February 2011- Volume 7, Issue 2
February 2011
In this Issue
Contract Services
From Princeton to Purdue
From Princeton to Purdue
BASi and Pharmasset sign pact on toxicology, bioanalytical 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
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
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
Global News
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
Collaboration combats cystic fibrosis
Collaboration combats cystic fibrosis
Forest acquires rights from Germany’s Grunenthal for CF treatment, prevention
Help for Haiti
Help for Haiti
Pacific Biosciences and Harvard scientists decode genome of Haitian cholera pathogen
Instruments & Informatics
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
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.
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
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
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
Metamark dives into cancer biomarkers
Metamark dives into cancer biomarkers
MDx firm and HistoRx announce licensing agreement for AQUA technology
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
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
Commentary
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.
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
Special Reports
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
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
