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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.

Business
The Future of Cancer Treatment Lies in Vaccines, Say These Pioneers
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.
January 20, 2021
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6 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Drug Development
Verrica Presents Promising Phase III Results for Molluscum & Genital Warts Treatment
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.
January 19, 2021
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Policy
Trade Secrets, Theft Allegations Levied Against Merck Employee
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.
January 14, 2021
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3 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Drug Development
COVAXX CEO Works to Redefine the Idea of a Vaccine
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.
January 13, 2021
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5 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Keitma/Shutterstock
Business
Sanofi Keeps on Rolling With Biond Biologics Partnership
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.
January 12, 2021
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3 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Drug Development
Sutro Maximizes Synergy to Treat Cancer and Preserve Quality of Life
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.
January 11, 2021
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6 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Policy
New COVID-19 Mutation Could Mess Up Tests, Trigger False Negatives
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.
January 11, 2021
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
BioForest
Biopharma Executive Perspectives on 2021
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.
January 11, 2021
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14 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Business
Fujifilm Diosynth Makes Another Big Splash In the U.S. Market
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.
January 7, 2021
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Business
Autolus Aligns Pipeline Around Promising CAR T Cell Therapy Candidate
The recalibration will also have workforce implications, including an overall workforce reduction of approximately 20% during Q1, 2021.
January 6, 2021
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Drug Development
Six Life Sciences Successes and Failures To Kick Off 2021
2021 is off to a hopeful start for some companies, executives and scientists, while others are forced to fold programs and recalibrate.
January 5, 2021
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6 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Biotech Bay
New and Emerging Drug Classes That Will Outlast the Pandemic
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.
December 31, 2020
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8 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Drug Development
Therapeutics for ‘COVID-19 Long-Haulers’ Exploding onto the Scene as 2020 Ends
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.
December 23, 2020
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5 min read
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Heather McKenzie
Biotech Beach
Neomorph to Leverage $109 Million Series A Funds Against Undruggable Targets
It is already a very Merry Christmas for brand new San Diego-based biotech Neomorph, Inc., which found $109 million under the tree in a Series A financing to advance its proprietary protein degradation platform and programs.
December 23, 2020
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock
Policy
Sackler Family Side-Step Personal Responsibility for Opioid Crisis
In their first appearance in years, the notorious Sackler family, who previously headed OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, apologized to victims of the opioid crisis but stopped short of admitting personal responsibility during a nearly four-hour grilling from the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee.
December 18, 2020
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2 min read
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Heather McKenzie
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