Explore the Future of Biomanufacturing
Welcome to my blog! I'm James, a strategic advisor and coach with over 20 years of experience in biotech and executive leadership. I've built high-performing teams and led groundbreaking research in stem cell metabolism, regenerative medicine, and cultured meat. As a passionate advocate for biomanufacturing's world-changing potential, I'm excited to share my knowledge and ideas with you.
What You’ll Discover Here
🔬 Latest Innovations: Explore cutting-edge advancements in biomanufacturing, cultivated meat, and cellular agriculture.
🚀 Founder's Corner: Access valuable tools and insights developed for my coaching program, tailored specifically for technical founders.
🎙️ Industry Voices: Every two weeks, enjoy an in-depth interview with a founder, investor, or operator in the biomanufacturing space.
🚀 To vertically integrate or not? 🏭
As bio-based manufacturing expands, companies must decide whether to vertically integrate or partner with a CDMO. So many variables must be considered when making this decision, not least of which is maintenance and upkeep costs.
🎙️ Values before mission?
As part of my weekly interview series, I had the opportunity to sit down with Mohammad from Bright Biotech to learn more about his journey as a founder and the challenges he has faced along the way. 🚀
🎓Premature disclosure can be the death of innovation. 🚨
Don't let these common IP missteps slow you down. Plan strategically, protect your innovations, and stay ahead of the competition.
🚀 Are You Pulling on All Three Biomanufacturing Optimisation Levers?
As more and more biomanufacturing companies seek to bring their products to market, pulling on all three optimisation levers—cell line development, media formulation, and bioprocess optimization—is critical for success.
🎙️ Cockroaches versus Unicorns?
"We have a lot of companies building real, tangible solutions. Incumbents are being squeezed by new regulations and advances in technology, creating a perfect storm for innovation. 🌪️ Build something real, co-develop with customers, and start generating revenue quickly. Everyone’s hunting for unicorns. I’m more interested in cockroaches—companies that can grow and be strong regardless of the market. You can’t kill them!"
🎙️ Building a research lab in your backyard? It’s easier than you might think!
This week, I had the pleasure of catching up with my former Vow colleague, Dr. Katie Bashant Day, from Media City Scientific.
🎓The Ten Key Types of Biotech Partnerships and Why They Matter
For B2C companies, leveraging the expertise and resources of B2B partners can save months or even years of development. Likewise, industry/academia collaborations can help de-risk pre-commercial research, providing a solid foundation for future growth.
So, what types of partnerships are there in the biotech space, and how can you plan for success?
🎙️ Schrödinger’s Egg - Here, but Not (from) Here 🥔
Founded in 2022, and funded by several VC’s (led by FoodLabs) PoLoPo is now growing ovalbumin-loaded potatoes in growth rooms in Israel. Ovalbumin is their first product—a protein used in a surprisingly large percentage of food products—but their vision extends much further. They plan to develop the potato as a manufacturing platform for dozens (eventually hundreds) of ingredients. Turning the humble potato into one of the worlds most advanced manufacturing facilities. 🏭
🚀A New Cell Line Development Database for Biomanufacturing 🔬📊
Today, I'm excited to share the third of these databases 📚, focusing on commercial cell lines and companies offering cell line development (CLD) services. I’ve mentioned before that I am bullish on the opportunity that exists within the cell-line and CLD spaces, and I remain strongly committed to this view.
🎓 Key Learnings from My First Six Months in Consulting
Embarking on this consulting journey—my first venture without a regular salary—has been a revelation. These past six months have been among the most exhilarating and fulfilling of my career.
🚀 Welcome to the (Bio)Revolution
I thought I'd share the five technologies I’m most excited by, in the biomanufacturing space. Keeping in mind that that over 60% of the physical inputs to the global economy could be produced by biomanufacturing, these are some of the technologies that will help drive the next phase of the biorevolution
🎙️ LaaS - Lightning-as-a-Service ⚡
Australia's First Nations have known for generations that lightning can significantly impact plant growth. In fact, areas struck by lightning are known to provide fertile soil, leading to substantial increases in plant growth rates and excellent crop yields.
🚀 Leveraging B2B Opportunities to Enhance Your Biomanufacturing Process
To assist those who are developing products using biomanufacturing, I have started a database of companies that can help through the provision of recombinant proteins, supplements, complete media formulations, or via media design and/or optimization strategies.
🚀Innovating Bioprocess Design: A New Database Resource
Given my strong personal interest in this space, I have started tracking as many companies as I can who are building innovative hardware or software solutions in the biomanufacturing space. If you are using biology to create incredible products, check out this brand-new bioprocessing database on my website now.
🎙️ GMP and Beautiful Design - Moving Beyond the "Big White Box" 🏢🌿
Before my time at Vow, if asked how to design a new lab space, my answer would have been, "just build a big white box and make sure it is compliant." It was only through Vow's cofounder Tim Noakesmith that I learned the value of beautiful spaces.
🍖The B2B value chain for cultured meat
I’ve created an end-to-end value chain for B2B companies that not only focuses on cultured meat but shows how the value provided by these companies can be applied to virtually any bio-manufactured product. What’s even more exciting is that less than half of these companies existed five years ago 🔍.
🚀"What We Do in Life Echoes in Eternity"
… And similarly, how you treat your cells during isolation and expansion impacts your final yield (apologies to Russell Crowe, both for the quote and the image 😂).
🎙️Fogponics, molecular farming and my chat with the Lite & Fog crew
Recently, I had the pleasure of discussing this molecular farming with Uwe Peter and Martin Peter from Lite&Fog. They're pioneering the use of fogponics to enhance the efficiency and yield of molecularly farmed products.
🚀Unlocking the Potential of Compound Libraries for Biomanufacturing Optimization
In biomanufacturing, developing and optimizing cell culture media formulations is crucial. This step is vital for maximizing yields—whether it's proteins, RNA, monoclonal antibodies, or total biomass—and minimizing costs. Despite its importance, media optimization remains a resource-intensive and time-consuming endeavor.
🎙️ Microfluidics for large scale cell harvesting?
Traditionally, centrifugation, whether continuous or batch, has been the go-to solution. But, as we aim for higher volumes, striking a balance between efficiency, speed, and cell integrity becomes a significant challenge 🔄. This is where innovative approaches like microfluidics might come into play.