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☆ Kennedy Ryan on rereleasing ‘Reel’ and turning romance books into ‘Trojan horses’
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-18 | by ( Ayanna Miller | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

‘Reel’ is a love letter to the Harlem Renaissance — and Black creativesRyan remembers the exact moment she was inspired to write most of her books. “These Black women with these big afros, just unapologetically gorgeous, because that’s something that defies what culture tells us about ourselves. “I wanted women who are living with chronic illness, specifically lupus, to feel beautiful, to feel loved, to feel like they weren’t too much,” she says. She describes her books as “Trojan horses” to “smuggle in discourse” and start difficult conversations readers may not usually have. Just a few months after the rerelease of “Reel,” Ryan will publish the third and final book in her “Skyland” series, “Can’t Get Enough,” out May 2025.

Persons: Kennedy Ryan, ”, ” Ryan, TODAY.com, “, Ryan, Neevah Saint, Canon Holt, Dessi, Audie, Black creatives Ryan, Dorothy Dandridge, Halle Berry, Dandridge, Carmen Jones, Berry, Black, Kennedy, Black creatives, Billie Holiday, Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, they’ve, ” Kennedy, Barnes & Noble, ” Kennedy Ryan, that’s, Neevah, there’s, ” What’s, Monk, Verity, I’ve, ’, I’m, she’s Organizations: Hollywood, Hachette, Harlem Renaissance, Harlem, Academy, Barnes &, “ Locations: Harlem, American, “

☆ Bailey Sharp, 23, was killed after plotting California man's murder; co-conspirators sentenced to life, as seen on Dateline
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Tim Stelloh | Rebeccah Glaser | Tim Stelloh Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

For years, Jeff Sharp often relied on the same refrain when he came upon an addict. The only reason Bailey wasn’t charged in Hilbert’s murder, Zois told “Dateline,” is because she is dead. A lawyer for Bischoff disputed this account, telling “Dateline” that his client had nothing to do with Hilbert’s murder. Bailey Sharp, 23, was killed weeks after Justin Hilbert's murder. And without that money, the arrangement between Bischoff, Bailey and Serrano fell apart in the weeks that followed.

Persons: Jeff Sharp, Sharp, —, ”, Bailey, Bailey Sharp, Justin Hilbert —, — Bailey, Amy Zois, Zois, Jared Bischoff, Bischoff, Danny Serrano, Bailey wasn’t, Ericka Sharp, “, Ericka, Jeff, it’s, ” Jeff, he’d, ” Ericka, hadn’t, Tonya Reppe, Justin Hilbert, Hilbert, Bailey —, Serrano, Bailey’s, Lance Stoyer, Justin Hilbert's, Reppe, Stoyer, Hilbert —, she’d, Ricky, Bischoff’s, ” Zois, Dateline ”, Cathy, Steve Hudson Organizations: Seattle Police, Riverside, Former Navy, “ Dateline, ”, Zois, Sheriff’s, Facebook, NBC, “, Dateline, Sharps, “ Dateline ” Locations: Southern California, Riverside County, Riverside, Inland, Riverside , Calif, Seattle, California, Texas, she’d, Palm Springs

☆ Selena Gomez couldn’t afford to go to her first Disney casting—now she’s a billionaire startup founder
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Selena Gomez's makeup brand Rare Beauty has catapulted her to billionaire status, according to a recent Bloomberg estimate. Gomez, who's publicly discussed her own struggles with bipolar disorder, launched it as a way to promote mental health in the beauty industry. Rare Beauty brought in a reported $350 million in sales last year, according to Business of Fashion. A makeup brand promoting self-acceptance can seem asymmetric, which made Gomez think her products wouldn't sell, she told People in 2022. Since then, she's expressed her pride in Rare Beauty's growth and dedication to promoting mental health.

Persons: Selena, Ellen DeGeneres, Gomez, Barney, —, Mandy Teefey, Gomez's, who's, Scott Friedman, Omar H, Fares, she's, we've, Get Organizations: Bloomberg, Disney Channel, Disney, Wizards, Globe, Company, Fund, of, CNBC Locations: Grand Prairie , Texas, California, Waverly

☆ Selena Gomez says she can't carry children due to health issues, saying having a baby would put her life at risk
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Doha Madani | Doha Madani Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. Pronouns | She Her. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

"Only Murders In The Building" star Selena Gomez revealed that her ongoing health issues make it dangerous for her to carry her own children should she plan to have them. Gomez said her chronic health issues, which include a lupus diagnosis she has shared publicly, make it risky for her to carry a baby to term. "I haven’t ever said this but I unfortunately can’t carry my own children," Gomez said. Gomez told Vanity Fair that while it's not the way she envisioned having children, she is in a "much better place" about the situation. She added that it doesn't matter how her children come into her life, because "it’ll be my baby.”

Persons: Selena Gomez, Emilia Pérez, Gomez, Benny Blanco, Howard Stern, ” Gomez, Lupus, it's, ” Organizations: Mayo Clinic, Lupus Foundation of America

☆ Selena Gomez shares how ongoing ‘medical issues’ will shape her path to becoming a parent
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Selena Gomez is speaking candidly about what her path to parenthood may look like. I have a lot of medical issues that would put my life and the baby’s in jeopardy. I’m excited for what that journey will look like, but it’ll look a little different.”At the end of the day, she said, it doesn’t matter how it happens because “it’ll be mine. In 2017, Gomez shared that the condition led to her undergo a kidney transplant, donated by her friend, actress Francia Raisa. Gomez chronicled her health struggles in her 2022 documentary “My Mind & Me.”

Persons: CNN — Selena Gomez, “, ” Gomez, Gomez, “ It’s, ”, Francia Raisa Organizations: CNN, Lupus Foundation of America

☆ I was given six months to live at 20. Years later, I'm a thriving college grad with a life partner.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Kelly Burch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

He was giving me six months to live, and that was "pushing it," in his words. A doctor told me I needed aggressive treatment immediatelyAt first, the emotions didn't hit me. I was the one who had just been given six months to live. The doctor told me we didn't have time for that; we needed to start aggressive treatments immediately. When the first doctor told me I had six months to live, I knew I would make it to seven.

Persons: Brittany Rudy, I'd, —, I've, I'm, Cameron Organizations: Service, Business

☆ Halsey posts health update, saying she’s ‘lucky to be alive’
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Fans of Halsey have expressed their support after the singer took to social media saying “I’m lucky to be alive.”The “Without Me” star, who prefers the pronouns she/they, updated followers on Tuesday with an Instagram post saying: “long story short, i’m Lucky to be alive. out now.”The message was accompanied by a series of short video clips, the first of which showed Halsey sitting down and continuously rubbing their legs. “I told myself I’m going to give myself two more years to be sick. Another video showed Halsey hooked up to some kind of infusion, wearing a mask and saying “treatment day one.” Other shots showed them crying, wearing a headscarf and being on a drip. At that time, she posted a series of videos, saying “I’m allergic to literally everything.”In 2019, Halsey revealed she was living with bipolar disorder, having been diagnosed when she was 17.

Persons: Halsey, “, Lucky, I’m, “ Halsey, inger Organizations: CNN —

☆ Horrible nightmares and ‘daymares’ linked to autoimmune disease
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Vivid, disturbing nightmares may be a sign of a newly developing autoimmune disorder or an upcoming flare of existing disease, experts say. Researchers found 3 in 5 lupus patients, and 1 in 3 patients with other rheumatology-related diseases, had increasingly vivid and distressing nightmares just before their hallucinations. Systemic autoimmune diseases often have a range of symptoms, called prodromes, that appear as signs of a sudden and possibly dangerous worsening of the condition. Connect the dots to autoimmune diseaseOn first glance, it would make sense that such neurological manifestations as nightmares would occur if the autoimmune disease impacts the brain, which lupus often does, Sloan said. “In some cases, reporting these symptoms earlier, even if they seem strange and unconnected, may lead to the doctor being able to ‘join the dot’s’ to diagnose an autoimmune disease.”

Persons: “, “ He’s, I’m, ”, Melanie Sloan, ” Sloan, Lupus, ” Jennifer Mundt, ” Mundt, “ I’m, Sloan, David D’Cruz, rheumatologist, that’s, Carlos Schenck, ” Schenck, shouldn’t Organizations: CNN, University of Cambridge, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, Guy’s Hospital, Kings College London, Hennepin County Medical, University of Minnesota Locations: Canadian, United Kingdom, Chicago, Hennepin, Minneapolis

☆ Toni Braxton says she was told to hide her lupus diagnosis because 'people get scared around sick celebrities'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewToni Braxton, 56, is speaking up about how her lupus diagnosis has impacted her life and career. "I was told to hide I had lupus," Braxton said, adding that it was her management's idea. AdvertisementBraxton, who was diagnosed with lupus in 2008, added that being upfront about her illness hurt her career. "You would not get work, because the second I told I had it, I didn't get work at first. In April 2023, Braxton told Today that lupus "attacked" her heart and that she had narrowly avoided a deadly heart attack because she decided not to skip her doctor's appointment.

Persons: —, Toni Braxton, Braxton —, Daniel Wallace —, Mary Alice Haney, Thaïs Aliabadi, Braxton, I'm, Braxton isn't, Selena Gomez, I've, could've, Gomez, Seal, lupus, traumatizing, Lupus Organizations: Service, OB, Business, Billboard, Yahoo, Lupus Foundation of America

☆ An Uber and Lyft driver explains how he sometimes makes over $8,000 a week doing private rides in Miami and Fort Lauderdale for celebrities, politicians, and sports stars
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

One week, he made $8,300 doing private rides between stretches of Uber and Lyft driving. He started his own LLC and occasionally markets his independent driving business as a passenger. "You have to treat Uber and Lyft like a business if you're doing it full-time," Trent told Business Insider. "I do rideshare quite a bit, but I do it mostly to build my client business," Trent said. He said he can often charge customers much less than what they pay for Uber or Lyft rides, and he still makes more.

Persons: Trent T, Uber, Lyft, Trent, lupus vasculitis, didn't, Guy, he's, He's, they've, I'm, it's Organizations: Service, Business, Trent, Tesla, Nationwide, Border Patrol, Federal Air Marshal Service, Aldi, NFL, Uber, Miami Locations: South Florida, Texas, Mexico, Atlanta, Florida, Tennessee, Miami, it's, Miami Beach

☆ I spent my mid-20s managing my autoimmune disease. Autoimmune patients are underserved, so I started a health company to address the problem.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

When I hit my 20s, my health started to change. I also learned that I had Lyme Disease — maybe from a tick bite at Yosemite — which can trigger autoimmune responses. And since 80% of autoimmune patients are women, it became clear to me that this was a women's health crisis that no one was paying attention to. In 2022, I launched WellTheory, a virtual care platform that offers evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle coaching to mitigate autoimmune symptoms. You don't need to look sick to be sick, so they often fly under the radar at workplaces.

Persons: Ellen Rudolph, — Organizations: Yosemite Locations: Yosemite, New York

☆ Smoking’s effects on the immune system can last years, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

They exposed the blood samples to common germs like E. coli bacteria and the flu virus and measured the immune response. It had nearly the same impact on immune response as important factors such as age or sex. The innate immune response is the general way the skin, mucous membranes, immune system cells and proteins fights germs. The experiment was done in blood samples in the lab, but the immune system may react differently in real life. Those mice cleared a bacterial infection less efficiently and with a less-robust immune response than mice that weren’t exposed.

Persons: they’ve, it’s, ”, Dr, Violaine, “, André, Darragh Duffy, “ It’s, ” Duffy, Duffy, Yasmin Thanavala, There’s, ” Thanavala, Sanjay Gupta, Albert Rizzo, we’ve, Rizzo Organizations: CNN, Nature, Institut Pasteur, Immunology, Roswell, Cancer Institute, Get CNN, CNN Health, American Medical Association Locations: United States, Paris

☆ Xist molecule: Why autoimmune diseases strike more women than men
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“Xist is a very long RNA, 17,000 nucleotides long, or letters, and it associates with approximately almost 100 proteins,” Chang said. Chang wondered whether the clumps of protein molecules that arise when Xist connects with the X chromosome were a trigger for autoimmune disease. The experiments weren’t designed to show whether Xist or the related proteins cause autoimmune disease in the animals. The samples from patients with autoimmune disease produced higher levels of autoantibodies in reaction to proteins associated with Xist, the researchers found. Plus, environmental factors play a big role in autoimmune disease.

Persons: Howard Chang, Chang, ”, it’s, Montserrat Anguera, ” Anguera, wasn’t, ” Chang, “ It’s, “ Organizations: CNN, Stanford University, Cell, Stanford School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine Locations: United States, Montserrat

☆ Premarket stocks: Main Street is still investing like it’s 2023
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Before the Bell spoke to Joe Mazola, director of Schwab Trader Education, about the growing importance of retail investors in markets, where Main Street is investing and why people are still enamored with Elon Musk. Why is it so important to single out retail investors and track where they’re putting their money? Is there a big difference between what retail investors and institutional investors are doing right now? That means the Fed is due to cut rates in 2024, which officials themselves projected in December. We just want some more confidence before we take that very important step of beginning to cut interest rates,” he told “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley.

Persons: Elon Musk’s, Tesla, Charles Schwab, Schwab, Bell, Joe Mazola, Elon Musk, Joe Mazzola, it’s, they’re, there’s, They’ve, Powell, Jerome Powell, “ We’ve, ” Powell, ”, Price, “, Scott Pelley, Read, 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki, ” Wojcicki, they’ve, Wojcicki Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Tesla, Big Tech, Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft, Devices, Schwab Trader Education, Elon, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Investors, CBS, Fed, Nasdaq, CNN Locations: New York, Street, Silicon Valley

☆ 23andMe is low on cash and its stock is worth pennies. The CEO wants another chance
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Just three years ago, DNA testing company 23andMe was the golden child of Wall Street and Silicon Valley. In 2018, 23andMe agreed to a five-year exclusive drug development partnership with GSK (formerly GlaxoSmithKline). Genetic testing company 23andMe, once valued at $6 billion, is facing the possibility of delisting from NASDAQ. Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesSo far, the partnership between GSK and 23andMe has produced more than 50 new drug targets. But drug discovery is a very long process and it can be anywhere from 10 to 15 years on average from target discovery to an FDA-approved drug.

Persons: New York CNN —, 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki, ” Wojcicki, “, Susan Wojcicki, Sergey Brin, Kyle Grillot, Wojcicki, they’ve, ”, we’re, “ We’ve, Steven Mah, TD Cowen, Mah, they’re, Justin Sullivan Organizations: New, New York CNN, Nasdaq, CNN, Stanford, Palo Alto High School, YouTube, Google, 23andMe Inc, Bloomberg, Time Magazine, P Biotech ETF, GSK, GlaxoSmithKline, NASDAQ, Big Pharma, it’s Locations: New York, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles , California, U.S, London, Sunnyvale , California, United States

WASHINGTON (AP) — Women are far more likely than men to get autoimmune diseases, when an out-of-whack immune system attacks their own bodies — and new research may finally explain why. One theory is that the X chromosome might be a culprit. The X chromosome is packed with hundreds of genes, far more than males’ much smaller Y chromosome. Every female cell must switch off one of its X chromosome copies, to avoid getting a toxic double dose of all those genes. “We think that’s really important, for Xist RNA to leak out of the cell to where the immune system gets to see it.

Persons: ”, John Wherry, wasn’t, Howard Chang, Chang, ” Chang, Epstein, Barr, Chang’s, Xist, hadn't, Penn’s, they’re, Stanford’s Chang Organizations: WASHINGTON, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Associated Press ’ Health, Science Department, Associated Press Health, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP

☆ Antibiotic-resistant germs are killing us. Microscopic viruses may be the answer
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Last year doctors offered to treat Horton’s infection with one of nature’s oldest predators — tiny tripod-looking viruses called phages designed to find, attack and gobble up bacteria. SCIEPRO/Science Photo Library/Getty ImagesThe microscopic creatures have saved the lives of patients dying from superbug infections and are being used in clinical trials as a potential solution to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. Would the bacteria from her ear help scientists find phages that would treat the eye infections as well? By the following January, the CDC said at least 50 patients in 11 states had developed superbug infections after using preservative‐free artificial tears. It was a qualified success: The antibiotic-resistant bacteria in five patients were eradicated, while several more patients showed improvements.

Persons: Cynthia Horton’s earaches, “, ”, Dwayne Roach, Eager, Horton, Maroya Walters, ” Walters, Tom Patterson, Steffanie, Paul Turner, “ Iraqibacter, Patterson, Strathdee, Tom, ” Strathdee, Tom Patterson's, Rather, Anthony Maresso, ” Maresso, “ It’s, ” Roach, phages, Elizabeth Villa, Jumbo phages, Robert “ Chip ”, ” Schooley, Juliette Robert, Haytham, REA, CDC’s Walters Organizations: CNN, San Diego State University ., US Centers for Disease Control, Center, Therapeutics, UC San Diego School of Medicine, UC, Diego’s, CDC, Yale University, Yale School of Medicine, UC San, UC San Diego, ”, San Diego, Baylor College of Medicine, Eliava Institute Locations: United States, North America, Pennsylvania, IPATH, Iraq, New Haven , Connecticut, UC San Diego, Turner’s Yale, San, San Diego State, Texas, Houston, Russia, Georgia, Tbilisi , Georgia

☆ Danielle Brooks and Sam Jay on Confidence and ‘The Color Purple’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Juan A. Ramírez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

That’s so important in any medium, and the point of what we do, so we can see ourselves. I moved out when I was 16 — I’ve had no parent longer than I’ve had a parent. I sometimes don’t remember my mother’s face, but I remember how she made me feel. : I think that’s the same for me … being more guarded because my mother is a minister. : I get this call from my manager, “Will you audition for ‘S.N.L.’ tomorrow?” I’m like, “Do they really want me?

Persons: Comedy’s, I’ve, ” S.J, “, ”, “ Will, ‘, I’m

☆ Three Days That Changed the Thinking About Black Women’s Health
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Dara Mathis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On June 24, 1983, Byllye Avery welcomed busloads of Black women to the campus of Spelman College in Atlanta. The women had traveled from Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania — even as far away as California — for a three-day event billed as the First National Conference on Black Women’s Health Issues. But more than addressing specific illnesses, the conference encouraged Black women to share information and consider how oppression affected their interactions with the health system. Ms. Avery decided to organize the conference when she was researching a paper on Black women’s health. Black women had disproportionately high rates of disease across a swath of ills — hypertension, diabetes, cervical cancer, to name a few.

Persons: Byllye Avery, busloads, Black, Lillie P, Allen, Avery Organizations: Spelman College, First National Conference, Black Locations: Atlanta, Mississippi , New York , Pennsylvania, California

☆ Jefferies upgrades this little-known biotech stock with more than 100% upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The firm upgraded shares of the late-stage biotech to buy from hold, lifting its price target to $26 from $18. Shares of Vera Therapeutics have fallen 37.8% this year, but analyst Farzin Haque believes the stock's recent pullback now means an attractive entry point for investors. VERA YTD mountain VERA YTD chart "W/ shares down –30% (vs XBI –13%) since Sept 21 TVTX data release, we have become more optimistic about atacicept (dual BAFF/APRIL) clin profile," Haque wrote. Atacicept, which Vera took over from Merck, is a drug that treats certain autoimmune diseases. "W/ recent increasing focus on eGFR, VERA's OLE data from ph.II for longer-term eGFR data (expected 1Q24) has now become an important catalyst for the stock," Haque said.

Persons: Vera, Jefferies, Vera Therapeutics, Farzin Haque, VERA YTD, VERA, Haque, Lupus nephritis, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Vera, Merck Locations: ph.II

Scientists thought a dog-fox hybrid was impossible until one was discovered in Brazil in 2021. However, the discovery of a dog-fox hybrid in Brazil suggests that "The Fox and the Hound" might sometimes be a little more "Lady and the Tramp." This is the first documented case of a dog-fox hybrid. What does the dog-fox hybrid tell us? AdvertisementAdvertisementIt is important to note that the pampas fox species is very different to the red fox (Vulpes vulpes).

Persons: —, Jacqueline Boyd Organizations: Service, Fox, Scottish, Animal, Nottingham Trent University Locations: Brazil, Portuguese, Poland

☆ Striking Autoworkers Are Cool to Biden’s Embrace
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Trip Gabriel | More About Trip Gabriel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In 2020, Mr. Trump won about four in 10 voters in union households, according to exit polls and an internal survey by the A.F.L.-C.I.O. “The demographics of union members are the ones who’ve been trending away from Democrats for quite some time,” he said. Mr. Trump emphasized “a set of issues that union members never agreed with Democrats on,” most prominently immigration, Mr. Podhorzer added. But Mr. Thompson, who joined Ford two years ago and has worked up to $20 an hour, did not blame the president. “I would say he’s doing the best under the circumstances that he can,’’ Mr. Thompson said.

Persons: Trump, Michael Podhorzer, ”, Podhorzer, don’t, ’, Biden, Anthony Thompson, Uleana, Thompson, “, Mr Organizations: Mr, Ford

☆ Ethan Hawke taps Flannery O’Connor's fiction to tell her story in 'Wildcat'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Jenna Zucker | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Director Ethan Hawke poses during the international premiere of "Wildcat" at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada September 11, 2023. Born in 1925, O’Connor was a highly regarded fiction writer in the Southern Gothic style. In “Wildcat,” which had its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Hawke pulls from the author’s fiction to tell her story. He and his daughter Maya Hawke, the film's star, wanted to showcase O’Connor’s ability to capture the human condition in prose. “I used her own writing to tell the story.”O’Connor’s writing won several literary awards, and she was featured on a postage stamp in 2015.

Persons: Ethan Hawke, Carlos Osorio, Flannery O’Connor, O’Connor, Hawke, Maya Hawke, ” Hawke, ”, Maye Hawke, “, ” Maya Hawke, Laura Linney, Regina, O'Connor, “ She’s, ” Linney, Jenna Zucker, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Toronto, Film, REUTERS, Rights, Loyola University of Maryland, ‘ Loyola University of Maryland, The University of Maryland, Thomson Locations: Toronto , Ontario, Canada, American

☆ VC Ford Smith used psychedelics and biohacking to pull himself out of a deep depression. Here's why he's backing more startups in the space.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

His experience inspired him to focus his investment firm on backing psychedelic startups. But VCs, including Smith, are still betting big on startups in the space that seem especially promising. It wasn't until he tried psychedelics — including Ayahuasca, a plant-derived hallucinogenic drink, and iboga, an African root bark — that his mental health finally improved. Energized by his own experience, Smith reworked his cannabis-focused VC firm Ultranative into a one-stop-shop for psychedelic startups. Smith and Ultranative are far from the only investors pumping money into psychedelic startups.

Persons: Ford Smith, wean, South America —, Ayahuasca, Ultranative, Smith, didn't, Lyme, psychedelics, Rick Doblin, he's Organizations: innovating, Venture, Anonymous, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, pharma, FDA, PsyMed Ventures, Lionheart Ventures, Iter Investments, Neo Kuma Ventures, Therapeutics Locations: Austin, South America, U.S, Oregon, Colorado, psychedelics, Texas, Los Angeles, Massachusetts

☆ This little-known biotech stock has 'blockbuster potential,' says Citi
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Autoimmune disease drugmaker Cabaletta Bio could soon have a multibillion-dollar product on its hands, according to Citi. Analyst Samantha Semenkow initiated research coverage with a buy rating on Cabaletta shares. Last October, the biotech firm obtained an exclusive, worldwide license for its autoimmune disease therapy CABA-201. The treatment is a CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor modified T-cell therapy (CART), a treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. "In our view, the risk/reward is favorable into initial CABA-201 clinical data in 1H24."

Persons: Samantha Semenkow, Semenkow, Cabaletta, Morgan Stanley, Cowen, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Citi, Evercore ISI Locations: 1H24

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