Tara Fernandez

Cell and Gene Therapy Specialist

Canada

I am a PhD-qualified Cell Biologist who works with new innovation in the biotechnology industry. As a science writer, I am excited by breakthroughs and trends in the fields of regenerative medicine, cell therapies and nanotechnologies. I am also involved in various science communication and public engagement initiatives to promote STEM in the community.

Portfolio

Op-eds

Medium
02/25/2020
Antibodies help create a safe passage for T cell troops to defeat solid tumours

Immunotherapies have been heralded as a revolutionary paradigm shift in how cancer is treated, thanks to the exceptional cancer-killing properties of checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. Today, approved therapies Yescarta™ and Kymriah™, which use rewired T cells, have offered newfound hope for some patients with leukemia and lymphoma.

Medium
02/19/2020
The in vivo bioreactor: synthetic mRNA emerges as a new class of cancer immunotherapy

Innovations in mRNA technology can help fulfill the huge promise of bispecific antibodies as cancer therapies, rising above manufacturing challenges. The cancer immunotherapy revolution has been fed by Nobel Prize-winning research, evolving clinical practices, and new production platforms (1). The result has been the creation of safe, highly-targeted and successful antibody-based drugs.

Massive Science
06/20/2019
CRISPR nanoparticles are the next big hope in Alzheimer's disease treatments

It's hard to ignore the fanfare. CRISPR and other genome-editing technologies are set to redefine the way we treat a vast array of illnesses, from cancer to inherited genetic conditions. Hailed as the biggest biotech discovery of the century, CRISPR is enabling an exciting prospect: the ability to cure disease by directly and permanently modifying the human genome.

Science in the City
06/06/2018
Brain Organoids: Progress and Prospects

Creamy white spheres, roughly the size of peas, immersed in a swirling pink solution. To the untrained eye, cerebral organoids are deceptively unimpressive. However, the immense potential they hold for unlocking the secrets of the human brain is, indeed, nothing to be balked at.

Signalsblog
10/24/2019
Prime editor: the rise of a new gene-editing superhero

In a dark corner of the nucleus, a mutation lurks, up to no good. It stealthily swaps a DNA base - an A to a T - gleefully awaiting the catastrophic consequences on the encoded protein. A brave CRISPR molecule enters the nucleus and armed with its razor sharp enzyme, Cas9, is determined to rid this genome of unwanted errors.

Cell and Gene
August 19, 2019
Gene Delivery Technologies To Create Tomorrow's Cell Therapies

As more cell-based therapies transition towards the market, hurdles surrounding safety, efficacy, and manufacturing are becoming increasingly apparent. The advancement of gene delivery technologies is fundamental to driving more clinical prospects of cell therapies.

Science news

LabRoots
04/23/2020
COVID "Immunity Passports" Are a No-Go | Immunology

Authorities are caught between dealing with the competing urgencies of abating the COVID-19 health crisis and the looming threat of an economic recession. With an approved drug, or better still, a COVID-19 vaccine still a way off, other solutions are being considered to accelerate communities' return to normalcy.

Medium
03/30/2020
COVID-19 Crisis Needs More Than A Vaccine

It's going to take a lot more than a vaccine to ease the COVID-19 crisis. Disease-fighting drugs, testing kits and eliminating bureaucratic stumbling blocks will get us out of the woods. The international scientific and medical communities are scrambling to quell the COVID-19 emergency, searching desperately for vaccines and antiviral treatments.