Katarzyna (Kasia) Zmarzly

Congratulations to the Nanocomp team for Commercial Activity of the Year award received at the SSPC, SFI Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals Annual Symposium this week at the University of Limerick. Working with Sarah Hudson on stage 1 of this project was arduous and a drag…as you can see from our faces in the picture below 😃. I mean, you can’t fake that kind of “chemistry”! I loved working with Nanocomp team every day even though they spoke a foreign language to me. I had to learn a whole new field of science from scratch. In every step they patiently taught me the basics, answered my silly questions, and through it all these highly respected and established scientists were always curious and open about what I had to say from the commercial perspective. That is why after a year’s hiatus, I decided to join them again. When I was considering all the opportunities that came my way in the last few months, I prioritized team dynamic and intellectual challange over other factors. Let’s face it, life is not getting any longer. It’s good to know what you need to get you out of bed every day. (Plus I get to say “plasma” in serious sentences a couple of times a week and for a Trekkie that’s reason enough no?!) Nanocomp is a novel solid drug formulation technology that can potentially enable more therapies to reach the market with significant manufacturing efficiencies and a smaller gentler environmental footprint. Considering the number of therapeutic molecules in the pipeline that are poorly water soluble, this is a very worthwhile venture to explore. I’ll spend the next year finalizing the business plan. Congratulations to the Nanocomp team on this award that is a testament to your dedication and hard work on this project: professors kieran hodnett Peter Davern Åke Rasmuson and the young scientists who built up an impressive body of data to support our claims: Ajay Kumar, Promita Bhattacharjee, Marta Bergillos Ruiz and Peuli Ghosh. Many thanks for SSPC, SFI Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals for the award and for investing so much in the supportive environment that allows innovation to thrive. And of course many thanks to Enterprise Ireland for generously funding this project and enabling the Nanocomp team to come together and do more. Majella Maher our EI advisor and partner in crime, thank you for keeping us on the righteous path and enabling this project every step of the way. You should be in this picture. We will miss you dearly as we finish stage 2. #Chemistry! Here we go again (literally and figuratively). And Bravo Nanocomp. #SSPC15 #UL

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Lord Ara Darzi's recent report paints a sobering—yet unsurprising—picture of the NHS. After years of austerity and chronic underfunding, he concludes that the system is in serious trouble. Two points really hit home for me: 1) UK cancer care lags behind other countries in both mortality rates and early diagnosis. 2) There's an urgent need to embrace technology to improve healthcare delivery. These findings underscore the potential for AI to transform cancer care in the NHS. **We already have the technology and evidence**: - AI improves early detection and diagnostic accuracy. - AI streamlines diagnostics, cutting down wait times. What's urgently needed is large-scale implementation. As Darzi notes, there's "enormous potential in AI to transform care." It's time to turn that potential into reality for cancer patients across the UK. #NHSFuture #CancerCare #AIinHealthcare #DarziReport

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Macrocyclization in Drug Discovery: S*BIO Story I am sure my ex-S*Bio colleagues, particularly medicinal chemists, will be mighty pleased to see this article. Anthony, you and colleagues have been quoted in this JMC paper [ https://lnkd.in/g79tEYXy] for exemplifying the Macrocyclization technique to produce drugs such as Pacritinib (VONJO), clinical candidates Zotiraciclib (SB1317) and SB1578. "William and co-workers exploited the RCM chemistry to optimize the heavily patented pyrimidine-based scaffold, generating the macrocycle pacritinib (Figure 3). (12) Pacritinib, a JAK2 (Janus Kinase 2) and FLT3 (fms-like tyrosine kinase-3) dual inhibitor with good selectivity against JAK1 and JAK3, was approved in 2022 for myelofibrosis in patients with low platelet counts. (13) Zotiraciclib and SB1578, under clinical assessment, were also obtained by this transformative strategy. (14,15) In drug discovery practice, the U-shaped lead compounds, after installing functional handles, could potentially undergo macrocyclization, resulting in the generation of diverse macrocycles" Kudos to the S*BIO team! https://lnkd.in/gUFA8cFD

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Our Charnwood Discovery biology team have utilised a number of autophagy assays based on autophagy regulator LC3B to facilitate drug discovery projects across various therapeutic areas. This has included Promega Corporation NanoBiT autophagy reporter cell lines, Revvity AlphaLISA, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cellinsight CX5 High Content Imaging (see figure below) and Bio-Techne WES-based Western Blotting. Furthermore a HTS (384-well format) using the HEK-293 NanoBiT assay was used to screen for both autophagy enhancers and inhibitors. Read about our work, results and conclusions here 👉https://lnkd.in/es5JvGtZ #discoverybiology #autophagy #cellbiology #drugdiscovery

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For anyone that doesn’t fully understand the requirements for absence of specific microorganism testing for pharmaceutical products, register for our free webinar. We look forward to welcoming you all. #gmptesting #pharmaceuticals #micrbiologicaltesting

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Come to join us to learn all the tips and tricks to optimise your spectral workflow!

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Latest webinar release in our series..... "An Introduction to Extractables and Leachables Testing" provides valuable insights into study design, regulatory compliance and risk based approaches....don't delay and download today! #Extractables #leachables #webinar #pharma #pharmaceuticaltesting #analyticaltesting #productsafety #element

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There is no such thing as waste....it is all a valuable resource... ⭐⭐Reading the UK House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee report 'Waste or resource? Stimulating a bioeconomy', published over 10 years ago, is both equally as encouraging as it is disappointing⭐⭐ It's key findings and messages are spot on: 📈The economic and environmental opportunities presented by exploiting carbon-containing waste as a resource and feedstock are substantial ♻️Waste policy is often framed in environmental terms, and while we do not diminish environmental considerations, it also has considerable economic benefits. The crucial point is that environmental and economic imperatives need not be seen to be in conflict. 🌍Access to waste resources must be improved. This includes ensuring waste is collected and treated in a way that maximises its value as a resource. 🏆Reducing the risk of investment in this emerging industry is also essential. Pre-market demonstration facilities are crucial in this regard. 🌳A clear, long-term strategy and stable policy environment is needed to encourage and stimulate the waste-based bioeconomy. 😔😔However, what is evident, is that in the last decade, the UK has not benefited from the the economic and environmental potential of the bioeconomy, and we are still sending huge volumes of valuable resources to landfill or for incineration😔😔 We simply can't wait for another decade before action is taken. The UK has a sustained record of global academic excellence in the bio-based sector, underpinning the potential for UK businesses to be industrial leaders in this space. Other areas of the world are already implementing policies to drive bio-based sectors forward. We need to maximise the value of our carbon containing resources, we need bio-based chemicals manufacturing to sit alongside the bioenergy industry. We can extract a lot of valuable chemicals from biomass, without calorific value being effected, and so utilise a single source of feedstock for both chemicals and then for energy. To cease the opportunity we need: 🗺️A dedicated UK road map which builds on our great chemical industry heritages and assets, provides investment in new biorefineries, and ring fences national non-food biomass feedstock for bio-based chemicals and materials🗺️ Key policy changes to activate the sector include: 🌾To create a level playing field, bio-based content must be considered as ‘recycled content’ in plastics, in relation to the plastics packaging tax. 🌾By 2030, mandate that 30% of all plastics procured by the NHS must be made from bio-based chemicals. 🌾To regenerate our vital agricultural soils, certified compostable packaging must be incentivised, and allowed to be collected with household food waste, to then be treated by anaerobic digestion and industrial composting Mark Corbett Biorenewables Development Centre Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre Richard L. Holiferm Paul Mines George Freeman FRSA MP

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Many scientists are looking for their career path, finding their “why” - and here is why I think it’s hard, but important At school you’re told to follow what you’re interested in At university you’re asked to choose a career after having mostly theory only knowledge If you do postgrad you choose a project that is likely to be your supervisors why and you can easily get wrapped up in that and forget to look for your own purpose (I did this) And you won’t know if something is for you if you haven’t had a chance to dip your toes in! The best way to help find your why is to get involved in lots of things during your studies (I also failed here). So, get out of your bubble and network, volunteer for that outreach, presentation or conference committee - and check in with yourself about how you feel doing these things. You might find you actually really like policy or event planning - and science is the field you want to do those things in! Finding your career path that aligns with your why was one of the top things to come out of the career survey - if you haven't had your say, I'll post the link in the comments 😊 and I'm thinking of the best way to help with the why, and all things career - coming soon! Any other suggestions on how to get scientists to find their why? ----- Kia ora! 👋 I'm Maddie White, PhD Click my name, follow or connect to stay updated! I'm a scientist on a mission to drive innovation by building connections and facilitating partnerships that transform groundbreaking research into real-world impact. I'm passionate about creating networks that empower scientists, opening doors for PhD graduates, and bringing top talent back to Aotearoa New Zealand. Like this post? Show some love! Like 👍 | Comment ✍ | Repost ♻ Chiasma #BeyondAcademia #researchcommercialisation #innovation #partnerships

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Over the last two days I have been investigating the extractability of Walnut protein, so what have I learnt: - I reinforced my knowledge that using an additive helps improve the amount of protein extracted (The membrane around the nut kernel is rich in polyphenols that can inhibit protein extraction). - It's OK to challenge the literature, in this case a high salt buffer didn't give an improvement to the amount of protein extracted. - I now have an answer to my question, does defatting walnuts affect the recognition of the protein in a Walnut ELISA?....... With this assay there is little difference between the recognition of protein from defatted Vs Whole Walnut. - I re-confirmed why I have spent 22 years doing this, It still excites me and I do like getting an answer. #foodallergen

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It's a wrap! Day one of the British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy (BSGCT) Annual Conference, this year taking place in Oxford! Great science, good networking: back tomorrow for more #cellandgenetherapy insights. #research #biodistribution #medicine #lifesciences #biopharma #bioanalysis #cro #qpcr #dpcr #ddpcr #pcr

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Hope everyone is doing well and having a good start into September! 😎 It's been fantastic to speak to some of you recently and hear about your summers, but also where you're at with your training requirements 📊 It's been really helpful to learn more about how we can help. Some of the things that have struck me: 👩‍🎓 the plethora of training requirements. The #cellandgenetherapy space is diverse with organisations in the UK at different stages in their life cycle. This has important implications for the cost and scope of training ✅ providing recurring placeholders on courses which organisations can dip into when required helps with upskilling on an infrequent "off-the-shelf" basis 💡 tailored programmes enable an organisation that is looking to upscale training activities to plan their training activity. Being in close proximity to training centres such as the #skillsandtrainniglaboratories (STL) means that there is opportunity to ensure your training is bespoke and has the desired impact while still continuing to increase manufacturing activities. While this has higher cost implications it ensures there is no compromise/lost profits on your essential workflows because you don't need to redirect staff ❗ ❗ training a talented workforce is essential to the continued expansion and success of #cellandgenethereapy businesses. But it's incredibly difficult to get the balance right. Conflicting pressures make it a very challenging prospect. Would love to hear whether this resonates. Conversations I've had and indeed the registrations for courses I think consolidate the above. In line with the above, some of the solutions the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult's STL provides include training courses, training programmes, industry events and access to state of the art equipment. https://lnkd.in/dEixGt9e Two particular courses that are coming in the coming weeks are: 1️⃣ "An introduction to Biomanufacturing and Advanced Therapies" https://lnkd.in/dx6pNNH9 2️⃣ "Principles and Applications of Flow Cytometry for Therapeutics" https://lnkd.in/e6RWM2VJ Happy Tuesday everyone Carrie-Ann Anderson, Arman Amini, Victoria Marshall, Matthew Saxon, JACQUELINE JOOSTE, Jonathan Stone, Rute Tomaz, Alessandra De Riva, Gaurav Bhavsar Ph.D, Keith Meaney, Marco Delise, PhD, Amanda Keightley-Pugh, Joshua Hughes

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When is the right time to start thinking about scale-up? Yesterday! Last week I introduced you to the CellScrew mini, which is a great size for R&D - but hopefully for you, this is not where your pipeline ends. So when the T-flasks you currently use start becoming to small and the largest size of them is no longer enough, you start looking for a new system. Over the course of your development, this might be something you’ll face several times. However, the change of systems does not only change the way you operate but can also affect your cells. For example, changing from planar cultivation to microcarriers can alter the cell morphology, gene expression, secretome, and surface markers - all potentially influencing the therapeutic potency. Investing time and resources to transfer the technology to a new system delays your progress and results are not guaranteed. So when should you start thinking about scale-up? The earlier, the better! Especially with the rising cost of labor, shortage of skilled personnel, and clean room space, thinking ahead can save you the pain later on. Ask yourself: ➡ What scale do I need in the end? Which intermediate sizes do I require? ➡ How much labor, clean room space, etc. is required? Do I need to automate the process? ➡ Does my current system scale up AND down, should further process development be necessary? This is exactly what we designed the CellScrew for: ✔ Scalable - no changing of the system or cell environment ✔ Automatable - reducing cost and risk associated with high manual intervention ✔ Space efficient design - easy handling and optimizing use of space Have you struggled with scale-up in the past? Share your insights and questions in the comments. #CGT #scalability #sustainability Green Elephant Biotech #greenlab

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As a supramolecular researcher, I’ve got to say this comprehensive review not only highlights the strides made in this fascinating field but also looks ahead to the promising applications of anion receptors. #Chemistry #AnionComplexation #Organocatalysis #Nanotechnology #Research #Innovation #Science

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Library preparation automation Automated preparation for streamlined answers The range of devices available from Oxford Nanopore enables sequencing at every scale — from the single-use Flongle Flow Cell generating 1-2 Gbases of data, right through to the PromethION 48 with terabase-scale outputs. Automation of library preparation can help throughout this range. It improves the overall consistency of results, supporting robust and standardised workflows, which enables increased sample throughput for medium- and large-scale projects, such as large cohort studies. Our streamlined library preparation kits are easy to automate, and protocols are available for a range of liquid handlers. https://lnkd.in/gDUjbd67

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📢 11th June, Biopharmaceuticals Seminar Day, Oxford 📍 Bee House, Oxfordshire, OX14 4SB 🕙 11th June 10:00-16:00 Luke Staff and Waters Corporation are hosting a Biopharma seminar day The day will showcase all the newest innovations from Waters, Wyatt and TA Instruments to help improve your Biopharma workflows. Not already registered contact Luke Staff directly or turn up tomorrow to find out more. 📢 27th June, PFAS and emerging contaminants Day, Wilmslow 📍Waters Corporation, Stamford Av, Altrincham Road, Wilmslow, SK9 4AX 🕙 27th June 09:00 - 16:00 Peter Morgan and JD De-alwis are hosting a PFAS and emerging contaminants day. 💡 Gain an understanding of the regulations 💡 Hear from industry thought leaders 💡 Discover the latest solutions for detecting PFAS and contaminants, and how these enhancements could benefit your laboratory 💡 Opportunity to discuss your experiences and share your views 💡 In-person workshops to learn more about the Waters’ technologies 💡 Networking opportunities To register visit - https://lnkd.in/e6EK9sXY If anyone has any questions or queries about any of these session please feel free to message me directly. We look forward to seeing you soon at these events. #PFAS #CleanWater #Environment #PFOA #SafeWater #ForeverChemicals #WatersCorp #Chromatography #MassSpec #LiquidChromatography #LabTech #Innovation #Sustainability #GreenTech #SustainableInnovation

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To wash, or not to wash - that is the question … that we shed light on in our latest blog!  In this study, we were interested in learning if washing thawed leukopak cells before the magnetic separation of T cells on the Gibco™ CTS™ DynaCellect™ Magnetic Separation system would affect T cell isolation efficiency, purity, and cell viability. We compared these results to cells that were not washed prior to T cell isolation on the CTS DynaCellect system. Follow this link to see the results: https://lnkd.in/gEGrEivt #celltherapymanufacturing #tcellisolation #cellviability

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🌿 Self-Medicating Gorillas: Clues to Future Drug Discovery 🌿 I vividly remember attending Bernard Golding’s Bionatural products modules at Newcastle University, where we explored the wide range of medicinal drugs derived from nature and their chemical structures and characteristics. A recent article on the BBC brought back those memories and further highlights how important it is for us to protect the biodiversity of our rainforests and oceans. Both are rich in undiscovered medicines that could address numerous challenges in drug discovery, clinical trials, and patient care. Here’s a link to the article if you’re interested: https://lnkd.in/eMjexQu5

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