April 2011- Volume 7, Issue 4
April 2011
In this Issue
Special Reports
Drug delivery: Why getting there isn’t half the fun
Drug delivery: Why getting there isn’t half the fun
With evolving dosage forms, the dissolution test is constantly being altered
Diagnostics
Risk and reward
Risk and reward
Mira Dx licenses triple-negative breast cancer risk variant from Yale University
Test for the weary
Test for the weary
Chronix Biomedical and Hemispherx Biopharma join forces to develop diagnostic test for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Lightening its load
Lightening its load
Thermo Fisher Scientific sells Athena Diagnostics to Quest Diagnostics, Lancaster Laboratories to Eurofins in two deals totaling $940 million
Patient-driven, not disease-driven
Patient-driven, not disease-driven
Ipsen and bioMérieux form broad therapeutics and diagnostics alliance
A mutual interest in mutants
A mutual interest in mutants
Novartis taps Invivoscribe for test to identify FLT3- positive AML patients
Global News
Playing a blocking game against tumors
Playing a blocking game against tumors
Cancer Research Technology and Institute of Cancer Research sign discovery and development deal with ZoBio
Organizing with ORIS
Organizing with ORIS
IDBS powers personalized cancer care at King’s Health Partners with enterprise translational medicine platform
A Phenomica partnership
A Phenomica partnership
Phenotypic screening of massive peptide library to be launched by drug discovery spinoff
A future without fat?
A future without fat?
Vancouver’s Sirona Biochem to acquire France-based TFChem for technology in treating obesity, diabetes
Japanese pharmas eye opportunities abroad
Japanese pharmas eye opportunities abroad
Kyowa Hakko and Daiichi Sankyo acquisitions of foreign firms total $1.4 billion, signaling that Japanese firms are turning to international M&As for pipeline growth
Omics & Systems Biology
Being PARP of the solution
Being PARP of the solution
MDxHealth tapped by Newcastle University, Cancer Research Technology and Pfizer to help develop companion diagnostic for PARP-based ovarian and breast cancer treatment
Covance, ISB form brain tumor partnership
Covance, ISB form brain tumor partnership
Researchers to study the genetic differences occurring within glioblastoma multiforme
Cell therapy collaboration prepares to (fibro) blast off
Cell therapy collaboration prepares to (fibro) blast off
Fibrocell Science, UCLA announce collaboration aimed at fibroblast research
Calling ADAM-12
Calling ADAM-12
Gene probed by Missouri researchers shows promise for variety of hard-core offenders
British researchers locate key to early bowel cancer detection
British researchers locate key to early bowel cancer detection
Cancer Research U.K. scientists link DNA methylation patterns to deadly form of cancer
Research & Development
A Forest grows around it
A Forest grows around it
Forest Laboratories commences $1.2 billion tender offer for all outstanding shares and certain notes and warrants of Clinical Data
No immunity for autoimmune disease
No immunity for autoimmune disease
Merck, Lycera team up to advance program that targets Th17 cells
The pulse of heart treatment
The pulse of heart treatment
Nile Therapeutics to collaborate with Medtronic on clinical development of cenderitide for heart failure and renal disease
HGS, FivePrime ink agreement to develop anti-cancer drug
HGS, FivePrime ink agreement to develop anti-cancer drug
Human Genome Sciences Inc. (HGS) and FivePrime Therapeutics Inc. announced March 16 that they have entered into an agreement to develop and commercialize FivePrime’s FP-1039 product for multiple cancers.
UMass Human Stem Cell Bank and Registry partners with U.K. Stem Cell Bank
UMass Human Stem Cell Bank and Registry partners with U.K. Stem Cell Bank
The University of Massachusetts Human Stem Cell Bank and Registry and the United Kingdom Stem Cell Bank on March 15 signed an agreement to share best practices for stem cell banking and to collaborate on standards for stem cell line characterization, production and distribution in the United States and U.K.
Finding potential cures in the ‘public library’
Finding potential cures in the ‘public library’
Scripps and MIT scientists discover class of potent anti-cancer compounds that may also lead to new therapies for Alzheimer's disease patients
Coastal cancer collaboration
Coastal cancer collaboration
Gilead Sciences acquires oncology-focused biotech Calistoga Pharmaceuticals for $375 million
Instruments & Informatics
Agilent advances with acquisitions
Agilent advances with acquisitions
Seeking to further its application development and market penetration, Agilent Technologies adds BIOCIUS Life Sciences and Lab901 to its fold
Bruker acquires Michrom Bioresources
Bruker acquires Michrom Bioresources
Michrom’s nanoflow ultra-high performance liquid chromatography system is principal asset driving the deal
Teaming up to interrogate genes about ADME
Teaming up to interrogate genes about ADME
Roche and RainDance Technologies join forces in targeted sequencing to advance research into drug metabolism and response
Talkin’ ’bout my generation
Talkin’ ’bout my generation
Ingenuity Systems, Covance collaborate to support next-generation sequencing research
Building next-gen castles in the cloud
Building next-gen castles in the cloud
Geospiza and NuGEN integrate cloud-based software and sample preparation to accelerate results using next-generation sequencing
HP aims to speed drug discovery research with inkjet technology
HP aims to speed drug discovery research with inkjet technology
Technology giant Hewlett-Packard Development Co. (HP) recently released a drug research application for the company’s inkjet technology that reportedly enables pharmaceutical companies to more efficiently develop better drugs through vastly more precise dispensing of dosages.
Contract Services
Fujifilm focuses on biotech future
Fujifilm focuses on biotech future
Photo media-centric firm snaps up Merck’s contract manufacturing and service subsidiaries Diosynth and MSD Billingham
Good manufacturing practice
Good manufacturing practice
Viropro acquires Alpha Biologics’ biotech GMP production facility and CRO services
A regulatory affair
A regulatory affair
Clinipace Worldwide acquires Regulus Pharmaceutical Consulting
Quality and quantity
Quality and quantity
QPS increases Asian presence, expands clinical trials with acquisition of majority stake in Taiwan-based Qualitix
Pearl of the Orient
Pearl of the Orient
Bristol-Myers Squibb’s newest ‘String of Pearls’ addition is Chinese outsourcing firm WuXi PharmaTech, which will build a stability testing facility for BMS in China
Helping a new swimmer in the biopharma pool
Helping a new swimmer in the biopharma pool
Quintiles supports Samsung’s entry into the biopharma market through joint venture and makes minority investment in Samsung biosimilars manufacturing facility
Editor's Focus
A message for Japan: ‘Ganbare’
A message for Japan: ‘Ganbare’
Although ddn’s news coverage spans the global drug discovery industry, we don’t often have occasion to report on Asia-based companies, as they rarely pursue large-figure mergers and acquisitions.
Commentary
Too big to succeed, too entrenched to listen
Too big to succeed, too entrenched to listen
As I mentioned in a recent column, success begets failure. Individual winners become complacent or drunk with power.
Guest Commentary: What’s driving the decline in AIDS news coverage?
Guest Commentary: What’s driving the decline in AIDS news coverage?
According to a new study, media coverage of HIV/AIDS fell more than 70 percent in developed countries over the last two decades.
