February 2011- Volume 7, Issue 2

February 2011

In this Issue

Feature

The final countdown

The final countdown

As the weeks and days tick off in preparation for the final SBS Annual Conference and Exhibition, organizers prepare to usher in the first annual SLAS Conference and Exhibition

Contract Services

Combining their resources

Combining their resources

Warburg Pincus acquires ReSearch Pharmaceutical Services in cash deal worth $227.3 million

Brought together naturally

Brought together naturally

AMRI announces research and licensing agreement with Genentech related to natural product-based antibacterials

rAAV-ing up the stem cell engine

rAAV-ing up the stem cell engine

Horizon Discovery, University of Washington collaborating to apply rAAV gene editing in inducible human pluripotent stem cells

From Princeton to Purdue

From Princeton to Purdue

BASi and Pharmasset sign pact on toxicology, bioanalytical services

Research & Development

Expanding the Spectrum

Expanding the Spectrum

Small but up-and-coming pharma to work toward biosimilar rituximab with Viropro

The ABCs of ADCs

The ABCs of ADCs

Pfizer signs antibody-drug conjugate collaboration with Seattle Genetics

Compatriots in the CNS war

Compatriots in the CNS war

Biogen Idec acquires Neurimmune subsidiary in quest for treatment of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, ALS

Stem cell therapy for retinal disorders to enter clinical trials

Stem cell therapy for retinal disorders to enter clinical trials

Advanced Cell Technology and Roslin Cells announce agreement for storage and worldwide distribution of embryonic stem cells using ACT’s blastomere technology

An Arresto development

An Arresto development

Gilead to acquire fellow Bay Area company Arresto for $225 million to bolster existing pipeline

Omics & Systems Biology

A solid foundation for personalized medicine

A solid foundation for personalized medicine

Foundation Medicine and Novartis team up to develop cancer genome test for rapid clinical analysis

A trio united against obesity

A trio united against obesity

Florida Hospital, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and Takeda announce partnership to target obesity

It’s in the genes

It’s in the genes

EpiTherapeutics and Abbott partner on epigenetic oncology target research

Long-term relationship

Long-term relationship

Pfizer, Santaris expand RNA research deal

A non-traditional team

A non-traditional team

sanofi-aventis and Avila Therapeutics sign $800 million-plus deal to develop targeted covalent oncology drugs

Diagnostics

Getting its feet wet

Getting its feet wet

Beckman Coulter’s agreement to develop a companion Dx test for Transgene’s NSCLC trial marks the company’s entrée into this growing market

Biocartis, Janssen to develop assays for MDx system

Biocartis, Janssen to develop assays for MDx system

Under this new agreement, Janssen—which took an equity stake in Biocartis last year—will have worldwide exclusive rights to develop and commercialize assays on Biocartis’ MDx platform in the fields of neurological disease and certain viral infectious diseases

Metamark dives into cancer biomarkers

Metamark dives into cancer biomarkers

MDx firm and HistoRx announce licensing agreement for AQUA technology

Across the virtual pond

Across the virtual pond

Flagship Biosciences and U.K.’s HistologiX to perform tissue-based companion diagnostic services in ‘virtual’ environment

A PAT on the back

A PAT on the back

Roche to use Itamar Medical’s EndoPAT device to measure peripheral artery tone in cardiovascular drug development

Instruments & Informatics

Illumina acquires Epicentre Biotechnologies

Illumina acquires Epicentre Biotechnologies

Seeking to enhance its sample preparation and enzyme portfolio, Illumina Inc. announced Jan. 11 that it has acquired Epicentre Biotechnologies, a provider of nucleic acid sample preparation reagents and specialty enzymes used in sequencing and microarray applications.

Analyze this

Analyze this

Sigma-Aldrich boosts analytical chemistry portfolio with acquisition of Cerilliant

Purely strategic

Purely strategic

Thermo Fisher Scientific acquires German provider of laboratory water purification systems

Search and analyze

Search and analyze

Thomson Reuters, ChemAxon collaborating to help speed drug discovery for life science researchers

Taking the next step together

Taking the next step together

GenomeQuest and Ingenuity Systems partner up for next-generation sequencing and personalized medicine research

Global News

Collaboration combats cystic fibrosis

Collaboration combats cystic fibrosis

Forest acquires rights from Germany’s Grunenthal for CF treatment, prevention

A positive direction for HIV

A positive direction for HIV

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Oncolys BioPharma in nearly $300 million licensing deal for investigational HIV compound

Getting proteins through the brain’s barriers

Getting proteins through the brain’s barriers

Synageva and to-BBB to collaborate on drug delivery for rare CNS-related diseases

Proteins in PSD linked to brain diseases

Proteins in PSD linked to brain diseases

Scientists at Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Edinburgh University isolate a set of proteins that accounts for more than 130 brain diseases

Help for Haiti

Help for Haiti

Pacific Biosciences and Harvard scientists decode genome of Haitian cholera pathogen

Special Reports

Label-free technology primer

Label-free technology primer

A partly impartial and partly commercial introduction to the state of the tech for label-free assays

Label-free: The way to be?

Label-free: The way to be?

Companies producing label-free technologies for drug discovery discuss trends, future of this growing market

Commentary

FDA issues draft guidance on development of combinations of investigational drugs

FDA issues draft guidance on development of combinations of investigational drugs

While challenges exist for the pharma and biotech industry to reach through corporate walls to collaboration, the FDA helps to remove a couple hurdles on the regulatory side

Keep it simple, stupid!

Keep it simple, stupid!

Sometimes, keeping it too simple works against forward progress. While there is no need to make things unnecessarily complicated, we must work to ensure we don't dumb things down so much that people expect easy solutions, accept weak ones or buy into faulty conclusions.

Editor's Focus

The brain drain: Degrees in vain?

The brain drain: Degrees in vain?

We not only need to educate our own children and young adults to be more skilled in scientific and other advanced fields, but also need to figure out how to keep more of the people who come to study in the United States from abroad
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