Digitalis Ventures

In 300 BCE, the Greek philosopher Aristotle described dogs suffering from “a madness” and noted that other animals became similarly diseased if bitten by affected dogs. He was recounting rabies, an acute, progressive, ultimately fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, and one of the oldest recognized zoonotic diseases. For thousands of years, rabies was one of the most dreaded illnesses because there was no way to prevent it, and no effective treatment. However, because of the development of effective vaccines and post exposure prophylactics (PEP), rabies is today almost a forgotten disease in the United States and Western Europe. Unfortunately, in Asia and Africa, where vaccinations are less prevalent, rabies kills nearly 60,000 people every year. The story of rabies is thus a powerful testament to the effectiveness of vaccines and an important demonstration of the ONE Health concept. PLUS: Which cat breeds live the longest, follow the camels, and leash etiquette. https://lnkd.in/eN85nFQ6

Many urgently needed technology-based goods and services that could improve the human condition are under-funded and thus under-produced in our current economic system, with myriad factors that can contribute to individual projects being deemed unfundable. Despite the various challenges, it is important to note that the concept of “unfundable” is not absolute — projects deemed unfundable in one context or time period may become fundable as scientific knowledge advances, regulations evolve, and investor preferences change. https://lnkd.in/efDby6qm

Here's a terrific opportunity to learn more about the intersection between innovation and investment in women's health. Sign up to join a webinar hosted by Weill Cornell Medicine this Friday, September 26 at 11:30am EST featuring Digitalis Ventures Digitalis Commons Misti Ushio along with Ipsita Smolinski Capitol Street #womenshealth #healthinnovation #venturefunding #healthinvesting

Protocols are simultaneously conservative and revolutionary—they preserve the accumulated wisdom of communities while enabling radical departures from conventional thinking. In an era when expertise itself is under assault, when the very idea of authoritative knowledge faces skepticism, protocols offer something invaluable: a transparent pathway from question to answer, from hypothesis to conclusion. PLUS: How to lose twice as much weight, Brain erosion, 7K is the new 10K, the foundations of human intelligence, & nuclear spin microscopy. https://lnkd.in/eUQEgYMR

Genomic engineering is not new. Humans have engaged in selective breeding of plants and animals long before the discovery of genes or DNA. New technologies, however, allow us to engineer or edit the genomes of plants and animals, including humans, with amazing speed and increasing accuracy. Developing a new breed used to take several decades; now, it’s several years, and soon it may be a matter of months. These new tools are also being deployed to correct genetic mutations that cause diseases in plants, animals and humans. The promise of genome editing is enormous, but there are ethical implications to consider, including unintended consequences, animal welfare, and its long-term effects on genetic diversity. https://lnkd.in/e4Yju7Rs

The traditional narrative around patents is refreshingly simple: inventors receive temporary monopolies in exchange for sharing their discoveries with the world, spurring further innovation through economic incentives. But in biotechnology, patent holders are increasingly using their legal rights to impose their personal ethical frameworks on entire fields of research, becoming, in effect, the moral gatekeepers of genetic progress. As biotechnology increasingly involves platform technologies that serve as the foundation for subsequent research, patent holders with strong moral convictions can shape the direction of innovation in ways that affect millions of people. PLUS: why hot tubs beat saunas, the pros & cons of friendship, shaping the market for digital health tools, & our sinking cities. https://lnkd.in/ez6N_8cr

In 1930, a young British mathematician named Frank Ramsey published a paper containing a theorem that would come to bear his name. His insight was deceptively simple: complete disorder is impossible. No matter how chaotic things appear, patterns inevitably emerge. This mathematical truth, now known as Ramsey's theorem, suggests something remarkable about the fabric of reality—that beneath apparent randomness lies an inescapable tendency toward order. PLUS: electricity-generating bacteria, proximity to golf courses and risk of Parkinson’s Disease, how electron spin manages your body's power, an 80,000-year history of the tomato, & why catalytic capital needs a better definition. https://lnkd.in/eAjYFyBK

Imagine a world without antibiotics. Without them, we would not have the infection fighters that have saved hundreds of millions of lives since they were introduced some 80 years ago. Now imagine a world where the vast majority of antibiotic production is limited to two countries: China and India. Today, this is reality. The United States no longer has the fermentation manufacturing capabilities to produce antibiotic pharmaceutical agents onshore. This leaves Americans vulnerable—to the supply chain, to global disruptions, and to shifting geopolitics. In a new article published in the National Academy of Engineering’s The Bridge, Misti Ushio, PhD, Managing Partner at Digitalis Ventures and Barry Buckland, PhD, Executive Director of NIIMBL | The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, call for urgent action on antibiotic production to safeguard public health in the United States and worldwide. And they warn the U.S. to not continue down the same path with the production of antibodies—needed for effective treatment of diseases, including breast cancers and rheumatoid arthritis. #Antibiotics #Biomanufacturing #SupplyChain #Biosecurity #PublicHealth #Antibodies #BioPharma #NationalSecurity https://lnkd.in/eHTmbQeU

📣 Reminder to all attending #BIO2025 to join "Unlocking Investment for Women's Health" ⏲️ Tuesday, June 17, 4:15 pm Boston Convention and Exhibition Center 210A Misti Ushio Ipsita Smolinski Capitol Street Meredith Fisher Mass General Brigham Ventures Stacey Seltzer Pontiva Healthcare Partners Megann Watters New Ventures Geoffrey Smith

Today, there is a tremendous opportunity to improve women’s health. It’s an opportunity to invest capital, spur innovation, and enable the nearly four billion mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives across the United States and around the world to live better, healthier lives. Funding for women’s health is in a state of push-pull. There is a push of funding for early-stage innovation from seed-stage investors and also from government, and a pull for transactions from acquirers and public investors. Private capital is needed to bridge the gap and advance promising innovation to product development and commercialization to ensure early-stage investment efforts ultimately reach patients. Next Tuesday at the BIO International Convention, we will unpack where investment is flowing, what’s blocking its path, and how public-private partnerships can help, with a particular focus on regulated products and solutions, such as therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, and OTC products. We invite you to join the discussion! When: June 17, 4:15 - 5:15 pm Where: Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, 210A What: Unlocking Investment for Women’s Health Misti Ushio Ipsita Smolinski Capitol Street Meredith Fisher Mass General Brigham Ventures Stacey Seltzer Pontiva Healthcare Partners Megann Watters New Ventures #BIO2025 #biotech #innovation #womenshealth #venturecapital