Good morning. Anyone else only watching Lady Gaga's concert to see inside the houses of celebrities? We'll be on the lookout for Brew mugs. 

BIOTECH

Now If We’re Talkin’ Antibodies

With widespread COVID-19 vaccines looking like a New Year's resolution for 2021, both the biotech and business communities are increasingly betting on antibody testing to get us back to some semblance of normal.

To the la-bor-a-tory

First, Dee Dee get out. Now, what are antibodies? The Brew’s resident bio PhD (this writer’s sister) said, “Proteins that can recognize other proteins. That’s as simple as I can make it.” 

• In the case of the coronavirus, certain antibodies can tell us whether a person has been exposed to the virus in the past—and if they’ve possibly developed immunity. All it takes is a blood sample.
• Antibody tests can give a more accurate tally of how many people have been unknowingly infected. In one California county, a large-scale community test found between 50x and 80x more infections than originally reported.

Big picture: Antibody tests could potentially help public health officials safely lift social distancing measures by indicating whether large swaths of the population have developed immunity.

The good news?

More tests could be coming. Swiss pharma company Roche said yesterday it’s developed an antibody test for COVID-19 that it plans to start selling early next month, and dozens of other companies have introduced similar tests. Some are as simple as an at-home pregnancy test; others require a medical professional to administer them.

But officials aren’t sold on antibody testing for several reasons: 1) The WHO warned yesterday that these tests can't actually prove someone is immune to the coronavirus 2) there are concerns about accuracy and 3) without a centralized results database or uniform method for testing, we’re still flying relatively blind.

Zoom out: Many experts say reliable antibody testing to determine immunity could take as long to develop and distribute as a vaccine. But that hasn’t stopped biotech companies like Roche from taking advantage of relaxed regulations to give it their best shot.

CONSUMER GOODS

One Investor’s Trash is P&G’s Treasure

We’re calling it now: a surge in babies named Febreze, Downy, and Tide Pod in January. It only makes sense considering all the time we’re spending...cleaning.

Another side effect? Household products giant Procter & Gamble tallied its biggest U.S. sales increase in decades last quarter.

• Fabric and home care revenue spiked 10% and healthcare sales 9%. 
• However, sales at P&G’s grooming and beauty divisions dipped 1% and rose 1%, respectively, as we put dramatically less effort into our appearances. 

Zoom out: P&G’s sales clearly got a boost from COVID-19. And while execs were satisfied with last quarter’s attitude of “clean clothes, full pantries, can’t lose,” they warned of future volatility given widespread unemployment and retail closures.

Another big question: Post COVID-19, will we keep handwashing even when someone else isn't in the bathroom? P&G CFO Jon Moeller thinks so—he says our newfound appreciation for hygiene will outlast the pandemic, which could mean more solid earnings for P&G.

SPACE

We Will Do Anything to Get on This Mission

NASA announced yesterday that it’s targeting a May 27 launch date to send two astronauts to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX rocket. That’d be one small step for man, one giant leap for everyone who’s said “what planet are we living on” in the last month.

It is an enormous step for one specific man: Elon Musk. This NASA launch will be the first on a rocket owned by a private company—Musk’s SpaceX.

• Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 with the goal of enabling people to live on other planets. This will be the first time it flies humans.
• If successful, it’ll give SpaceX a leg up over Boeing, which also has a NASA contract to fly astronauts to the ISS.

As for NASA, this means more money for freeze-dried ice cream. Its astronauts have been schlepping to Russia to get to and from the ISS, to the tune of $83 million per seat. This launch will be the first flight of NASA crews from U.S. soil since 2011.

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MEDIA

MJ’s Back

It looks like we might finally have weekend plans. On Sunday, ESPN and Netflix are releasing the first two episodes of the massively hyped 10-part Michael Jordan docuseries, “The Last Dance,” providing an in-depth look into the Chicago Bulls’s 1997–98 season.

The backstory: ESPN started its 30 for 30 documentary franchise in 2009 to celebrate its 30th anniversary—30 films to celebrate 30 years of covering sports. Since then, the franchise has grown to include over 90 films, including critically acclaimed specials like “OJ: Made in America.” 

Enter “His Airness”

• The current record for a 30 for 30 documentary premiere is “You Don’t Know Bo” with 3.6 million viewers on Dec. 8, 2012. 
• The MJ doc is expected to top that. As the LA Times writes, it's not just a TV show..."it's a cultural event."  

Bottom line: With a virtual NFL draft scheduled to begin on Thursday, April 23, ESPN finally has some non-obscure sports programming in the pipeline. Here’s a cornhole highlight if that makes you sad. 

+ Bonus question: Did we choose the right Jordan GIF? One of the most difficult decisions a newsletter writer can make.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Meanwhile, in Maryland...

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• President Trump sent off a series of tweets seemingly meant to encourage protestors angry about social distancing measures in several states. 
• Retailers, restaurants, and hotels got a combined 18% of emergency small business loans issued by the government, as of Thursday. 
• More cancellations: San Diego’s Comic-Con and Taylor Swift’s entire 2020 concert lineup. Don’t tell us to calm down.
• Walmart will hire 50,000 more workers.
• Bill Gates is the subject of online conspiracy theories.

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BREW'S BETS

Weekend conversation starters...for your next Zoom happy hour or your always-listening pen pal (that’s us):

• The new rules of social etiquette
• How to start a pandemic novel
• Fiona Apple’s gush-worthy new album

Reading books in quarantine is great because 1) a book placed next to coffee makes for a quality Instagram Story pic and 2) a book will never ask if you want to “continue reading.” For some recommendations, check out the latest installment of Brew’s Bookshelf, where we're sharing our team’s favorite business-related reads.

SATURDAY HEADLINES

One of these headlines is not like the others. Namely, real. Can you spot the news headline we made up? 

1. “Following complaints, Brooklyn block institutes auditions for 7pm cheering”
2. “Sourd.io is like a fitness tracker for your sourdough starter”
3. “Dating app Bumble provides small-business cash faster than U.S."
4. “A Florida bar pulled down $10,000 in single bills stuck to the wall so it could pay its 22 unemployed workers”

SATURDAY HEADLINES ANSWER

Haven't heard of cheering auditions, but...feel like that's not out of the realm of possibility.