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May 2010 Volume 6, Issue 5

Volume 6, Issue 5 | May 2010

In this Issue

Omics & Systems Biology

Common sense

GSK strikes $1.5 billion-plus deal to use Isis’ antisense platform for development of rare disease therapeutics

Making siRNA research a SNALP

Tekmira to use stable nucleic acid-lipid particle technology to deliver Pfizer’s siRNA molecules

Gene silencing takes steps forward

Dicerna Pharmaceuticals and Ipsen to collaborate on therapeutic agents in endocrinology and oncology

Building a better mousetrap

Affymetrix and Jackson Laboratory announce the official commercial launch of groundbreaking mouse diversity genotyping array

Getting the bugs out of the flu

Emory University School of Medicine and Zirus team up to create new class of antiviral drugs

Global News

An ironclad partnership

AMAG and Takeda announce strategic collaboration for iron deficiency anemia drug Feraheme

sanofi-aventis inks diabetes test agreement with AgaMatrix

Companies to develop and market blood glucose marketing tests

Banking on personalized medicine

Life Technologies and the Integrated Biobank of Luxembourg to sequence biospecimen samples for advancement of disease research

Expanding its footprint

AstraZeneca extends branded generics capability with Torrent agreement

Expressing themselves

Eden Biodesign brings its cGMP manufacturing expertise together with Millipore’s UCOE express technology

Government Watch

Patent wars persist

Myriad poised to appeal court ruling invalidating patents on breast cancer genes

Winners and losers in healthcare reform

New legislation has pros and cons for pharmaceutical industry

Southern comfort

Maine-based Jackson Laboratory may soon be in the position of opening a new facility in Florida

Genomics research takes hit in Minnesota

State-wide budget cuts mean less funding for Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics

Special Reports

SPECIAL REPORT: Outsourcing under the microscope

As some companies tighten their belts, CROs across the globe are enjoying this growing business trend

Diagnostics

Signed, sealed, delivered

PerkinElmer acquires diagnostic genetic testing firm Signature Genomics

Partnership is air for the lungs

Source BioScience inks deal with AstraZeneca to provide genetic testing service for lung cancer

Companies Seeq infectious disease answers

Novartis to market Smiths Detection’s Bio-Seeq instrument and technology for infectious disease diagnostics

Best served at room temperature: Just add water

GenVault provides GenTegra DNA to support cardio genetic testing at Berkeley HeartLab

Optimizing breast cancer therapy strategies

Health Discovery and Smart Personalized Medicine to develop technology for lab tests aimed at personalized breast cancer therapy

Exonhit eyes growth in molecular diagnostics with Redpath acquisition

Editor's Focus

Autism story hits close to home for ddn reporter

The discoveries, technologies and advances involved in the deals our editors and reporters write about each month sometimes hit very close to home.

Patent News

The Patent Reform Act of 2010: A substitute S. 515

Here comes the Patent Reform Act of 2010 in the form of an amendment to S. 515.

Commentary

What drug discoverers should know about interferon and its future

A deeper understanding of interferons’ varied functions within the immune system may lead to discovery of more effective therapies

Instruments & Informatics

Deal is cut and dried

Luminex acquires automation firm BSD Robotics, expanding expertise in field of dry sample handling

Transcending clinical trial hurdles

Acquisition of TranSenda adds clinical trial management software to BioClinica’s portfolio

Quality model + quality data = 250,000 molecules/hour

Symyx partners with Simulations Plus to improve predictive modeling of metabolites and metabolic pathways

A good fit for sequencing

CLC bio partners with Ion Torrent to expand high-throughput sequencing support

Research & Development

Resistance is futile

NeurOp and Bristol-Myers Squibb to develop NeurOp’s NMDAR antagonists in treatment-resistant depression

Cancer research turns a corner

NCI taps Cornerstone Pharmaceuticals’ nanotechnology for evaluation of anti-cancer agents

Allies against autism

Rett Syndrome Research Trust, Melior Discovery to develop drug candidates for most disabling form of autism

Giving a lymph to patients

Moffitt Cancer Center receives NCI grant to create bioengineered “designer” lymph nodes with Scripps Florida

New Products

Plate-based, label-free biosensor

SRU Biosystems recently announced the extension of its product line of label-free instrumentation and biosensors with the introduction of its BIND Scanner, a plate-based, label-free instrument capable of monitoring cellular responses at an individual cell resolution.

May 2010