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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.

Pictured: An hourglass connected by strands of DNA
Policy
FDA Weighs Gene-Editing Treatments’ Curative Possibilities Against Potential Risks
As Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics’ exa-cel and Verve Therapeutics’ VERVE-101 move forward, questions remain about possible drawbacks of such therapies.
December 8, 2023
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6 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Pictured: A collage of medical notes and anatomy/N
Drug Development
Moving RNA Therapeutics Beyond the Liver
From the skin to the lungs to the central nervous system, biotech companies are making progress toward delivering RNA therapeutics to multiple targets throughout the body. But challenges remain.
December 1, 2023
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7 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Drug Development
First ever CRISPR gene therapy approval: What happens next?
CRISPR gene-editing has had its first ever approval in the UK. Will the FDA follow suit? What can patients expect the price tag to be?
November 21, 2023
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1 min read
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Greg Slabodkin
Pictured: From left: Jackson, Kassie, Kenzie, Kayl
Business
First Rett Treatment Offers Hope to Morell Family
When twins Kenzie and Kaylie were diagnosed with Rett syndrome in 2016, there was no dedicated treatment for the neurodevelopmental disorder. That changed this year with the approval of Acadia Pharmaceuticals’ Daybue.
November 21, 2023
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4 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Nicole Bean for BioSpace
Drug Development
Deep Dive: How Four Companies are Leveraging AI in Drug Development
In this deep dive, BioSpace examines how small, medium and large companies are using artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance their drug discovery efforts.
November 17, 2023
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4 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Pictured: An aerial picture of the Tel Aviv skylin
Business
Israeli Biopharma Execs Vow Resilience, Anticipate Long-Term Fallout from Gaza War
Executives from Israel-based companies express concern about future investment and other operational impacts, as the war rages on in Gaza with tragic loss of life amid political and economic uncertainties.
November 14, 2023
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5 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Pictured: abstract bokeh optical light/iStock, Ole
Drug Development
Companies Devise New Ways to Smuggle Drugs Across the Blood-Brain Barrier
To protect the central nervous system, the blood-brain barrier bars entry to around 98% of molecules—but approaches like Roche’s trontinemab could spell new hope in Alzheimer’s and beyond.
November 10, 2023
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7 min read
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Heather McKenzie
A maze representing the complexity of NASH /Nicole
Drug Development
NASH on the Cusp: An Emerging Market Opportunity
The non-alcoholic steatohepatitis space is still a “big mystery,” analysts tell BioSpace, but its connection to weight loss could provide an additional opportunity for contenders.
October 20, 2023
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6 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Pictured: Rare disease ribbon with cut-outs of people
Drug Development
Experts Implore FDA to Accept Biomarker Evidence in Ultra-Rare Diseases
Last year, the FDA declined to approve a drug that appears to reverse a rare and debilitating enzyme deficiency. Some experts say it’s emblematic of a need for more flexibility around therapeutics targeting rare diseases.
October 13, 2023
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6 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Facade of the FDA's office in Maryland
FDA
6 Drugs Approved Despite Failed Trials or Minimal Data
Recent FDA approvals of novel drugs based on less-than-stellar clinical evidence point to a trend toward regulatory flexibility—particularly in indications with very high unmet need.
October 5, 2023
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6 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Right and left sides of the brain/iStock, Warrenra
Drug Development
Karuna Submits Highly Anticipated NDA for KarXT in Schizophrenia
If approved by the FDA, Karuna Therapeutics’ investigational agonist of muscarinic acetylcholine 1 receptors M1 and M4 would provide the first new mechanism of action for schizophrenia patients in decades.
September 28, 2023
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3 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Pictured: BrainStorm Co-CEO Stacy Lindborg
Policy
BrainStorm Withdraws BLA for ALS Therapy, Plans Phase IIIb Trial
After an FDA advisory committee voted 17-1 against approving NurOwn last month, BrainStorm executives Wednesday laid out a potential path forward for the experimental amyotrophic lateral sclerosis treatment.
September 27, 2023
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5 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Facade of the FDA's office in Maryland
Policy
FDA Takes BrainStorm to Task Over Efficacy, Manufacturing Ahead of NurOwn Adcomm
The FDA’s briefing documents found that BrainStorm’s BLA submission for its investigational cell therapy for ALS did not demonstrate evidence of effectiveness and that the manufacturing data was “grossly deficient.”
September 25, 2023
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5 min read
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Heather McKenzie
A patient consults with a doctor/iStock, Artit_fiz
Policy
Upcoming NurOwn Adcomm Highlights Regulatory Role for Patient Advocates
Recent drug approvals have shone a light on the role that patient advocacy groups can play in the regulatory process—but some experts have questions about the ethics of this influence.
September 22, 2023
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10 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Facade of the FDA's office in Maryland
Policy
6 Key Regulatory Guidance Documents Issued in 2023
The FDA has issued more than 30 guidance documents related to drug development so far this year. BioSpace takes a closer look at six of them.
September 14, 2023
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5 min read
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Heather McKenzie
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