Internal Medicine

Over the last couple of months, I have been intently watching an editorial melodrama that has been playing out at the Canadian Medical Association (CMA).

PALO ALTO, Calif.—Agilent isn’t content to simply coast on its gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry accomplishments. Now it is out to conquer the liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) market, and is starting off on that path with the release of an entire new portfolio of LC/MS systems.

ST. LOUIS—Orion Genomics is aggressively working to decipher the “second code” of DNA to advance the state of cancer diagnostics and treatment, and has enlisted the help of researchers at the University of Glasgow to that end. The work currently focuses on discovering novel epigenetic biomarkers for the development of tests that screen for cancer at an early stage and that could provide personalized information about how tumors are most effectively treated.

NEW YORK—Callisto Pharmaceuticals, a developer of new drug treatments for cancer, biodefence and other health threats, is licensing a new class of compounds called degrasyns from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for development as cancer drugs. The novel anticancer activity of these analogs is connected to their ability to selectively degrade key proteins involved in tumor cell proliferation and survival, including C-MYC, BCR-ABL and JAK2, which are all important targets for a wide range of tumors.

AURORA, Colo.—Vitro Diagnostics and PhosphoSolutions, both based here, have announced a research collaboration to characterize intracellular signaling mechanisms involved with regulation of stem cell growth and differentiation.

ALBANY, Ore. – In mid-January, Synthetech Inc. acquired intellectual property assets for resin processes from Colorado Biotechnology Associates Inc. (CBA). Resin production, which has already begun at Synthetec’s facility, will diversify the company’s product lines beyond amino acid, peptide, and chiral intermediate products.

NEWTON, Mass.—Securing what it termed the largest Advanced Technology Program (ATP) grant for the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST), Clinical Data and IO Informatics recently announced an agreement to partner on the final two years of a project that is designed to develop software and technology to interpret disparate data for researchers taking a systems biology approach to drug discovery.

CARRBORO, N.C.—BioMachines Inc. a biotech automation company announced last month that Clearview Limited acquired a majority stake in the company and with it the hiring two new executive leaders for the company.

As you no doubt will have read and heard many times, the world suffered a great loss recently when long-time stem cell advocate Dana Reeve, wife of Christopher Reeve, succumbed to lung cancer.

Eidogen-Sertanty Inc., a computational drug discovery solutions provider, in mid-December announced a collaboration with fellow San Diego-based company, Kalypsys Inc., that is focused on the discovery of novel small molecules for anti-inflammatory indications.

More than 900 new medicines are in development to treat the diseases of aging, according to a report released late last year by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).