Recombinant DNA Technologies

Great engineering isn't about optimizing a single variable. It's about understanding how every change affects the entire system. Here's Branden's perspective on balancing speed, sensitivity, and specificity in molecular diagnostics following last week's ADLM conference.

I talked to a lot of people developing molecular diagnostics at ADLM last week, and one theme stood out: speed is king. Almost everyone is trying to make molecular assays faster. But it’s a balancing… | Branden Wolner, PhD 🔬 I talked to a lot of people developing molecular diagnostics at ADLM last week, and one theme stood out: speed is king. Almost everyone is trying to make molecular assays faster. But it’s a balancing act. I like to think of molecular diagnostics as having its own Iron Triangle: speed, sensitivity,...

Day 1 (for me) at was great. On to day 2.

Day 1 of ADLM is in the books. It was great seeing many familiar faces and former colleagues like Ross Dehmoobed and Bruce Sargeant both formerly of Fusion Biotec. I worked with them when I was with… | Branden Wolner, PhD 🔬 Day 1 of ADLM is in the books. It was great seeing many familiar faces and former colleagues like Ross Dehmoobed and Bruce Sargeant both formerly of Fusion Biotec. I worked with them when I was with Curative and I cannot recommend both of them strongly enough for your software (Ross) and engineering...

The Mondial final got me thinking about strategies.

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was great. Lots to unpack. One company presentation that really stood out was from Portal Instruments. They have built an autoinjector that made me think of the Star Trek hypospray.

From communicators to flip phones.
From PADDs to tablets.
Star Trek tech continues to inspire.

Field Notes from BIO2026 - Portal Instruments - Recombinant DNA Technologies Portal Instruments Brings the Star Trek Hypospray Closer to Reality Watching CEO Patrick Anquetil demonstrate the device live, I immediately thought of Dr. McCoy’s hypospray from Star Trek. Many biologics are becoming more concentrated because patients want fewer injections. High-viscosity formula...

I have found myself recommending this approach more often in recent years. Last week I spoke with a client who was considering buying several bioreactors and was torn between new and used. I suggested they call Camber Road or Farnham Street and explore a lease.

Build vs. Buy Isn't the Only Choice One of the classic project management decisions is build versus buy. Do you develop a capability internally, or outsource it to someone else? The answer often… | Branden Wolner, PhD 🔬 Build vs. Buy Isn't the Only Choice One of the classic project management decisions is build versus buy. Do you develop a capability internally, or outsource it to someone else? The answer often comes down to the same tradeoffs: cost, time, and quality. It's the Iron Triangle. In my career, I have o...

Most discussions about morale focus on motivation.

In my experience, morale problems are often confidence problems.
Teams lose confidence when they can no longer connect effort with outcome.

Information is the Root of Morale - Recombinant DNA Technologies Information is the Root of Morale June 8, 2026 Morale is an emotional response to what people believe about progress. When people are constantly asking themselves: The resulting morale problem isn’t about motivation. It’s about confidence. A difficult milestone vs. A non-credible milestone Teams...

Assay conditions are not neutral.

They determine what biology youre able to see.

One lesson l've seen repeatedly across high-throughput screening, synthetic biology, and industrial biotech:

You always get what. you screen for.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bwolner_high-throughput-screening-is-often-treated-share-7467293821404557312-KDbm/

High throughput screening is often treated as a straightforward exercise. You build an assay around the hits you want to find - binding partners, enzyme activity, phenotypes. Most of the focus goes… | Branden Wolner, PhD 🔬 High throughput screening is often treated as a straightforward exercise. You build an assay around the hits you want to find - binding partners, enzyme activity, phenotypes. Most of the focus goes toward throughput. How do you screen more candidates, faster? But assay conditions are not neutral. Th...

Scaling in biotech is hard. The cost of putting steel in the ground is high. Some companies have considered repurposing existing infrastructure. It makes sense but has its own challenges.

Why Retrofitting Fermentation Infrastructure Is Harder Than It Looks - Recombinant DNA Technologies | Branden Wolner, PhD 🔬 CAPEX can be a killer in industrial biotech. For years, companies have explored repurposing breweries, ethanol plants, and other fermentation infrastructure rather than rebuilding capacity from scratch. On paper, it sounds logical. But retrofitting biological processes is often far more complicated....

Having helped companies working on the gut microbiome/cancer therapeutic relationship, I am excited to see the field moving from correlations to mechanisms.

Gut microbiome and cancer therapeutics. It’s a fascinating relationship. I’ve advised companies working in this area, read papers, and followed the topic for years. One observation keeps coming up:… | Branden Wolner, PhD 🔬 Gut microbiome and cancer therapeutics. It’s a fascinating relationship. I’ve advised companies working in this area, read papers, and followed the topic for years. One observation keeps coming up: responders and non-responders often have different microbiome compositions. That led to the obviou...

Business are Complex Adaptive Systems. But sometimes adaptation can become drift.

I’ve seen biotech teams mistake changing conditions for a reason to continually redefine direction. Sometimes adaptation is necessary - markets shift, funding environments change, and technical… | Branden Wolner, PhD 🔬 I’ve seen biotech teams mistake changing conditions for a reason to continually redefine direction. Sometimes adaptation is necessary - markets shift, funding environments change, and technical assumptions fail. Good captains adjust to weather, but resilient organizations still maintain a coherent...