Category: Marketing Future

Efficient, Cost-Effective PR

Maintaining visibility is essential. Today, with money for science companies tight, you might want to stay on the sidelines. Don’t. Strategic PR reports your milestones, builds credibility, and makes you stand out while everyone else is sitting out. Even announcements of future intentions serve to position your company within the industry. That’s why Carnivores has created an effective PR program that complements your operations and does not divert time and budget from core innovations.

Core Services for Every Release

Content Enhancement

The company knows the facts. Our science writers know how to finesse.

Visual Elements 

Graphics tell the story in new ways. That’s critical, and included in the price.

Supporting Information

The right mix of proof-points.

Performance 

Analytics and Benchmark Measurement

Two Simple Distribution Tiers

Tier 1: Standard Distribution Protocol

Tier 2: Enhanced Life Sciences Distribution Network

One More Thing: Flexibility

Not every one of your releases will be at the same level of importance. Our approach allows you to level up or down between Tier 1 and Tier 2 based on your announcement, to help scale costs and allow for more frequent news updates. Ask us how that works to your advantage.

Don’t Forget SEO 

Regular press releases provide a significant SEO advantage. Search engines favor websites with consistent, fresh content. Each release creates newly indexed pages, generates valuable backlinks, and expands your digital footprint with targeted keywords. This publishing cadence signals to Google that your company is active and authoritative, improving search rankings and enhancing discoverability for partners, investors, and customers. Even modest announcements contribute to cumulative SEO benefits that paid advertising cannot match.

We Hope You Will Consider Content Carnivores for Upcoming Communications and Press Releases

Content Carnivores has published over a thousand press releases for life sciences companies of all sizes. Our methodology is refined through empirical data into a streamlined system that preserves quality while eliminating inefficiencies. Clients work with category experts who understand scientific concepts, not sales representatives. We approach every project with genuine enthusiasm for science and a commitment to advancing our clients’ work through effective communication. We’d be happy to walk through our framework and pricing relevant to other services.

We look forward to discussing your upcoming news. 

Examples:

Pacylex Pharmaceuticals

Georgia BIO

GeoVax Labs

By Chelli Miller Biotech Lead Partner @ Content Carnivores |

We all say it, but it’s true: the drive behind life sciences innovation, the relentless pursuit of cures, is deeply personal. You don’t just work in this field; you invest your heart and soul. My connection to Pacylex Pharmaceuticals and the journey they’re on with AML is a perfect example of a rare intersection of the personal and the professional.

Professionally, this journey started with Pacylex’s CEO, Michael Weickert, Ph.D, someone I’ve known since the very beginning of my two decades in healthcare. I remember his work at Sea Medical, inspired by his family’s experience with extensive hospitalization of their new baby. His emotional personal experience, coupled with his scientific knowledge, helped make the Sea Medical story resonate with me. That same passion fueled Pacylex’s work on a novel approach to treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a particularly brutal cancer, especially for children.

AML, as I’ve come to understand it more deeply, is a cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. It’s an aggressive disease where immature blood cells rapidly accumulate, hindering the production of normal blood cells. It’s particularly devastating in children. Pediatric AML, pediatric cancer in general, presents unique treatment challenges. Children’s bodies metabolize drugs differently than adults, making it difficult to adapt adult treatment protocols. AML in children can be especially aggressive, and relapse is a significant concern. Finding effective therapies for relapsed or refractory AML – when the cancer doesn’t respond to initial treatment – is a major hurdle. Even then, adults are treated first, and only when safety and efficacy is determined, would a child be treated with a new treatment modality. The harsh reality is that the toxicity of existing chemotherapies takes a greater toll on growing children. This is a huge reason we need novel therapies that can also treat our young!

Content Carnivores started working with Pacylex when they were in the preclinical stage. They were developing a completely new way to attack AML. Their lead drug, zelenirstat, is a first-in-class N-myristoyltransferase inhibitor (NMTI). It works by inhibiting myristoylation, a fatty acid modification crucial for certain proteins to function in cancer cell survival and proliferation. In simpler terms, zelenirstat targets key cancer-driving processes that depend on myristoylation, which kills cancer cells at drug levels that don’t harm normal cells. Think of it like this: Cancer cells use myristoylation to help them grow and spread. Zelenirstat is designed to stop that. It’s a novel approach, targeting the disease in ways other treatments don’t.

At about this time, life threw me a cruel curveball. A dear friend, someone I’ve known since I was practically a kid myself, called me. This was a friend whose family I adore – I even named my son after her daughter and son. She told me her 12-year-old granddaughter had been diagnosed with AML. As a new grandmother, myself, the news hit me like a ton of bricks.

My friends are a brilliant family living in the Chicago area. They assembled a team of researchers and experts, leaving no stone unturned. They fought tooth and nail to get their granddaughter into every treatment modality and clinical trial possible. We watched as her little body endured round after round of treatments, hoping against hope for a positive response.

A few devastating years passed for my friends, and Pacylex continued its work. I watched every avenue and every potential treatment be exhausted. Then, just before this beautiful girl’s 16th birthday, she, with heartbreaking grace and acceptance, planned her 16th birthday party or her funeral. There was nothing left to try. Her body was just too weak. I tear up just thinking about this!

And that’s where Pacylex’s work became even more significant to me. Their novel mechanism was something her body hadn’t encountered before. Preclinical studies suggested AML cells, including AML stem cells, are particularly sensitive to zelenirstat. It’s designed to trigger apoptosis and cell death in AML. But it was too late. She had run out of time. We attended her 16th birthday, which was also her funeral. That experience, that loss, is seared into my memory and my heart.

Personally, this child’s diagnosis and battle with AML created a powerful connection to my professional work with Pacylex. I wish that the treatments being developed by Pacylex Pharmaceuticals had been advanced to the point where she might have participated in their trials. This was a perfect case for a Compassionate Use Designation – an FDA designation that allows patients with serious or life-threatening conditions to access investigational drugs or medical devices outside of clinical trials when no other treatment options are available. Zelenirstat data continues to indicate the need for the designation for AML as well as other tumor types.

Fortunately, the company is advancing, meaning others like her will have a fighting chance against this devastating disease.

Today, Pacylex is making real progress. They have clinical data. A published Phase 1 dose escalation safety and tolerability study in 29 heavily pre-treated patients showed that zelenirstat was well-tolerated, with most adverse events being mild gastrointestinal side effects. The study also showed that zelenirstat prolonged cancer progression-free and overall survival in solid tumor patients receiving the recommended Phase 2 dose. They’re moving into Phase 2, and the results are promising.

I still see my friends on Facebook, still actively supporting other families battling AML, still organizing blood drives in their daughter’s name. It’s both heartbreaking and inspiring. Every time I see this, I am reminded of the family’s desperate quest to find trials, novel treatments—anything to help the medical team save their loved one.

This isn’t just a professional interest for me anymore. It’s deeply personal. It reinforces why we do what we do in healthcare. Cancer is personal. We all know someone who’s lost the battle, and we all know countless lives could be saved with the right innovation. We need multiple innovations because each body, at every age, is different.

I’m incredibly proud to be involved in getting the word out about Pacylex’s work. It’s more than just marketing and PR; it’s about advocating for the funding and support companies and families desperately need. We need to accelerate the pace and funding of innovation because every day counts. Every child, every parent, deserves a chance. And that’s why I’m here, telling this story, because it’s not just their story; it’s part of mine.

The annual JPMorgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco has long been considered the healthcare industry’s premier gathering, but this year’s event revealed something deeper than just business as usual. Content Carnivores sent a pre-conference LinkedIn survey to 1,000 biotech executives and investors pulled from its social media database. The results offered an intriguing glimpse into the industry’s mindset: while only about 10% planned to attend in person, the overwhelming majority expressed optimism about the sector’s future.

A Changing of the Guard

Perhaps the most telling shift was in who didn’t show up. Many senior executives who responded to our survey bypassed the event, citing San Francisco’s ongoing urban challenges – a diplomatic way of expressing their frustration with the city’s visible struggles. However, their absence cleared the way for something unexpected: a new generation of healthcare professionals who energized the conference floors and meeting rooms.

These younger attendees, many experiencing the conference for the first time, tackled challenges without the weight of industry cynicism. Their social media posts and follow-up communications sparkled with enthusiasm about merging science, business, and global health impact. As one first-time attendee put it in a LinkedIn post, “This isn’t just about deals – it’s about seeing how our work could change lives across the globe.”

The Money Dance

While billion-dollar deal announcements from JPMorgan ignited early optimism, the real story unfolded beneath the headlines. A striking contrast emerged between bank analysts (who, as one participant quipped, “are paid to be pessimistic”) and the broader sense of possibility that energized most discussions.

The Funding Paradox

Yet beneath this optimistic surface, a more complex reality took shape. One biotech CEO, currently raising a $40 million Series C round, captured the moment perfectly: “People are interested in talking, but they’re not writing checks.” This sentiment echoes across the industry, where despite promising scientific advances and fast-track designations, capital remains stubbornly on the sidelines.

The reality cuts deep: companies with drugs in advanced human trials, even those with FDA fast-track or orphan disease designations, struggle to translate regulatory acceleration into funding momentum. Deal flow indicators across the sector continue to show stagnation or decline, a trend that has persisted for several years.

The funding challenge looms at every level: from seed-stage companies emerging from university tech transfer offices to established public companies managing shareholder expectations. Each competes for limited capital, often against similar technologies and approaches.

The Elephant in the Room

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) discussions sparked some of the conference’s most heated moments. When the topic surfaced – and it surfaced often – conversations transformed. Investment panels sometimes devolved into what one attendee dubbed “sophisticated venting sessions” about profit margins. Yet these debates seemed strangely disconnected from the conference’s broader spirit of innovation and possibility.

A More Nuanced View

The Squire Patton Boggs law firm’s evening session broke through the usual talking points, exploring how administrative changes could reshape healthcare delivery. Instead of fixating on bottom lines, speakers examined how policy shifts could transform clinical trial diversity and global health equity. The packed room and spirited discussion revealed an appetite for deeper, more nuanced conversations.

Beyond the Headlines

Veterans know that splashy deal announcements don’t always signal broader market momentum. Throughout the event, an interesting tension played out between market skepticism and innovation optimism.

The After Hours That Matter

Evening receptions proved crucial in fostering genuine connections. Major firms and organizations transformed typical networking events into vibrant forums for exchange. These gatherings – some welcoming upwards of 250 attendees – sparked conversations that couldn’t happen in formal sessions.

These hosts deserve special recognition. Their commitment to building community extended the conference’s impact well beyond official hours. Discussions meandered from scientific breakthroughs to personal missions, planting seeds for future collaborations.

A Balanced View Forward

The conference painted a complex picture of an industry in transition. Young healthcare professionals face the same fundamental challenge that has always defined this sector – bridging the gap between scientific promise and financial backing. There was a strong emergence of regional groups representing rapid growth outside of the usual Life Sciences hubs. For the first time, BioUtah sponsored the State BioTech reception, signaling the progress and commitment to this category.

Perhaps most encouraging was the shift in how participants measure success. While deals and dollars remain crucial, a new understanding emerged: healthcare’s future demands both profitability and purpose. As one young executive observed during an evening reception, “We’re not just here to make money – we’re here because we believe we can make a difference.”

The Reality Check

This idealistic drive exists within unyielding market constraints. The path from innovative science to funded company demands not just breakthrough ideas but endurance through years of fundraising challenges. As one veteran biotech CEO put it, “We remain optimistic because we have to be. The solutions we’re developing matter too much to give up.”

For years, science companies have struggled to maintain a consistent and engaging social media presence. The long periods between milestones, the difficulty of communicating complex scientific concepts, and the lack of “virality” inherent in this field create unique challenges.

But what if there was a better way?

Based on years of experience and analysis of millions of social media impressions, Content Carnivores developed SPEAR, a system for science communication that keeps your message fresh, relevant, and engaging.

What is SPEAR?

SPEAR is an acronym that stands for:

How SPEAR Works

SPEAR is more than just a content calendar; it’s a philosophy of continuous engagement and relationship building. By focusing on the different aspects of your company and its audience, SPEAR ensures that you’re always providing valuable and interesting content.

Data-Driven Insights

We’ve developed a unique data model that analyzes patterns in social media engagement, allowing us to identify the most effective visuals, keywords, concepts, and posting times. This data-driven approach ensures that your content is optimized for maximum impact.

Visual Storytelling

Science can be complex, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be visually appealing. We use infographics, videos, and other visual elements to bring your science to life and make it more accessible to a wider audience. We also tailor visuals to resonate with different audience segments within the SPEAR framework.

Humanizing Science

We believe that science is ultimately about people. Whether it’s the researchers making groundbreaking discoveries or the patients benefiting from new treatments, we strive to humanize our content by incorporating personal stories and highlighting the real-world impact of your work.

Interactive Engagement

We encourage audience participation through interactive elements like polls, Q&A sessions, and live events. This helps to build a sense of community and keep your audience engaged.

The SPEAR Advantage

By implementing the SPEAR system, science companies can:

Ready to take your social media to the next level? Contact us today to learn more about the SPEAR method.