chart biotech

A #plant #protein does it again! #plantscience #biotechnology #innovation

The whole process of developing a new vaccine or therapy for people is long and complicated. And expensive. There is a tendency to stick to what has already been done, in particular if it is perceived that “it works”. Changes bring uncertainty and new risks that need to be assessed. Having a broad perspective, or just a new perspective brings new learnings. What “works” in one context, may “barely work” in others. This applies to many aspects of development, manufacturing and availability of vaccines and therapeutics. In our new blog we write about laboratory animal-based disease models, #bioproduction and #biosimilars and how expertise and big investments can stand in the way of using and developing something better, or just something else, that can work better in a different context. What other examples of “entrenchment” standing in the way of innovation adoption do you know? #Innovation #drugdevelopment #healthequity https://lnkd.in/dpk5ifsu

We have published a new blog, about a new product from a company selling #microbiome with a potted plant, to make the indoors air less toxic. 🌿 NeoPx, the product from the company Neoplants is a #plant, that comes together with improved #VOC-consuming #bacteria and fungi, (to add to the soil regularly), #Biochar, a charcoal-like substance made from plant waste, which can also take up pollution, all in a specially designed pot. Plants, like us, people, also interact with thousands of microbes and create close associations and synergies with their microbiome. Root and soil microbiomes are particularly important for plants – and particularly challenging to manipulate. 🤝 A plant and its microbiome, NeoPx is a product that reminds us that in nature and in biology most things happen through associations. chart biotech is very interested in the plant angle, but of course, this is a product to clean indoors air, so we are curious as to how customers that got a NeoPx are going to measure this parameter. https://lnkd.in/dBVPcjx7

Molecular farming keeps growing! “Microbes can be engineered to produce casein protein via #precisionfermentation. However, a #molecularfarming approach can be scaled at a fraction of the cost thanks to lower CapEx and operational costs and the ability to tap into existing infrastructure” https://lnkd.in/dmhyuGN7   In the article, Magi Richani, founder of @Alpine Roads, talks about some of the reasons it makes sense to use #plants – which we need to remember, are very evolved organisms – to produce complex proteins of high value in industry - even when these are proteins usually produced by an animal (#casein, specifically in this case).   🎆 Look at the long list (at the end of the article) of companies working to develop plant-made production of important and valuable products! The list seems to be growing all the time, and it is not even complete here. ✨ At chart biotech, we have been for many years now working and writing about what is and why it makes sense to develop more plant-based #bioproduction of high value products. For some long years, there were barely a hand-full of “old pioneers” pushing it forward (Medicago being one of them, having obtained regulatory approval for a human vaccine made in plants) so for us, it is very exciting to see the renewed interest in the area coming from a variety of industries, and how  challenges in production processes, yields and regulation are being overcome with new approaches and #innovation. Just this passed week, Cirsium Biosciences and SwiftPharma participated in Festival of Biologics San Diego, (one is making #viralvectors for #genetherapy, and the other, amongst other products, medical #biomaterials and #antibodies). We also saw the “unveiling" of PlantBioBiz, an online platform that aims to bring together the diverse actors involved in #PlantMolecularFarming. Chart Bio supports this effort to enable all interested in the benefits that Plant Molecular Farming can bring, to find a common market space dedicated to it.

Last October we published a blog (https://lnkd.in/dP5y6b4Q) about the current status of #innovation in the #lactoferrin market.   We commented the market is being rapidly changed by #innovations arising from the development of #precisionfermentation alternatives. This month, barely one year after announcing the start of their collaboration, FrieslandCampina, one of the world largest dairy-derived lactoferrin producers and their collaboration partners Triplebar, announced a breakthrough in their collaboration to produce lactoferrin using precision fermentation. Precision fermentation and #bioproduction strategies have the potential to contribute to increased #foodsecurity with a smaller #environmentalfootprint than intensive agriculture practices. 

As you are heading to #bioeuropespring 2024, take 2 minutes to check: 🌟 My conference goals are aligned with my team’s. 🦄 Our business meetings include at least one “wild card”. 🌬 My schedule includes time for movement and fresh air. 👟 I have at least one pair of very comfy footwear.    🌍   We are aware of the environmental footprint of this conference (Tell us how!) On your return, chart Biotech is here to help with the busy follow-up. Have a successful conference. #biopharma #bioproduction #innovation #healthcare

More women need to be PI in clinical trials.   This is my conclusion from the very informative Medicon Valley Alliance Women’s Health network meeting this week in Medicon Village in Lund. The theme of the meeting was “women in clinical trials”. The patient population in clinical trials often is not actually representative of the people that will receive the treatment once approved. While regulatory agencies globally have published regulation to reduce this deficit, there are still big gaps. In this meeting, some of the gaps were highlighted. Are women under-represented in clinical trials? Yes and no. I took note of the following: -      While gender is noted for trial participants, mostly it is not included as a variable in the discussion and conclusions. Why? Because it is not required, I suppose. -      Trial designs that don't account for some known differences on how a disease develops differently in women and in men. The same disease may have more impact in men in one age bracket and women in a very different age bracket. Furthermore, a same disease may manifest itself and develop in very different ways in men and in women. We need to understand these aspects better, to design clinical trials that are relevant for the relevant populations. -      Trial design needs to make it easier for all patients to participate in clinical trials. Current clinical trial designs that require patients to take time off work, travel long distances, return often to the hospital, exclude many people by their impracticality. Modalities of distributed clinical trials have shown that there can be more inclusive options available. -      While it is not clear from the available data if women are under-represented in clinical trials, ➡ it is very clear that many diseases that impact women majorly, are not being sufficiently researched in the clinic ⬅ -      A deeper understanding of population representation in clinical trials is raising awareness to the lack of equity. We need the data and the awareness, in order to develop the right corrective measures. Clinical trial data becomes available for further research when it is published. ❔ Why are many trial reports not published?  ✳ Clinical trials that have a woman PI recruit more women. #iwd2024 International Women's Day 2024 #healthequity

We get asked “in practice, what does chart Biotech do for its clients?”. We do a few things. We are developing a short series of animations to illustrate what it is that chart Biotech does for its clients. Check out the first one below! We are hoping for feedback, in particular on the following: You, start-up team, innovation team: ??- do you recognize yourselves and the situation? - Did you have/make a plan/many plans, or a map, or both?

This is a repost of last week’s note, with a new look and intro. #plant #cellculture has been used for several decades, but up to now, only a few processes have been scaled for commercial production. Given the impact that #climatechange is having on crops like #coffee and #cocoa, there has been renewed interest in exploring a broader role for plant cell cultures in #bioproduction . Recently, AgFunder newsletter wrote about this subject. A few months ago, we wrote this piece: https://lnkd.in/eP4rPBrC A plant cell chassis, or a yeast chassis as the basis for #syntheticbiology leading to scaled bioproduction? We know of teams working on either. Will 5D #bioprinting #tissueengineering have a role in these processes? #nutrients #food #cosmetics #biotherapeutics

https://lnkd.in/diccksCz This recent AgFunder News piece covers two themes close to our heart: #coffee and #plant-derived high value products. While plant cell cultures have been used for many decades now as a platform for production of complex products, the development of commercially viable processes has been challenging. Will #syntheticbiology and novel #bioproduction technologies be able to overcome these barriers, so we will see more products made using plant-cells? Following an excellent conference at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) a few month's back, we wrote a blog about the use of plant-cell cultures to produce many interesting and important #food, #nutrients , #cosmetics and #therapeutic products. Check it out : https://lnkd.in/eP4rPBrC VTT #innovation