Featured Editorial

1. The Death Of A Dogma: David Baltimore And Lessons For Modern Drug Discovery 9/11/2025

   Nobel laureate, David Baltimore passed away at 87 years old, on September 6, 2025. He was widely regarded as a scientific visionary who at just 37, co-discovered reverse transcriptase, an enzyme that flipped molecular biology on its head by showing that genetic information could flow from RNA back to DNA, not just the other way around. 

2. Contract Manufacturing Outsourcing Trends For Advanced Therapies In 2025 And Beyond 9/4/2025

   Contract manufacturing continues to emerge as the widely adopted model for bringing cell therapies, gene therapies, RNA therapeutics, and oligonucleotides to patients worldwide.

3. New Group Wants 'Phase-Appropriate' Thinking To Retire 9/4/2025

   Decisions in cell and gene therapy are not about aligning with arbitrary clinical phases but about balancing risk.

4. The Case for Process Simplification in mRNA Manufacturing 9/2/2025

   Here, I wanted to share a few additional details from Parrella’s presentation about the efforts he and his team at Kernal Biologics made to improve their overall mRNA-LNP COGS. Though he emphasized the amount of opportunity that exists to improve our utilization of costly raw materials/reagents, as he revealed, there are also opportunities for process simplification.

5. Can America's Retreat On mRNA Be Europe's Opportunity? 8/28/2025

   With HHS winding down mRNA vaccine development under BARDA, could Europe seize the opportunity to lead in mRNA innovation? Exploring the policy shift's implications.

6. The Price Is… Almost Right: mRNA Edition! COGS Reduction Strategies 8/28/2025

   The following article will outline the current state of COGS in the mRNA industry and the work he and his colleagues undertook to more effectively utilize raw materials. But heaven forbid this be your normal conference panel write-up. No, below I share Parrella’s insights, but in the form of a never-before released episode of The Price is Right…or perhaps more fittingly given the state of the industry today, this spectacle is more aptly titled: The Price is…Sort Of, Almost, Not Quite Right! 

7. Translating An Early-Stage mRNA Therapeutic Into The Clinic 8/26/2025

   In the following Q&A, Ethris CMO Thomas Langenickel shares some of his biggest questions and observations about the evolving mRNA therapeutics space that are the most impactful in translating early-stage RNA candidates into the clinic — particularly when that drug product boasts a novel formulation.

8. The RNA Synthesis Spectrum: Between Solid-Phase Roots & A Hybrid Enzymatic Future 8/20/2025

   There were two additional takeaways I had following my conversation with Kuchimanchi, each of which depicts where there still exists quite a bit of dynamism for an industry which can claim an “established” manufacturing paradigm.

9. Oligos Step Into The Spotlight: A Growing Force In Genetic Medicine 8/18/2025

   Oligonucleotide therapeutics are experiencing a new wave of momentum. As the science evolves and the market opportunity expands, the landscape is poised for continued growth and diversification.

10. Beyond Solid-Phase Synthesis: The Momentum of Oligonucleotide Manufacturing 8/13/2025

    Overall, there were three main takeaways I gleaned from our conversation that suggest the oligo sector, though more established than its mRNA cousin, is not comfortable with the status quo and is actively trying to grow beyond the limits of its current manufacturing paradigm. Here in part 1, we’ll start with my number one takeaway, which also comes equipped with a bit of history as to how we find ourselves at our current juncture.