Mingqing Cai
@mingqingcai.bsky.social
Scientist in Pharma/Biotech for 15 years; therapeutic antibodies and other fancy modalities; cytokines and inflammation; cancer, autoimmune, and Alzheimer's disease.
Reposted by Mingqing Cai
We have gotten some really good responses to science questions from platform.futurehouse.org already. Both from "Crow" (short answers) and "Falcon" (deep research).
It looks like this is state of the art right now!
It looks like this is state of the art right now!
May 2, 2025 at 10:03 PM
We have gotten some really good responses to science questions from platform.futurehouse.org already. Both from "Crow" (short answers) and "Falcon" (deep research).
It looks like this is state of the art right now!
It looks like this is state of the art right now!
"A challenge...is how one can identify molecules with function, that is, ones that have some useful role..." My experience with antibody discovery tells me there might exist a way to compute the finite possibilities and find the best drugs (BIC).
"This leads to the startling realization that one of the most important features of life is that it produces a set of future states that are not computable, even in principle"
Reality is not computation any more than it was the calculus of a mechanical clock centuries ago. Let’s not confuse our technology with what our universe is, it’s a surefire way to close the future by stifling our ability to see beyond the dogmas of our time. longnow.org/ideas/physic...
April 5, 2025 at 10:54 AM
"A challenge...is how one can identify molecules with function, that is, ones that have some useful role..." My experience with antibody discovery tells me there might exist a way to compute the finite possibilities and find the best drugs (BIC).
Superagonist targeting cytokine receptors is more precise than targeting cytokines themselves. We have done some fabulous work targeting IL-18 receptors with a bispecific approach and it's promising.
Nanrilkefusp alfa (SOT101), an IL-15 receptor βγ superagonist, as a single agent or with anti-PD-1 in patients with advanced cancers
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
@cp-cellrepmed.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
@cp-cellrepmed.bsky.social
February 12, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Superagonist targeting cytokine receptors is more precise than targeting cytokines themselves. We have done some fabulous work targeting IL-18 receptors with a bispecific approach and it's promising.
Reposted by Mingqing Cai
The US paperback of How Life Works is now out. Buy it now, before books mentioning evolution are banned!
(Sorry for the gallows humour - I know that is not even beyond the realms of possibility.)
(Sorry for the gallows humour - I know that is not even beyond the realms of possibility.)
February 3, 2025 at 12:53 PM
The US paperback of How Life Works is now out. Buy it now, before books mentioning evolution are banned!
(Sorry for the gallows humour - I know that is not even beyond the realms of possibility.)
(Sorry for the gallows humour - I know that is not even beyond the realms of possibility.)
DeepSeek~
It beats chatGPT in Chinese-based scenario and STEMs. Now let’s try drug discovery test.
Consideration session catches three main issues when optimizing affinity of an antibody: trade-off, expression, immunogenicity. Wonderful.
It beats chatGPT in Chinese-based scenario and STEMs. Now let’s try drug discovery test.
Consideration session catches three main issues when optimizing affinity of an antibody: trade-off, expression, immunogenicity. Wonderful.
January 28, 2025 at 9:31 AM
DeepSeek~
It beats chatGPT in Chinese-based scenario and STEMs. Now let’s try drug discovery test.
Consideration session catches three main issues when optimizing affinity of an antibody: trade-off, expression, immunogenicity. Wonderful.
It beats chatGPT in Chinese-based scenario and STEMs. Now let’s try drug discovery test.
Consideration session catches three main issues when optimizing affinity of an antibody: trade-off, expression, immunogenicity. Wonderful.
In many countries including US and China, quality and affordable drugs are largely a dream; this is especially true for biologics. Instead of focusing on innovative, newer, but more expensive drugs, can we improve the manufacture process to make current drugs more affordable?
January 22, 2025 at 1:30 AM
In many countries including US and China, quality and affordable drugs are largely a dream; this is especially true for biologics. Instead of focusing on innovative, newer, but more expensive drugs, can we improve the manufacture process to make current drugs more affordable?
I use dream as an indicator of sleep quality. Sleep like a baby, all you have are 'sweet dreams' whose ingredient is pure love. Sleep like an adult, however, all you have are 'bitter dreams' that are end products of anger, fear, sadness, despair, etc.
Publications in the past week built substantially on our knowledge of the brain's waste disposal system—glymphatics—and the implications on sleep and brain aging.
Featuring exceptional work by Nedergaard Lab and @jonykipnis.bsky.social
erictopol.substack.com/p/our-sleep-... open-access
Featuring exceptional work by Nedergaard Lab and @jonykipnis.bsky.social
erictopol.substack.com/p/our-sleep-... open-access
Our Sleep, Brain Aging, and Waste Clearance
How sleep prevents "dirty" brains that age faster
erictopol.substack.com
January 13, 2025 at 6:29 AM
I use dream as an indicator of sleep quality. Sleep like a baby, all you have are 'sweet dreams' whose ingredient is pure love. Sleep like an adult, however, all you have are 'bitter dreams' that are end products of anger, fear, sadness, despair, etc.
One thing I agree without reservation is not to put too much hope for future. Any actionable items should be done NOW instead of TOMORROW. But before that you need to decide which items on the list matter.
January 11, 2025 at 2:27 AM
One thing I agree without reservation is not to put too much hope for future. Any actionable items should be done NOW instead of TOMORROW. But before that you need to decide which items on the list matter.
An utopian read from Mark Cuban
The modern healthcare system brainwashes people too much that all lives are worth living longer at any cost. So wrong.
Not everybody has to live and die according to industrial/healthcare procedure. Some choose to live no matter how, others die naturally and humanely.
The modern healthcare system brainwashes people too much that all lives are worth living longer at any cost. So wrong.
Not everybody has to live and die according to industrial/healthcare procedure. Some choose to live no matter how, others die naturally and humanely.
January 11, 2025 at 12:23 AM
An utopian read from Mark Cuban
The modern healthcare system brainwashes people too much that all lives are worth living longer at any cost. So wrong.
Not everybody has to live and die according to industrial/healthcare procedure. Some choose to live no matter how, others die naturally and humanely.
The modern healthcare system brainwashes people too much that all lives are worth living longer at any cost. So wrong.
Not everybody has to live and die according to industrial/healthcare procedure. Some choose to live no matter how, others die naturally and humanely.
Reposted by Mingqing Cai
We asked a collection of chemical biologists, “What do you think are the most exciting frontiers or the most needed developments in your main field of research?”
You can read that they said in our Feature “Thoughts for the future” – Free to read in January. rdcu.be/d5Ksw
You can read that they said in our Feature “Thoughts for the future” – Free to read in January. rdcu.be/d5Ksw
Thoughts for the future
Nature Chemical Biology - As Nature Chemical Biology approaches its third decade we asked a collection of chemical biologists, “What do you think are the most exciting frontiers or the most...
rdcu.be
January 9, 2025 at 12:56 PM
We asked a collection of chemical biologists, “What do you think are the most exciting frontiers or the most needed developments in your main field of research?”
You can read that they said in our Feature “Thoughts for the future” – Free to read in January. rdcu.be/d5Ksw
You can read that they said in our Feature “Thoughts for the future” – Free to read in January. rdcu.be/d5Ksw
Bless LA~🙏🙏🙏
January 9, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Bless LA~🙏🙏🙏
Wonderful selection.
The Best TV Shows Of 2024 On Netflix, Apple TV, Hulu And More
These were the best television shows of 2024, from Slow Horses to Baby Reindeer and many more.
www.forbes.com
January 5, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Wonderful selection.
J. Doyne Farmer talked about a conscious civilization to address climate change, economy and more. Inspiring~
Chaos, complexity, economics and climate - J. Doyne Farmer interview
YouTube video by INET Oxford
www.youtube.com
January 3, 2025 at 12:35 PM
J. Doyne Farmer talked about a conscious civilization to address climate change, economy and more. Inspiring~
Reposted by Mingqing Cai
Last year I especially appreciated @casssunstein.bsky.social book about contingency of success and Nate Silver book about luck and skill - discussed both here: timmermanreport.com/2024/08/two-...
January 3, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Last year I especially appreciated @casssunstein.bsky.social book about contingency of success and Nate Silver book about luck and skill - discussed both here: timmermanreport.com/2024/08/two-...
Modern society takes time as a commodity and monetize it. Yes or No: for many professions there is positive association between time and productivity, but once time becomes the target to optimize, it ceases to work properly (Goodhart's law). A good book to read, Four Thousand Weeks.
January 2, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Modern society takes time as a commodity and monetize it. Yes or No: for many professions there is positive association between time and productivity, but once time becomes the target to optimize, it ceases to work properly (Goodhart's law). A good book to read, Four Thousand Weeks.
Fun read: How do the cells die in different ways?
The cells need to orchestrate all genes to survive, but do combinations and permutations of certain pathways to face challenges and then die gloriously (or miserably).
The cells need to orchestrate all genes to survive, but do combinations and permutations of certain pathways to face challenges and then die gloriously (or miserably).
Your cells are dying. All the time.
Some go gently into the night. Others die less prettily in freak accidents or deadly invasions, or after a showy display.
knowablemagazine.org
January 2, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Fun read: How do the cells die in different ways?
The cells need to orchestrate all genes to survive, but do combinations and permutations of certain pathways to face challenges and then die gloriously (or miserably).
The cells need to orchestrate all genes to survive, but do combinations and permutations of certain pathways to face challenges and then die gloriously (or miserably).
From this exquisite analysis I learned that for now, and just like old days, it’s still hard to predict the true value of Kd which is the #1 parameter for a binder. But the blurry binary cutoff of ‘no-hope’ vs. ‘some-hope’ still helps to fish out the best with the help of wet experiments.
new blogpost: What we learned about binder design from the Adaptyv competition blog.booleanbiotech.com/what-we-lear...
Boolean Biotech
blog.booleanbiotech.com
December 31, 2024 at 12:45 AM
From this exquisite analysis I learned that for now, and just like old days, it’s still hard to predict the true value of Kd which is the #1 parameter for a binder. But the blurry binary cutoff of ‘no-hope’ vs. ‘some-hope’ still helps to fish out the best with the help of wet experiments.
Reposted by Mingqing Cai
December 29, 2024 at 11:14 PM
Reposted by Mingqing Cai
A man of character.
Jimmy Carter has died. I wrote about one of his less well-known but arguably most important achievements: saving millions of the world’s most vulnerable people from debilitating disease, blindness, and death. www.forkingpaths.co/p/jimmy-cart...
Jimmy Carter's Hidden Legacy
Carter's post-presidency was transformative. And while he's well-known for his contributions to democracy, he deserves immense credit for his incredible successes with global public health.
www.forkingpaths.co
December 30, 2024 at 1:13 AM
A man of character.
Reposted by Mingqing Cai
A tribute to Jimmy Carter:
From 3.5 million Guinea Worm cases to just 7 caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/tribute-to...
From 3.5 million Guinea Worm cases to just 7 caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/tribute-to...
Tribute to Carter's public health work
From 3.5 million Guinea Worm cases to just 7
caitlinrivers.substack.com
December 29, 2024 at 11:42 PM
A tribute to Jimmy Carter:
From 3.5 million Guinea Worm cases to just 7 caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/tribute-to...
From 3.5 million Guinea Worm cases to just 7 caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/tribute-to...
This month I didn’t turn on heating system. Instead I spent the money on three books.
December 29, 2024 at 3:29 AM
This month I didn’t turn on heating system. Instead I spent the money on three books.
Reposted by Mingqing Cai
So, there's a book I want to read that doesn't seem to exist, which is one that takes seriously the idea that over some not-too-short timespan a lot of meaningful human work is better done by machines, then asks (assuming it's not the apocalypse) about the social/ethical/philosophical aspects.
December 27, 2024 at 4:58 PM
So, there's a book I want to read that doesn't seem to exist, which is one that takes seriously the idea that over some not-too-short timespan a lot of meaningful human work is better done by machines, then asks (assuming it's not the apocalypse) about the social/ethical/philosophical aspects.
Reposted by Mingqing Cai
Let's talk about how close we are to a cell-free mirror image central dogma in a tube, aka Mirror-PURE! This topic has been getting a lot of attention due to the recent @science.org letter (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...) outlining the threats posed by mirror life. 1/n
a man in a black coat stands next to another man in a dark room with a green screen that says dr80
ALT: a man in a black coat stands next to another man in a dark room with a green screen that says dr80
media.tenor.com
December 22, 2024 at 7:24 PM
Let's talk about how close we are to a cell-free mirror image central dogma in a tube, aka Mirror-PURE! This topic has been getting a lot of attention due to the recent @science.org letter (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...) outlining the threats posed by mirror life. 1/n
Bad news first: I blotted Bax before,
Good news second: I didn't publish. 😂
Good news second: I didn't publish. 😂
'Here, we show that this reagent appears to be unreliable due to providing false-positive signals at the expected molecular weight of Bax in immunoblotting experiments and likewise provides false-positive signals in immunofluorescence-based detection of Bax expression'
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Why Bax detection in >1400 publications might be flawed - Cell Death & Disease
Cell Death & Disease - Why Bax detection in >1400 publications might be flawed
www.nature.com
December 26, 2024 at 3:43 PM
Bad news first: I blotted Bax before,
Good news second: I didn't publish. 😂
Good news second: I didn't publish. 😂