#87 - BioNTech breakaways, glucose gadgets & microscopic magic
The coffee break biotech roundup, by SomX.
Hello, my fellow scientific sorcerers,
This week: BioNTech’s founders are planning a fresh mRNA venture, MiniMed unveils a new pump and sensor pairing to smooth glucose control, Ipsen’s cancer drug vanishes from the market, Chinese researchers coax CAR-T cells into clearing leukaemia with a fraction of the usual dose, and a Stanford microscope pulls off the neat trick of watching living cells in unprecedented detail.
Keep the magic alive,
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Discover 🔍
👫 Couple who helped create Covid vaccine to leave BioNTech (The Times): Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci, the husband-and-wife duo behind BioNTech’s mRNA Covid vaccine, are “ready to become pioneers again”. The co-founders will step down by year-end to launch their third start-up, where they’ll develop next-generation mRNA therapies. The news sent BioNTech shares tumbling 20% to around $80. Last year, the company posted €1.1B net loss on €2.9B revenue whilst pivoting from Covid to oncology, with 15 Phase 3 cancer trials planned by year-end.
Our take: Sahin and Tureci built BioNTech as a research-led biotech, and now it needs to become a commercial pharma company. Those are rather different beasts. Pioneering new science and managing multi-product oncology portfolios require different skill sets entirely. The founders recognise this – believing they’re better suited to building platforms than overseeing regulatory filings and pricing negotiations. The share drop shows some uncertainty, but it’s a sensible move in the long run.
💉 Newly minted MiniMed nets EU approval for 780G pump and Abbott’s Instinct CGM (Fierce Biotech): Fresh from its Medtronic spinout, MiniMed has secured CE mark approval to connect a new continuous glucose monitor – Abbott’s wearable, ‘Instinct’ – to its insulin pump. The integrated system will cover Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes patients, aged 2 and up. The 15-day CGM sensor, built on FreeStyle Libre technology, joins two existing compatible CGMs. A European launch is planned for summer.
Our take: The approval covers Type 2 diabetes, but reimbursement systems were designed for Type 1 patients and haven’t remotely caught up. European health systems already struggle to fund CGMs for all Type 1 patients – expanding access to the considerably larger Type 2 population (where oral meds and GLP-1s cost far less) requires proving pumps prevent expensive complications better than existing therapies. Payers will likely keep access restricted until someone produces convincing health economics data.
🎗️ Ipsen withdraws cancer drug following safety concerns (European Biotechnology Magazine): Ipsen has pulled Tazverik from the market after its confirmatory trial revealed the drug might be causing secondary cancers. The EZH2 inhibitor got accelerated FDA approval in 2020 for two rare cancers – follicular lymphoma and epithelioid sarcoma – based on early data. Six years on, the SYMPHONY 1 trial showed secondary haematological malignancies emerging. Thankfully, all patients are being switched to standard therapy.
Our take: Accelerated approval is meant to get promising therapies to desperate patients faster, but Tazverik demonstrates the gamble. Patients took the drug for six years before confirmatory data revealed it might cause new cancers. If this is mechanism-related rather than molecule-specific, other EZH2 inhibitors could face questions – though that’s speculation. Meanwhile, follicular lymphoma and epithelioid sarcoma patients just lost one of their few treatment options.
🧫 CAR-T cell therapy boosted by biomimetic platform in refractory leukaemia (GEN): Chinese researchers have developed a ferritin aggregation cell engager (FACE) that strengthens the link between CAR-T cells and leukaemia cells without genetic modification. Added as a culture supplement during manufacturing, it binds to CD71 (expressed on both cell types), creating a molecular bridge. FACE-CAR-T cells matched standard efficacy at 20% of the usual cell dose and cleared leukaemia even when antigen levels dropped to 10% of normal.
Our take: Manufacturing costs scale directly with cell numbers. Fewer cells means cheaper production, faster timelines, and less leukapheresis burden, while maintaining similar efficacy. Current pricing (at £400k a dose) is partly justified by horrendously complex manufacturing. However, delivering the same outcomes with far fewer cells changes the cost structure entirely. If this holds, we might get CAR-T therapy that’s economically sustainable rather than a last-resort option.
And finally…
🔬 One-of-a-kind microscope reveals living cells in unprecedented detail (Phys.org): Stanford researchers have developed a new technique called Interferometric Image Scanning Microscopy (iISM), which can image cellular structures at 120-nanometre resolution – the highest achieved label-free. The technique combines interferometric scattering with array detector technology and works by shining a laser on a cell, then amplifying and collecting the scattered light signals. iISM uses substantially lower illumination power than comparable methods, allowing extended observation of living cells. Three Stanford collaborations are already using the microscope to study plant–microbe interactions, cancer drug uptake, and malaria-infected red blood cells in real time.
Our take: Sure, the resolution isn’t as sharp as super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, but while fluorescent labels wear off over time and can change the behaviour of the structures they tag, iISM lets researchers observe many structures inside living cells simultaneously for hours. Most high-resolution techniques blast cells with intense light, meaning you’re watching stressed cells reacting to your microscope rather than normal biology. Here, the lower laser power reduces the risk of photodamage to DNA and proteins, so the delicate living structures can remain undisturbed.
Tune in 🎧
🌱 Nature’s Balance Sheet: Kevin Webb, Managing Director of Superorganism, discusses why biodiversity is the next frontier for venture capital, and why nature has been catastrophically undervalued in our economic systems.
🤖 Why Most Bioprocess Automation Projects Fail Before the Robot Is Even Ordered: Host David Brühlmann and Anthony Catacchio, CEO of Product Insight, explore why rigorous system design and problem definition matter more than any individual technology, and how industrial robotics can lead to smarter lab automation.
📉 The Great Labour Shuffle: Brett, Nick, and Sam dissect how industry giants like Block are slashing 40% of their workforce overnight while accelerating AI adoption – challenging everything you thought you knew about employment, productivity, and economic growth.
Apply ✍️
🧪 Senior Research Scientist, Recursion: Keen to hunt for the next small-molecule contender? You’ll build sharp cell and biochemical assays, probe compound behaviour, test new technologies, and generate the data that pushes drug discovery programmes toward candidate selection.
🦠 Microbiological Technologist, GSK: Got an eye for invisible troublemakers? You’ll test sterile and non-sterile products, analyse results for batch release, investigate odd microbial findings, and keep QC labs audit-ready while working closely with production and quality teams.
🧮 Bioinformatician, Healx: Fancy teaching algorithms new medical tricks? You’ll develop drug-combination prediction models, analyse rare disease datasets, and work with scientists and engineers to generate therapeutic hypotheses for rare neurology and oncology programmes.
RSVP 📆
🇮🇹 23–24.03 | 29th European Biotechnology Congress | Rome, Italy: An international gathering where researchers, clinicians, and industry leaders present discoveries, discuss emerging technologies, and explore collaborations shaping the future of biotechnology.
🧬 26.03 | The CGT Circle | London, UK: A networking event for the cell and gene therapy community, bringing together scientists, founders, and industry professionals to spark new conversations and connections.
🧪 21.04 | BioSolutions UK | London, UK: Hosted by the BIA, this event connects innovators, investors, and industry leaders to explore how engineering biology is shaping the future bioeconomy.
📑 29.04 | The Hardian Health Tech Summit | London, UK: Join regulators, NHS leaders, and industry experts for real-world insight into regulation and market access in medical devices.
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