Author: condor

UniQure Common Stock Has Tripled — In A Week, On Huntington’s Disease Candidate AMT-130’s Phase I/II Stellar Results. Wow.

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There is clearly more wood to chop here — in the Phase II/III clinicals ongoing.

But this all is pretty encouraging — especially given the high overall burden — of these brain-devouring diseases. Here’s the latest:

…The dazzling 36-month clinical data announced by uniQure (NASDAQ: QURE) showing a significant slowing of Huntington’s disease (HD) progression in patients treated with its gene therapy candidate AMT-130 was just one of several reasons why the company’s stock more than tripled this past week on the better-than-expected news, reaching a five-year high.

Part of the… buying from investors reflected the strikingly positive tone taken by investigators—and analysts—in discussing the results. Key among those results was the statistically significant 75% slowing of disease progression as measured by the composite Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale (cUHDRS) in patients treated with the high dose of 6×1013 gc/subject, meeting the primary endpoint of the study.

“[A] 75% slowing of disease progression is greater than what we even anticipated, expected, and hoped for. That means for one year of disease progression, they will have four years longer in terms of disease-free life,” Sarah Tabrizi, MD, PhD, director of the University College London (UCL) Huntington’s Disease Centre, told analysts Wednesday on a conference call convened by uniQure to discuss the data. “The effect of 75% slowing is a huge effect size and will have massive effects for patients’ lives….”

Clearly I am scouring high- and low-, to find good news [and look away from the chaos Tangerine has created — but does not even remotely understand — in Iran, and beyond — in the Strait of Hormuz]. Onward, just the same.

नमस्ते

“Whatsoever You Do… For the Least Of My Sisters And Brothers”: First Fatality, From Mpox Clade 1b, On Madagascar… Sad News.

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The news this afternoon… is fundamentally sad. This is a three year old. Her life is gone — for essentially no reason. She might have grown up to be… a world class scientist, sprinter or stateswoman. But no longer.

[Prior backgrounder, of mine, here.] Here is the very troubling story of just some of the challenges her family faced, in trying to find “real science” treatments for her, toward the end of her short life:

…Madagascar has announced the country’s first death from mpox, a 3-year-old girl from the island nation’s eastern city of Toamasina who died on Saturday.

After an initial hospitalization, the girl was later moved to a public hospital at her family’s request, where she died, Health Ministry spokesperson Mamy Randria told reporters on Monday.

“Skin rashes were observed on her body. Doctors also noted that the little girl was already very weakened when she arrived at the hospital,” he said.

The girl’s parents said she became ill after a sprained ankle, sought treatment from traditional healers, and faced delays and refusals of care at several hospitals.

Despite objections from her relatives, the ministry said tests confirmed the late child had mpox.

The ministry reported the country’s first five mpox cases last Dec. 30, all detected in Mahajanga, in the Boeny region of western Madagascar….

This well-illustrates the public health challenges. And makes me… fundamentally sad, that the US has effectively turned its back on these needy people (by ending USAID, to the region). Sigh.

नमस्ते

Tangent | Definition Of A Failing “Business” Model: Chasing The Last 5% Of… Anything. [Especially A Bunch Of Ones And Zeroes.] Yikes!

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Well, now. This is just… silly.

There is no “there, there“. But it is 95 per cent… gone, already. See, Satoshi Nakamoto — whatever else one thinks of his creation — he hard coded a immutable limit into the Blockchain: no more than 21 million Bitcoin will ever be “mined”. And using mathematical algorithms, he made each successive coin “harder to find“. To use the imperfect analogy, he set it up so that the “gold ore body” keeps moving (forever) deeper, and deeper into the mountain’s hard rock face.

Thus, over the last 15 or so years, the difficulty of “mining” has increased in logarithmic fashion. And yet, with the irrational frenzy for these digital beanie babies, already the vast majority… have been “found” by mining rigs. At current hashrates, some time on Saturday night, the 20 millionth one will be mined.

So — Riot is spending billions each year, to upgrade its fragile liquid cooled mining rigs, and build ever more powerful transformers [to suck ever-more electricity from the Texas grid], and chase this last 5%.

And, so — Riot and the other miners will before too long have to either rely on day-trading their hoards (in hopes of catching other suckers unawares), or live off of the meager transaction fees, exclusively.

This is (supposedly) the cash cow, one that feeds the high performance computing center cap ex (also over $2 billion, all in, in cap ex over the next two years, alone)… Riot hopes to lease out to big companies [like AMD and Google], eventually. Eventually, like 2028 or so.

Welp. “good luck” with all that, I say. The company simply does NOT have a customer service ethos. It is “all pirate — all the time“. It, in sum, cannot survive in the world it created for itself.

Out.

नमस्ते

Both The Ringsiders, And Powerliners… Are Tamping Down Any Notion Of “Real Success”, In Iran — At Day Five. Wild.

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Most directly, Paul Mirengoff gives an awful lot of pixels over to admitting that the hard right critics (the “stay in your lane” wing) are mostly right about how this is going — and how it is going to go: badly for all GOP-ers, MAGA or not.

The cynicism, though of deciding the merits of an unfolding war of choice, based primarily on how it will help mid-terms chances (or not so much)… is disgusting to me. But whatever.

They are right: this is a bad idea. [And I might add: putting US troops on the ground in Iran will look a lot like the 20 years of death [in the 1980s] the old Soviets endured — for their troops — in Afghanistan. In the end, they tucked tail, and ran — after losing a guerrilla war. And probably 26,000 soldiers. That’s about half-a-Vietnam, BTW.]

But Paul still manages to lick the boots of Dear Leader in the process — so as not to lose his radical MAGA readership.

Hinderaker, in turn, yesterday already is writing of how the ultimate goals may well never be acheieved — but it is always good fun to unleash sidewinder missiles on brown people — just to watch sh!t burn, on the other side of the world.

He is sentient enough to mention that troops on the ground in Tehran will lead only to an endlessly lethal quagmire for the US. [One for which Bibi is obviously more than happy to grind up an endless stream of US kids up into, all for his visions of an Israeli super-power — in the region.]

Damn.

He’s a… lost soul.

But he is right — this won’t end well for the USA.

Out.

Full Speed Ahead, On Trial Schedule In Hudson Tunnel “Vanity” Matter…

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We will keep an eye on these dates.

Even as the appeal is pending, the trial on permanent injunction (against Tangerine 2.0 trying to stiff the tunnel workers) will proceed in Manhattan, thus:

…It is hereby ORDERED that a hearing will be held with respect to Plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction. ECF No. 11.

Per the parties’ correspondence with the Court, ECF No. 57 (“Joint Ltr.”), Plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction is hereby consolidated with adjudication on the merits pursuant to Rule 65(a)(2). Fed. R. Civ. P. 65(a)(2).

The hearing will take place on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., in Courtroom 11B, Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, New York, New York 10007.

Defendants shall submit their papers in support of their motion to dismiss and in
opposition to Plaintiffs’ motion for relief by March 17, 2026. Plaintiffs’ papers in opposition to Defendants’ motion to dismiss and in further support of its motion for relief is due by March 31, 2026. Defendants’ reply in support of their motion to dismiss is due by April 7, 2026.

SO ORDERED.

Dated: March 2, 2026

/s/ JEANNETTE A. VARGAS
United States District Judge….

Now you know. Onward, resolutely.

नमस्ते

Looking For “Good News” Dept.: Gilead To Fund A $12 Million Effort — Aiming At AIDS Outreach, In 14 States…

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This is me… searching for some good news — on a very dark day, in the Middle East.

While our own F-15s continue to be shot down (three, so far), by “friendly fire” over Kuwait… at least some sensible fundings — of real life-science continues — albeit in the private sector:

…Gilead Foundation today announced a $12 million investment in 33 community‑based organizations across 14 states and the District of Columbia through its Community Health Worker (CHW) Comprehensive HIV Prevention Initiative. This two‑year effort expands CHW‑led prevention models that strengthen knowledge, care navigation, and access to services for communities disproportionately affected by HIV….

“Community health workers are often the first and most trusted point of connection for people seeking information, support and care,” said Keeley Cain Wettan, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Legal and Compliance at Gilead Sciences and a Board Member of Gilead Foundation. “Advancing HIV prevention requires both medical innovation and strong, community-led systems that address the social and structural barriers people face every day. By investing in community-based organizations, we’re helping expand access to trusted information, screenings, and culturally responsive care that can drive more equitable health outcomes….”

Go, be excellent to one another — for we are all… we’ve got. Onward.

नमस्ते

And Speaking Of [Re-]Hearings… Nutty “Deep Thoughts” — From That Orange Occupant Of 1600 Penn.

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Tangerine 2.0 seems incapable of grasping the notion that the Supremes… have the final say. [He does not.]

Over the weekend, on his silly social platform, he wanted to know if he could get a “do over” from the High Court — on tariffs (because… reasons).

…Is a Rehearing or Readjudication of this case possible???

PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP….

The man lacks even a third grader’s understanding of our federal government, and our systems of ordered liberty — but mostly, he lacks an appreciation for the rule of law (not men).

And… “Iran tried to interfere in 2020, 2024 elections to stop Trump,” his Truth Social post said, “and now faces renewed war with United States….” — per The Guardian (UK). Insane.

[Onward — it would be comical, if he wasn’t killing hundreds of Iranian school children — at the moment.]

नमस्ते

A New Hearing — In A Week — In Abrego’s Case Against Kristi Noem For False Arrest, In Maryland: Unspecified Topic.

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The order simply says “show up” — and that instructions will be sent to parties’ attorneys.

It is possible that this reflects confidential settlement discussion progress. We shall see — but if any action is taken, a record must be made on the public docket — these are the people’s courts afterall.

…PAPERLESS ORDER:

A recorded call has been scheduled for March 9, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Instructions will be emailed to the parties.

Signed by Judge Paula Xinis on 3/2/2026….

Could all this (along with the sealed case in Tennessee) reflect an emerging deal to let Abrego and family voluntarily to relocate to Costa Rica until Trump is out of office?

“A recorded call has been scheduled for March 9, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Instructions will be emailed to the parties.”

Could be…. Onward.

नमस्ते

Hinderaker’s “Deep Thoughts” Are Unlikely To Age… Well. Iran Edition.

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Here late on Sunday, into Monday, at the end of the first weekend of what portends to be a decades’ long quagmire… the boot-licker Hinderaker opines that Trump has saved America (again).

John seems unaware that if oil doesn’t flow through the Strait of Hormuz… America’s economy… won’t work.

Same, the EU’s. Same England’s.

Same — most Western nations.

John and his fellow travelers apparently think Trump has… pixie dust, to end wars — instantly, and solely beneficially to US interests. And to do so, without much loss of life. Bibi has no such intention. Bibi will fight until the last US soldier is… dead.

Bank on it — and Trump hasn’t the courage to say no, to Bibi.

[Does Bibi have some definitive Trump / Epstein compromat?! We would love to know.]

Out.

Some Fourteen Years On, The Lacks Family Estate Settles With… Novartis. Excellent Outcome.

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We’ve now been following this narrative arc for 14 long years (feel free to search the term “HeLa”, in the search box), as the descendant-branches / extended family seeks some compensation for what was a non-consensual harvesting (at Johns Hopkins, nearly 70 years ago) of what turned out to be a wildly valuable and deeply beneficial-to-research cell line, from Henrietta Lacks’ cancerous tumors — inside her uterus. That cancer killed her, but the cell line has turned out to be… essentially… immortal.

[She was buried in a potters field, and died without a penny to her name.] In the ensuing more than half-century, various scientists, authors and journalists have pieced together her story, for the family. And several pharma cos (and Johns Hopkins, itself) have settled with them.

Tonight we are learning that Novartis too has settled — terms withheld. [The lunacy in Iran had pushed this development off the NYT front page as of Friday night, past.]

…“For the family and her grandchildren, this is certainly justice because people said they would never realize any benefit or compensation from her immortal HeLa cells, even though these pharmaceutical companies were profiting billions and billions of dollars,” Mr. Crump said in an interview.

The settlement is the second that the Lacks family has reached with a company it has accused of unjustly profiting from her cell line.

In August 2023, the Lacks family announced that it had reached an undisclosed settlement with Thermo Fisher Scientific, a Massachusetts-based firm. The family had accused it of selling the cells and trying to secure intellectual property rights on the products the cells had helped develop, without compensating the family or seeking its permission….

The family still has pending litigation against two other pharmaceutical companies: Viatris, based in Canonsburg, Pa., and Ultragenyx, based in Novato, Calif….

Now you know… and this is… some small measure of justice — even if deeply-tragically delayed. Onward to the new week ahead. [The Emmett Till live docu-drama was… overpowering — and profoundly maddening.]

नमस्ते