| DEALFLOWUPDATE Issue #58. Friday, June 5 |
| Hello Everyone, For this edition of the Zoic newsletter, we’ll be continuing our look at COVID-19 diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, as well as our look at other focus areas. More importantly, during this time of recognizing the importance that Black Lives Matter, we have chosen to highlight a podcast episode from May 5th that brought a good friend of mine, Gary Tyler, and his story of racial injustice, prejudice, and inequality to our listeners. Gary, at one time, was the youngest person on death row spending forty-one years in jail for a crime he did not commit. Gary’s conviction was overturned and he was released on April 29, 2016, after serving forty-one years in prison. The case of Gary Tyler is one of the great miscarriages of justice in the modern history of the United States, in a country where the miscarriage of justice is part of the daily routine of government business. Because this episode was not the first time we shared Gary’s story, I also recommend an additional episode with Gary we published back in 2018 that dives into the historical context of his wrongful conviction on October 7, 1974, and his experience at Angola State Penitentiary. To understand the case of Gary Tyler, one must go back to a largely forgotten episode in American politics – the battle over the desegregation of public schools in the 1970s, and the eruption of racist violence that occurred in reaction to it across the country. To listen and subscribe: Episode #33: Apple Podcasts, Spotify. Episode #16: Apple Podcasts, Spotify.To learn more about Gary Tyler: www.counterpunch.org/2006/08/26/free-gary-tyler/To donate to the Back to Life Re-Entry Fund: www.libertyhill.org/form/back-to-li…e-re-entry-fund -Neal If this is your first issue, please subscribe and consider sharing with others. Additionally, we welcome news from our readers, if you’re up to something interesting, let us know. Email chad@zoiccapital.com Podcast  Joining Chris and Neal on the show is special guest, Gary Tyler, who at one time was the youngest person on death row and spent forty-one years in jail for a crime he did not commit. The case of Gary Tyler is one of the great miscarriages of justice in the modern history of the United States, in a country where the miscarriage of justice is part of the daily routine of government business. To understand the case of Gary Tyler, one must go back to a largely forgotten episode in American politics – the battle over the desegregation of public schools in the 1970s, and the eruption of racist violence that occurred in reaction to it across the country.  Special Guest Gary Tyler To listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts Spotify Share Tweet Forward |
Deal Flow News & Insights COVID-19 Vaccines and Testing, M&A Activity Almost all COVID-19 diagnostics are performed in the lab, due to the complexity and expense of the equipment. There are a few “point-of-care” diagnostics approved for use, where a smaller device is used, making it more suitable for a bedside or a clinic. There are efforts to make diagnostics even smaller and offer a self-contained device that does not require any external equipment. Once the DNA is detected, a common way to show if a sample is present or not is a technology called lateral flow, which displays a visual line if the sample is positive. This is most commonly used in pregnancy test strips. Another method that is under research is using nanoparticles, specifically gold nanoparticles. These nanoparticles can turn into a different color when a positive sample is present and can be more accurate than current methods. This readout method could make more portable, less expensive devices possible. Read More Also in diagnostics, there are companies looking to improve current lab tests even more. The current standard, PCR, is well-established and accurate. However, some testing situations might need the same accuracy but even faster results. PCR can take several hours for the results, but newer technologies can take less than an hour. Abbott did have a test, but there are some questions about its accuracy. A recent approval did show there are other companies with rapid detection technologies that may be more reliable. Read More On the vaccine side, there are continuing efforts on not just developing a vaccine (with around 100 candidates in development), but also technologies to support this effort. An important element of all vaccines are adjuvants, ingredients that enhance the immune response – both increasing efficacy and requiring a smaller dose. These adjuvants are an often overlooked but critical element. More adjuvants are being looked into, with only a few places possessing large libraries that can be mined for potential immune-enhancing activity for a COVD-19 vaccine. Read More In broader news, acquisition activity is still continuing. Roche has recently acquired a sequencing technology company. Sequencing will continue to be a growing field, with specialized applications or enhancements to the current methods both growing. There are uses in not just infectious disease diagnostics, like we see now, but with direct to consumer diagnostics as well. The growth of sequencing technologies, for example in reduction of cost and efficiency, has already outstripped Moore’s Law. Read More Also in sequencing technology, another platform just received breakthrough status from the FDA. This is interesting for a normally lab-based platform, but this technology is actually being used for companion diagnostics, specifically for detecting early stages of cancer and tracking the progress of therapeutics. Breakthrough designations are increasing, making it easier for major innovations to go through a much faster and efficient regulatory approval process. Read More What We’re Reading a16z What We Don’t Reveal We Can’t Heal The Atlantic Curfews and Arrests Will Inflame the Pandemic Iinnovate & UW 2019-20 Best of the NW Innovation Ecosystem Report PitchBook VC Valuations Q1 2020 Connect With Zoic Capital |
| The Biweekly Dealflow Update, curated by the team at Zoic Capital. |
COVID-19 Vaccines and Testing, M&A Activity
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