April 2014- Volume 10, Issue 4
April 2014
In this Issue
Research & Development
IDBS partners with Osthus on R&D IT
IDBS partners with Osthus on R&D IT
New alliance to deliver improved efficiency and workflows
True game changer?
True game changer?
Idea of creating stem cells by exposing them to acid has people talking
Mediators for immune-mediated disease
Mediators for immune-mediated disease
Sanofi, UCB team up to develop anti-inflammatory small molecules
Edison and Dainippon ink nearly $4.3 billion deal
Edison and Dainippon ink nearly $4.3 billion deal
Strategic alliance targets drugs to treat cellular energy metabolism
Backing BACE inhibitors
Backing BACE inhibitors
Eisai, Biogen Idec pair up for potential Alzheimer’s treatments
Clinical Trials
Aiming to defeat HIV
Aiming to defeat HIV
Argos Therapeutics’ Arcelis technology creates patient-specific immunotherapy targeted toward eradicating AIDS
Miracle in the desert?
Miracle in the desert?
Ben Gurion University collaborates with the University of Colorado on potential type 1 diabetes cure
Putting their heads together
Putting their heads together
Key players across neuro- oncology community gather to build action plan for brain tumor imaging practices
Merck HIV therapies make big news at CROI
Merck HIV therapies make big news at CROI
Company gives a peek at a new drug and shares a study for an old favorite
Making clinical trials more diverse
Making clinical trials more diverse
Various players in the healthcare industry unite to launch ‘I’m In’ campaign
Diagnostics
MetaStat announces new U.S. patent for MetaSite Breast
MetaStat announces new U.S. patent for MetaSite Breast
Reportedly the first Dx that directly detects and quantifies mechanisms by which metastatic cells disseminate through blood to cause secondary tumors
New link in cancer care chain
New link in cancer care chain
Cholesterol metabolism study suggests new diagnostic, treatment approach for aggressive prostate cancer
Chembio receives CE Mark approval for rapid POC detection of HIV
Chembio receives CE Mark approval for rapid POC detection of HIV
Chembio Diagnostics Inc. announced in March that its HIV 1/2 STAT-PAK Assay received CE Mark approval from European regulators
Global POC Diagnostics Market to Grow at a CAGR of 9.3 percent to 2018
Global POC Diagnostics Market to Grow at a CAGR of 9.3 percent to 2018
According to a new report from Research and Markets, the global point-of-care (POC) diagnostics market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3 percent to 2018
Scoring in the 90s
Scoring in the 90s
Cancer Genetics cites compelling diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy for its patent-protected genomic kidney cancer test
A relationship reaches a crescendo
A relationship reaches a crescendo
Myriad Genetics to acquire Crescendo Bioscience for $270 million
Preclinical
Helping hands and hepatocytes
Helping hands and hepatocytes
EMD Millipore and Promethera team up to develop liver assay
The immune (r)evolution in cancer
The immune (r)evolution in cancer
Heat Biologics presents preclinical data comparing ImPACT-based immunotherapy with vaccines and T cell co-stimulators at Keystone Symposia
Merry news for Merrimack
Merry news for Merrimack
Preclinical results for cancer compound published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics
Immunicum advances adoptive immunotherapy
Immunicum advances adoptive immunotherapy
Company reports promising preclinical results for its CD70 technology, which may provide a robust method to expand tumor-specific T cells with improved quality
4SC Discovery collaborates with Heidelberg University Hospital for preclinical development of new malaria drug
4SC Discovery collaborates with Heidelberg University Hospital for preclinical development of new malaria drug
4SC Discovery collaborates with Heidelberg University Hospital for preclinical development of new malaria drug
In Vitro ADMET Laboratories and Taconic announce alliance to offer humanized and knock-out mouse hepatocytes
In Vitro ADMET Laboratories and Taconic announce alliance to offer humanized and knock-out mouse hepatocytes
In Vitro ADMET Laboratories LLC (IVAL) and Taconic announced an agreement in late March under which IVAL will prepare cryopreserved hepatocytes derived from Taconic’s knockout and genetically humanized mouse models for use in preclinical drug development research
HPV eradicated by AHCC supplement, preclinical study suggests
HPV eradicated by AHCC supplement, preclinical study suggests
According to research coming out of the the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth) Medical School at Houston, a Japanese mushroom extract called active hexose correlated compound (AHCC) may have a role in prevention of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers.
Business & Government Policy
The little engine that could
The little engine that could
Janssen’s Autism Search Engine aims to drive cutting-edge research
Pharmacyclics: First drug gets rolling
Pharmacyclics: First drug gets rolling
Company follows 2013 Imbruvica approval with accelerated approval for another indication
Commentary: $4 billion price tag for pleasing plaintiffs’ bar?
Commentary: $4 billion price tag for pleasing plaintiffs’ bar?
New study estimates costs of FDA’s proposed rule on generic drug labeling
A matter of aesthetics
A matter of aesthetics
KYTHERA acquires rights to ATX-101 outside of the U.S. and Canada from Bayer Consumer Care
Social media easing into a role in clinical research
Social media easing into a role in clinical research
However, a problem that needs addressing is fragmentation and uncoordinated use
Discovery
Smash and grab
Smash and grab
Scripps researchers develop two novel ways to discover new drugs
Overcoming antibiotic resistance
Overcoming antibiotic resistance
Technical University of Munich chemists unleash two new weapons in the battle against MRSA and tuberculosis
Game changer
Game changer
Berg and the Parkinson’s Institute collaborate on biomarker discovery
Bringing genomics into natural products discovery
Bringing genomics into natural products discovery
NIGMS to fund research that will use genomic and metagenomic sequencing data to find natural products
Commentary
Commentary: Automation—The answer to tedious manual sample preparation for mass spectrometry?
Commentary: Automation—The answer to tedious manual sample preparation for mass spectrometry?
Mass spectrometry (MS) technology has advanced extremely rapidly over the last decade, with MS techniques now being widely used in life science research, and even finding their way into the clinical setting for diagnostic applications. As one of the first sectors to adopt MS technology, the drug discovery market has been at the forefront of this revolution and, as such, has now become one of the first areas of research to run up against the major limitation of the technique—sample preparation.
My war on poverty
My war on poverty
Taking a slight detour from the world of pharma and biotech, DDNews columnist Peter T. Kissinger lays out his plan to win the war on poverty that was ushered in during the 1960s and has struggled ever since.
Editor's Focus
Pharmas assemble! Up and away! Or something
Pharmas assemble! Up and away! Or something
It's easy to pick on the pharma and biotech companies and paint them as heartless, money-grubbing opportunists. But the truth is a bit more complex, and both the public and government need to update the way they look at things.
Q&A
Q&A: The ‘odd couple’ of Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia
Q&A: The ‘odd couple’ of Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia
Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia are not often linked in the same sentence, much less in the same scientific conversation, but in an interview with DDNews, Dr. Deborah Dunsire, president and CEO of Forum Pharmaceuticals, and her colleague Dr. Lon S. Schneider at USC tell us why perhaps they should be
Special Reports
Out of Africa: Special report on point-of-care diagnostics
Out of Africa: Special report on point-of-care diagnostics
Developing world diagnostic solutions might make emerging markets merging markets
