Latest news with #MatthewHill
Business Wire
11-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Elegen and Nutcracker Therapeutics to Pilot First Fully Cell-Free Manufacturing Process for RNA-based Personalized Cancer Therapeutics
BUSINESS WIRE)-- Elegen, a global leader in next-generation DNA manufacturing, and Nutcracker Therapeutics, a global leader in next-generation RNA design and manufacturing, today announced the launch of a pilot program to demonstrate the industry's first fully synthetic, cell-free manufacturing platform for RNA-based personalized cancer therapeutics (PCTs). The pilot marks another step toward making PCTs more accessible, timely, and scalable. As late-stage PCT clinical trials progress and therapy developers work to create the next generation of PCTs, the speed, reliability, scaling and cost of traditional production methods pose a major challenge. Specifically, the first step of DNA template production is hindered by the use of bacterial cells in the process, which can be unreliable and introduce contamination that must be removed. The second step of GMP-grade RNA production from the template is impeded by a slow, unreliable, and inefficient process in which only one therapy can be made per GMP suite. Consequently, PCT production is slow, very costly, and does not scale for individualized therapies — a new manufacturing paradigm is needed. Nutcracker Therapeutic's NMU-Symphony™ system, the second generation of its Nutcracker® Manufacturing Unit (NMU), brings the fastest, most scalable, and cost-efficient GMP RNA manufacturing platform available today. Fully enclosed and built for speed, it reliably delivers clinical-grade PCTs consistent with just a three-week overall turnaround time, from RNA sequence design to released nanoparticle formulated drug product — cutting traditional timelines in half. By incorporating Elegen's cell-free GMP-ready DNA template production, the combination of the two platforms will enable an even faster and more scalable synthesis of longer, more complex neo-antigen sequences, while eliminating risks of bioburden and endotoxin contamination. With a faster, more reliable and lower-cost solution, Elegen and Nutcracker Therapeutics aim to democratize PCTs, making them accessible to more developers and saving critical time for cancer patients, where even days can make a meaningful impact. 'Integrating cell-free DNA with cell-free biochip-based RNA production gives researchers and partners worldwide access to a more reliable, streamlined, and cost-effective platform to rapidly test and advance new therapies,' said Matthew Hill, founder and CEO of Elegen. 'By eliminating cells from the process, we can accelerate the development and evaluation of new therapeutic modalities, helping patients receive treatment as quickly as possible.' 'We're not just improving our manufacturing process, we're laying the foundation to democratize PCTs with truly scalable solutions,' added Benjamin Eldridge, co-founder and chief technology officer of Nutcracker Therapeutics. 'Achieving that vision means giving developers the ability to produce clinical-grade RNA without investing hundreds of millions in infrastructure. This is a key step toward our mission of delivering scalable, low-cost, and rapid formulated RNA manufacturing for individualized therapies.' Elegen's cell-free ENFINIA DNA with an unparalleled combination of speed, length, accuracy and complexity integrates seamlessly with Nutcracker Therapeutics' existing RNA-based PCT development process, which leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies through its CodonCracker™ RNA design software, the NMU-Symphony™ microfluidics biochip-based system, and ProcessVision™ technology for real-time performance and quality monitoring. Combined, Elegen and Nutcracker Therapeutic's technologies enable the efficient, flexible, and GMP-ready production of individualized nanoparticle-formulated RNA therapeutics. About Elegen, Inc. Elegen brings unique insights and technical innovation to create high-quality synthetic DNA faster, catalyzing the next revolution in the life sciences. Elegen uses proprietary cell-free technologies to build longer, higher-quality DNA on a faster timeline for agricultural, chemical, healthcare and pharma industries. Founded in 2017, Elegen is privately held and based in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, visit and connect with us on LinkedIn and X (Twitter). About Nutcracker Therapeutics, Inc. Nutcracker Therapeutics, Inc., is a biotechnology company that combines advanced engineering with high-precision biosynthesis to unlock the promise of RNA for therapeutic developers. The company's mission is to democratize safe and effective RNA-based personalized therapeutics through its complete technology platform, which encompasses the design, delivery, and manufacturing of RNA molecules. Armed with this high-tech advantage, Nutcracker Therapeutics' unique scalable RNA platform significantly reduces costs and cycle times, while maintaining the highest quality. For more information, visit
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Gainsborough festival attracts big names for suicide prevention
Dance artist Ian Van Dahl and M People singer Heather Small are due to headline a festival in memory of a man who took his own life aged 25. Organisers of Laybo's Fest in Gainsborough on 17 and 18 May said it aims to "make memories and generate positivity while remembering loved ones we have lost".The festival, now in its fifth year, is in memory of Leighton Hall who died in May 2019. The festival launched online during the Covid-19 pandemic but has quickly grown to become one of Gainsborough's biggest annual events and this year, for the first time, it is being held on the pitch at Gainsborough Trinity FC. The year after he died, Mr Hall's family asked his close friend Matthew Hill to create something to remember him by."Leighton was a great friend," Mr Hill said. "He was such a social character and obviously we miss him very very much. "The festival itself is our testament to Leighton, our tribute to Leighton and also a show of strength and comfort to anybody that's found themselves in our position of them losing their own Leighton." Mr Hill said the football pitch would be transformed with pop icons, local acts and friend of Mr Hall, Emily Kitchener, has organised children from 16 schools to come together to form one large choir on of the schools taking part is Benjamin Adlard Primary, which Mr Hall attended as a child. "There are teachers here whose children were in Leighton's class," Ms Kitchener said."So it feels really nice to be part of this in somewhere where he will have spent a lot of time being cheeky, I'm sure."He was the life and soul of the party and, once he had a microphone in his hand, there was no getting it off him so we bonded over that, doing lots of singing together." The festival raises money for the charity Laybo's Legacy which helps families with financial aid towards funeral costs of loved ones lost to Hall's mother, Niki Hall, said: "It just makes me so proud and it's keeping Leighton's memory alive."Ms Hall has attended help groups since her son's death and said she took comfort from the fact the festival raises money to help others. "It needed a person like Leighton," she said. "That's what keeps me going, because of the person he was. It needed someone like him to make people aware it can happen to anyone. "Just talk. Even if you're not going for help, just talk."Ms Kitchener said Mr Hall would have "absolutely loved" the festival. "I think he'd be so shocked at how big it's got, but he'd be so proud of what everyone's doing as well," she said. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Bloomberg
25-04-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Next Africa: IMF Spring Meeting 2025
At the IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, DC - the trade war and its impact on the global economy is the centre of attention, and putting more pressure on the African governments trying to negotiate deals with the fund. Ghana and Zambia have turned their economies around with IMF help — but Kenya, Mozambique and Senegal find themselves having to try and negotiate new IMF programmes at a time when there's less help to be found. On this episode of the Next Africa Podcast, Jennifer Zabasajja is joined by Bloomberg's Matthew Hill, to find out what's on the negotiating table, and how a trade war is making life harder for African governments already stuck between angry citizens and a restrictive IMF For more stories from the region, subscribe to the Next Africa newsletter here
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
Motorcyclist in fatal Elkhart crash ID'd
ELKHART — The motorcyclist in a fatal crash Thursday night on C.R. 6, near Stryker Street, in Elkhart has been identified by police. Killed in the crash was Matthew Hill, 31. According to a report from the Elkhart Police Department, shortly before 9 p.m., Hill was driving a motorcycle east on C.R. 6 and struck a Jeep Wrangler, which was westbound. Hill was ejected and was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Jeep was a 34-year-old woman, and she was taken to the hospital for evaluation and treatment of minor injuries. She was the sole occupant of the Jeep. The crash remains under investigation.
Bloomberg
22-04-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Zambia Finance Minister Musokotwane on Tariffs, Trade
Zambia's Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane spoke exclusively with Bloomberg's Matthew Hill about how tariffs will affect the southern African nation, which is still reeling from a challenging debt restructuring and a historic drought. (Source: Bloomberg)
