#71 - Gut instincts, artificial wombs, and the UK brain drain
The coffee break biotech roundup, by SomX.
Hello, my resident flora fanatics
This week: scientists discover a link between gut microbiome composition and human personality; the UK faces a brain drain in science talent; Boston’s half-billion-dollar biotech hub closes its doors; the MHRA launches a new framework offering hope for rare disease therapies; and pioneering artificial womb technology is helping premature babies survive.
Who would have thought a “gut feeling” was more than just a metaphor!
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Discover 🔍
🫄 The gut microbiome may play a role in shaping our personality (The Independent): Emerging research points to a striking link between gut bacteria and personality development, showing that millions of microbes within the gut play an active role in shaping human temperament and emotion. In one study, rats that received microbiome transplants from exuberant toddlers became notably more exploratory, suggesting that gut bacteria influence curiosity and risk-taking by modulating dopamine and other brain chemicals associated with motivation and pleasure.
Our take: The science of personality may soon have a new starting point: the stomach. Studies linking the gut and brain are expanding fast, from microbial transplants in rodents to trials exploring how GLP-1 weight-loss drugs also alter mood and motivation through the same brain-gut connections. The overlooked gut microbiome is seemingly the quiet architect of temperament, able to nudge behaviour in ways we’ve not grasped before.
🧠 UK facing alarming loss of scientific talent overseas (pharmaphorum): Some of our biggest scientific brains are ditching Blighty for better prospects. Nearly a quarter of STEM employers report that their skilled workers have relocated overseas in the past year, with the majority heading to the US. A third of UK STEM professionals have been approached by foreign firms, and visa policies – such as the £41,700 minimum salary threshold – are being cited as a brake on critical sectors.
Our take: This could lead to the quiet erosion of the UK’s scientific foundations. Many of those departing sit in mid-career roles that bridge research and application, shaping lab culture, mentoring younger scientists, and translating ideas into ventures. Their absence weakens the informal networks that bind universities, startups, and industry together – the connective tissue of an innovation economy that depends as much on continuity as on discovery.
📈 Billionaire-backed Arena BioWorks shutters less than 2 years after launch, cites ‘biotech macro conditions’ (Fierce Pharma): Oh, how the promise has faltered! The Boston-based $500M institute, backed by billionaires including Michael Dell, has abruptly closed its doors. Built to fuse academia and entrepreneurship across brain health, cancer, and immunology, Arena aimed to accelerate drug discovery through AI-led research. The shutdown follows months of restructuring, leadership exits, and a 30% workforce reduction – an unusually rapid decline for such a well-funded venture.
Our take: While headlines point to “biotech macro conditions,” the more interesting question may be structural. Arena BioWorks wasn’t a typical startup but a hybrid institute straddling academia and venture creation. When funding tightens, those in-between models can find it harder to sustain momentum or direction. It’s a reminder that bold experiments in research structure face their own kind of market test.
💊 MHRA set to overhaul the UK’s rare disease drug regulatory pathway (European Pharmaceutical Review): The MHRA is tearing up the old rulebook to create a quicker route for rare disease medicines to reach patients. Launching next year, the new pathway rolls trial and marketing approval into one seamless process built on early, convincing data. It promises to trim years off development time, with real-world evidence and enhanced safety tracking ensuring patients benefit sooner and more safely than before.
Our take: The MHRA is reshaping regulation into a continuous process that grows with the science. For the 3.5M people in the UK living with rare diseases – of whom fewer than 5% have approved treatments – the approach offers a way to match oversight with unmet need. The framework ties trial data, patient experience, and long-term outcomes into a single, evolving system of evidence.
And finally….
👶 This machine could keep a baby alive outside the womb. How will the world decide to use it? (The Guardian): The AquaWomb, built by a Dutch startup, could soon help the tiniest lives cling on outside the womb. This “womb-like life support system” cocoons premature babies in synthetic amniotic fluid and links them to an artificial placenta, supplying oxygen and nutrients while their organs mature. Each pod is kept at body temperature, mimicking the gentle, rhythmic conditions of pregnancy under softly glowing hospital lights.
Our take: Artificial wombs could transform neonatal care but also redefine the moral boundaries of gestation. The technology shifts viability from biology to design, raising questions about regulation, parental involvement, and post-birth development. Progress here will depend less on engineering alone than on how medicine, ethics, and policy learn to share responsibility for the first weeks of life.
Tune in 🎧
🧑🔬 How AI is revolutionising synthetic biology and biomanufacturing: Héctor García Martín, a pioneer in metabolic engineering and computational biology, shares insights from decoding microbial systems ranging from termite guts to genome-scale flux models.
🧬 Foresite Capital’s Jim Tananbaum on biotech cycles, AI breakthroughs and long-term value: Jim Tananbaum shares insights from over 30 years in entrepreneurship and venture leadership, highlighting how macroeconomic cycles impact fund performance and the rise of AI as a transformative force in biotech.
🤝 An AI collaborative that welcomes all into the fold: Brian Weitzner, director of computational and structural biology at Outpace Bio and co-founder of OpenFold, discusses this open-source, collaborative initiative launched in 2022 to tackle protein structure prediction challenges.
Apply ✍️
✅ QA Officer, Quotient Sciences: Got a nose for quality and a knack for keeping things compliant? Join the guardians of GxP, maintaining the site’s QMS, wrangling audits, and ensuring medicines stay safe, sound, and inspection‑ready.
🥼 Principal Scientist - RNA, eXmoor Pharma: mRNA your thing? Lead the charge on scalable, GMP-ready RNA manufacturing – from IVT to LNP to fill-finish. Mentor rising stars, steer client projects, and help shape the next wave of RNA therapeutics.
💰 Executive Account Director, Business Development - Biopharma (Clinical Research), Thermo Fisher Scientific: Closing deals in clinical trials your forte? Drive strategic growth across phase II–III programs, manage big-ticket biopharma accounts, and lead a consultative sales team that’s more lab coat than briefcase.
RSVP 📆
🤝 11 Nov | Deep Biotech Community Connects | Online: The inaugural Deep Biotech Community Connects webinar will introduce the BIA’s new community and explore government priorities for the sector.
🌍 11-12 Nov | Global Pharma and Biotech Summit | London, UK: Two days of keynotes and panels with leading innovators, investors and executives – covering drug discovery, clinical trials, market access and patient engagement.
💊 18-19 Nov | Advanced Therapies USA 2025 | Philadelphia, USA: The Advanced Therapies Congress focuses on tackling challenges at each stage of development to accelerate the development of next-generation therapies to benefit patients.
🧬 25-27 Nov | bioProcessUK Conference | Newcastle, UK: The conference provides an opportunity to hear the latest bioprocessing news and learn from high-profile speakers.
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