Specials | 01 March 2024 | Analysis
GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) appointment of Emma Walmsley as CEO in 2016 made headlines for more than one reason. N...Read more
HER Health | 01 March 2024 | Influencers
Engendering Inclusivity & Diversity in Life Sciences
In the realm of the public sector in life sciences, remarkable women are at the helm, steering initiatives and...Read more
Specials | 28 February 2024 | Analysis
Adding an 'Extra' bit with Leap Year Day- 29 February 2024
2024 comes with an 'extra' day for the life sciences industry to add up to its achievements and planning. Whil...Read more
Bio Jobs | 28 February 2024 | Analysis
February's Bold Pivot: Layoffs Ignite Strategic Renewal in Biotech & BioPharma Industry
In February, the Biotech and BioPharma industries faced a wave of strategic layoffs, signaling a significant s...Read more
Japan | 29 March 2024 | News
Eisai to divest rights for Merislon and Myonal in Japan to Kaken Pharma for ¥ 3.8 B
Eisai Co. has entered into an agreement to divest its rights for vertigo and equilibrium disturbance treatment...Read more
China | 19 February 2024 | News
Biocytogen Pharma Beijing and Gilead enter into multi-target antibody collaboration agreement
Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co. has announced an antibody evaluation and option agreement with A...Read more
Korea | 07 February 2024 | News
China-based Luye Pharma Group has entered into an agreement with South Korea's Myung In Pharm, granting the la...Read more
India | 21 March 2024 | News
Biological E to manufacture oral cholera vaccine for India and global markets
South Korea-based International Vaccine Institute (IVI) has commenced a technology transfer of simplified Oral...Read more
New Zealand | 08 March 2024 | News
Kimer Med inks contract worth NZD $1.3 M to pioneer antiviral drug advances
Kimer Med, a New Zealand (NZ)-based biotech startup, has signed a contract valued at up to $750,000 (NZD$1.3 m...Read more
Australia | 04 March 2024 | News
Australia to propel projects minimising antimicrobial resistance
Australia’s leading national biotech incubator, CUREator by Brandon BioCatalyst, has announced the alloc...Read more
Europe | 18 March 2024 | News
Korean startup Lunit delivers AI-powered cancer screening solution to France and Portugal
Lunit, a leading provider of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solutions for cancer diagnostics and therape...Read more
China | 15 March 2024 | News
Scientists in Hong Kong invent non-invasive diagnostic device for chronic kidney disease
A team of scientists at the Department of Health Technology and Informatics at the Hong Kong Polytechnic ...Read more
Singapore | 13 March 2024 | News
Singapore scientists develop ultra-thin semiconductor fibres for use in healthcare wearables
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore have developed ultra-thin semiconductor fibr...Read more
Korea | 21 March 2024 | News
Merck invests € 300+ M in new life science production site in Korea
Merck invests more than €300 million into a new Bioprocessing Production Centre in Daejeon, South Korea. ...Read more
Singapore | 19 March 2024 | News
WuXi Biologics to establish new CRDMO facility in Singapore
China's WuXi Biologics, a leading global Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organisation (CRDMO)...Read more
Korea | 09 February 2024 | News
Samsung Biologics & LegoChem Biosciences in Korea team up for ADC development
South Korea-based Samsung Biologics, a global contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), has ...Read more
Addressing Accessibility and Affordability of CELL & GENE THERAPIES
Cell and gene therapies (CGT) are one of the hottest sectors in the pharmaceutical industry. Quite a few companies in the field are making remarkable advancements toward potentially curative treatments for challenging diseases using groundbreaking science. With lower R&D development costs than in advanced markets, China is becoming an attractive market for the development of CGT, and therefore may emerge as a strong competitor of overseas-made CGT, notes a GlobalData report. Bayer AG, recently announced the global expansion of its life science incubator network, Bayer Co. Lab, to Shanghai, China and Kobe, Japan. The new site in China will focus on oncology and CGT innovations. While India lags behind China in the production of cell and gene therapies, a wave of new biotech startups is emerging to address this challenge. Immuneel Therapeutics and ImmunoACT are currently developing CAR-T cell therapies. The latter’s NexCAR19 therapy received approval from India's Central Drug Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) for treating relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphomas and leukaemia. Despite a steady stream of regulatory approvals and promising growth prospects, the high manufacturing costs associated with these therapies often render them inaccessible to the majority of patients. To address this issue, companies are actively striving to streamline and optimise the highly intricate and labour-intensive process of cell and gene therapy manufacturing.