Biology is Eating the World: A Manifesto.

Biology today is where information technology was 50 years ago: Our ability to engineer biology will change how we diagnose, treat, manage disease; create new medicines and therapeutics; and change how we access, pay for, deliver healthcare. In short, biology is eating our world, and this is our manifesto.

So You Wanna Build a Software Company in Healthcare?

Building a software company in healthcare is hard, damn hard. In this conversation, a16z bio general partners share their mistakes and hard-earned lessons learned.

Software Has Eaten the World… and Healthcare is Next

Marc Andreessen first made the claim that software would eat the world back in 2011. In this episode we take a look back at that thesis, and on how software has (and hasn’t) delivered on that promise — especially in healthcare.

What’s in the Water at the George Church Lab?

Renowned geneticist George Church shares where we really are today with CRISPR to what it really takes to go from science fiction, to lab, to reality.

The Science and Business of Innovative Medicines

On average, only 1 out of 20 medicines works when we actually bring them into the human body. It’s incredible that we find any human medicine that works at all, given that human beings are the product of billions of years of evolution. So how does the world’s largest producer of medicines balance the science and the business of innovation? There’s lessons in here for big companies and startups alike.

The Economics of Expensive Medicines

This year we saw the most expensive medicine in history hit the market: a gene therapy for $2.1m. In this episode, an MIT economist shares how to think about the value and prices medicines of this new category of medicines pouring into our healthcare system.

Software Eats Care Delivery

It’s never been a better time to be a tech-based startup in the healthcare delivery space. We’re finally seeing the laying down of core infrastructure plus new business models and access points creating huge zones of opportunity. What are the key industry tailwinds leading to this perfect storm (aka, what’s different this time); what are some of those new approaches; and finally, what are the characteristics of a winning formula for startups here?

The Next Bio Startup: Born in the Wild vs Bred in Captivity

There’s a new founder in town, a new model of company building, and a whole new generation of bio companies coming. What are the tradeoffs between the old models and new?

What is a Medicine?

Just as the practice of medicine has evolved, the very concept of what a medicine is has as well.

A Guide to Making Data-Based Decisions in Health, Parenting, and Life

Are chia seeds actually that good for you? Will Vitamin E keep you healthy? Will breastfeeding babies make them smarter? What lies beneath all those studies… and how can we make smarter decisions based on them (or not)? (Bonus: the actual answers to all those questions and more.)

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