May 2012 Volume 8, Issue 5
Volume 8, Issue 5 | May 2012
May 2012
In this Issue
Government Watch
Mayo yes, Myriad maybe
Supreme Court agrees with Mayo’s stance on Prometheus patent claims; sends Myriad Genetics case back to the Federal CircuitPresident Obama signs JOBS Act
Legislation holds good news for biopharma, biotech startupsUnder the looking glass
Senate panel voices concerns for 2013 NIH budgetCOMMENTARY: Laws of nature muddle patent certainty
After a long wait, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Mayo v. Prometheus, an important intellectual property case for the biotechnology industryTools & Technology
Crystal-clear acquisitions
Corning Life Sciences to further broaden offerings with acquisition of majority of BD Discovery LabwareBruker in 3D
Company announces acquisition of SkyScan, launches Micro-CT 3D X-ray imaging systems for life-science and materials researchBeckman Coulter sets sail with Blue Ocean
Acquisition expands company’s flow cytometry portfolioSequencing in the palm of your hand?
QuantuMDx Group and A*STAR Institute Of Microelectronics aim to bring nanowire-based DNA sequencing to marketBioClinica’s PET project
Company inks collaborative deal to leverage Mirada’s advanced image analysis capabilitiesJapan’s Transparent, Molecular Response to launch 3D cell culture system for cancer applications
Transparent Inc. and Molecular Response Laboratories (MRL) announced in late March that they launch Cell-able Oncology, a novel 3D cell culture system for pharmaceutical researchers and medical professionals.Research & Development
A deal with 20/20 vision
Bausch + Lomb acquires ISTA, gains strong ophthalmic portfolioSpectrum diversifies its revenue
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals acquires Allos Therapeutics for $206 millionClinical-stage collaboration
AstraZeneca’s MedImmune subsidiary partners with Amgen to commercialize early- and late-stage clinical inflammation portfolioShire stakes a claim
Company acquires hematology- focused FerroKin BioScience in deal worth as much as $325 million; also licenses CNS program from Heptares in potential $190 million agreementAMRI licenses anticancer tubulin inhibitor program to Bessor Pharma
Agreement demonstrates AMRI’s strategic plan to advance the clinical development of its compounds and programsSigma-Aldrich acquires Research Organics, strengthens portfolio of PharmaGrade raw materials
Sigma-Aldrich Corp. announced in April that it has acquired all outstanding shares of Cleveland, Ohio-based, Research Organics Inc., to expand the company’s buffer production capacity and to increase its portfolio of PharmaGrade raw materials for the biopharmaceutical and diagnostic marketsGlobal News
Forming a pharma fund
Index Ventures, GSK and J&J align to make $240 million in venture-capital funding available to life-science companies with early-stage assetsAcross the (other) pond
Researchers from Canada and Japan reach across the Pacific Ocean to join forces in the development of stem-cell epigeneticsADCs for PBD
PolyTherics will collaborate with Spirogen to develop novel anti-cancer antibody-drug conjugatesA French-American alliance
Multicenter collaboration to target dendritic cells for therapeutic vaccinesIsraeli researchers develop vaccine to fight cancer
Vaxil Biotherapeutics, U of Tel Aviv team up on vaccine targeting MUC1Editor's Focus
Michigan university, lawmakers at impasse over hESCs
In March, Michigan’s House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education said it may withhold $7 million of performance funding from the 2012/2013 state budget for the University of Michigan (U-M) and Michigan State University if U-M does not disclose the number of hESCs the school is using in its research.Feature
Getting the big picture from small sources
American Society for Microbiology’s annual meeting covers a lot of groundMore about asm2012 and San Francisco
Additional information about the ASM 112th General Meeting and a few of the sites around San FranciscoCommentary
Out of Order: Patently absurd
Patents do not stifle innovation any more than copyright laws stifle creativity. In a similar vein, homeownership does not stifle homelessness, and marriage does not necessarily stifle infidelity.Paradigm shift: Rethinking type 2 diabetes as a heterogeneous disease
The only way we will see true, long-term success in treating diabetes is by fundamentally rethinking this disease and shifting our focus to pursue a targeted, personalized approach to prevention, diagnosis and treatment.Diagnostics
GE ropes in Texas genomics company
GE Healthcare completes acquisition of SeqWright, expanding capabilities in fast- growing molecular diagnostic segmentBMS opts for MULTI-ARRAY
Bristol-Myers Squibb and Meso Scale Discovery to develop diagnostic assays for Alzheimer’s diseaseB cells on the A-list
HTG Molecular Diagnostics and Sanofi US collaborate to identify B-cell malignancy biomarkersScratching out allergies
Advaxis, Karolinska Institutet conduct research in allergic diseasesRoche throws in the towel
Company announces that tender offer for Illumina will not be extendedMMRF, TGen to lead multiple myeloma study
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) recently announced a multi-year oncology research partnership with several partnersOmics & Systems Biology
Researchers have the stomach for cancer
Duke-NUS, NCCS-led team discovers stomach cancer gene mutationsA virtual encyclopedia
The Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia, a project launched by Novartis and the Broad Institute, lends knowledge to cancer drug developmentCars, remote controls and McDonalds
Obesity and type 2 diabetes targeted by Ember Therapeutics’ license of brown fat technology and IP from the Joslin Diabetes CenterPROOF positive about working with Adiga
PROOF Centre and Adiga Life Sciences launch biomarker discovery collaboration related to allergiesAgilent and FAPESP fund life-science research projects in Brazil
Agilent Technologies Inc. and FAPESP, the São Paulo Research Foundation, recently announced the selection of two jointly funded research projectsSpecial Reports
Going for multiple shots on goal
Drugmakers seek more than one application for compounds in early phase of developmentSubscribe to our eNewsletters
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