December 2018 Volume 14, Issue 12
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Volume 14, Issue 12 | December 2018
December 2018
In this Issue
Business & Government Policy
![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
The long and short reads of it
Illumina aims at a more comprehensive sequencing offering with the acquisition of PacBio![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Partners in immuno-oncology
MorphoSys and I-Mab sign strategic agreement for novel immuno-oncology agent MOR210![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
An acquisition and a contract in infectious disease
Sobi to acquire Synagis rights from AstraZeneca for RSV; Tulane awarded NIH contract for whooping cough![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
On the cutting edge
A roundup of instrumentation, software and other tools and technology newsDiscovery
![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
The two faces of AMPK
Salk scientists unravel how enzyme long thought to suppress cancer may sometimes help tumors survive![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Heal thyself—with a little boost
Sitryx and Sygnature join hands to develop therapeutics in immuno-oncology and immuno-inflammation![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Targeting tumors with TRPV6
Drug candidate minimizes cancer cell growth with minimal side effects![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Going after Parkinson’s disease with iPS cells
Keio University and Eisai open path to new techniques for developing neurological therapeutics![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Novel approaches to obesity and metabolic disease
Novo Seeds incubatee Embark Biotech enters collaboration with Novo NordiskPreclinical
![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Innovate looking for answers about NASH
Company studies the effects of larazotide on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Negating nicotine
Scripps scientists test enzyme to reduce dependence![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Heralding HERA-CD27L
Preclinical efficacy data of Apogenix compound published in Frontiers in Oncology![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Preventing heart disease in cancer survivors
CDK2 protein said to play critical role in heart damage caused by doxorubicin, a common chemotherapy drugFeature
![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Focus Feature on Cancer Research: Combating cancer with creativity
A collection of some of the newest approaches to targeting cancer cellsCommentary
![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Publishers’ commentary: A year in review and a year’s preview
The publishers of DDNews check in with their annual look back and look forward for readers of the magazine and visitors of our websites![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Transparency vs. opacity
The will to understand vs. the will to obscure is not a new theme, but when blended with electronic communications it is given new intensity![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Guest Commentary: A more reproducible approach to creating functional Th17 cells
A look at the importance of Th17 cells for drug discovery and look at how the use of specialized methods to confirm cellular identity provides a level of validation that has not previously been availableContract Services
![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
CROs lead industry-wide shift to modernize trial processes
Roughly nine of 10 CROs are taking steps to unify clinical operations for better visibility and improved study execution![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Advancing biomarker discovery and therapeutic development
Specialized CRO offers high-definition tissue imaging services for pharmaceutical and clinical research![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Diamond Pharma named best specialist CRO
Business award granted at OBN in recognition of expert services in cell and gene therapyClinical Trials
![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
New combo therapy for pancreatic cancer?
Pairing investigational peptide with Keytruda yields promising results for BioLineRx![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Attacking alopecia areata
Concert reveals results for drug to counter autoimmune attack against hair follicles![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
LOXL2 inhibitor combats fibrosis
Pharmaxis releases positive results of Phase 1 clinical trial for second LOXL2 inhibitor compound![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Positive data for brain cancer treatment
Ziopharm provides update on Controlled IL-12 platform at Society for Neuro-Oncology meeting![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Against atrial fibrillation
GENETIC-AF Phase 2B AFB results presented at AHA 2018 meetingResearch & Development
![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Fast, open and free analysis with BioJupies
Mount Sinai researchers develop tool that analyzes biomedical data within minutes![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Understanding Zika’s methods
New lab technique helps reveal how Zika virus manipulates the immune system by stripping immune cells of their identity![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
A challenge for Alzheimer’s innovation
Business leader fuels global, multimillion-dollar Oskar Fischer ProjectDiagnostics
![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Myriad makes strides in companion diagnostics
Company announces results for ovarian cancer and an approval for breast cancer![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Digging in deep for diagnostics
Companies continue efforts to develop tests for early Alzheimer’s diagnosis![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
Testing the waters in genetic screening
Nonprofits co-fund feasibility study to test screening tool for 75,000 newborns for Angelman, Prader-Willi, fragile X and Dup15q syndromes![Drug Discovery News Placeholder Image](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/cards/image/placeholder-t.webp)
ThyGenX and ThyraMIR data show positive results
Interpace Diagnostics presents favorable new study findings at the 88th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association![](https://cdn.drugdiscoverynews.com/statics/1.0.16/1736865057/public/assets/backgroundImages/pattern_left_sm_mobile.webp)
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