January 2009- Volume 5, Issue 1
In this Issue
Research & Development
Parexel steps up stroke study services
Parexel steps up stroke study services
Biopharma services provider’s pact with SITS expands access to stroke-focused clinical sites
Salk’s system seeks speedy ALS drug screening
Salk’s system seeks speedy ALS drug screening
Astrocyte finding may hold key to new ALS therapies
Stem cell patent partners
Stem cell patent partners
VistaGen-WARF agreement aims to grow use of human embryonic stem cells in drug development
No bones about partnership
No bones about partnership
Galapagos and MorphoSys see synergies in bone and joint disease partnership
Targeting inflammation
Targeting inflammation
Researchers test potential therapeutic target for inflammatory disease on rheumatoid arthritis
Genomics & Proteomics
Compugen, Merck Serono tackle peptide for inflammation
Compugen, Merck Serono tackle peptide for inflammation
Compugen Ltd. announced recently a collaboration agreement with Merck KGaA, acting for its pharmaceutical division Merck Serono, which covers CGEN-855, a Compugen-discovered novel peptide targeting the FPRL1 G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR).
PGxHealth embarks on Italian connection
PGxHealth embarks on Italian connection
Enters FCGR pathway collaboration with University Hospital of Parma
All for one...
All for one...
Trio of University of Wisconsin spinouts merge under CDI banner
Mutually assured success
Mutually assured success
Harvard Catalyst and HTG team up on miRNA assays
Filling in the gaps
Filling in the gaps
Quintiles' acquisition of TMD rounds out its oncology service offerings
Banking on biomarkers
Banking on biomarkers
Covance solidifies biomarker strategy, takes minority stake in Caprion
Informatics
Tuberculosis portal
Tuberculosis portal
Collaborative Drug Discovery receives Gates Foundation grant to develop TB drug discovery database
Optra Systems joins Microsoft Bio-IT Alliance
Optra Systems joins Microsoft Bio-IT Alliance
Life science and healthcare IT consulting company Optra Systems announced in December it has joined the Microsoft Bio-IT Alliance, an association of life science organizations and informatics companies whose focus is to enhance collaboration and accelerate the pace of drug discovery and development.
Connecting data points
Connecting data points
CambridgeSoft and StatSoft seek to join enterprise-wide data management with data mining and analytics
Data delivery paradigm shift
Data delivery paradigm shift
Bio-Imaging partners with AG Mednet to send image data to clients via Web-accessible network
Slicing and dicing data
Slicing and dicing data
InforSense to provide translational research tools to British research center's mental health projects
Model patients, virtually
Model patients, virtually
Entelos wraps up deal with FDA for the use of its PhysioLab simulation platform to assess cardiovascular risk
Automation & Instrumentation
Abbott exercises Ibis option for $215M
Abbott exercises Ibis option for $215M
Roughly seven months after making a second $20 million investment in Isis Pharmaceuticals subsidiary Ibis Biosciences, Abbott announced in December that it would exercise its option to buy the remaining 81.4 percent of the company for an additional $175 million, bringing the total enterprise price to $215 million.
Lab wiki
Lab wiki
ALA launches LabAutopedia online automation reference guide
Automation spin-off
Automation spin-off
NextGen divests automation arm to management-led eXeTek
Joining separation technologies
Joining separation technologies
Chiral Technologies broadens enantiomeric separations portfolio with acquisition of ChromTech Ltd.
Global News
Celsion in ThermoDox license agreement with Yakult Honsha
Celsion in ThermoDox license agreement with Yakult Honsha
Celsion Corp. and Tokyo-based Yakult Honsha Co. Ltd. announced last month definitive agreements relating to the commercialization of Celsion’s proprietary ThermoDox drug delivery platform for the Japanese market.
Biocompatibles, AstraZeneca forge diabetes pact
Biocompatibles, AstraZeneca forge diabetes pact
Biocompatibles plc announced in late December it signed product development and option-to-license agreements with AstraZeneca for a proprietary GLP-1 analogue invented and developed by Biocompatibles’ CellMed subsidiary.
Malaria mates
Malaria mates
Pfizer and Sigma-Tau to market a potential new treatment for malaria in Africa
Out on their own
Out on their own
Myriad Genetics will use cash on hand from molecular diagnostic success to give pharma spinoff its start
Endo offers $370 million for Indevus
Endo offers $370 million for Indevus
Endo Pharmaceuticals announced earlier this month that it entered into a merger agreement with Indevus Pharmaceuticals for $4.50 per share or $370 million in cash.
Aptamers aplenty for GSK
Aptamers aplenty for GSK
GSK inks aptamer deal focused on inflammatory disease that could net Archemix $1.4 billion
Commentary
Leadership is sharing the credit
Leadership is sharing the credit
There is an issue between students and professors that I've followed for a long time and been personally engaged in as a student, post-doc, professor and business leader. If a student/post-doc discovers something important using funding secured by the professor in an atmosphere provided by the professor, then how much credit should go to each?
Editor's Focus
My first New Year’s resolution
My first New Year’s resolution
I’ve never been one to make New Year’s resolutions, but I do see the very beginning of the year as a time to take a look back at what I have accomplished, look forward to the possibilities of a new year and remind myself of the things that are important in this life.
