Heather McKenzie

Heather McKenzie

Senior Editor

Heather McKenzie is a professional journalist with more than five years experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Since joining BioSpace, she has written more than 200 features and breaking news articles with a particular focus in neuroscience and gene therapy. She has also traveled internationally to cover global biotech hubs such as Israel. In previous roles, she has covered current affairs, sports, education and politics. She previously spent eight years as a senior content producer for executive-level business conferences in the pharma/biotech, legal, energy and business strategy sectors. In her free time, Heather enjoys creative writing, spending time with family and playing with her energetic Russian Blue cat Roofus. She hails from Toronto and has also lived in Chicago and Chesapeake, Virginia. You can reach her at heather.mckenzie@biospace.com.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals is a global biopharmaceutical company developing life-transforming therapies for patients with the rarest of diseases. So, it stands to reason that they are also looking for a rare combination in their employees. BioSpace we spoke with Alexion’s Head of Talent Acquisition, Matt McSherry, to find out just what those key ingredients are.
As the industry leader in translating RNA interference (RNAi) into innovative medicines for debilitating diseases, Alnylam employs over 1,400 people worldwide. The company boasts a robust pipeline of therapeutics for genetic, cardio-metabolic, infectious and CNS diseases with four registered products. With this kind of groundbreaking work, it comes as no surprise that they spend a lot of time looking for the right fit – and insist on the importance of the right mutual fit.
NEUVOGEN’s official strategy revolves around covering the entire immune system so that the tumor cannot perform an “immune escape”. Past immune priming efforts have fallen short because they focus on only a handful of important targets that some tumor cells may not express, thereby allowing them to escape the therapy’s boundaries.
VP-102, which has the potential to be the first product approved by the FDA for the treatment of molluscum contagiosum, contains a GMP-controlled formulation of cantharidin (0.7% w/v), which is delivered via a single-use applicator that allows for precise topic dosing and targeted administration.
The filing to the U.S. District Court District of New Jersey, dated December 31st, 2020, states that the materials include compound data, strategic plans related to translational and biomarker data, therapeutic program reviews, abstract publications, plans for Congressional presentations, drug monitoring, and compound publication.
The COVID-19 pandemic that has upended life across the globe has also ignited a reawakening to the value of vaccines, and Hu believes the momentum will carry forward into the new year.
The novel immune checkpoint inhibitor Sanofi deemed worthy of such an investment is BND-22, a humanized IgG4 antagonist antibody targeting the Ig-like transcript 2 (ILT2) receptor, an inhibitory receptor expressed on both innate and adaptive immune cells.
While Sutro’s technological platform opens multiple therapeutic doors, the company’s singular focus on homogeneous molecules is a key part of its competitive strategy.
On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an official alert stating that it could trigger false negatives in COVID-19 tests.
The lessons learned from the global pandemic are expected to translate to existing and emerging therapeutic areas - particularly oncology; more efficient regulatory-industry relationships; mRNA is a word we will continue to hear a lot about; and home health care is here to stay.
Morrisville, North Carolina, has reason to hope that it may be the beneficiary of Fujifilm’s next major investment, a $2 Billion USD large-scale cell culture manufacturing site which the company said will be located near one of its current facilities.
The recalibration will also have workforce implications, including an overall workforce reduction of approximately 20% during Q1, 2021.
2021 is off to a hopeful start for some companies, executives and scientists, while others are forced to fold programs and recalibrate.
From synthetic polymer-based anti-infectives to antiviral conjugates and DNA vaccines, the past year has given new and emerging drug classes an opportunity to shine.
BioSpace spoke with just a couple of companies endeavoring to make 2021 a happier new year for survivors now suffering from the life-altering after-effects of COVID-19.