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Technical.ly
3 days ago
- Business
- Technical.ly
How Lithero is using AI to speed up pharma marketing compliance
Startup profile: Lithero Founded by: Nyron Burke Year founded: 2015 Headquarters: Philadelphia, PA Sector: Life sciences, AI Funding and valuation: $0.68 million raised as of May 2022, according to PitchBook Key ecosystem partners: Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Morgan Lewis, Drexel University, University City Science Center, Broad Street Angels, Ic@3401 In life sciences, everything takes longer. Nyron Burke, cofounder and CEO of the Philadelphia-based AI for life sciences company Lithero, learned that through years of working as a consultant with pharmaceutical companies that were always looking for ways to speed up the process of creating marketing materials. What may seem relatively simple, like a pharmaceutical pamphlet for a doctor's office, can take months to finalize due to compliance issues. The final draft, with its medical language and side effects disclosures, has to be just right, requiring multiple reviews by medical lawyers before it goes to print. It's a stark contrast to consumer marketing, where a marketing professional might be able to create a one-pager in a day. 'With life sciences, that just wasn't possible,' Burke told noting that the extra time it takes to make biotech marketing materials compliant also increases the cost tenfold. Burke founded Lithero in 2015, years before AI became a common part of everyday life. He knew that machine learning could make the process considerably faster by screening for compliance issues before a medical lawyer reviews it, cutting down on the number of reviews — and, crucially, time. 'Divine intervention' led to the development of the engine Before Lithero, Burke spent eight years working for the global professional services company Accenture, with a focus on pharma and biotech companies. 'The three things I spent my consulting career on were speed, cost and compliance in pharma marketing specifically,' he said. 'But with the aspirations that my clients had, I had to not just do a good job, but to fundamentally do something that was transformative.' The speed he wanted for his clients was impossible in the 2010s — each human review for compliance was necessary, but time-consuming. AI, Burke said, had no hype around it in 2015 when he had the idea to use it to help achieve the speed he was looking for. The one thing holding him back was that he didn't know enough about AI to build an engine that could do what he needed to do. Then he met Brandon Morton, an AI researcher at Drexel who was working on his doctorate at the time. 'We met at church randomly,' Burke said. 'It was like divine intervention … His research is really what powered our ability to actually do what we're doing.' Morton effectively became a cofounder of Lithero. Even with his leadership, Burke said, it was a challenge. 'AI is very, very difficult,' Burke said. 'People don't appreciate the beauty and the power of the human mind and how hard it is to get machines to simulate what we do.' An AI assistant that doesn't hallucinate The technology Lithero created is called LARA, Lithero Artificial Review Assistant. 'You could think of it sort of like an artificial lawyer,' Burke said. Once LARA has all of a client's necessary information, it essentially pre-screens the content. It's not meant to replace the client's human lawyer, just to make it so that the lawyer has less to do on each individual piece of marketing. Then, he said, LARA will understand the client-specific content well enough that the client can use the tool for other things as well, such as creating annotations and comparing content to customer behavioral data. While today people tend to think of large language model generative AI like ChatGPT when they think of AI, LARA still isn't generative — it doesn't generate content based on prompts, it is a screening and correlation tool that can be trained to know everything about a specific brand. As such, it is not susceptible to drawbacks like hallucinations, when an AI model randomly answers with false information presented as fact, often a result of insufficient data or bias. The public launch of generative AI did help the company, though, by making the concept of an AI tool less obscure. 'It has normalized what we're doing,' Burke said. 'We're in a very conservative, cautious, slow industry — it changed the conversations that I was having.' Now, he says, there is a lot of demand, and a lot of clients bringing them new ideas on how the company can continue to grow. 'Our future is not just compliance, it's also creative,' Burke said. 'We recently launched some creative assistants, and are seeing this amazing amount of excitement.' From one to ten To get to where Lithero is today, with a team of ten and a growing roster of clients, it spent years based at Ic@3401, a University City coworking and incubation space sponsored by Drexel University and the University City Science Center that closed in 2024. One of its earliest investors, apart from friends and family, was Ben Franklin Technology Partners. Burke also credits its law firm Morgan Lewis as a big supporter, as well as angel investment group Broad Street Angels.
Pembrokeshire Herald
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Bluebirds beat Caernarfon Town 3–1 to book place in UEFA Europa Conference League
CAREW remain the team to beat in Division One of the Thomas Carroll Pembroke County Cricket League after another dominant performance, as the early-season table starts to take shape. The 2022 champions were ruthless against Llangwm, piling on a massive 365-5 before skittling the visitors for just 102 — winning by 263 runs. Nick Davies struck a classy 101, supported by 88 from Shaun Whitfield and 62 from Tim Hicks. In reply, James Hinchcliffe tore through the Llangwm batting with figures of 4-8, while Iori Hicks chipped in with 2-15. Cresselly remain on their heels, comfortably beating Lawrenny by eight wickets. After bowling Lawrenny out for 119 — with Tom Arthur taking 3-29 and Charlie Arthur 3-32 — Morgan Lewis (60) and Charlie Arthur (41*) saw them home in just 21.5 overs. Neyland kept pace near the top with a hard-fought four-wicket win over Burton. Ashley Sutton's 76 and Dai Davies's unbeaten 23 proved vital after Burton posted 147 all out, with Luke Hayman contributing 22 and taking 3-35 in a losing effort. Saundersfoot also chalked up a win, chasing down 102 to beat Whitland by seven wickets. Prashant Gautam was the pick of the bowlers, taking 5-10, while Nick Cope took 4-21 and hit 26 not out to complete a fine all-round display. Haverfordwest edged past Herbrandston by four wickets in a nervy low-scoring affair. Herbie were dismissed for 98, with Chris Phillips taking 3-11 and Fin Ateyo 3-13. Ben Field guided Town to victory with a patient unbeaten 50. DIVISION ONE RESULTS – SATURDAY, MAY 17 Carew 365-5 (Nick Davies 101, S. Whitfield 88) beat Llangwm 102 all out by 263 runs 365-5 (Nick Davies 101, S. Whitfield 88) beat 102 all out by 263 runs Cresselly 123-2 (Morgan Lewis 60) beat Lawrenny 119 all out by 8 wickets 123-2 (Morgan Lewis 60) beat 119 all out by 8 wickets Neyland 148-6 (Ashley Sutton 76) beat Burton 147 all out by 4 wickets 148-6 (Ashley Sutton 76) beat 147 all out by 4 wickets Saundersfoot 103-3 (Nick Cope 26no, Gautam 5-10) beat Whitland 102 all out by 7 wickets 103-3 (Nick Cope 26no, Gautam 5-10) beat 102 all out by 7 wickets Haverfordwest 100-6 (Ben Field 50no) beat Herbrandston 98 all out by 4 wickets DIVISION ONE TABLE (AFTER WEEK 4) Pos Team P W L Bat Bowl Pts 1 Carew 4 4 0 18 20 78 2 Cresselly 4 4 0 17 17 76 3 Neyland 4 3 1 16 18 66 4 Saundersfoot 4 3 1 15 14 62 5 Haverfordwest 4 2 2 15 13 50 6 Burton 4 1 3 14 16 40 7 Lawrenny 4 1 3 12 15 39 8 Herbrandston 4 1 3 14 14 38 9 Whitland 4 1 3 15 11 36 10 Llangwm 4 0 4 10 12 22 DIVISION TWO: Narberth and Pembroke unbeaten Narberth stay top with a dominant 155-run win over Johnston. Jamie McCormack smashed a stunning 175, before Ryan Williams (4-49) helped bowl Johnston out for 169. Pembroke are hot on their heels after chasing down Hook's 230 with six wickets in hand. Jack Harries was the standout, finishing unbeaten on 125. Carew II and Llechryd also enjoyed wins, while St Ishmaels crushed Burton II by 217 runs, with Brennan Devonald (136) and Peter Bradshaw (83) in the runs. Division Two table (Top 3): Narberth – 78 pts Pembroke – 76 pts Hook – 65 pts DIVISION THREE: Fishguard flying Fishguard top Division Three after an eight-wicket win at Stackpole. Nigel Delaney anchored the chase with 63 not out. Jake Davie's unbeaten 96 helped Pembroke Dock beat Hundleton by 72 runs, while Steve Williams (73) and Charlie Holder (54) powered Hook II past Laugharne. Elsewhere, Lamphey edged out Kilgetty by 3 wickets, and Neyland II held off Haverfordwest II in a tight contest. Division Three table (Top 3): Fishguard – 69 pts Pembroke Dock – 64 pts Kilgetty – 52 pts DIVISION FOUR: Saundersfoot II stay perfect Saundersfoot II made it four from four with an eight-wicket win over Narberth II. Lewis Treadway-Williams top-scored with 44 not out. Pembroke II were equally dominant, thrashing Haverfordwest III by 131 runs with Paul White unbeaten on 118. Crymych and St Ishmaels II also recorded big wins, while Carew III saw off Lawrenny II by 70 runs. Division Four table (Top 3): Saundersfoot II – 76 pts Crymych – 68 pts Pembroke II – 67 pts DIVISION FIVE: Pembroke Dock II out front In Division Five, Pembroke Dock II made light work of Haverfordwest IV, winning by nine wickets. Tom Grimwood hit an unbeaten 60. Herbrandston II defeated Hundleton II, while Llechryd II cruised to victory over Cresselly III. Whitland II and Neyland III did not play. Division Five table (Top 3): Pembroke Dock II – 67 pts Whitland II – 65 pts Herbrandston II – 65 pts DIVISION SIX: Lamphey II climbing Lamphey II secured a seven-wicket win over Kilgetty II, while Whitland III eased past Llechryd III by ten wickets. Pembroke III won a low-scoring game against Haverfordwest/Cresselly. Division Six table (Top 3): Haverfordwest/Cresselly – 49 pts Lamphey II – 41 pts Pembroke III – 38 pts Next week promises more exciting action across all divisions, with several top-of-the-table clashes in the pipeline.
Pembrokeshire Herald
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Carew crush Llangwm as title race begins to take shape
CAREW remain the team to beat in Division One of the Thomas Carroll Pembroke County Cricket League after another dominant performance, as the early-season table starts to take shape. The 2022 champions were ruthless against Llangwm, piling on a massive 365-5 before skittling the visitors for just 102 — winning by 263 runs. Nick Davies struck a classy 101, supported by 88 from Shaun Whitfield and 62 from Tim Hicks. In reply, James Hinchcliffe tore through the Llangwm batting with figures of 4-8, while Iori Hicks chipped in with 2-15. Cresselly remain on their heels, comfortably beating Lawrenny by eight wickets. After bowling Lawrenny out for 119 — with Tom Arthur taking 3-29 and Charlie Arthur 3-32 — Morgan Lewis (60) and Charlie Arthur (41*) saw them home in just 21.5 overs. Neyland kept pace near the top with a hard-fought four-wicket win over Burton. Ashley Sutton's 76 and Dai Davies's unbeaten 23 proved vital after Burton posted 147 all out, with Luke Hayman contributing 22 and taking 3-35 in a losing effort. Saundersfoot also chalked up a win, chasing down 102 to beat Whitland by seven wickets. Prashant Gautam was the pick of the bowlers, taking 5-10, while Nick Cope took 4-21 and hit 26 not out to complete a fine all-round display. Haverfordwest edged past Herbrandston by four wickets in a nervy low-scoring affair. Herbie were dismissed for 98, with Chris Phillips taking 3-11 and Fin Ateyo 3-13. Ben Field guided Town to victory with a patient unbeaten 50. DIVISION ONE RESULTS – SATURDAY, MAY 17 Carew 365-5 (Nick Davies 101, S. Whitfield 88) beat Llangwm 102 all out by 263 runs 365-5 (Nick Davies 101, S. Whitfield 88) beat 102 all out by 263 runs Cresselly 123-2 (Morgan Lewis 60) beat Lawrenny 119 all out by 8 wickets 123-2 (Morgan Lewis 60) beat 119 all out by 8 wickets Neyland 148-6 (Ashley Sutton 76) beat Burton 147 all out by 4 wickets 148-6 (Ashley Sutton 76) beat 147 all out by 4 wickets Saundersfoot 103-3 (Nick Cope 26no, Gautam 5-10) beat Whitland 102 all out by 7 wickets 103-3 (Nick Cope 26no, Gautam 5-10) beat 102 all out by 7 wickets Haverfordwest 100-6 (Ben Field 50no) beat Herbrandston 98 all out by 4 wickets DIVISION ONE TABLE (AFTER WEEK 4) Pos Team P W L Bat Bowl Pts 1 Carew 4 4 0 18 20 78 2 Cresselly 4 4 0 17 17 76 3 Neyland 4 3 1 16 18 66 4 Saundersfoot 4 3 1 15 14 62 5 Haverfordwest 4 2 2 15 13 50 6 Burton 4 1 3 14 16 40 7 Lawrenny 4 1 3 12 15 39 8 Herbrandston 4 1 3 14 14 38 9 Whitland 4 1 3 15 11 36 10 Llangwm 4 0 4 10 12 22 DIVISION TWO: Narberth and Pembroke unbeaten Narberth stay top with a dominant 155-run win over Johnston. Jamie McCormack smashed a stunning 175, before Ryan Williams (4-49) helped bowl Johnston out for 169. Pembroke are hot on their heels after chasing down Hook's 230 with six wickets in hand. Jack Harries was the standout, finishing unbeaten on 125. Carew II and Llechryd also enjoyed wins, while St Ishmaels crushed Burton II by 217 runs, with Brennan Devonald (136) and Peter Bradshaw (83) in the runs. Division Two table (Top 3): Narberth – 78 pts Pembroke – 76 pts Hook – 65 pts DIVISION THREE: Fishguard flying Fishguard top Division Three after an eight-wicket win at Stackpole. Nigel Delaney anchored the chase with 63 not out. Jake Davie's unbeaten 96 helped Pembroke Dock beat Hundleton by 72 runs, while Steve Williams (73) and Charlie Holder (54) powered Hook II past Laugharne. Elsewhere, Lamphey edged out Kilgetty by 3 wickets, and Neyland II held off Haverfordwest II in a tight contest. Division Three table (Top 3): Fishguard – 69 pts Pembroke Dock – 64 pts Kilgetty – 52 pts DIVISION FOUR: Saundersfoot II stay perfect Saundersfoot II made it four from four with an eight-wicket win over Narberth II. Lewis Treadway-Williams top-scored with 44 not out. Pembroke II were equally dominant, thrashing Haverfordwest III by 131 runs with Paul White unbeaten on 118. Crymych and St Ishmaels II also recorded big wins, while Carew III saw off Lawrenny II by 70 runs. Division Four table (Top 3): Saundersfoot II – 76 pts Crymych – 68 pts Pembroke II – 67 pts DIVISION FIVE: Pembroke Dock II out front In Division Five, Pembroke Dock II made light work of Haverfordwest IV, winning by nine wickets. Tom Grimwood hit an unbeaten 60. Herbrandston II defeated Hundleton II, while Llechryd II cruised to victory over Cresselly III. Whitland II and Neyland III did not play. Division Five table (Top 3): Pembroke Dock II – 67 pts Whitland II – 65 pts Herbrandston II – 65 pts DIVISION SIX: Lamphey II climbing Lamphey II secured a seven-wicket win over Kilgetty II, while Whitland III eased past Llechryd III by ten wickets. Pembroke III won a low-scoring game against Haverfordwest/Cresselly. Division Six table (Top 3): Haverfordwest/Cresselly – 49 pts Lamphey II – 41 pts Pembroke III – 38 pts Next week promises more exciting action across all divisions, with several top-of-the-table clashes in the pipeline.
Mint
03-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Big changes are coming for crypto under Trump's CFTC. What's in store.
When it comes to cryptocurrencies, securities regulators may get a lot of headlines, but don't count out the commodities cops. With crypto fan Donald Trump now in the White House, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission dismissed cases brought under the last administration against platforms such as Coinbase Global. While the SEC remains crypto curious with a task force considering how to handle those markets, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission still oversees Bitcoin and Ethereum, along with dollar-pegged stablecoins like Tether. The CFTC isn't likely to let go of its crypto authority when its nominee to head the agency, Brian Quintenz, is sworn in. A tech-oriented former agency commissioner, Quintenz has been working at the crypto arm of venture firm Andreessen Horowitz. 'His own background suggests that he will be just as keen and energetic about having the CFTC play an increasingly significant role in the regulation of digital assets—or nonregulation," says Stacie Hartman, a lawyer at Morgan Lewis who represents firms in CFTC cases. Before Quintenz takes his seat, CFTC commissioners aren't taking many Trump-inspired votes—the commission is split evenly between Republicans and Democrats. But acting chair Caroline Pham moved quickly to make the agency appear less adversarial. In March, the CFTC withdrew an alert it had issued in Trump's first term that warned crypto's significant risks merited the agency's scrutiny of Bitcoin trading. Crypto products will now be treated like just another derivative. A couple of recent advisories encouraged commodities firms to self-report their violations to the agency. The CFTC eased some penalties and posted a discount list it will apply to fines if a firm reports its misdeeds, remedies them, and cooperates with agency investigators. Those are improvements over the CFTC's past inscrutability, says Rob Schwartz, who joined Morgan Lewis this year after serving as the CFTC's general counsel. 'You really didn't have anything that you could look at and say, 'Here is the policy, here is the discount you can expect versus what they've done in the past," Schwartz says, 'which is a good guardrail." His colleague Hartman has one reservation, noting that fines sought by the agency have climbed steeply in recent years. Federal statutes set the penalty for commodity manipulation at about $1 million. But in the last decade, Wall Street banks paid as much as $800 million to settle CFTC allegations they manipulated markets in foreign exchange or interest rates. Under the Biden administration, the CFTC collected over $1 billion in civil penalties from firms whose traders used WhatsApp and personal messaging for work communications. Until future enforcement cases show the new administration's underlying 'price list" on civil fines, the industry won't know the potential discount for cooperation. 'Over time, there has been a stratospheric soaring away from the statutory basis for setting a civil monetary penalty," says Hartman. 'We need a little time to tell how the [discount] matrix actually gets applied." Write to Bill Alpert at
Technical.ly
16-04-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
2025 TECH & SOURCING PHILADELPHIA SUMMIT BUSINESS – TRANSFORMATION AND THE DIGITAL LEAP FORWARD
Join Morgan Lewis and your colleagues in the region for our 2025 Tech & Sourcing Philadelphia Summit. This year we are expanding the agenda to allow more time for exploring issues that are top-of-mind for technology and sourcing lawyers. The summit will kick off with an hour of AI and ethics, followed by three hours of interactive presentations and workshops by market leaders in the technology and privacy fields. We will wrap up the day with a reception to allow attendees to connect with friends, old and new.
