Parkinson’s in the Clinic, Insilico enters Phase III, Vertex Acquires Crinetics

Promise hits Parkinson’s disease therapy, as a Phase I/II clinical study has demonstrated the feasibility of transplanting stem-cell-derived dopamine progenitor cells into the brain. In preclinical research, a new platform uses the brain’s fluid transport pathways to effectively deliver AAVs to therapeutic targets in mice. We’ll also cover the accelerating infrastructure moment for AI-driven drug discovery, with billion-dollar investments flowing into end-to-end platforms driven by models and compute, rather than single drug assets. In business, Insilico’s revenue leaps as the company’s AI-developed lead candidate moves to Phase III, while Vertex acquires Crinetics for $10 billion.   Join GEN editors Corinna Singleman, PhD, Alex Philippidis, Fay Lin, PhD, and Uduak Thomas for a discussion of the latest biotech and biopharma news.    Listed below are links to the GEN stories referenced in this episode of Touching Base:   Engineered AAVs Harness Glymphatic System to Reach Brain Targets in Mice GEN, July 9, 2026  Stem Cell Therapy Shows Promise in First Human Parkinson’s Disease Trial GEN, July 9, 2026  Pharma Races to Scale AI as Billions Flow into Drug Discovery By Fay Lin, PhD, GEN Edge, July 6, 2026  StockWatch: Insilico Projects Profit, Revenue Leaps as AI-Developed Lead Candidate Moves to Phase III By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, July 12, 2026  Vertex Eyes Expansion Beyond Cystic Fibrosis with Planned $10B Crinetics Buyout By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, July 7, 2026  Top 20 Drugs Heading for the Patent Cliff, 2026-2029 By Alex Philippidis, GEN Magazine, Nov 1, 2025  Touching Base Podcast  Hosted by Corinna Singleman, PhD   Behind the Breakthroughs  Hosted by Jonathan D. Grinstein, PhD   The State of Biologics Testing 2026 Charles River Laboratories and GEN, June 10, 2026  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.