Cell & Gene Therapy Advancements: Early-Stage CMC Strategies for Exosome Innovation

By Marites T. Woon (Associate Director, Nonclinical), Mialy Ramaroson (Director, CMC), Jessica Lee (Principal, Global Head Cell & Gene Therapy) Welcome back to our exploration of the transformative world of exosomes in the second installment of our blog series. In our initial dive, we uncovered the intriguing potential of exosomes as dynamic messengers in intercellular […]

Exosomes: Unveiling Their Potential in Cell and Gene Therapy

By Marites T. Woon (Associate Director, Nonclinical), Mialy Ramaroson (Director, CMC), Jessica Lee (Principal, Global Head Cell & Gene Therapy), William Lee (Vice President, Regulatory Affairs), and Richard Stewart (Vice President, Nonclinical)   Welcome to our three-part blog series on exosomes, the fascinating messengers of the cellular world. In this captivating exploration, we delve into the […]

Risk Assessment: Traditional and Novel Approaches to Assess and Manage Risks

Risk assessment is a complex process intended to protect human health by identifying drug-related hazards, determining dose-response relations for a product within relevant biological systems, and assessing exposure levels to characterize potential risks. These assessments may be conducted via traditional frameworks using data from in vitro and in vivo studies, as well as novel frameworks using pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic model-based […]

A Snapshot of Gap Analysis

When building a successful regulatory strategy, it is critical to keep the end objectives in mind and design a process that is tailored to your specific product. Planning for regulatory requirements can help you avoid non-compliant practices from the very beginning, but how do you make sure your strategy is comprehensive? The answer may be […]

3 Tips for IMPD Success

The Investigational Medicinal Product Dossier or IMPD contains summaries of information related to the quality, manufacture, and control of any IMP, along with data from non-clinical and clinical studies, including the overall benefit and risk assessment.   The IMPD is a critical part of the European clinical trial application, as the clinical trial may not be […]

The Multifaceted Role of the Nonclinical Expert at the Center of Drug Development Teams

Product development teams getting started on preclinical exploration of a potential treatment need a certain set of specialists on board. Key roles include scientists, clinical strategist, project manager, regulatory affairs director, and a nonclinical expert, a primary authority on product safety. In fact, inclusion of a nonclinical expert is mandated by regulatory authorities to ensure […]

Pre-IND Meeting Guide: Benefits & How to Prepare

Regulatory guidelines allow for formal meetings between the FDA and sponsors or applicants to discuss the development and review of an investigational new drug (IND) application for drugs or biologic products. This meeting, known as a pre-IND meeting, is intended to address specific questions related to the initial US clinical study (also known as a first-in-human […]

Roadmap To Marketing Authorisation in Europe: Taking All the Right Turns

Approval of your Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) is the final hurdle to pharmaceutical product launch in Europe. Adequate and timely navigation of this roadmap is essential to achieve a successful review by the EMA. Navigation of the drug development pathways towards MAA approval starts much earlier than you may know till date and is essential […]

FDA Orphan Drug Designation for Rare Diseases

An estimated 30 million people in the United States are afflicted with rare (orphan) diseases or conditions; however, the availability of novel treatments for these diseases and conditions has been historically low compared to conditions with a higher prevalence. This is mostly due to the financial risks of recouping the costs of drug development. In […]

CAR T-Cell Therapy Challenges to Development & Approval

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapy is a revolutionary immunotherapy that uses cells from the patient’s immune system to fight certain kinds of cancer. The first two FDA approved CAR T therapies, Yescarta™ and Kymriah™, were both approved in 2017. Former FDA Commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, noted the significance of these approvals in his October […]