Andy Extance
Before becoming a full-time science writer, Andy Extance worked for six and a half years in early-stage drug discovery research, followed by brief stint in silicone adhesive and rubber manufacturing.
However, when he had his first feature – on a cause of common heart-related problems in new drug candidates – published in Chemistry World in 2004, the course of his career shifted. After working as news editor for Compound Semiconductor magazine, he went freelance in 2009. Today Andy’s science writing explores everything related to chemistry, from Earth’s environment to space, from food to fusion, and from solar cells to how we smell.
BusinessProtein degrading breast cancer drugs navigate bumpy road to market
Camizestrant is now approved in US, UK and Europe despite uncertainty over long-term benefit, while vepdegestrant is approved in the US
BusinessProtein degrader approval offers hope to relapsed multiple myeloma patients
Highly potent molecular glue drug iberdomide doubles the number of patients reaching fewer than one myeloma cell per 100,000 in bone marrow
BusinessCombining AI with experiments to solve real-world materials problems
CuspAI’s Materials Foundry partner network includes 45 technology, data and materials chemistry companies to make and test its predictions
ResearchChemical treatment slashes emissions of making hydrogen from plastic waste
Process can produce hydrogen from polyethylene and polypropylene more cleanly than from natural gas
FeatureAI agents accelerate catalyst discovery from simulation to scale-up
Artificial intelligence tools are transforming catalyst research, with new AI agents capable of completing in minutes what once took computational chemists days. Andy Extance explores how all scientists can benefit, from small groups to those at tech giants like Meta, Google and Nvidia
FeatureThe battery chemistry race shaping the future of electric vehicles
Science and global politics intertwine in the rivalry between lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides and lithium iron phosphate
BusinessClean hydrogen project cancellations point to narrower future
Plants actually being built tend to use hydrogen as feedstock, not fuel
NewsOpaque UK funding changes herald cuts to facilities and research programmes paused
Projects face withdrawals and delays as UKRI prioritises economic growth and applied research over curiosity-driven areas
NewsQuestions over microplastics findings don’t mean we are safe, scientists say
Researchers seek to overcome measurement issues arising from field’s youth, while some criticism has turned into harassment
BusinessFunding boost for Grangemouth whisky waste-to-chemicals firms
Governments hope £9 million in grants will help MiAlgae and Celtic Renewables replace oil-refining jobs
FeatureThe Antarctic manganese mystery
RRS Sir David Attenborough scientists are trying to measure the potentially crucial role of ocean manganese, finds Andy Extance. But how do you do cutting-edge science in the inhospitable Southern Ocean?
FeatureOne medical inhaler can have the impact of 30kg of carbon dioxide
Propellants in asthma inhalers produce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to driving 200 miles, yet most healthcare systems overlook this climate impact. New low-carbon alternatives are in development, Andy Extance reports, but barriers remain
BusinessArvinas and Pfizer seek a new home for protein degrader drug
Companies offer bifunctional cancer drug vepdegestrant to new partners after disappointing trial results
ResearchFirst valence electron measurements capture fleeting reaction process
Femtosecond timescale x-ray laser measurements study how a hydrogen atom breaks off an ammonia molecule
BusinessSarepta gene therapy deaths highlight tragic rare disease dilemma
Regulators block Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment after fatal side-effects outweigh questionable efficacy
NewsExplainer: The chemistry of permastink and how to prevent it
How to avoid throwing out smelly polyester sportswear
FeatureHow decarbonisation will help the UK’s last refineries survive
Carbon capture and low-carbon hydrogen are central to any possibility of supplying liquid fuels compatible with net zero, reports Andy Extance
NewsWhat are the prospects for making green hydrogen straight from seawater?
Competing with better-established desalination coupled with electrolysis, direct seawater splitting technologies are targeting niches
ResearchReprocess, reuse, repeat: greener recycling of perovskite solar cells cuts costs
Mainly water-based approach is also cheaper than using new starting materials
FeatureThe promise of drugs that send proteins to the shredder
Andy Extance charts how research into revolutionary targeted protein degradation therapies is moving from serendipity to strategic discovery