In Depth 21 Dec 2020 Enemy or Valuable Ally? How Biotech Uses Viruses for Good Taking advantage of the ability of viruses to manipulate life is opening new doors for the biotech industry. Once only seen as our enemies, viruses are fast becoming some of our most valuable allies. Viruses may not have the best public image, but to biotechnologists, there’s a lot to admire about them. These tiny molecular […] December 21, 2020 - 7 minutesmins - By Farhan Mitha Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 17 Dec 2020 Covid-19 Leaves Lasting Impact on Hematology at ASH 2020 Conference Under the heavy shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, last week’s annual conference of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) displayed the achievements of many innovative treatments for blood conditions, including gene and cell therapies. A sweeping new wave of Covid-19 infections that is forcing new lockdowns across the northern hemisphere is already reshaping the biotech […] December 17, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 14 Dec 2020 Will Europe Follow Singapore in Approving Cultured Meat? Singapore is the first country to grant approval to meat grown from animal cells, known as cultured meat. Will European countries follow suit? Eat Just is a San Francisco-based company that sells plant-based alternatives to eggs and other animal products. The firm made headlines last week when it got regulatory approval to market cultured chicken […] December 14, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Kostas Vavitsas Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Expert Advice 14 Dec 2020 How to Hire and Retain Talent in the Biotech Industry Hiring is a big challenge for biotech companies; life sciences recruitment experts share their strategies for attracting and retaining talent in the biotech industry. The big obstacle for life sciences recruiters is that companies in this industry generally require highly qualified candidates with very specific skills. “As every company is very specialized in what they […] December 14, 2020 - 7 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 9 Dec 2020 The Manufacturing Challenge to Meet Covid-19 Vaccine Demands Companies developing vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics for Covid-19 are being forced to scale up manufacturing at high speed in order to meet the enormous demand. There has been an unprecedented amount of research carried out over the last year to develop vaccines, drugs, and diagnostic tests to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. Before Canada gave the […] December 9, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 7 Dec 2020 Swiss Startup Tackles Tourette’s Syndrome Despite Recent Failures In spite of recent failures of clinical trials from others in the field, Swiss company Noema Pharma is gearing up to develop better treatments for the neurological condition Tourette’s syndrome. Noema Pharma will use a recent €49M Series A round to bankroll the phase I development of a candidate for Tourette’s syndrome along with the […] December 7, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 7 Dec 2020 Are We Still Friends? What Brexit Means for UK Synthetic Biology Synthetic biology is one of the big strengths of UK science, but can the country uphold its vantage point after Brexit, without the support of the EU? (Disclaimer: At the time of writing, no deal has been made between the UK and the EU following Brexit. This intrepid writer is an Irish citizen who made […] December 7, 2020 - 8 minutesmins - By David Kirk Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Dec 2020 EU Launches Pharma Strategy, Raising Both Hopes and Questions The public’s response has been cautious after the European Union unveiled a pharmaceutical strategy last week designed to spur domestic innovation and the production of affordable, state-of-the-art therapies. Amid a boom in biotech funding driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Commission (EC) is scrambling to bring its sometimes fragmented pharma regulatory framework up to […] December 4, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 30 Nov 2020 Can Anti-Aging Research Keep Us Healthy in the Long Run? Searching for the fountain of eternal youth has been the dream of humanity for millennia. While this is still in the realm of science fiction, anti-aging companies are hoping to tackle age-related diseases by targeting the underlying biology of aging. While we’ve been hunting for immortality for millennia, there hasn’t been much success. However, an […] November 30, 2020 - 10 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 27 Nov 2020 uniQure Stocks Up With First Phase III Results of Hemophilia B Gene Therapy Gene therapies for the rare blood clotting disorder hemophilia B have taken a step closer to the market as Dutch developer uniQure became the first to release interim phase III results last week. Hemophilia is an inherited disease caused by mutations to genes encoding blood clotting proteins, resulting in uncontrollable bleeds. In severe cases of […] November 27, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 26 Nov 2020 AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 Vaccine Proves Its Worth in Phase III A much anticipated Covid-19 vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, achieved 70% efficacy in phase III interim data. While less effective on paper, it could prove cheaper and easier to distribute than its most advanced competitors. Scientists and politicians heartily received the announcement of promising interim clinical trial results from the Covid-19 […] November 26, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Kostas Vavitsas Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Expert Advice 25 Nov 2020 How to Weather Bad Press as a Biotech Company Biomedical companies face unique challenges when it comes to media communication. Crisis communication, in particular, can make or break a company — all the more so in a sector as sensitive as healthcare. Crises can strike a biotech company at any point — the dream partner company that had shot you to fame dumps you […] November 25, 2020 - 7 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email