that make up the SARS-CoV-2 virus to determine the presence of active disease with SARS-CoV-2 is also at the forefront of innovation. Serology tests for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-2 variants in the blood will continue to be a 2021 trend. More importantly, having effective distribution strategies and real-time communication for the public and patients receiving a vaccine will be vital to gaining control and protecting millions of people.

Tags: Surveillance, Vaccination