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Heather McKenzie

Heather McKenzie

Senior Editor

Heather McKenzie is a professional journalist with more than 8 years’ experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Since joining BioSpace, she has written more than 300 features and breaking news articles, including multiple award-winning stories. Her particular focuses are neuroscience, rare disease and regulatory science. She has also traveled internationally to cover global biotech hubs, including 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, watching her American League champion Toronto Blue Jays, 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.

Drug Development
Aptevo’s Phase I APVO436 Trial on Right Track Against AML
Aptevo is a clinical-stage biotech company developing novel therapeutics built on its proprietary platform ADAPTIR™technology which is modular and includes bispecific molecules that recognize and bind to two unique target antigens simultaneously.
November 3, 2020
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Drug Development
COVID-19 Vaccine Race Leaders Strive for Balance Between Safety and Urgency
There is an impressive amount of technological ingenuity – mRNA, monoclonal antibodies and more traditional formats – being thrown at the development of a vaccine against COVID-19.
October 30, 2020
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6 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Bio NC
Election Implications for the U.S. and Global COVID-19 Response
The U.S. – and global – response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been volatile at best. This is fair, considering that SARS-CoV-2 is a novel virus with a lethality we haven’t seen in more than a century.
October 30, 2020
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5 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Antoine Yver, Executive Vice President and Global
Business
Enhertu Moves One Step Closer to Giving Gastric Cancer a Gut Punch
AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s Enhertu received supplemental Biologics License Application acceptance and U.S. priority review for the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic gastric – or gastroesophageal junction cancer.
October 29, 2020
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Thierry Abribat, Founder and CEO of Amolyt
Drug Development
Biotech Veteran Developing Natural Hormones for Orphan Indications
On October 14th, Amolyt Pharma announced the first dosing in its Phase I trial of AZP-3601 in healthy subjects, a momentous occasion capping off years of hard work in pre-clinical development. The drug aims to walk the biological tightrope in the management of hypoparathyroidism, a rare disease causing muscular pain and cognitive challenges.
October 29, 2020
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5 min read
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Heather McKenzie
BioMidwest
Newly Discovered Immune Cell May Rescue and Reverse Nerve Damage
A pro-regenerative cell discovered by researchers at Ohio State and the University of Michigan could open the door to potentially groundbreaking immunotherapeutic treatments for diseases such as ALS and multiple sclerosis.
October 28, 2020
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Business
Texas is “Going Big” in Biopharma
Texas wants to get the word out: It’s not just for oil and pipelines anymore. The Lone Star State is a rapidly emerging biopharma hub, with more than just a lone focus on oncology.
October 28, 2020
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6 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Courtesy Taljat David/Getty Images
FDA
Novartis Sees Glimmer of Hope for Branaplam in Huntington’s Disease
After discovering promising indicators on the path to the development of Branaplam (LMIO70) for spinal muscular atrophy, Novartis now hopes to repurpose the drug for the treatment of Hungtington’s disease.
October 23, 2020
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Business
Co-Existing With COVID-19: Containing the Contagion
As we resign ourselves to the fact that the epic SARS-CoV-2 virus that dominated 2020 is going to stubbornly follow us into 2021, we need to learn how to co-exist in temporary tolerance, at least until we have an effective vaccine.
October 21, 2020
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4 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Business
Vanquishing COVID-19 by Decreasing Viral Inoculum
Dr. Monica Gandhi, MD, an infectious diseases doctor and professor of medicine at UC San Francisco, poses the hypothesis that masks and other social distancing measures may reduce the viral inoculum – or amount – of the SARS-CoV-2 we contract.
October 19, 2020
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4 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Eli lilly putting in efforts to find solution for
Deals
Eli Lilly Acquires Disarm Therapeutics in an Effort to Solve Axonal Degeneration
Eli Lilly is betting on a new approach to axonal degeneration, announcing a definitive agreement to acquire Disarm Therapeutics, a privately-held biotech company committed to solving this mystery.
October 15, 2020
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Drug Development
Cyclerion Presents Bad News in Sickle Cell Study, Good News in CNS Trial
Cyclerion is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for serious and orphan diseases affecting the central nervous system (CNS).
October 14, 2020
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3 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Wasp venom can be used for sepsis and tuberculosis
BioCapital
Wasp Venom Shows Potential Against Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Scientists hope to use powerful antimicrobial molecules found in the wasp venom against the antibiotic-resistant bacteria that cause sepsis and tuberculosis.
October 14, 2020
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Business
Exploding Biopharma Industry Going the Distance for Specialized Talent
The urgency of 2020 has shone a spotlight on the investment and advances in the U.S. biotech industry over the past decade – and overall, it is looking strong.
October 13, 2020
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5 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Business
Could Immunocytokines Be a Way to Battle Glioblastoma?
In the study published October 7th in Science Translational Medicine, Dr. Weiss et al shared that immunocytokines delivered systemically were effective in mice models and a pilot human trial.
October 8, 2020
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
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