August 2008- Volume 4, Issue 8
In this Issue
Automation & Instrumentation
Short-hairpin, long view
Short-hairpin, long view
Thermo Fisher buys Open Biosystems and adds company's shRNA lentiviral library to its growing RNAi portfolio
Paying the price for PCR
Paying the price for PCR
Qiagen buys Australia’s Corbett Life Sciences in deal that could eventually top $130 million
Affinity for acquisitions
Affinity for acquisitions
Thermo Fisher buys Affinity BioReagents
Iongate’s SURFE²R is up
Iongate’s SURFE²R is up
IonGate taps Artel to spearhead adoption and application of SURFE²R technology in North America
Research & Development
Cinryze and synergy
Cinryze and synergy
ViroPharma acquires Lev Pharmaceuticals and inflammatory disease program
No-nonsense drug discovery
No-nonsense drug discovery
Genzyme and PTC Therapeutics to develop small molecule for genetic diseases
Go fish
Go fish
Znomics, OHSU use zebrafish screening to identify inflammatory disease therapeutics
FAST pharma friends
FAST pharma friends
Lilly acquires oncology biotech SGX Therapeutics for $64 million
Wider gap in generics
Wider gap in generics
Teva snaps up Barr for $7.4 B
Feature
Rise of next-gen genomics
Rise of next-gen genomics
The Human Genome Project was just the start; NIH is pushing hard on the genomics envelope
Patent News
Synergy won’t get you a patent term extension
Synergy won’t get you a patent term extension
One way drug companies are compensated for the regulatory burden of seeking FDA approval is the extension of patent terms. One of the eligibility requirements for a patent term extension is that the permission for the commercial marketing or use of the product be the first permitted commercial marketing or use of the product.
Informatics
Out with the old
Out with the old
Channing Lab phases out Legacy LIMS with LabVantage’s SAPPHIRE
British bioscience booster shot
British bioscience booster shot
GSK, Univ. of Manchester ally to bridge research gaps in U.K.
High-throughput triple team
High-throughput triple team
Applied Bio and Integromics collaborate with Novartis on high-throughput analysis platform
No gene left behind
No gene left behind
Sophic and Biomax receive funds to complete NCI's Cancer Gene Index Project
Finding the needle in the haystack
Finding the needle in the haystack
Thermo Fisher and Genedata form mass spec partnership
Editor's Focus
How soon does 2015 seem to you?
How soon does 2015 seem to you?
Seven years ago, Genentech shares were trading for roughly $22 per share and Roche had been the majority owner of the company for a bit more than 10 years. In 2001, with agreements in place that would provide Roche with first choice to pick Genentech’s ripest fruit, I’m sure 2015 seemed forever in the future. But not anymore.
Global News
Genentech no more?
Genentech no more?
Roche offers $43.7 billion for remainder of Genetech shares
Stop the bleeding
Stop the bleeding
Bayer HealthCare acquires Maxygen’s hemophilia assets for up to $120 million
Summit lands $143M license deal
Summit lands $143M license deal
Summit Corp. plc and California-based BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. announced late last month they the companies inked an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement for Summit’s novel preclinical candidate SMT C1100 and all follow-on molecules, which are being developed to treat the fatal genetic disorder Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
Tropical diseases tested
Tropical diseases tested
Upstream Biosciences, McGill University to collaborate on tropical disease treatment testing
Immunomedics, Nycomed in veltuzumab deal
Immunomedics, Nycomed in veltuzumab deal
Immunomedics Inc. and Nycomed GmbH recently announced a license and collaboration agreement providing Nycomed a worldwide license to develop, manufacture and commercialize veltuzumab, Immunomedics’ humanized anti-CD20 antibody in a subcutaneous formulation for the treatment of all non-cancer indications.
Genomics & Proteomics
A nose for opportunity
A nose for opportunity
Nastech becomes mdRNA and moves RNAi tech ahead of nasal delivery
Protein power
Protein power
Althea Technologies and Protein'eXpert accord connects early- and late-stage needs for client projects
Wake up and die
Wake up and die
Duke researchers may be on to a way to activate herpes long enough to kill it
U.W.’s new fly in the ointment
U.W.’s new fly in the ointment
Research uncovers new ‘pressure points’ against flu
U of Minn. spearheads guidance on incidental findings
U of Minn. spearheads guidance on incidental findings
When one thinks of byproducts of pharmaceutical research, biomedical waste might be the first thing that comes to mind for most, but an increasing area of concern is the leftover incidental health findings, says Susan Wolf, J.D., who chairs the University of Minnesota’s Consortium on Law and Values in Health, Environment and the Life Sciences.
