Peptide tug-of-war, theranostic contacts, & redefining "expert"
No. 6 | April 16, 2026
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Let’s get into this week’s cup of biotech tea. ☕If you only have time for one this week, I’d start with #2!
Split messaging on peptide-based drug regulation ➡️
A novel soft contact lens for the treatment of glaucoma ➡️
AI-powered clinic tools partner with medical journals ➡️
The new ACIP charter updates definition of qualified expert ➡️
Seven stories of how early-onset cancer is uniquely hard ➡️
Bonus (paid): critical process parameter➡️
1. Story I’m Watching
The Tea: In recent weeks, there has been a lot of confusion around what direction the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will take with regulating peptides.
In a recent podcast appearance, HHS Secretary RFK Jr. suggested there may be a move to loosen the regulation of some peptides to improve public accessibility. This hint at a potential shift in thinking was confirmed just yesterday with the release of an FDA document announcing the intent to re-evaluate a subset of peptides that have been restricted from compounding. At the same time, this sentiment contrasts with a February statement from the FDA announcing its intent to restrict the use of GLP-1 active ingredients in non-FDA-approved compounded drugs, citing safety concerns. GLP-1s are some of the most widely used peptide-based drugs today, so this move reflects a more cautious stance on them. Taking all this together, the current landscape feels somewhat split, and I will be carefully watching the next steps.
A few more sips: The recent podcast statement by RFK Jr. refers to something that was set in motion a few years ago. In 2023, about 19 peptides (mostly metabolic, immune, mood, and hormone modulators) were moved into Category 2 of the 503A bulk substances framework. Category 2 substances are considered to have significant safety risks or insufficient data and, importantly, are therefore not eligible for compounding by a pharmacy. This effectively limited access to many of the peptides that had been gaining popularity in wellness and performance spaces. The hot-off-the-press FDA announcement signals that several of these peptides (around 11) are being reconsidered.
2. From the Bench
The Tea: Researchers at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (led by Yangzhi Zhu) have developed a theranostic (diagnostic + therapeutic) soft contact lens for glaucoma, the second-leading cause of blindness. The device can continuously measure intraocular pressure (IOP) and responsively deliver a therapeutic.
Today, managing glaucoma relies on periodic IOP measurements in clinic and daily prescription eye drops to slow damage to the optic nerve. Dosing is adjusted over time based on those measurements. A wearable device that can both monitor IOP in real time and real-time and release drug as needed could significantly streamline treatment and improve adherence. The next steps are to initiate a clinical trial! I have a family member with a recent glaucoma diagnosis so I’ll be paying attention to enrollment sites.
A few more sips: The all-polymer theranostic smart contact lens (AP-TSCL) consists of three layers: two that store drug and sense changes in IOP, and a third that encapsulates the system components in a way that is compatible with blinking. As pressure changes, the curvature of the eye subtly shifts, compressing the drug reservoir and triggering release. This system was inspired by sea sponges and their natural networks of pores and microchannels. The AP-TSCL was made to mimic this mechanoactive (pressure-responsive) anti-swelling (controlled volume) structure that doesn’t require electronics.
Message me if you have a recent science development you’d like to see featured!
3. Bio[Tech]
The Tea: AI-powered tools to help clinicians are already here (ask your doctor next time!) and they are rapidly expanding to cover more of a physician’s workflow. This week, one such tool, Abridge, announced its partnership with NEJM and JAMA with the goal of expanding its scribe technology into the medical search space, helping physicians access information real time during patient visits. OpenEvidence is another example of one such tool, but it started in AI-assisted medical searching (and already has partnerships with journals like NEJM and JAMA), and is now expanding into scribing.
A few more sips: While these two are certainly not the only players, they highlight how quickly the space is evolving. These tools are already expanding beyond just note-taking or gathering helpful information during a patient visit. They are also moving into medical coding, insurance authorization, and integration with electronic health records.
4. The Rulebook
The Tea: A new charter was released for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the panel that sets recommendations for vaccines, following the recent legal decisions that temporarily paused ACIP proceedings (call-back to our discussion of the AAP vs. HHS lawsuit from March). The update introduces two notable shifts:
Broader membership criteria: The previous charter emphasized expertise in vaccines, immunology, and pediatrics. The updated version expands the definition of qualified expert to include fields such as toxicology, pediatric neurodevelopment, and consumer perspectives.
Shift in framing: The charter puts greater emphasis on evaluating vaccine safety concerns.
A few more sips: It’s also helpful to understand the framework ACIP has historically used to evaluate evidence when making vaccine recommendations. GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) assesses the quality of a body of evidence based on factors like bias, indirectness, inconsistency, precision, and missing data, and rates it as high, moderate, low, or very low.
This is paired with EtR (or Evidence to Recommendation), which helps translate the evidence into a final recommendation by considering how it applies in real-world use (values of the population, implementation considerations, health economics, etc.). Together these frameworks help explain both the WHAT of the decision as well as the WHY.
5. The Human Side
The Tea: When the New York Times asked readers who had experienced early-onset cancer to write-in, more than 800 people responded. In this powerful piece, seven of those stories are shared in the patients’ own words. They describe the impact of diagnosis and treatment during a time of life that is often defined by building. Growing careers, exploring relationships, improving financial stability, and, for some, raising young children.
Cancer is never easy, but early-onset disease carries a different set of burdens. Understanding those challenges is important not just for empathy, but for how we think about treatment and support.
Biotech Term of the Week
Paid Subscriber Bonus Content
Critical Process Parameter (CPP)
non biotech synonym: crucial production setting
