ON eNews
September 2020
New Season – New Tricks – Great Opportunities This is a return to school period like no other any of us have likely experienced. Uncertainty abounds and whilst that continues to bring its challenges, it also offers opportunity. The past months have seen record levels of some activity. Approximately fifty biotech IPOs in the US, phenomenal progress in vaccine development thus far and cross-industry open innovation at a scale even the most ardent supporter could scarcely have imagined back in 2020. With the disruption to the norm, we have all been required to adopt and learn new ways of interacting to initiate deals, share knowledge and engage. Our collective default setting is often to resist change, yet resistance is usually futile, but we all get there sooner or later – we have perhaps just arrived there ahead of schedule on some aspects. Of course, adopting new tricks does not have to mean the old ones are obsolete. When Johan Cruyff, introduced his now legendary ‘Cruyff Turn’ nearly half a century ago, it did not mean his existing skills were no longer required. As with most skills, it is about using them when appropriate and they add value. The dynamic approach by regulators during Covid-19 has been quite remarkable. Akshay Vaishnaw of Alnylam explained their experiences with the FDA during ON Helix back in July and we continue to see discussions around how to expedite the introduction of a vaccine as I write. Collaborations stepped up a gear, bringing hitherto competitors together quickly and productively, dealing with IP ownership has been creative in the contracts and how often do the top engineers in Formula 1 teams engage with clinicians to design ventilators. It has been a time of development on the events activity also. With the switch to online, the creation of new partnering events and the adaptation of established ones has seen a rapid spike. Technology platforms have developed quickly but so has attendee behaviour to make them work. It is clear not all change is detrimental whether the rate is forced a little or not. I have seen many surveys and reports of the pros and cons of the impacts on events, training courses and networking. It would be easy to concentrate on what we have lost though equally easy to consider what we have gained. Considering how to keep the positive whilst mitigating the negative impact has been the focus at One Nucleus. Is there pride in being the first to return to pre-Covid patterns of delivery and resisting change or is there greater pride to be found in being innovative, retaining some of the adaptations and seeking to harness the best value over all? I have always felt that One Nucleus is very fortunate to work in one of the most innovative sectors there is. The flip side being we should seek to be innovative in how we support our members and the network to justify our place in the ecosystem. I feel it is best not to fear change, but better to consider what the right change is for longer-term benefit then work out the how.
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So, what has business through a zoom lens shown us of late when supporting our network? On the challenges, it is hard to replace the serendipity of face-to-face networking, body language cues and the ‘buzz’ of physical events. However, when you see the virtues of increased geographic connectivity, audience diversification, enhanced work/life balance, less travel (and cost), reduced climate change impact and more, it is also hard to accept there are not positives to online engagement. It seems that both have their merits and hurdles. New experiences of chat functions and virtual networking tables are tempting additions. Humans are social animals however so physical gatherings will always have a degree of allure for many I am sure. Like most things in life, maximising the value and success is all in the balance. I am delighted and grateful to One Nucleus colleagues and supporters for having developed a balanced approach for the post-Summer return. Continuing to deliver events online where it enables a widening access eg BioWednesdays, Partnering Days, Innovation Seminars and elements of our larger conferences. Returning to physical events when guidance and practicalities allow in areas like training courses, special interest groups and networking-focussed events. Those member services that were always online such as Purchasing, Directory, jobs board and news remain absolutely available and we continue to develop those. Having referenced Johan Cruyff above, I shall finish with one of his many inspirational quotes that reminds me of how easy it is to miss the obvious, over-think next steps and hence not change: “It’s like everything in football - and life. You need to look, you need to think, you need to move, you need to find space, you need to help others. It’s very simple in the end”. Welcome back to the new season and a chance to practice your new tricks via the numerous opportunities set out below! Tony Jones, CEO, One Nucleus
Upcoming Training Courses 08 September | *ONLINE* Safe Use and Management of Laboratory Gases - register 15 September | Bringing Purpose to Being the Employer of Choice Webinar - register 22 September | *ONLINE* Presentation Skills for Scientists - register 14 October | Pharmaron Webinar: Quantifying Low Metabolic Clearance in Drug Discovery In Vitro Assays, Strategies and Human Extrapolation - reigster 22-23 October | *ONLINE* Introduction to Drug Discovery - register 27-28 October | *ONLINE* Introduction to Drug Development - register 02 November | *ONLINE* Introduction to Managing Life Science Projects - register
Life Science Marketing Group Harnessing the Knowledge of the Network The aim of this member-only group is to allow likeminded Life Science Marketers to engage with one another. Perfect for those interested in learning from each other as well as sharing ideas, knowledge, and experiences. Each virtual meeting will have a theme and a member company to present on that theme with Q&A at the end. Chat functionality will be live throughout the sessions as well. Our first session, Communicating Your Way Out of Covid-19, will be presented by Agility Life Sciences:
22 September 14:00-15:00 The coronavirus pandemic has brought traditional methods of marketing to a halt – events have been cancelled or have gone digital, and LinkedIn is now even more of a sea of noise than before. How do you communicate your science or market your products and services when you can’t get out there? We’ll talk about what we’ve learnt about how to make messaging memorable in the madness, and how we’ve helped our clients put this into practice. Presenters: • Prof. Claire Thompson, CEO Agility Life Sciences • Claire Siegwart, Communications Director Agility Life Sciences This is a free, member-only virtual meeting. For any further information, please email laurahicks@onenucleus.com.
genesis digital 10 December 2020
Innovation Workshops As events have currently pivoted to online rather than physical, online workshops are proving an effective means to enable greater profile and engagement with the target audience. Incorporating this into the Genesis packages available will deliver these benefits in an enhanced form compared to previous years, but at the same cost as a traditional exhibition space. Innovation Workshop package includes: • Opportunity to deliver a one hour (maximum) online session to showcase your expertise • Profile on the Genesis Conference App and website • 24 scheduled session slots available on the dates around Genesis to be allocated on a first come first served basis • Session to be recorded for subsequent dissemination post conference • Promoted to all Genesis delegates and accessed by them via the Conference App • One digital delegate pass • [A complimentary standard exhibition stand space (3m x 2m) should a hybrid event proceed] • Workshop costs from just £1050 +VAT
Find out more
Covid-19 Centre Recruitment The Cambridge COVID 19 Test Centre, located on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, opened in April 2020 as part of the UK Government’s National Testing Strategy for COVID-19 infection. The centre was established through a unique partnership between AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and the University of Cambridge and currently operates 18 hours a day across 7 days a week with an aspiration to introduce 24 hour working in October with all staff working a flexible shift pattern. To enable the continued operation of the centre, the Cambridge based Contract Research Organisation Charles River Laboratories has joined the collaboration to recruit up to 200 members of staff to enable the continued operation of the centre. Are you available for employment and why should you consider working at the Cambridge Test Centre? Joining the Test Centre offers a unique opportunity to work in a fast-paced environment, in large and flexible teams, working together to deliver a capability to help manage the COVID19 pandemic. The centre has roles available for scientists and non-scientists with varying experience and at varying times across the week, alongside a small number of roles for Data Management scientists. Relevant vacancies on One Nucleus jobs board: Sample Preparation Scientist, Shift Leader, Laboratory Team Leader, RNA Scientist, Data Scientist/Lead
BIO-Europe 2020 Digital Global connections are more important than ever. With the same powerful one-to-one partnering and valuable content, BIO-Europe Digital continues to help you drive your life science partnering forward. One Nucleus will be attending and are available for partnering meetings. We will also be showcasing our members and region and can offer the following: • 10% discount on registration for members • Pre-revenue R&D companies can book 5 for 1 tickets • Start-up companies under 3 years old can claim a special rate of €695 • Ability to place a digital advert in our Q4 updated Annual Review & Directory, which will be showcased at the conference Find out more here.
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Upcoming Webinars & Digital Events One Nucleus Events 10 September | HR SIG WEBINAR: Back to work? - register 14 September | UK Innovation Corridor Medtech Forum Meeting - register 15 September | Bringing Purpose to Being the Employer of Choice - register 22 September | Life Science Marketing Group: Communicating Your Way Out of Covid-19 - register 23-24 September | Virtual Regulatory Forum - register 01 October | Collaboration Opportunities with Daiichi Sankyo in Early Stage R&D - contact alicia@onenucleus.com to register your interest 07 October | BioWednesday Webinar: Will Covid-19 Turbo-charge Regrowth of Manufacturing in UK Life Sciences? - register 10 December | Genesis Digital 2020 - register
Industry Events 09-10 Sept | *MEMBER DISCOUNT* Knowledge for Growth Digital Conference - find out more 10-11 Sept | New Horizons in Genomics - find out more 16-17 Sept | Bionow Pharma Manufacturing Conference - find out more 17 Sept | Setting Up Your Small Molecule for Success - find out more 17 Sept | Tech Transfer Teams’ IP Challenges Post-COVID-19 and Beyond - find out more 17 Sept | *MEMBER DISCOUNT* BIA-MHRA Regulatory Innovation Conference 2020 - find out more 22 Sept | CW International Conference (CWIC): At the edge - find out more 22-24 Sept | *MEMBER DISCOUNT* Oncology Virtual Partnering - find out more
Corporate Patron
23 Sept | CW Technology & Engineering Conference - find out more 24-25 Sept | *MEMBER DISCOUNT* Convergence in Oncology - find out more 06-07 Oct | *MEMBER DISCOUNT* BioPartnering Conference - find out more 06-08 Oct | *MEMBER DISCOUNT* Supervisors’ Course - find out more 15 Oct | *MEMBER DISCOUNT* MedTech Integrates 2020 - find out more 26-29 Oct | *MEMBER DISCOUNT* BIO-Europe 2020 Digital - find out more
Members, get in touch if you would like your webinar/event promoted in eNews, on our website and social channels: laurahicks@onenucleus.com
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Member Blogs Federal Drug Law Presents Few Obstacles for Cannabis Patents With the continuing progress of companies such as GW Pharmaceuticals (cf: FDA Approves EPIDIOLEX® (cannabidiol) Oral Solution to Treat Seizures Associated with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, 3rd August 2020) and researchers continuing to learn more about the possible uses of CBD and THC-derived products, it was timely to read the recent Fish and Richardson blog entitled “Federal Drug Law Presents Few Obstacles for Cannabis Patents”. Following success by GW Pharmaceuticals in disorders such as epilepsy and new potential uses in cancer and infectious diseases as fairly new areas of research, then the insight provided in the blog should be encouraging, timely and relevant to those interested in how this field may play out.
Click here for the blog post.
Deal of the Month Freeline Announces Pricing of Initial Public Offering After a significant $120M Series C fundraising in June 2020, Freeline Therapeutics, the Stevenage located AAV-based Gene therapy company announced the pricing of its initial public offering shares on Nasdaq on 7 August. This is a great achievement for the company that will allow it to progress its clinical stage pipeline in Haemophilia. It’s also a great reflection on the current trend of the life science sector and regenerative medicine in particular the ability to attract investors. A very interesting report from the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Alliance shows that the regenerative medicine space raised $10.7 billion in the first half of 2020 which represents more than the total capital raised in 2019. Full report is available here for detail on technology, therapeutics applications and investment sources. More information about Freeline Therapeutics here.
Funding & Support
Biomedical Catalyst 2020 call now open. £30M grant funding available to UK Health & Life Science SMEs, Deadline is on 7 October 2020, information and application here. If you would like more information about the current call, One Nucleus hosted a webinar on 26 Aug with Dr Michael Kipping, contact info@onenucleus.com for access to the recording. ---National Physical Laboratory (NPL) Measurement for Recovery (M4R) programme. Up to 20 days of advice and facility support to help solve analysis or measurement issues that cannot be resolved using standard technologies and techniques. Information about application here.