July 2009- Volume 5, Issue 7
July 2009
In this Issue
Feature
What’s in a name? IBC gives DDT event a huge facelift this year and moves away from a tech overview mentality
What’s in a name? IBC gives DDT event a huge facelift this year and moves away from a tech overview mentality
IBC gives DDT event a huge facelift this year and moves away from a tech overview mentality
Automation & Instrumentation
One bird with two stones
One bird with two stones
Agilent establishes two collaborations that continue its goal to find strong partners who can help it bring novel and effective solutions to researchers
Double-teaming for twice the productivity
Double-teaming for twice the productivity
Applied Biosystems, MDS Analytical Technologies double mass spec throughput to speed drug development
Systematic knockdown
Systematic knockdown
PMCC expands cancer research efforts with Caliper's automation tool
PerkinElmer gets chance to work with a ‘legend’
PerkinElmer gets chance to work with a ‘legend’
PerkinElmer, BioLegend announce custom immunoassay development collaboration for drug discovery research
Duplicating their results
Duplicating their results
Thermo Fisher announces biomarker assay collaboration between BRIMS Center and NextGen Sciences
Genomics & Proteomics
The one percent solution
The one percent solution
Roche's 454 Life Sciences and SeqWright bring their technologies to bear on the human exome to help understand dilated cardiomyopathy
The 'democratization' of genetic research
The 'democratization' of genetic research
23andMe, PatientsLikeMe team up to study Parkinson's disease, pursue personal genetics
Mission: Gaps no more
Mission: Gaps no more
Broad Institute researchers employ Roche-454 technology to close some gaps in the human genome that resist traditional bacterial cloning methods
Advancing Avestagenome
Advancing Avestagenome
Avesthagen and Harvard agree to share genomics knowledge, services
A story of cancer, canines and collaboration
A story of cancer, canines and collaboration
North Carolina State University and UNC Lineberger team up to combat cancer in man—and man’s best friend
Your own personal genome
Your own personal genome
Illumina launches $48K consumer sequencing
Research & Development
Taking their gloves off
Taking their gloves off
AstraZeneca, Merck form collaboration to investigate novel combination anticancer regimen
Heavy water keys collaboration between Bristol-Myers Squibb and KineMed
Heavy water keys collaboration between Bristol-Myers Squibb and KineMed
Companies to use stable isotope technology to identify biomarkers that can be used to treat Alzheimer\'s
Targeted immunotherapy tag team
Targeted immunotherapy tag team
Genentech and Bayhill Therapeutics partner on development of antigen-specific immunotherapy candidate for type 1 diabetes in deal that could exceed $350 million
Celldex Therapeutics acquires CuraGen and its oncology antibodies for $94.5 million
Celldex Therapeutics acquires CuraGen and its oncology antibodies for $94.5 million
Deal also bolsters Celldex's financials, allowing it to advance clinical programs into 2012
Taking aim at tuberculosis
Taking aim at tuberculosis
TB Alliance announces four drug discovery collaborations to stock TB pipeline
Breast cancer Dx beyond borders
Breast cancer Dx beyond borders
ExonHit purchases exclusive rights from Institut Gustave Roussy for novel breast cancer diagnostic assay
Informatics
A new extension for Microsoft
A new extension for Microsoft
Software giant to acquire assets of Rosetta Biosoftware from Merck, boosting Amalga Life Sciences platform
Quite the pair
Quite the pair
Ingenuity-Integromics integration offers comprehensive genomics analysis
Down the in silico discovery pathway
Down the in silico discovery pathway
Gene Network Sciences, UCSF use Bayesian network model for project
For E-Notebook system, it's official
For E-Notebook system, it's official
University of Antwerp selects CambridgeSoft's E-Notebook for university-wide research use
Creating a cheminformatics connection
Creating a cheminformatics connection
University of Cambridge selects IDBS as its data management provider and commences an R&D collaboration
Data deluge dam
Data deluge dam
GenoLogics and SAS team up to create end-to-end analysis solution for large genomic data sets
Commentary
Fixing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: More money and power—or more competition?
Fixing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: More money and power—or more competition?
Objectively measured, the FDA is overfunded and overstaffed. The FDA employs too many people and costs too much. This will only get worse if Congress simply throws yet more money at the agency.
Beware the gatekeeper of information
Beware the gatekeeper of information
Real leaders abhor secrecy like nature abhors a vacuum. Tyrants adore secrecy. Leaders don’t fear information getting out. They share it, discuss it and seek alternative points of view. This is a sign of confidence and strength. It is not a sign of weakness.
Editor's Focus
Getting personal about personal genetics
Getting personal about personal genetics
I often feel that I have one of the most interesting and gratifying jobs a person can have—reporting on the latest life science breakthroughs and pharmaceutical discoveries, advances that may impact the bottom line of large pharmas and small biotechs right now, but will have significant, potentially life-altering, meaning for all of us later. Once in a while, a story hits especially close to home, and I can’t help but cast my red pen aside and view it from the perspective of a patient.
Global News
Novartis nabs Ebewe
Novartis nabs Ebewe
Swiss drugmaker expands specialty generics business with $1.2 billion purchase of injectable drug unit
Deuterium discovery deal
Deuterium discovery deal
GSK and Concert Pharmaceuticals to develop deuterium-modified drugs in deal worth up to $1 billion
France’s Cerep inks deal with Lilly
France’s Cerep inks deal with Lilly
Platform includes screening capabilities for 250 targets with assays for a wide range of diseases
Sciele claims Victory in pain battle with $150 million acquisition
Sciele claims Victory in pain battle with $150 million acquisition
Atlanta-based Sciele Pharma acquires Victory, aligns with Shionogi’s pain management focus
Boehringer Ingelheim and DxS in lung cancer diagnostic deal
Boehringer Ingelheim and DxS in lung cancer diagnostic deal
Companies partner on companion diagnostic to identify EGFR mutations in patients with lung cancer
Xenon inks $184 million cardiovascular disease collaboration with Merck
Xenon inks $184 million cardiovascular disease collaboration with Merck
On June 11, Xenon announced a strategic alliance with Merck & Co. Inc., through an affiliate, to discover and develop novel small-molecule candidates for the potential treatment of cardiovascular disease.
