01CORPORATE
Radical Numerics' Oct. 20 announcement of AI-designed phages given to a patient did not mention Tabula Bioscience. The New York Times reports that Tabula did much of the work, including making the phage cocktail; both companies say each designed some of the phages. Radical CEO Eric Nguyen said their contract required keeping the seven-month collaboration confidential. George Church, who also advises Tabula, resigned from a scientific advisory role at Radical on Nov. 5, rejecting that explanation. Tabula says it led the therapy.
The New York Times ↗02POLICY
A Nov. 5 memorandum from national security adviser Marco Rubio and science adviser Michael Kratsios makes compliance a condition of federal life sciences funding. Suppliers must run every order of 50 or more nucleotides past a NIST-verified screener, verify customers and keep records for eight years; benchtop synthesizers need a screener's authorization to run. NIST has 90 days to issue standards. Funded labs must switch to certified suppliers within 250 days, 340 for benchtop equipment. Violators can lose funding and be barred for up to five years. It replaces the 2024 screening framework.
The White House ↗03CAPITAL
Bloomberg reported the talks on Nov. 4, citing people familiar with the matter; the financing has not closed and terms could change. A month earlier, Bloomberg put the talks at a valuation of at least $40 billion. Isomorphic's programs are still preclinical. Its president, Max Jaderberg, said on Nov. 2 that the company is aiming for first clinical trials by the end of the year, R&D World reported.
Bloomberg ↗
