Millie Hoe Science Journalist
milliehoe.bsky.social
Millie Hoe Science Journalist
@milliehoe.bsky.social
Scientific reporter with specific focus on biomanufacturing, biological sciences, cell and gene therapies and large molecules.

Reporter for BioProcess Insider and BioXconomy.
Rakuten partnered with Lotte Biologics to manufacture monoclonal antibody intermediates for its oncology platform, focusing on photoimmunotherapy for head and neck cancer.

Read my full article below:
www.bioprocessintl.com/deal-making/...
Rakuten and Lotte ink manufacturing deal at J.P. Morgan
The partnership will focus on advancing the production of Rakuten’s oncology platform.
www.bioprocessintl.com
January 16, 2026 at 9:14 AM
Ascidian Therapeutics partners with Forge Biologics to develop ACDN-01, a gene therapy for Stargardt disease, leveraging Forge's cGMP manufacturing and proprietary technologies.

Read my full article below:
www.bioprocessintl.com/deal-making/...
Ascidian partners with Forge Biologics against Stargardt disease
The companies have entered a manufacturing partnership to advance Ascidian’s lead retinal candidate.
www.bioprocessintl.com
January 15, 2026 at 10:58 AM
IAVI's mRNA vaccine against HIV shows promise in clinical trials, demonstrating safety and immune response. It uses mRNA for faster production and aims to guide the immune system to produce bnAbs.

Read my full article below:
www.bioxconomy.com/modalities/i...
IAVI builds on clinical success with mRNA vaccine against HIV
The nonprofit has begun a Phase I clinical trial in South Africa to test a vaccine against HIV in healthy adults.
www.bioxconomy.com
January 15, 2026 at 10:51 AM
Recently, the Senate blocked unanimous passing of a bipartisan bill to reintroduce the FDA's Priority Review Voucher program, which aimed to expedite rare pediatric disease drug approvals.

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www.bioprocessintl.com/regulations/...
Senate blocks FDA fast-tracking of rare-disease medicines
The Priority Review Voucher (PRV) program is designed to incentivize rare disease drug development.
www.bioprocessintl.com
January 13, 2026 at 9:06 AM
Europe's CGT sector is advancing Alzheimer's treatment with innovative therapies. This article highlights emerging approaches, promising hope for patients and progress in neurodegenerative care.

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www.bioprocessintl.com/therapeutic-...
A look at up and coming therapies for Alzheimer’s disease
Several new projects in the cell and gene therapy space are homing in on a cure.
www.bioprocessintl.com
January 9, 2026 at 10:58 AM
A new oligo-peptide conjugate shows promise in treating triple-negative breast cancer, reducing tumor mass by 74% in mice without toxicity, offering hope for aggressive cancer treatment.

Read my full article below:
www.bioxconomy.com/modalities/o...
Oligo-peptide conjugate combats aggressive breast cancer
A bridged nucleic acid conjugate shows promise in treating triple-negative breast cancer in animal models.
www.bioxconomy.com
January 7, 2026 at 9:35 AM
Below, you’ll find entries from Drug Modalities Editor Søren Hough (SH) and reporters Nnenna Ohaka (NO) and Millie Hoe (MH) as they reflect on some of their favorite news stories of the year.

Read the full article below:
www.bioxconomy.com/modalities/y...
The BioXconomy Modalities team’s favorite innovations of 2025
Reflecting on a year of landmark therapeutic discoveries in cancer research, infectious disease, and more.
www.bioxconomy.com
January 6, 2026 at 10:24 AM
EpiBlok aims to change epilepsy treatment by using dynorphins, neuropeptides released during seizures, to target drug-resistant focal epilepsy while minimizing neurotoxicity risks.

Read the full article below:
www.bioxconomy.com/modalities/d...
Dynorphins could be the key to solving epilepsy, says EpiBlok
German gene therapy company EpiBlok are hoping to upregulate the naturally occurring peptides.
www.bioxconomy.com
December 17, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Scorpius closed its North Carolina facilities, cut 28% of its workforce, and restructured to address a $297M deficit. Legal issues and financial struggles further impacted the CDMO's operations.

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www.bioprocessintl.com/facilities-c...
Tivic forms CDMO after acquiring assets from Scorpius
The move compounds a rough year for Scorpius following the shutdown of its North Carolina sites.
www.bioprocessintl.com
December 17, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Eli Lilly plans a $6 billion manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Alabama, focusing on GLP-1 medicines like orforglipron. The site will use AI, ML, and sustainable practices, creating 450 jobs.

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www.bioprocessintl.com/facilities-c...
Eli Lilly to build $6bn manufacturing facility in Alabama
The Alabama site is the third installment of four that Eli Lilly has planned for the US.
www.bioprocessintl.com
December 12, 2025 at 9:06 AM
NextCell, a Swedish startup, is using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to halt type 1 diabetes progression in newly diagnosed patients. Their scalable manufacturing process was highlighted at the CGT International Europe event.

Read my full article below:
www.bioprocessintl.com/therapeutic-...
NextCell leverages MSCs for diabetes treatment
The Swedish startup seeks to halt disease progression in newly diagnosed type-1 patients.
www.bioprocessintl.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that affects 24 million people across the globe, but GLPs may be able to offer a solution.

A new Phase IIb (NCT01843075) clinical trial has shown liraglutide may be able to slow disease progression.

Read my full article below:
www.bioxconomy.com/modalities/g...
GLPs slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s
A new clinical trial has shown promising safety and efficacy results for liraglutide in the treatment of Alzheimer’s
www.bioxconomy.com
December 9, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Politicians on both sides of the aisle have proposed legislation in the US Senate to establish a National Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Center of Excellence (COE) to boost the country’s biotechnology industry.

Read more of my article below:
www.bioprocessintl.com/global-marke...
Senate bill introduced to boost American-made biomanufacturing
The legislature hopes to establish a domestic center of excellence for biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
www.bioprocessintl.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Cellipont announced a partnership with Ronawk, a biotechnology start-up company focusing on the efficient culturing of cells.

Read my full article below:
www.bioprocessintl.com/upstream-dow...
Cellipont partners with Ronawk to advance MSCs
The collaboration will focus on scaling up the manufacturing of stem cells using Ronawk’s platform.
www.bioprocessintl.com
December 4, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Major US non-profit Caring Cross announced a collaboration with the Amrita Research Center, based in Delhi, India, to bring the manufacturing of integral cancer therapies to Indian hospitals.

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www.bioprocessintl.com/global-marke...
Caring Cross works to bring CAR-Ts to India
Caring Cross will work with the Amrita Research Center to decentralize CAR-T therapies.
www.bioprocessintl.com
December 3, 2025 at 4:21 PM
November marked significant milestones and setbacks in the neuromuscular disease landscape. Chief among them was the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of Novartis’ Itvisma (onasemnogene abeparvovec).

Read my full article below:

www.bioxconomy.com/modalities/s...
SMA gene therapy approved as DMD drug suffers setback
Sarepta hits more roadblocks while Novartis’ high-priced SMA gene therapy finds a new route to patients.
www.bioxconomy.com
December 2, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Last week, UK-based pharmaceutical conglomerate AstraZeneca announced a further $2 billion investment at two separate sites within the US state of Maryland.

Read the full article below:

www.bioprocessintl.com/bioprocess-i...
AstraZeneca invest $2bn in Maryland facility
The investment is set to expand two facilities on US soil and is part of an overarching $50 billion commitment
www.bioprocessintl.com
November 28, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Preclinical research shows ASOs could delay retinal degeneration in juvenile Batten’s disease.

BioXconomy spoke to study author Michelle Hastings about what her team’s findings could mean for the future treatment of Batten disease.

Read my full article below:
www.bioxconomy.com/modalities/a...
ASOs could delay blindness in children with Batten's
Preclinical research shows ASOs could delay retinal degeneration in juvenile Batten’s disease.
www.bioxconomy.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Earlier this week, a leading pediatric cancer center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital announced it is expanding its facilities with the addition of an Applied Gene and Cell Therapy center.

Read my full article below:

www.bioprocessintl.com/bioprocess-i...
Leading Ohio children’s hospital expands gene therapy center
The Cincinnati Children’s Center has expanded its capacity to manufacture cellular products for rare diseases.
www.bioprocessintl.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:32 PM
'Earlier this year, biotechnology company Biomar filed for voluntary bankruptcy proceedings. The company was one of the first institutions to establish itself in the Léon Technology Park in Monterrey, Mexico.'

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www.bioprocessintl.com/facilities-c...
Pioneering Léon company Biomar files for bankruptcy amid mounting debts
The Spanish biotech company entered bankruptcy just short of its 30th anniversary
www.bioprocessintl.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:16 AM