Invent: Life Sciences

In Season 3 of Invent: Life Sciences , we explored the forces redefining how tomorrow’s therapies will be developed, made, and delivered. From the challenges of scaling cell and gene therapy manufacturing to the transformative power of sustainability and AI, this season uncovered what it truly takes to move from discovery to delivery. Featuring insights from leaders across Novartis, Cellular Origi...

In our last episode, we explored the manufacturing strategies that will be key to scaling advanced therapies. Now, we turn our focus to the UK, where new regulatory frameworks and regional collaboration are changing how therapies reach patients. Stuart speaks with leading experts about the evolution of regulation, the role of the MHRA, and why decentralized manufacturing could unlock faster, more...

Manufacturing can make or break the future of cell and gene therapy. In this episode, Stuart sits down with two expert guests to share how smart design, automation, and closed systems are helping to lower costs, reduce complexity, and make therapies more accessible. From scaling strategies to operator-friendly technology, they reveal why manufacturing isn’t just a back-end process, but a critical...

In this two-part series, host Stuart Lowe examines the barriers and breakthroughs that will determine whether cell and gene therapies can scale. From smarter manufacturing to new policy frameworks, join leading experts as they discuss what must change for CGTs to deliver on their full potential.

In this episode, Stuart explores the adoption of generative AI in the pharmaceutical industry, with a special focus on cell and gene therapy. While the application of AI for drug discovery has been well documented and a source of considerable investment for the pharmaceutical sector, we are only just starting to see its impact for therapy developers. A 2024 report from McKinsey Global Institute es...

In this episode, host Stuart explores what the sustainability goals of Big Pharma mean for those organisations, and the companies that support them. With insights from Ryan Walker, Sustainability Program Leader at Cytiva, and Wenshu Xu, Drug Discovery Tools Team Lead at TTP, we review the progress made by the industry so far and some examples where innovative thinking has had an impact on operatio...

In this two-part series, host Stuart Lowe examines two factors testing the resilience of the biopharma industry. As society simultaneously navigates a green transition alongside an AI revolution, so the biopharma industry faces mounting pressure to address its carbon emissions, deploy cutting-edge digital technology, while streamlining operations. Along with his guests, discover the innovative app...

In Part One of this two-part series, we reflected on the progress made in the Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) industry and the importance of patient-centric development. In this episode, we dive into how we can continue to move forward, broaden access, and encourage the development of new treatments. We’ll discuss the critical need to scale manufacturing, even in the early stages of development, to en...

The Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) industry has made remarkable strides, with significant advancements and the approval of groundbreaking technologies in recent years. However, have we become too dependent on older methods, and are we doing enough to ensure these new therapies are reaching as many patients as possible? In this episode, we tackle these questions while exploring one fundamental issue:...

Welcome back to Invent: Life Sciences, a podcast brought to you by technology and product development company TTP. With approvals for advanced therapies on the rise, and aspirations to target larger patient populations, it’s time to take stock and reflect and on the progress made to date. In this series, we’ll be looking at the people, processes and partnerships we’ll need to continue moving forwa...

Throughout this series of Invent, we have brought you cutting-edge developments in the Life Sciences industry.  We have spoken to a wide range of guests who have provided fascinating insights into the manufacture of cell and gene therapies, and what developments in drug testing mean for the future of genetic research.  A big thank you to all our guests that featured in this series, make sure you s...

Throughout this series, we’ve explored different diseases we target, the sorts of cells which are under development as therapies, and how the therapies themselves are manufactured. With all this innovation, we shouldn’t be surprised by the increased focus on the means by which processes and products themselves are characterised. So, do current process analytical tools provide the insights therapy...

Across the life sciences industry, there is much excitement over the potential impact of stem cells in medicine. And it is clear why; these cells, which can be differentiated into any other cell type, could rewrite the playbook in terms of sourcing cellular material for advanced therapies manufacture. So how might therapy developers benefit from the unique abilities of stem cells? And will they li...

Throughout almost all of medical history, it was assumed that the average white male response to drug trials could be extrapolated to all potential recipients. But when we look at the poorer health outcomes for women and minorities, could the underlying assumptions in medical research be a contributing factor? If so, what is being done to solve them? To find out, join us on Invent: Life Sciences,...

Pharmaceutical companies undertake rigorous clinical trials in order to find out which drugs are safe. But in order to better protect the people volunteering for these tests, regulators decreed that data from studies on animals would be the primary evidence needed before approving a clinical trial in humans. Testing drugs on animals has many ethical and practical issues, and so scientists are look...

Modern medicine has helped us develop many effective treatments for diseases found throughout the body, but we’ve yet to have the same success with the brain. The so-called 'blood brain barrier' controls the passage of molecules out of the blood and into the brain, and so it’s not as easy to use the bloodstream to carry therapeutic molecules as we might do for other diseases. Could the blood brain...

In the pharmaceutical industry, there is a desire to go beyond the traditional ‘compound x acts on protein y,’ and achieve a more nuanced effect on the underlying biology. So, could innovative approaches to small molecules open up a wider application space? And what benefits might this bring to cash-strapped healthcare systems? To find out, join us on Invent: Life Sciences, a podcast brought to yo...

Cell and gene therapies are extremely effective but their complex production processes, arduous supply chain, and life-critical logistics have prevented mass market adoption. Could digitisation and AI provide a breakthrough in manufacturing? Would more companies be willing to work together on standardisation to provide more flexibility? To find out, join us on Invent: Life Sciences, a podcast brou...

The Covid vaccination campaign demonstrated the effectiveness of mRNA-based treatments, so what else is this technology capable of? How can we improve our manufacturing and distribution to ensure treatments are available to those who need them most?   To find out, join us on Invent: Life Sciences, a podcast brought to you by technology and product development company TTP. What is mRNA and what is...

Invent: Life Sciences is back for Season 2!  Invent: Life Sciences is a podcast about the future of life science and technology, hosted by Head of Cell Gene Therapy and Biotechnology at TTP, Stuart Lowe. Each episode, we’ll be joined by the top scientists, designers, business leaders, and academics working at the vanguard of this vital industry, to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the world of...

Calling all Invent: Life Sciences Subscribers! While you wait for more episodes, make sure to subscribe to our sister podcast, Invent: Health, which has just begun its second season. Listen to the trailer here now!   Invent: Health sees host Matt Parker explore the fascinating future of Health technologies. From new closed-loop systems for diabetes to sensing innovations in cardiac health, Matt wi...

The pandemic drastically altered the landscape for investment flowing into the Life Sciences. Not only was there more money going in, but the market needs changed too, with an unprecedented focus on scaling sectors like testing and vaccines. But what did this mean for sectors which were not on the Covid front line? What happened to the trends that were in train before the pandemic hit? And what ha...

In the past decade, two events have sent shockwaves through the diagnostics industry: Theranos and Covid. The first, is a parable against faking it in an industry which rightly prizes accuracy and safety. The second was an almost insatiable demand for diagnostic testing kits, where the speed of information took second place to accuracy. Was Elizabeth Holmes onto something when she founded Theranos...

Following our first episode of two focusing on cell and gene therapies, outlining the promise and practicalities of delivering curative therapies for chronic diseases, we now focus on cell therapies - so called ‘living drugs’ that are both as powerful as they are complex. Despite the impressive trials and life-changing impacts at the individual level, it’s still not possible to manufacture cell th...

With therapies like cell and gene - amongst some of the most significant innovations in modern medicine - the idea of delivering cures for conditions from cancer to diabetes is now within the realm of scientific possibility. But will it be possible to provide the benefits of advanced therapies to all? Should we expect our healthcare systems to foot the bill? And can we re-imagine the development e...