Interview 15 Mar 2021 Developing a Vaccine that Protects Against Covid-19 Variants Despite the promise of several approved Covid-19 vaccines and the widespread rollout of vaccination programs around the world, recent mutations in the virus causing Covid-19 are raising concern. Can the current vaccines protect against different coronavirus variants? Paul Higham became CEO of the Finnish firm Valo Therapeutics in 2020. The company was founded in 2016 […] March 15, 2021 - 8 minutesmins - By Larissa Warneck-Silvestrin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 3 Mar 2021 The Promises of CRISPR Genome Editing in Biomedicine Tony Ho, Head of Research and Development at CRISPR Therapeutics, offers his insights into the advantages of CRISPR gene editing over other technologies and what the future holds for the genome editing field. For decades, gene editing required engineering DNA-cutting enzymes, such as zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), for every specific […] March 3, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Larissa Warneck-Silvestrin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 22 Feb 2021 How Automation Can Augment Drug Discovery Research Robotics and artificial intelligence are rapidly changing the way we discover drugs. Martin-Immanuel Bittner, CEO and co-founder of Arctoris, discusses the benefits and challenges of introducing automation in drug discovery efforts. The Oxford-based startup Arctoris was established in 2016 with the objective of offering remote access to automated drug discovery. At a time when researchers […] February 22, 2021 - 8 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 1 Feb 2021 Democratized DNA Synthesis: A Game-Changer Against Covid-19 DNA synthesis is one of the pillars of Covid-19 research that has suffered supply disruptions during lockdowns. Thomas Ybert, CEO of DNA Script, discusses the French company’s plans to protect research from future disruptions by giving every lab the ability to synthesize its own DNA molecules. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted more than ever the […] February 1, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 23 Nov 2020 CDMOs Are the Unsung Heroes of the Gene and Cell Therapy Revolution Cell and gene therapy is booming amid the ongoing pandemic, and this is driving up demand for synthetic DNA products, often produced and delivered by CDMOs. Karen Fallen started her career at Celltech Biologics in the UK, which was acquired in 1996 by Swiss giant Lonza, a world leader in the pharmaceutical manufacturing space. She […] November 23, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 28 Oct 2020 Do Natural Killer Cells Hold the Key to Treating Blood Cancers? Novel immunotherapies, like T cell therapy, may have shown recent successes but they also come with a number of setbacks, such as long timelines and serious adverse reactions. As CEO of the Dutch biotech Kiadis Pharma, Arthur Lahr has been leading the development of a technology that could overcome these limitations by using natural killer […] October 28, 2020 - 7 minutesmins - By Larissa Warneck-Silvestrin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 5 Oct 2020 How is Germany Meeting Patient Demand for Medical Cannabis? Since Germany legalized cannabis for medical use in 2017, we have frequently spoken to Peter Homberg, Partner and Head of the German Life Sciences Practice and the European Cannabis Group at Dentons, a global law firm. Over the years, Peter has provided us with regular updates on the European and German medical cannabis industry. In […] October 5, 2020 - 7 minutesmins - By Larissa Warneck-Silvestrin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 28 Sep 2020 From Big Pharma to Startup CEO: Lessons from Kymriah Developer Gaurav Shah Novartis’ Kymriah, one of the first CAR T-cell therapies to be approved to treat blood cancer, has revolutionized both oncology and gene therapy. Gaurav Shah, now CEO of Rocket Pharmaceuticals, led the team that developed it. Shah began his career as a clinician, but soon moved over into the biotech sector to work at ImClone, […] September 28, 2020 - 9 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 9 Sep 2020 Biotech Investment in Norway: An Alternative Approach Norway has not typically been an attractive region for biotech investors, so when Masha Strømme set up her own investment firm in 2008, she had to take a slightly different approach to investment. Masha Strømme and her husband, Dag Strømme, run a family office together called Paacs Invest in the Oslo area, which funds and […] September 9, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 2 Sep 2020 An Alzheimer’s Vaccine Challenged the Consensus for 25 Years For decades, Alzheimer’s disease research focused on a hypothesis that has increasingly been contested. A team of scientists in Slovakia has been swimming against the tide since the beginning, going for an alternative approach that has only recently started gaining recognition. Research in Alzheimer’s disease has recently been plagued by intense disappointment. For over 25 […] September 2, 2020 - 8 minutesmins - By Farhan Mitha Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 29 Jul 2020 Medical Cannabis: Regulatory Issues, Patient Demand, and Pricing Changes in Germany While the coronavirus pandemic has shaken many industries to their core, the European medical cannabis industry continues to flourish. A number of recent developments in Germany show that the demand for medicinal cannabis is growing. But the German medical cannabis industry is also facing a number of challenges, including an unmet patient demand and a […] July 29, 2020 - 8 minutesmins - By Larissa Warneck-Silvestrin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 21 May 2020 What 2019 Can Teach About European Biotech Investments Going Forward Following 2018’s bumper harvest for equity funding in European biotech, 2019 proved even more lucrative, particularly for private biotech companies. What are the biggest investment lessons learned from 2019, and how could Covid-19 change the dynamic in 2020? With the coronavirus pandemic thrusting global industry sectors into chaos, investors and entrepreneurs need to understand the […] May 21, 2020 - 9 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email