Category Archives: Biotech

Why Silicon Valley Keeps Getting Biotech Wrong

Posted on April 26, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

Last week, an article about Why Silicon Valley keeps getting biotech ‘wrong’ made the rounds, and concluded (boldface mine): But the “move fast and break things” mantra that has helped Silicon Valley disrupt countless industries over the last two decades … Continue reading →

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Is There Something In The West Coast Water?

Posted on March 6, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

Back when genetic testing company 23AndMe charged into a brick wall (the brick wall won, by the way), I noted the idiocy of believing they could beat the FDA: On the Twitterz, I wrote that 23andMe’s attorneys should be disbarred … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Bidness, Biotech, Fucking Morons | Comments Off on Is There Something In The West Coast Water?

Theranos: If L. Ron Hubbard Ran A Biotech Company

Posted on September 7, 2016 by mikethemadbiologist

It’s hard to do Nick Benton’s expose of Theranos justice, but here’s a taste: She left the war room for her car—she is often surrounded by her security detail, which sometimes numbers as many as four men, who (for safety … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Biotech | 2 Comments

What If Theranos Is Business As Usual? Thoughts on the Bullsh-t Tech Economy

Posted on January 7, 2016 by mikethemadbiologist

There has been a spate of articles about the rise and possible fall of Theranos, a hot tech company that promised low-volume blood medical analysis. As best as anyone can tell, the actual technology is largely FDA-unapproved vaportech (that is, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Biotech, Fucking Morons | 1 Comment

Amgen’s Bidness

Posted on December 28, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

As we’ve discussed many times in the context of high-stakes student testing, Campbell’s Law is a bitch. That is, any metric to which outcomes are attached will eventually be gamed by those being measured, rendering the metric useless as a … Continue reading →

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Shkreli Has To Be A False Flag Op For Corporate Charter Reform

Posted on December 13, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Because no one could possibly be this much of a cartoon villain (boldface mine): Martin Shkreli is once again provoking alarm with a plan to sharply increase the price of a decades-old drug for a serious infectious disease. This time … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Biotech, Viruses | 2 Comments

Surprisingly, Something Involving Henry Kissinger Turned To Sh-t: The Theranos Edition

Posted on October 17, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

I’ve always joked that I would be an excellent company board member, as I’m quite capable of providing minimal, incompetent oversight–and I’ll do it at half-price. What’s terrifying is that when it came to the diagnostics company Theranos, which seems … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Biotech, Fucking Morons | 1 Comment

The Unasked Question About Sen. Warren’s Opposition To The TPP

Posted on May 14, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

President Obama’s recent mansplaining to Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren about the TPP reeks of desperation: if there is one lawyer in the Senate with the brains to understand the Trans-Pacific Partnership (‘TPP) trade agreement, it would be Warren, even under … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Biotech, Economics, Massachusetts | 4 Comments

Direct-to-Customer Genetic Testing: FDA Overreach and Industry Stupidity

Posted on March 11, 2011 by mikethemadbiologist

What a fabulous combination. This week, Congress has held hearings on the direct-to-customer (‘DTC’) genetic testing industry. It appears, based on previous statements by FDA officials, that they have publicly contradicted themselves–or been willfully ignorant–about the larger scientific benefits from … Continue reading →

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DOJ Argues That Patenting the Sun Is a Bad Idea

Posted on November 2, 2010 by mikethemadbiologist

The Justice Department argues that gene sequences can’t be patented. About time.
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Posted in Biotech, Genetics, Genomics | 4 Comments