August 2015- Volume 11, Issue 8
August 2015
In this Issue
Business & Government Policy
On the cutting edge
On the cutting edge
A roundup of instrumentation, software and other tools and technology news
Crowdsourced diligence insights for investors
Crowdsourced diligence insights for investors
First-of-its-kind product from Propel(x) brings democratized approach that is useful for complex deep technology situations
The M&A roundup
The M&A roundup
Catching up with the latest big news and rumors of mergers and acquisitions
Pfizer launches precision medicine center in Chile
Pfizer launches precision medicine center in Chile
Thermo Fisher joining the effort as a corporate sponsor in initial lung cancer project
Kythera going for $2.1 billion
Kythera going for $2.1 billion
Allergan looks to bolster existing facial aesthetics business with acquisition
Preclinical
Early-stage immunotherapy
Early-stage immunotherapy
Genticel announces proof of concept for HPV therapeutic vaccine
Two for the price of one
Two for the price of one
Elsalys Biotech nets rights for anti-CD160 antibody with anti-angiogenic, immunomodulatory effects
Going right to the head
Going right to the head
TNX-201 demonstrates significant analgesic effects in animal models of migraine and chronic pain
Waste not, want not
Waste not, want not
GBSI survey says U.S. squanders $28 billion annually on flawed preclinical research, stalling discovery of new therapies
Discovery
Ubiquitous ubiquitins?
Ubiquitous ubiquitins?
Almac Discovery and Genentech partner on ubiquitin-related target for potential cancer drugs
An initial partnership for Invenra
An initial partnership for Invenra
Biopharmaceutical company strikes mAb deal with Oxford BioTherapeutics
‘We are the world’
‘We are the world’
Open Innovation Drug Discovery program expands to bring academia, scientists, researchers, biotechs together across the globe
One step at a time against Alzheimer’s
One step at a time against Alzheimer’s
Brain inflammation targeted in first drug discovery project from Dementia Consortium
Research & Development
NuGEN sampling effort could accelerate cancer research
NuGEN sampling effort could accelerate cancer research
Scientists at NuGEN Technologies Inc. have simultaneously surveyed the RNA of more than 400 targeted genes in a single assay using next-generation sequencing
Predicting survival
Predicting survival
UCSD researchers use biomarkers to gauge response to chemotherapy
UK companies pair on libraries targeting the ubiquitin system
UK companies pair on libraries targeting the ubiquitin system
Agreement combines Ubiquigent biology expertise with Cyclofluidic chemistry platform to identify small-molecule libraries
From the ground up with uPAR
From the ground up with uPAR
Cancer Research UK invests in startup company’s novel cancer treatment
Casting off with CD206
Casting off with CD206
BIND and Macrophage to explore possibility of Manocept-linked Accurins to target disease-associated macrophages
Diagnostics
A gut feeling about biotherapy
A gut feeling about biotherapy
Study shows predictive role of biotherapy monitoring in inflammatory bowel disease
Diagnosing cancer with bacteria
Diagnosing cancer with bacteria
Engineered probiotics can reportedly detect tumors in the liver
Onward and upward for OPKO
Onward and upward for OPKO
Company clears first hurdle in its acquisition of Bio-Reference Laboratories
Dialing up diagnostic efforts
Dialing up diagnostic efforts
QIAGEN kicks off a trio of diagnostic-focused partnerships in June and July
Clinical Trials
A taste of one’s own medicine
A taste of one’s own medicine
Clinical data shows promise of durable results with CAR T cell therapy
Three years and a trio of targets
Three years and a trio of targets
Epizyme, Celgene extend joint agreement on epigenetic therapies for cancer worth up to $610 million
Guselkumab demonstrates efficacy in plaque psoriasis
Guselkumab demonstrates efficacy in plaque psoriasis
Phase 2b results show that blockade of IL-23 resulted in significant skin clearance, with improvements through week 40
CSL Behring advances therapeutics for hemophilia
CSL Behring advances therapeutics for hemophilia
Novel recombinant factor VIII single chain aimed at adolescents and adults
Special Reports
Stem Cell Special Report: Germlines and gene-editing
Stem Cell Special Report: Germlines and gene-editing
After engineering SuperRat, is Superman far behind?
Commentary
Guest Commentary: An industrywide call for greater antibody information
Guest Commentary: An industrywide call for greater antibody information
Many in recent years have highlighted unreliability and irreproducibility of much science research, adding up to an estimated $28 billion wasted each year in irreproducible preclinical research in the United States alone and, arguably, the greatest need for change lies in the field of commercial antibodies
Of minimum wage and cancer drugs
Of minimum wage and cancer drugs
They may not seem to be 'two great tastes that go great together' but columnist Peter Kissinger has some lessons and thoughts that arise from considering boosts to minimum wages and the costs of cancer therapeutics
Editor's Focus
Dog days of summer. Dog years of oncology?
Dog days of summer. Dog years of oncology?
According to economists at MIT, companies are underinvesting in long-term research on new cancer-fighting drugs; we should probably be concerned about that
Q&A
Q&A: Mush, you huskies!
Q&A: Mush, you huskies!
DDNews talks to Sujay Jadhav of goBalto about the origin and direction of his company
