Bryan Faust, PhD

We will take all space rocket imagery in biotech land … especially when we’re working on drugging novel tumor-specific epitopes to treat really difficult cancers A big congrats on the company launch and $100m series A financing to @a16z portfolio company @stipplebio! fiercebiotech.com/biotech/buoyed…

Big news! I’m joining @AsteraInstitute as CEO of Radial, their new life sciences division. How we fund, do, and build upon science has long needed an update. At Radial, we design, fund, and operate programs that tackle foundational scientific problems while simultaneously testing better ways to do science.

Why we’re excited about ADCs with dual payloads and novel payloads! And RLTs against ADC-validated targets. Hit the same tumor targets, but with different cell killing MoAs or combination payloads. This is “Chemo 2.0”

We’re excited about the dual payload thesis because it ensures tumor cells are exposed to *both* payloads at once vs. the conditional probability that multiple ADCs deliver to the same cell. We think this matters most when the dual payload strategy leverages cargoes that, when delivered together, show potentiated or synergistic efficacy vs. delivering two payloads that might not have an additive effect (i.e. when delivering a TOPOi + MTI on a single ADC). Multi-ADC strategies might be preferable if the IC50 of the two payloads are so far apart that you need to dose at very different levels not achievable with today’s DAR thresholds on one ADC, or if you’re trying to control for distinct temporal exposure of payloads. COGS and the complexities around co-formulating two hydrophobic molecules might also limit a multi-ADC approach. That said, there’s some exceptional science going on wrt ADC engineering today - the future feels bright!

@vintweeta How much better is dual payload vs just two ADCs? Structurally you can get a lot more flexibility by going the independent route.

Announcing our newest @a16zBioHealth fund: $700M to back the best founders working to make better medicines and to make the practice of medicine better. To cure disease, to care for our sick, to fix what’s broken is deeply ingrained; it is medicine’s highest aim. “At @a16z, we believe that the best thing that a society can do for a person is to give them a chance. Give them a shot at a great life…” - @bhorowitz @vintweeta @julesyoo @BenPortney @Bryan__Faust @zakdoric @JayRughani @daisydwolf @janerheetweets Michael Cialone, Eva Steinman

Automation isn't coming to construction. it's here. Awesome work by the Planted team

a few months ago we @_DimensionCap quietly funded a team of 3 MIT computer scientists & mathematicians at the forefront of ML & physics+simulation for enzyme design. these. guys. are. cracked today they're stealthily building the early team. if you're world class, look below 👇

Not just another job! A rare window to shift the frontier of science 🤫🧬

It’s been a tough few weeks. My 10yo daughter was diagnosed with a very rare, aggressive cancer called interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS). I’m reaching out to identify clinicians/patients who have encountered pediatric IDCS, indeterminate dendritic cell histiocytosis or other (non-LCH) histiocytic sarcomas cases. I'm trying to understand non-surgical chemo and targeted therapy options, new pathology markers to better diagnose subtypes/treatments, and any data on progression in pediatric patients. Please feel free to share – I’m trying to cast a wide net due to the rarity of this condition and how little is known. People can contact me directly at my first name (as written in my profile) at octant.bio.

Our goals: New medicines. New practice of medicine. Our team: @a16z's global venture capital platform, together with @EliLillyandCo, the largest pharma company in the world. Go :) Excited about the opportunities ahead! cc @JorgeCondeBio @a16zBioHealth statnews.com/2025/01/10/eli…

How do cells communicate? UCSF's @AashishManglik explored cellular communication through specialized protein receptors at the 29th annual Byers Award Lecture. @ucsfpharmacy tiny.ucsf.edu/MAnu3P

I'm thrilled to announce the Wankowicz Lab will be opening in August @VanderbiltMPB, AI Center for Protein Dynamics, and @VanderbiltCSB. We will be developing novel methods to model conformational ensembles and study how entropy affects enzyme specificity and catalysis!

Excited to see the synergistic capabilities of @CartographyBio & @GileadSciences come together to create novel medicines for oncology patients. Way to go @krparker, @ChesterWong, Dan Rock and the rest of the Cartography team!

Great debate between @vijaypande @DaphneKoller and Derek Lowe on the opportunities and challenges for AI in drug development at the #STATBreakthrough summit west

What's next for Dr. @AashishManglik, winner of the 2024 Bowes Biomedical Investigator award? The cell signaling expert says he's excited to explore new territory: "UCSF is a wonderful place to set up your own shop & get both support & meaningful critique." ucsfh.org/3SLjskv

The biotech industry is built on one of the cleanest go-to-market strategies in existence: if you make a safe drug that really works, patients are likely to receive it and payors are likely to pay for it. Easy, right? The complexity of biology notwithstanding, how can biotech teams convince prospective investors + partners they've thoughtfully minimized (or at least have mapped out) the risks inherent to drug discovery/development? In this recent piece, @beckypferdehirt, @vintweeta and I synthesize our thoughts on a key node enabling the biotech financing (and in turn, medicine-creating) lifecycle -- the virtual data room. a16z.com/virtual-data-r…

As AI masters the language of biology, the ways we interpret science, craft hypotheses, design cures, and fuel the broader bio-economy are poised for radical improvement. The recent explosion of models across the drug discovery lifecycle promises to usher in a new era of medicine. Today, my @a16zbiohealth colleagues, @vijaypande, @beckypferdehirt, @zakdoric, and I published some of the most pressing “Jobs to be done” for AI in the life sciences. Get the full insights here: a16z.com/ai-jobs-to-be-…

Our continued interrogation of how odorant receptors decipher a huge diversity of odorants. Started with a cold email to Hiro Matsunami, which led to a brilliant collaboration with @Sci_CadM, @VaidehiLab, @LleBillesb, Ning Ma and others. biorxiv.org/content/10.110…

RT @a16zBioHealth: The first drug that crosses the regulatory finish line often becomes the standard of care, securing a dominant market sh…

I am excited to join @a16z's @a16zBioHealth team as a Venture Partner to work with their investment team and portfolio companies, advising on AI and its enormous potential to advance science and human health. Looking forward to interacting with the vibrant startup ecosystem here!