April 2006- Volume 2, Issue 4
April 2006
In this Issue
Editor's Focus
One patient, one vaccine
One patient, one vaccine
Personalized medicine—and personalized vaccines, in particular—have generated tremendous interest. Each vaccine must be custom-made for each patient, so for each patient more work must be done than is required for “off-the-shelf” vaccines. What are needed now are methods that enable the manufacture of such products in an affordable and efficient manner.
Vaccines for all
Vaccines for all
A non-autologous approach to vaccines
Is drug discovery moving too fast?
Is drug discovery moving too fast?
I’m a big fan of the singer Jack Johnson and for some reason I’ve recently had the song Inaudible Melodies in my head. The song references a story about martial artist Bruce Lee, who apparently moved so quickly that a director for one of his early films asked him to slow down. The reasoning was that he was moving faster than the individual film frames in the camera and that made his action look blurry, or out of focus. The song chorus goes like this:
DNA for Peace
DNA for Peace
Can fighting poverty, hunger and improving health in the developing world lessen the threat of bioterrorism?
Informatics
Scripps, IBM to create virus models
Scripps, IBM to create virus models
BOCA RATON, Fla.—The Scripps Research Institute and IBM will collaborate to advance research on pandemic viruses
BioRad, Infometrix team up
BioRad, Infometrix team up
PHILADELPHIA—Bio-Rad Laboratories and Infometrix announced a new informatics application called AnalyzeIt MVP
The schematics of life: Human interactome study raises red flags
The schematics of life: Human interactome study raises red flags
BALTIMORE—Researchers at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the University Würzburg, and the Institute of Bioinformatics (IOB)raised significant questions about current drug development assumptions
Compugen leads kinase pathway group
Compugen leads kinase pathway group
TEL AVIV, Israel—Compugen Ltd. announced it is leading a consortium to simulate the MAP-kinase pathway, a signaling pathway related to cancer
Turning junk into gold
Turning junk into gold
TEL AVIV, Israel—The work with the SIMAP consortium and the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway isn’t Compugen Ltd.’s only recent advance in the area of proteomics work.
Automation & Instrumentation
Caliper looks to bring in vitro, in vivo together with Xenogen purchase
Caliper looks to bring in vitro, in vivo together with Xenogen purchase
HOPKINTON, Mass.—With its agreement to acquire Xenogen Corp., Caliper Life Sciences has embarked on a critical stage to truly bring together in vitro and in vivo experimentation
FEI, Sidec push protein tomography solutions
FEI, Sidec push protein tomography solutions
HILLSBORO, Ore.—FEI and Sidec Technologies announced a collaboration to commercialize protein tomography platforms and services
Varian gets FTMS from IonSpec
Varian gets FTMS from IonSpec
PALO ALTO—Varian Inc. announced its acquisition of Ion Spec Corp. and its Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) technology
Cataloging microbes: Scientists prepare proteomic database of bacteria
Cataloging microbes: Scientists prepare proteomic database of bacteria
BREMEN, Germany—MS specialist Bruker Daltonik announced a collaboration with the German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures (DSMZ) to identify and classify microbes from their proteomic profiles
Agilent launches internet-based Intelligent Services
Agilent launches internet-based Intelligent Services
SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Agilent Technologies announced at Pittcon 2006 last month a portfolio of internet-based services that promise to monitor its tools in the field.
Genomics & Proteomics
Ion buy-in: Serologicals acquires Cytomyx
Ion buy-in: Serologicals acquires Cytomyx
ATLANTA—Serologicals Corp. announced a definitive agreement to acquire Cytomyx
Target Discovery and Eastern Virginia Med School pair up on prostate cancer assays
Target Discovery and Eastern Virginia Med School pair up on prostate cancer assays
PALO ALTO, Calif.—Target Discovery announced a collaboration with the Virginia Prostate Center to develop clinical assays for prostate cancer
Complementary behavior: Research orgs ally in protein, discovery work
Complementary behavior: Research orgs ally in protein, discovery work
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.—BASi and the Indiana Centers for Applied Protein Sciences (INCAPS), have agreed to bring their respective contract research strengths together in a corporate alliance
Playing proteomics tag: Perkin Elmer acquires mass tag technology
Playing proteomics tag: Perkin Elmer acquires mass tag technology
BOSTON—PerkinElmer announced it acquired labeling technology from Agilix that uses isobaric mass tags for molecular quantification
Crystal-clear collaboration: Qiagen, ActiveSight team up
Crystal-clear collaboration: Qiagen, ActiveSight team up
VENLO, The Netherlands—Qiagenhas entered into a protein crystallography co-marketing agreement with ActiveSight
Research & Development
Roche, MorphoSys expand collaboration to atttack cancer
Roche, MorphoSys expand collaboration to atttack cancer
NUTLEY, N.J.—MorphoSys AG announced a collaboration to develop new therapeutic antibodies in oncology
Brain power: Cedars-Sinai scientists track and kill malignant brain tumors
Brain power: Cedars-Sinai scientists track and kill malignant brain tumors
LOS ANGELES—Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute recently developed a tool to track and kill malignant brain tumor cells
Turning neglect into action: Nonprofit gets funding to fight endemic diseases
Turning neglect into action: Nonprofit gets funding to fight endemic diseases
GENEVA—The Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) received a €9.5-million grant from the United Kingdom’s Department of International Development (DFID)for development of drugs for tropical diseases
Novavax, UPitt team to make novel flu vaccine
Novavax, UPitt team to make novel flu vaccine
MALVERN, Penn.—Novavax announced a collaborative agreement with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine to evaluate virus-like particle (VLP) influenza vaccines and the Novasome delivery adjuvant
REPLICor, NIAID identify potential anti-prion therapeutic
REPLICor, NIAID identify potential anti-prion therapeutic
LAVAL, Quebec—REPLICor and NIAID Rocky Mountain Laboratories collaborated on a therapeutic that may help fight prion disorders, including mad cow and Creutzfeld-Jakob disease
Global News
TB Alliance, BG Medicine explore biomarkers
TB Alliance, BG Medicine explore biomarkers
Project aims to streamline, shorten drug development for tuberculosis therapies
News Briefs
