Excedr Monthly | November
Hey reader, another packed edition of Excedr Monthly. Here's the latest:
Quick Podcast Update—?
We aired five new episodes this November, including parts two, three, and four of our conversation with Sandy Paige, co-managing director of the Seabright Ventures Fund, a search fund investing in the US middle market. I've included the links for quick access:
Part Two:?Practicing Corporate Entrepreneurship | Life Lessons on How to Treat People | Seeking Margins & Avoiding Commodity | Scaling a Non-Profit | A CEO’s 3-5 Important Yearly Decisions
Part Three: Managing International Distribution | Meaningful Work & Personal Buy-In as a Form of Equity | Getting Into Business Development & the Importance of Sales | Starting & Running a Search Fund
Part Four: Creating Competitive Moats | Leveraging Financing Opportunities for Growth | The Purpose of a Board of Directors | Ambiguity as an Asset & Avoiding the Bias Toward Action
We also aired parts one and two of our series with Fengru Lin, Founder and CEO of TurtleTree, a biotech company creating cell-based milk. She's currently focused on releasing LF+, the world's first sustainably produced latcoferrin. Here are the links:
Part One: Growing Up in Hong Kong & Singapore | Serendipity & Its Effect On Career Paths | Connecting the Dots in Business | The Complex & Fragile World of Food Production | The Importance of QA/QC
Part Two: Salesforce's Customer-Centric Sales Motion | The Value of Knowing Your Audience in Every Conversation | Why Executive Buy-In Matters | How a Hobby Led to TurtleTree's Founding Idea
Find our November articles below. ?? ?????
Science & Business
Gene editing has brought much promise for improving patient health and well-being. Much of this promise lies in its ability to correct disease-causing mutations through genome editing at the single base pair level.??
To harness genome editing for gene therapy, researchers developed tools to edit genes at specific target sites precisely. Among these editing tools is the CRISPR-Cas9 editing tool,?derived from the CRISPR-Cas system in bacteria. Its discovery has led researchers to?harness the CRISPR-Cas system for base editing in many genomes.
Acid phosphatase is an enzyme that has long captured the attention of biochemists and medical researchers alike. This enzyme, primarily found in lysosomes, plays pivotal roles in many biochemical pathways.?
Its significance can be traced in its biochemical undertakings and its implications in several diseases. Most notably, acid phosphatase levels have a pronounced relationship with prostate cancer, making it an invaluable marker in its diagnosis and prognosis. We'll shed light on the nature of acid phosphatase and its overarching significance in various scientific endeavors.
Equipment financing and leasing?have become popular choices for businesses across different industries, from agriculture to biotech to construction. Whether securing brand-new cars, acquiring the latest lab equipment, or renting commercial real estate, leasing offers a practical alternative to outright purchasing, providing flexibility and improved cash flow management.
At the heart of every lease decision, however, there often lies a dilemma: Is it better to opt for a lease that offers lower monthly payments, thus ensuring short-term financial relief? Or is it wiser to focus on minimizing the total lease cost over the entirety of the agreement, which might mean higher monthly outflows but overall savings in the long run??
In a balloon loan setup, borrowers benefit from reduced monthly outlays at the inception of the loan term. However, this comes with its own set of considerations. Typically, the interest rate attached to a balloon loan is on the higher side, reflecting its unique structure and inherent risks.?
As such, lending institutions often reserve this option for borrowers demonstrating high creditworthiness. When the loan term concludes, the balloon payment can either be a calculated sum encompassing a part of both principal and interest, or under certain interest-only plans, it might amount to the entire principal balance due.
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Imagine a biotech that needs to acquire different types of equipment for R&D or contract research services. Instead of making equal monthly payments like a traditional lease, they opt for a structure where most payments are manageable and relatively low.
While bioinformatics and computational biology are interrelated, they possess distinct nuances and are used to meet different needs.
Bioinformatics is primarily centered on creating and applying computational tools and techniques to analyze and manage large sets of biological data (biodata), as well as biological statistics and results of scientific studies. Imagine it as the toolmaker's bench, where software and databases are designed explicitly for biological queries.
Computational biology, on the other hand, focuses on developing theoretical, mathematical, or computational models to address specific biological problems and phenomena raised by studies in bioinformatics. It resembles the theorist's role, where models and simulations breathe life into abstract biological concepts.
Diseases caused by genetic mutations cause suffering for millions of people worldwide. Rare genetic diseases can?impact as much as 5.9% of the global population?at any point in time.
Many of these diseases, such as?cystic fibrosis?and?sickle cell disease, are caused by single mutations. In response, researchers have searched for ways to correct these mutations. These efforts have yielded several gene editing methods, such as prime editing (insert link to Excedr article on prime editing).
The discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 system accelerated these efforts. Expressed by bacteria, the Cas9 system protects microbes from foreign DNA by cutting the DNA? upon detection. Since its discovery, researchers have used the machinery to?develop Cas9-mediated gene editing.?
PCR Plates are a crucial component in molecular biology, designed to cater to the needs of DNA amplification processes. They traditionally come with a well plate structure, usually made from clear polypropylene material. This choice of material is pivotal as it minimizes evaporation, a critical aspect of maintaining the integrity of the reaction mixture during thermal cycling.
Additionally, the clear nature of the material provides an optimal environment for assays, allowing for real-time monitoring and accurate readings during the amplification process. A notable feature of PCR plates is the variety in design, catering to different operational needs and compatibility with various instruments.
A lease extension, as the name suggests, is an amendment or addendum to an existing lease agreement that extends the original duration of the lease—where the parties to an equipment lease agree to the extension.?
This arrangement becomes relevant when both parties find value in continuing the relationship beyond the initial lease term. It can be brought up by either the lessor or the lessee, but ultimately, both parties must concur to formalize an extension.?
The primary purpose of a lease extension is to prolong the period during which the lessee can utilize the asset. This continuation is not indefinite but will specify a new end date for the lease. The length of this extension can vary; it might be a few months, a year, or even several years, depending on what the two parties agree upon.
Creditworthiness is pivotal in determining a company’s access to essential resources and opportunities. One area where this is profoundly evident is equipment leasing, a standard practice that allows businesses to stay updated with the latest tools and technologies without the hefty upfront costs of outright purchases. However, the gateway to this financial flexibility is largely governed by a numerical expression of trust: the credit score.
A business' credit score, much like an individual's, reflects its financial health and credibility. It is meticulously calculated based on various factors, including payment history, credit utilization, and length of credit history, among others. This score, succinctly encapsulating a business' credit risk, becomes a key consideration for lenders and leasing companies when evaluating lease applications.
Till next time!
-Tom & everyone at Excedr ??