Discovery Research From The Editor

1. The Death Of A Dogma: David Baltimore And Lessons For Modern Drug Discovery 9/11/2025

   Nobel laureate, David Baltimore passed away at 87 years old, on September 6, 2025. He was widely regarded as a scientific visionary who at just 37, co-discovered reverse transcriptase, an enzyme that flipped molecular biology on its head by showing that genetic information could flow from RNA back to DNA, not just the other way around. 

2. Tech Transfer 2025 – A High-Stakes Game Of Trust 8/4/2025

   Trust us. You'll want to read this editorial from Chief Editor Louis Garguilo, who was (gently) reminded he hadn't visited the subject of tech transfer in a while. He answers the questions both sponsors and CDMOs ask to gain the trust to make a tech transfer work for both sides.

3. The FDA Was Darned Near Perfect, Right? 7/11/2025

   Let's return to minutes before Donald Trump became president in January, to a time when the FDA was near perfect. That’s what one would assume today listening to those up in arms over the agency. Of course, the reality was quite different. Chief Editor Louis Garguilo helps regain perspective.

4. Why CDMOs Are Leaving Small Molecules Behind 7/7/2025

   It’s rare when a CDMO’s restructuring leads to thoughts about national health policy. But as Chief Editor Louis Garguilo wrote his recent editorial on Lonza’s decision to focus heavily on biologics, it brought to mind a government policy that may have contributed to the company’s restructuring. No, it's not tariffs.

5. RNAi vs. mRNA: Two Therapies, Two CDMO Strategies 7/1/2025

   The biotech industry is often described in grand dichotomies such as innovator vs. generic, small vs. large molecule, or clinical vs. commercial. These differentiators influence development and manufacturing, CDMO selection and outsourcing strategies. There are also nuanced pairings, such as mRNA vs. RNAi.

6. Lonza Bets On Biologics. What's It Mean For You? 6/26/2025

   It’s a large and universally recognizable CDMO, so this matters. Swiss-based powerhouse Lonza will increase its focus on biologics, and “advanced synthesis” including for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), cell and gene therapies (CGT), and mRNA therapeutics. Will other CDMOs follow suit? What's this say about the future of development outsourcing and our industry? 

7. How A Biotech Navigates the CDMO Frenzy For GLP-1 Services 6/17/2025

   Doug Bakan enjoys all the attention CDMOs give him nowadays at his biotech with GLP-1-related programs. But how is he selecting his external partners? Which are most trustworthy? Can he discern what they say is what they they're going to do? Here are his thoughts.

8. Early-Phase Formulation Done Right: An Expert Analysis 6/12/2025

   Dileep Boinipally has extensive experience in formulation, manufacturing process development, and regulatory strategy. He’s adept at explaining all that, but Chief Editor Louis Garguilo got him to focus for readers on the ins-and-outs of the practice of early formulation development.

9. A Psychedelic Path To CDMO Selection? 6/5/2025

   "Be prepared. Structured. Work in a systematic fashion towards your CDMO selection." That's a rather non-psychedelic paraphrasing of Anthony Grenier, Reunion Neuroscience, a biotech pursuing the development of novel, synthetic psychedelic molecules. Here's more of his thoughts on CDMO selection.

10. Evolve Or Fade Away? Biotech's Outsourcing Moment In Trump's Tariff Tangle 5/22/2025

    Ali Pashazadeh is "a deep thinker" that our Chief Editor visits with annually. Recently, he asked Pashazadeh to help us think through the evolving policies of the new U.S. presidential administration and the tariff turbulence, as they relate to a biotech's development and manufacturing outsourcing.