February 2013- Volume 9, Issue 2
February 2013
In this Issue
Feature
SOT 2013 Annual Meeting and ToxExpo: One-stop toxicology shop (Part 2)
SOT 2013 Annual Meeting and ToxExpo: One-stop toxicology shop (Part 2)
Annual meeting of the Society of Toxicology promises a wide range of toxicology and safety assessment science
SOT 2013 Annual Meeting and ToxExpo: One-stop toxicology shop (Part 1)
SOT 2013 Annual Meeting and ToxExpo: One-stop toxicology shop (Part 1)
Annual meeting of the Society of Toxicology promises a wide range of toxicology and safety assessment science
Commentary
The times, they are a changin’ in the biopharma market
The times, they are a changin’ in the biopharma market
The biopharmaceutical development community has successfully developed a broad range of highly effective therapies for a wide variety of serious and debilitating diseases. However, developing biopharmaceuticals is inherently an extremely challenging and commercially risky undertaking, often working to tight timelines and typically resource- constrained.
That’s not fair! Or is it?
That’s not fair! Or is it?
Fair deserves a rest. A more precise set of words could include meritorious, disciplined and ethical.
Editor's Focus
Sherley v. Sebelius: Where do we go from here?
Sherley v. Sebelius: Where do we go from here?
“What we have going on right now with hESC research is the civil rights movement of the 21st century, a debate on whether science is going to enslave and manipulate the embryo,” says Samuel Casey, managing director and general counsel for the Law of Life Project, the law firm that represented the plaintiffs in Sherley v. Sebelius. “They are the new slaves. They are too small to vote. We are reopening the door on human subject experimentation, something that until now, only World War II closed the door on. I have spent the last 10 years trying to point out the truth, and this is where we today.”
Diagnostics
Life Tech, Boston Children’s Hospital launch clinical genomics company
Life Tech, Boston Children’s Hospital launch clinical genomics company
Life Technologies Corp. and Boston Children’s Hospital announced in early January the launch of Claritas Genomics, a new company formed to develop next-generation, genetic and genomics-based diagnostic testing solutions
Lilly, Dako make powerful companions
Lilly, Dako make powerful companions
Collaboration on companion diagnostics will help speed oncology products to market
CDx deal is thrice as nice
CDx deal is thrice as nice
Already partnered on the development of a companion diagnostic test for lymphoma, Eisai and Epizyme bring Roche Molecular Diagnostics into the fold
QIAGEN plus four
QIAGEN plus four
Company’s agreements with four companies boost its diagnostic pipeline for personalized healthcare applications
Passing the transplantation diagnostics torch
Passing the transplantation diagnostics torch
Immucor acquires LIFECODES business from Hologic Inc.
Looking for a prenatal payoff
Looking for a prenatal payoff
Illumina agrees to acquire Verinata Health for $350 million upfront plus $100 million in potential milestones
Omics & Systems Biology
Shire acquires Lotus Tissue Repair, gains potential therapy for rare skin disease
Shire acquires Lotus Tissue Repair, gains potential therapy for rare skin disease
Acquisition consists of an undisclosed upfront payment as well as certain additional payments if specified safety and development milestones are met
My antisense is tingling
My antisense is tingling
Strategic alliance between AstraZeneca and Isis aims to develop next-generation RNA therapeutics
From platform to clinic
From platform to clinic
Partnership between Heptares Therapeutics and Cubist Pharmaceuticals targets GCPRs for unmet needs in acute care
Autism spectrum under study
Autism spectrum under study
Population Dx, Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children discover gene variants for autism spectrum disorder
MD Anderson, Trovagene to study transrenal BRAF mutations in primary, metastatic cancers
MD Anderson, Trovagene to study transrenal BRAF mutations in primary, metastatic cancers
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Trovagene Inc., a developer of transrenal molecular diagnostics, have entered into a clinical collaboration with to detect transrenal BRAF mutations in the urine of patients with advanced or metastatic cancers
Research & Development
Sutro-Celgene partnership a strategic fit
Sutro-Celgene partnership a strategic fit
Companies collaborate on ADCs in $500 million-plus deal
A LEAP forward for stem cell research
A LEAP forward for stem cell research
Collaboration will give world-class scientific team access to cutting-edge private technologies
Stem cell developers Give Cures
Stem cell developers Give Cures
CET, John Paul II Medical Research Institute to develop stem cell biobank for academia, government, industry
Neuroscience focus of AstraZeneca, Vanderbilt deal
Neuroscience focus of AstraZeneca, Vanderbilt deal
Vanderbilt University has joined forces with AstraZeneca PLC in a research deal to identify potential treatments for psychosis and other psychiatric symptoms associated with diseases such as Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia
End of the road for hESC opponents
End of the road for hESC opponents
U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear case seeking to restrict federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research
Global News
Getting under our skin
Getting under our skin
Pfizer, Halozyme partner on subcutaneous biologics delivery in potential $500 million-plus deal
Improving immune response
Improving immune response
German pharma Phenex joins forces with Janssen Biotech to target autoimmune, chronic inflammatory disorders
Trio tackles translational research
Trio tackles translational research
Three-way collaboration tackles Parkinson’s disease
Getting AMP-ed up
Getting AMP-ed up
Daiichi Sankyo, Amplimmune partner to develop immune modulation therapy
Aligned in oncology
Aligned in oncology
Chugai and Debiopharm announce an exclusive license agreement for anti-cancer agent FF284
Contract Services
Controlling the flow of information
Controlling the flow of information
PAREXEL acquires regulatory information management provider Liquent
A deal with 'significant efficiencies'
A deal with 'significant efficiencies'
CNS acquires business assets of long-time partner BELTAS
Second time around
Second time around
LGC acquires bioanalytical sciences business from Quotient Bioresearch
Not your usual CRO arrangement
Not your usual CRO arrangement
U.S.-based biopharma Onconova partners with Indian CRO GVK Biosciences on development of cancer drugs
Questcor Pharmaceuticals acquires BioVectra
Questcor Pharmaceuticals acquires BioVectra
Questcor Pharmaceuticals Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire all issued and outstanding shares of BioVectra Inc., for an upfront payment of nearly $50 million
Tools & Technology
Market share for Bio-Rad; focused direction for MorphoSys
Market share for Bio-Rad; focused direction for MorphoSys
Bio-Rad acquires MorphoSys’ AbD Serotec for approximately $70 million in a cash deal
124 and counting
124 and counting
Venerable WHEATON Industries acquires chromatography vial supply company MicroLiter Analytical Supplies
Shifting from manual to automatic
Shifting from manual to automatic
Roche, PSS unite to develop fully automated emulsion PCR instrument
Alliance of a lifetime
Alliance of a lifetime
Almac and TTP Labtech partner on fluorescence lifetime technology for screening applications
