The development of mRNA-based vaccines has represented a major advance in the field of vaccine development. Rather than using weakened or inactivated viruses to stimulate an immune response to generate protective antibodies, mRNA-based vaccines provide a potentially safer and more effective approach. mRNA vaccines work by introducing a small piece of mRNA into the body, which encodes instructions to produce a specific viral protein for the cell to manufacture. This protein then triggers an immune response, leading to the production of antibodies that can protect against specific diseases. Combined Therapeutics has designed a modified mRNA-based vaccine platform that allows for the inhibition of protein expression in specific tissues, enabling targeted vaccine treatment and preventing off-target side effects. It’s designed to be adaptable and efficient, which makes possible rapid production of vaccines for a wide range of diseases and disease variants. We spoke to Thomas VanCott, chief scientific officer of Combined Therapeutics, about the company’s mRNA platform for vaccines, the advantages it provides, and its potential to use the same approach to train the immune system on specific mutations in a tumor.

The development of mRNA-based vaccines has represented a major advance in the field of vaccine development. Rather than using weakened or inactivated viruses to stimulate an immune response to generate protective antibodies, mRNA-based vaccines provide a potentially safer and more effective approach. mRNA vaccines work by introducing a small piece of mRNA into the body, which encodes instructions to produce a specific viral protein for the cell to manufacture. This protein then triggers an immune response, leading to the production of antibodies that can protect against specific diseases. Combined Therapeutics has designed a modified mRNA-based vaccine platform that allows for the inhibition of protein expression in specific tissues, enabling targeted vaccine treatment and preventing off-target side effects. It’s designed to be adaptable and efficient, which makes possible rapid production of vaccines for a wide range of diseases and disease variants. We spoke to Thomas VanCott, chief scientific officer of Combined Therapeutics, about the company’s mRNA platform for vaccines, the advantages it provides, and its potential to use the same approach to train the immune system on specific mutations in a tumor.

Making Safer and More Effective Vaccines with Targeted mRNA

Infectious diseases and microbial resistance represent major concerns in developing nations. The combination of globalization with the expanded use of antibiotics in resource-constrained environments is worsening the problem. In fact, hospital acquired infection rates in some regions are three times greater than in the United States and as much as 30 percent of all such infections are antimicrobial resistant. HDT Bio is developing immune activators and RNA-based vaccines to address this challenge with cost-effective and accessible medicines. We spoke to Chris Pirie, co-founder and chief operating officer of HDT Bio, about the problem the company is seeking to address, its platform technology for producing safe and stable RNA vaccines, and the potential to use the same platform to produce immunotherapies for cancer.

Infectious diseases and microbial resistance represent major concerns in developing nations. The combination of globalization with the expanded use of antibiotics in resource-constrained environments is worsening the problem. In fact, hospital acquired infection rates in some regions are three times greater than in the United States and as much as 30 percent of all such infections are antimicrobial resistant. HDT Bio is developing immune activators and RNA-based vaccines to address this challenge with cost-effective and accessible medicines. We spoke to Chris Pirie, co-founder and chief operating officer of HDT Bio, about the problem the company is seeking to address, its platform technology for producing safe and stable RNA vaccines, and the potential to use the same platform to produce immunotherapies for cancer.

Addressing a Global Need with RNA Vaccines and Immunotherapies

Bacteriophage are viruses that target bacteria. Though they emerged in the 1920s as treatments for infectious diseases, because of their high level of specificity, they fell out of favor with the advent of broad-spectrum antibiotics. BiomX is developing both natural and engineered phage cocktails designed to target and destroy harmful bacteria in chronic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and atopic dermatitis. We spoke to Jonathan Solomon, CEO of BiomX, about the case for phage therapies, the company’s approach to creating a phage cocktail that could effectively target a population of patients, and why it's focusing on chronic diseases.

Bacteriophage are viruses that target bacteria. Though they emerged in the 1920s as treatments for infectious diseases, because of their high level of specificity, they fell out of favor with the advent of broad-spectrum antibiotics. BiomX is developing both natural and engineered phage cocktails designed to target and destroy harmful bacteria in chronic diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and atopic dermatitis. We spoke to Jonathan Solomon, CEO of BiomX, about the case for phage therapies, the company’s approach to creating a phage cocktail that could effectively target a population of patients, and why it's focusing on chronic diseases.

Targeting Bacteria in Chronic Diseases

CytoMed, a spin out of A*STAR—Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology, and Research—is developing novel cell-based immunotherapies that can go beyond the limitations of existing CAR T therapies. The company is focused on the development of off-the-shelf therapies derived from the delta gamma T cells from healthy donors. We spoke to Wee Kiat Tan, chief operating officer of CytoMed, about the company’s platform technology for off-the-shelf CAR T therapies, the advantages they provide over existing autologous CAR T therapies, and why he believes they will be successful at treating solid tumors.

CytoMed, a spin out of A*STAR—Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology, and Research—is developing novel cell-based immunotherapies that can go beyond the limitations of existing CAR T therapies. The company is focused on the development of off-the-shelf therapies derived from the delta gamma T cells from healthy donors. We spoke to Wee Kiat Tan, chief operating officer of CytoMed, about the company’s platform technology for off-the-shelf CAR T therapies, the advantages they provide over existing autologous CAR T therapies, and why he believes they will be successful at treating solid tumors.

Targeting Solid Tumors with Off-The-Shelf CAR T Therapies

For academic scientists who make groundbreaking discoveries that can lead to new medicines, bridging the so-called valley of death—the gulf between the lab and having a validated candidate that is ready to begin human clinical trials—continues to be daunting. Foundery Innovations, which bills itself as a venture studio, sees a big opportunity in partnering with academic researchers to carry promising new immunotherapies through to the clinic. Its team has deep experience in immunotherapy development and brings a wide range of skills and cutting-edge platform technologies to de-risk development and accelerate the time to the clinic. We spoke to Max Krummel, founder and managing member of Foundery Innovations, about the venture studio’s business model, the resources it brings to bear, and how it works with academic researchers and universities.

For academic scientists who make groundbreaking discoveries that can lead to new medicines, bridging the so-called valley of death—the gulf between the lab and having a validated candidate that is ready to begin human clinical trials—continues to be daunting. Foundery Innovations, which bills itself as a venture studio, sees a big opportunity in partnering with academic researchers to carry promising new immunotherapies through to the clinic. Its team has deep experience in immunotherapy development and brings a wide range of skills and cutting-edge platform technologies to de-risk development and accelerate the time to the clinic. We spoke to Max Krummel, founder and managing member of Foundery Innovations, about the venture studio’s business model, the resources it brings to bear, and how it works with academic researchers and universities.

Reimagining the Development of Immunotherapies with a Venture Studio

Vericel, which acquired Sanofi’s cell therapy and regenerative medicine unit, markets advanced cell therapy products for sports medicine and severe burn care. The company’s MACI is an autologous cellularized scaffold used in the repair of cartilage defects of the knee. Epicel, its cultured epidermal autografts, are a permanent skin replacement for the treatment of patients with deep dermal or full thickness burns greater than or equal to 30 percent of total body surface area. We spoke to Nick Colangelo, president and CEO of Vericel, about the markets the company is targeting, how its products are changing outcomes for patients, and the company’s plans for growth.

Vericel, which acquired Sanofi’s cell therapy and regenerative medicine unit, markets advanced cell therapy products for sports medicine and severe burn care. The company’s MACI is an autologous cellularized scaffold used in the repair of cartilage defects of the knee. Epicel, its cultured epidermal autografts, are a permanent skin replacement for the treatment of patients with deep dermal or full thickness burns greater than or equal to 30 percent of total body surface area. We spoke to Nick Colangelo, president and CEO of Vericel, about the markets the company is targeting, how its products are changing outcomes for patients, and the company’s plans for growth.

Repairing the Body with Advanced Cell Therapies

Understanding the physical relationship of cells and how they interact can provide new understanding of diseases and help improve drug development and clinical treatment decisions. Nucleai uses its AI-powered spatial biology platform to transform pathology data into insights. The digital assays it develops enhances drug development, supports treatment decisions, and helps stratify patients to improve care. We spoke to Ken Bloom, head of pathology for Nucleai, about the company’s AI spatial biology platform, how it works, and the potential it has to advance precision medicine.

Understanding the physical relationship of cells and how they interact can provide new understanding of diseases and help improve drug development and clinical treatment decisions. Nucleai uses its AI-powered spatial biology platform to transform pathology data into insights. The digital assays it develops enhances drug development, supports treatment decisions, and helps stratify patients to improve care. We spoke to Ken Bloom, head of pathology for Nucleai, about the company’s AI spatial biology platform, how it works, and the potential it has to advance precision medicine.

Achieving Precision with AI Pathology

Vaccitech first gained attention as co-inventor of the Covid-19 vaccine licensed to AstraZeneca. The University of Oxford spin-out is developing a pipeline of T cell immunotherapies to treat and cure chronic infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancers. The company’s lead experimental therapy is a potentially curative monotherapy for chronic hepatitis B viral infection. We spoke to Bill Enright, CEO of Vaccitech, about the company’s platform technologies, how they work, and how they enable the development of more effective immunotherapies.

Vaccitech first gained attention as co-inventor of the Covid-19 vaccine licensed to AstraZeneca. The University of Oxford spin-out is developing a pipeline of T cell immunotherapies to treat and cure chronic infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancers. The company’s lead experimental therapy is a potentially curative monotherapy for chronic hepatitis B viral infection. We spoke to Bill Enright, CEO of Vaccitech, about the company’s platform technologies, how they work, and how they enable the development of more effective immunotherapies.

Inducing Potent and Durable T Cell Responses to Fight Disease

One reason that CAR T therapies haven’t been more effective at treating solid tumors is their reliance on targeting antigens on the surface of cells, which can often be present on healthy cells as well. Affini-T Therapeutics is addressing this weakness in current cell therapies by using its platform technology to develop T cell receptor engineered T cells. Its so-called TCR-T cells are able to recognize intracellular targets and attack the drivers of mutations that are inaccessible to CAR-T therapies. We spoke to Jak Knowles, CEO of Affini-T Therapeutics, about the company’s TCR-T cell therapies, how they are engineered, and why they have the potential to be effective at treating solid tumors that have evaded the power of CAR T therapies.

One reason that CAR T therapies haven’t been more effective at treating solid tumors is their reliance on targeting antigens on the surface of cells, which can often be present on healthy cells as well. Affini-T Therapeutics is addressing this weakness in current cell therapies by using its platform technology to develop T cell receptor engineered T cells. Its so-called TCR-T cells are able to recognize intracellular targets and attack the drivers of mutations that are inaccessible to CAR-T therapies. We spoke to Jak Knowles, CEO of Affini-T Therapeutics, about the company’s TCR-T cell therapies, how they are engineered, and why they have the potential to be effective at treating solid tumors that have evaded the power of CAR T therapies.

Developing Immunotherapies that Target the Drivers of Cancer

More than 138,000 people in the United States and 1.4 million people worldwide are struggling with malignant brain tumors. The average five-year survival rate of people with the most common malignant brain tumor—glioblastoma multiforme—is less than 5 percent and there have been no notable improvements in the last three decades. The Ivy Brain Tumor Center is using phase 0 clinical trials to provide individualized treatment to patients with brain tumors. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration introduced phase 0 trials in 2004 to address concerns about the slow pace and high cost of drug development. The phase 0 trial is used to quickly identify how a drug works in a patient and whether it should be fast-tracked for further development. We spoke to Nader Sanai, director of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center and chief of neurosurgical oncology at the Barrow Neurological Institute, about phase 0 clinical trials, how they work, and how they are allowing the center to take a precision medicine approach to treating patients with brain tumors.

More than 138,000 people in the United States and 1.4 million people worldwide are struggling with malignant brain tumors. The average five-year survival rate of people with the most common malignant brain tumor—glioblastoma multiforme—is less than 5 percent and there have been no notable improvements in the last three decades. The Ivy Brain Tumor Center is using phase 0 clinical trials to provide individualized treatment to patients with brain tumors. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration introduced phase 0 trials in 2004 to address concerns about the slow pace and high cost of drug development. The phase 0 trial is used to quickly identify how a drug works in a patient and whether it should be fast-tracked for further development. We spoke to Nader Sanai, director of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center and chief of neurosurgical oncology at the Barrow Neurological Institute, about phase 0 clinical trials, how they work, and how they are allowing the center to take a precision medicine approach to treating patients with brain tumors.

Using Phase 0 Trials to Bring Precision Medicine to Treating Brain Tumors

The Bio Report podcast, hosted by award-winning journalist Daniel Levine, focuses on the intersection of biotechnology with business, science, and policy.

Can’t understand why this isn’t more popular...it’s incredibly relevant, instructive, and brings in great guests. These are the things I need to know for my team and company. 5 stars.

Sound quality lacking, but great content

I am a longtime investor in Biotech and find the topics and interviews extremely interesting. The sound is not that good but it really doesn’t matter when the content is interesting. I would shorten the intro jingle by 50%. Keep up the good work.

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The Bio Report

As medical device makers are building network connectivity and intelligence into their products, they are adding new vulnerabilities and risks as well. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has just issued draft guidance for postmarket management of cybersecurity of medical devices.  It follows previous guidance on premarket submissions for management of cybersecurity in medical devices. We spoke to Russell Jones, partner with Deloitte &amp; Touche, cyber risk leader for the firm’s State of California Practice and co-leader of the firm’s medical device safety and security practice, about the FDA actions, how these connected devices can be exploited by hackers, and what medical device makers can learn from industries that have already faced these issues.

FDA Wants Industry to Guard Against Cybersecurity Risks of Medical Devices

For many patients with rare and difficult to diagnose conditions, it can take many years and many doctors to find a correct answer. CrowdMed is trying to offering an alternative to patients by allowing them to tap the wisdom of crowds and letting medical detectives who sign on to the site try to find the right answer. We spoke to Jared Heyman, founder and CEO of CrowdMed, about the problem with the traditional way doctors diagnose patients, the wisdom of crowds, and the case for making medicine a team sport.

CrowdMed Enlists the Wisdom of Crowds to Solve Medical Mysteries

Jimmy Carter

President Jimmy Carter, at a recent press conference discussing his cancer diagnosis and treatment, expressed his wish to outlive the last Guinea worm. The Carter Center, since 1986, has led a global effort to eradicate Guinea worm disease with great success and its goal is within reach. We spoke to Ernesto Ruiz-Tiben, director of The Carter Center’s Guinea Worm Eradication Program, about its efforts, the history behind it, and what lessons can be drawn in combating other public health threats throughout the world.

Jimmy Carter’s Final Wish: Eradicating Guinea Worm

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death and it continues to rise. Today it is costing the U.S. healthcare system $200 billion a year and there are no therapies that prevent, halt, or reverse the disease’s progression. United Neuroscience is taking a new approach to the disease with its endobody vaccines, a class of synthetic biologics it is developing to treat Alzheimer’s and other CNS conditions. We spoke to Ajay Verma, chief medical officer of United Neurosciences, about Alzheimer’s, the company’s platform technology, and the promise of enlisting the immune system in the fight against CNS diseases.

Enlisting the Immune System in the Battle Against Alzheimer’s

Gene therapy represents an expanding area of potential to correct and modulate the activities of genes driving diseases. One of the major challenges these groundbreaking technologies face, though, is delivering them to where they need to go within the body to be effective. Nanogenic Solutions believes its solved the problem with its LipTide technology that marries a payload carrying-lipid with synthetic peptides that target cell suface receptors and allow DNA or RNA into the cell. We spoke to Simon Newman, director of preclinical development for Nanogenic Solutions, about the challenges of gene therapy, the LipTide technology, and what it could mean for advancing a range of RNA and DNA therapies.

Overcoming the Delivery Challenges of Gene Therapy

It was an unprecedented year for M&amp;A activity in the life sciences, but even though Big Pharma returned to dealmaking after largely spending 2013 on the sidelines, it’s been unable to close its growth gap through acquisitions. Specialty Pharmaceutical and Big Biotech have been building muscle and key acquisitions that could address growth for Big Pharma continue to be snapped up by competitors. We spoke to Jeff Greene, EY’s Global Life Sciences Transaction Advisory Services Leader, about his firm’s new M&amp;A report, at what point the growing price of assets becomes too rich, and what the outlook is for 2015.

Why Big Pharma Hasn’t Been Able to Fix Its Revenue Gap with M&A

CAR-T cell immunotherapies seek to harness the body’s immune system to fight tumor cells. The promise of this new class of therapies has ignited investor’s imaginations, but a new report from EP Vantage argues that the enthusiasm that has driven valuations of CAR-T companies should be tempered by an eye towards the risks. We spoke to Jacob Plieth, report author and senior reporter for EP Vantage, about the promise of these therapies, what we know about their safety and efficacy, and why the muddy intellectual property landscape is a concern.

Should Investors Temper Their Enthusiasm for CAR-T Therapies

A surge in merger and acquisition activity in the life sciences is expected this year, according to a new report from EY. The company annual M&amp;A Firepower Report says increased competition, new sources of capital, and the change in U.S. corporate tax laws will drive greater dealmaking in the sector. We spoke to Jeff Greene, EY global life sciences transaction advisory services leader, about the report, the drivers of the activity, and why nontraditional players in the sector may be in a better position to make a splash in 2018.

Why Life Sciences M&A Should Heat up This Year

The blood-brain barrier provides essential protection against pathogens while allowing needed oxygen and nutrients to pass. However, one challenge it presents is getting therapeutics delivered to the brain and central nervous system. Bioasis Technologies has developed a way to attach fusion proteins to drugs to allow them to pass the blood-brain barrier. We spoke to Mark Day, CEO of Bioasis, about its platform technology, what is known about it from testing to date, and the potential therapeutic implications of being able to deliver drugs systemically that can reach the central nervous system and brain.

Carrying Therapeutic Payloads Across the Blood-Brain Barrier

A detailed view of funding of emerging therapeutic companies over the past ten years shows despite a rebound in venture financing, companies continue to struggle to find early-stage money. Nevertheless, the report shows the overall health of investment in the sector is thriving. We spoke to Dave Thomas, senior director of industry research and analysis for the Biotechnology Industry Organization and co-author of the report, about BIO’s findings, what therapeutic areas attracted the most financing, and what impact the capital markets have had on partnering and licensing activity.

What a Decade of Investment Tells Us about the Health of Biotech

As the biotech industry ramps up for the JPMorgan Healthcare conference, we continue our conversation with TheStreet.com’s Adam Feuerstein. In part two of our conversation, we look ahead to what’s in store for the biotech industry in 2015. We get Feuerstein’s thoughts on who and what to watch in the new year, what Big Pharma company may be the target of a takeover, and whether fights over drug pricing will put an end to biotech’s bull market.

As the biotech industry ramps up for the JPMorgan Healthcare conference, we continue our conversation with <a href="http://TheStreet.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TheStreet.com</a>’s Adam Feuerstein. In part two of our conversation, we look ahead to what’s in store for the biotech industry in 2015. We get Feuerstein’s thoughts on who and what to watch in the new year, what Big Pharma company may be the target of a takeover, and whether fights over drug pricing will put an end to biotech’s bull market.

What’s in Store for the Biotech Industry in 2015

One reason immunotherapies fail is because of the ability to tumors to alter the microenvironment in which they exist and hide themselves from detection by the immune system. In some indications, as few as 20 percent of patients benefit from checkpoint inhibitors. Oncolytics Biotech is developing pelareorep, an immune-oncolytic virus that activates the innate and adaptive immune systems, triggering inflammation in the tumor, and overexpressing checkpoints to increase the number of patients that can benefit from the use of checkpoint inhibitors. We spoke to Matt Coffey, president and CEO of Oncolytics Biotech, about Pelareorep, how it works to treat cancer, and why it can make checkpoint inhibitors more effective.

Turning Cold Tumors Hot

Drug discovery and development is a slow and costly process, but the Regeneron Genetics Center represents a drugmakers’ bet that harnessing large amounts of genetic data can point the way to better targets, greater success rates, and ultimately better drugs. We spoke to Aris Baras, vice president and head of the Regeneron Genetics Center ahead of the Precision Medicine World Conference 2017 in Silicon Valley about how large genetic studies are brining fundamental change to the drug development process, the approach Regeneron is taking, and why its becoming a necessary element of drug development today.

Regeneron Embraces Genetics as Fundamental to Drug Development

Adam Feuerstein

A holiday tradition at The Bio Report is to take a moment to reflect on the year past and look ahead to the new year with Adam Feuerstein, senior writer and national biotech columnist for STAT. We talked to Feuerstein about some of the highs and lows of the year in biotech, a few of the big stories he followed, and the big fourth quarter for biotech stocks. Feuerstein offers us a look at the best and worst CEO of 2019, the upcoming JPMorgan conference, and what to watch in 2020.Last week we released an additional episode of the podcast that featured the Himalayan Cataract Project (https://soundcloud.com/levine-media-group/an-effort-to-eradicate-preventable-blindness), which is working to eradicate preventable blindness throughout the world. There are 18 million people in the developing world who are unable to perform the tasks of daily living because of easily treatable cataracts that can be addressed with a fast and inexpensive procedure. We’re helping raise $100,000 through a GoFundMe Campaign (https://gate.sc/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcharity.gofundme.com%2Fo%2Fen%2Fcampaign%2Fgiving-the-gift-of-sight-in-ethiopia-and-eritrea&amp;token=26d7bc-1-1577387027965) to bring the organization back to Ethiopia and Eritrea, where on a recent trip to the region they performed 4,300 sight-saving surgeries. If you’d like to learn more, have a listen to the special episode in our feed. We’ll include a link at the bottom of this week’s episode to the campaign. Thanks to all who gave and if you haven’t, we encourage you to consider making a contribution to this cause.

A holiday tradition at The Bio Report is to take a moment to reflect on the year past and look ahead to the new year with Adam Feuerstein, senior writer and national biotech columnist for STAT. We talked to Feuerstein about some of the highs and lows of the year in biotech, a few of the big stories he followed, and the big fourth quarter for biotech stocks. Feuerstein offers us a look at the best and worst CEO of 2019, the upcoming JPMorgan conference, and what to watch in 2020. Last week we released an additional episode of the podcast that featured the Himalayan Cataract Project (<a href="https://soundcloud.com/levine-media-group/an-effort-to-eradicate-preventable-blindness" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://soundcloud.com/levine-media-group/an-effort-to-eradicate-preventable-blindness</a>), which is working to eradicate preventable blindness throughout the world. There are 18 million people in the developing world who are unable to perform the tasks of daily living because of easily treatable cataracts that can be addressed with a fast and inexpensive procedure. We’re helping raise $100,000 through a GoFundMe Campaign (<a href="https://gate.sc/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcharity.gofundme.com%2Fo%2Fen%2Fcampaign%2Fgiving-the-gift-of-sight-in-ethiopia-and-eritrea&amp;token=26d7bc-1-1577387027965" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://gate.sc/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcharity.gofundme.com%2Fo%2Fen%2Fcampaign%2Fgiving-the-gift-of-sight-in-ethiopia-and-eritrea&amp;token=26d7bc-1-1577387027965</a>) to bring the organization back to Ethiopia and Eritrea, where on a recent trip to the region they performed 4,300 sight-saving surgeries. If you’d like to learn more, have a listen to the special episode in our feed. We’ll include a link at the bottom of this week’s episode to the campaign. Thanks to all who gave and if you haven’t, we encourage you to consider making a contribution to this cause.

Our Annual Biotech Review/Preview with STAT’s Adam Feuerstein

As the year draws to a close, we continue what’s become an annual tradition and look back on the year in biotech and ahead to the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference and beyond with Adam Feuerstein, senior biotech writer for STAT News. Adam tries to make sense of a puzzling year for biotech that seemed full of contradictions, offers some thoughts on the highs and lows of the past 12 months, and discusses what he’ll be watching for during the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

The Year in Biotech and What to Watch in 2019

Scrutiny of drug prices around the globe is expected to exert growing pressure on the biopharmaceutical sector. EvaluatePharma, in its recently issued World Preview 2017, Outlook to 2022 says that despite consensus forecasts for worldwide drug sales hitting more than $1 trillion in 2022, it does reflect a drop from the same period last year. We spoke to Antonio Iervolino, head of forecasting for evaluate pharma, about the new report, the outlook for the sector and the potential for a new patent cliff with the advent of biosimilars.

Biotech Industry Moves Towards a Patent Cliff

The lack of diversity in genomic data has been an issue of growing concern. It threatens to limit the benefits from the massive investment that has been made to date to transform biomedical research, drug development, and the clinical care of patients. We spoke to Jonas Korlach, chief scientific officer of Pacific Biosciences, about the problem, how it’s being addressed, and the role advancing technology can play in gleaning greater insights from the genomes that are analyzed.

Why the Diversity of Genomic Data Matters

Developers of cancer immunotherapies are in a race to find combinations that can distinguish their products for specific indications. Biomarkers, which have played an essential role in the development of targeted therapies, have proven a much more complex challenge in the realm of immuno-oncology. Nevertheless, biomarkers may be the key to winning the competitive battles in immuno-oncology. We spoke to Rachel Laing, managing partner of Bionest Partners, about the role for biomarkers in immuno-oncology, why immuno-oncology companies have much at stake in the hunt for biomarkers that can better select patients for their therapies, and the role biomarkers will play in the move toward real-time oncology.

Why Biomarkers May Be the Key to Immuno-Oncology Success

The ability to engineer biological systems to replace chemical processes is making the promise of the emerging bioeconomy a reality. Some of the leading industry players, though, see a growing need to have a voice in the policy arena and have formed the Bioeconomy Alliance to ensure the sector can flourish and realize its potential. We spoke to Jason Gammack, chief commercial officer of Inscripta and a founding member of the Bioeconomy Alliance, about how synthetic biology is reshaping the economy, why there is a need for this new organization, and the issues it will address.

Shaping the Emerging Bioeconomy

The convergence of technology and life sciences, changing consumer behavior, and increasing pricing pressures on drug and device makers are forcing these companies to rethink business models and how they derive value from their products, according to a new EY Progressions 2018 report. The report argues that life sciences companies will no longer be able to rely exclusively on product-centric innovations, which face diminishing returns as health systems wrestle with cost constraints. We spoke to Pamela Spence, EY global life sciences industry leader, about the report, what a growing trend in collaborations between technology and healthcare companies may say about where the industry is heading, and why the future of life sciences companies may be as health technology companies.

Why Drug Companies May Soon Become Health Technology Companies

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