November 2014- Volume 10, Issue 11
November 2014
In this Issue
Discovery
A high-tech Angie’s List
A high-tech Angie’s List
New OnDeckBiotech platform connects researchers with drug discovery expertise
Creating realistic systems
Creating realistic systems
Models are designed to show growth of tumor cells and effectiveness of drugs outside of the body
Computational combat
Computational combat
Researchers combine molecular, quantum mechanics to screen for HIV compounds
Microbiome to the rescue
Microbiome to the rescue
Vaginal bacteria reveal untapped medical potential of the human microbiome
Mining pharma’s data
Mining pharma’s data
Pharmaceutical companies to share data for drug design via new UC San Diego-led resource
Diagnostics
Advanced Cell Diagnostics receives major NCI grant
Advanced Cell Diagnostics receives major NCI grant
Award will fund development of proprietary in-situ RNA detection technology
Removing the ‘sword of Damocles’
Removing the ‘sword of Damocles’
MetaSite Breast diagnostic test aims to remove threat hanging over heads of most breast cancer patients
Metabolon taps Metdia for European marketing of prediabetes tests
Metabolon taps Metdia for European marketing of prediabetes tests
The collaboration includes Metabolon's Quantose IR and Quantose IGT tests
Proton therapy, oncology care
Proton therapy, oncology care
IBA and Philips collaborate to personalize cancer diagnosis and treatment
Research & Development
Centralizing research
Centralizing research
RNAcentral launched in September to provide unified resource for non-coding RNA data
Hickory dickory dock…
Hickory dickory dock…
Using a novel biological aging clock and tissue samples, UCLA researchers find that obesity accelerates aging of the liver
A resource for cellular metabolism
A resource for cellular metabolism
Agilent teams with University of Toronto on metabolomics library
Hitting the stem cell ‘reset’
Hitting the stem cell ‘reset’
Scientists return human stem cells to earliest developmental state
Business & Government Policy
A ‘win-win’ in women’s health
A ‘win-win’ in women’s health
AMAG Pharmaceuticals to acquire Lumara Health, propelling company into women’s health
AbbVie aborts plan to acquire Shire
AbbVie aborts plan to acquire Shire
After U.S. tax officials begin to put up roadblocks to inversion deals, deal falls apart
Patent Docs: District courts implement Supreme Court’s Actavis decision
Patent Docs: District courts implement Supreme Court’s Actavis decision
This case illustrates the consequence of the Supreme Court’s jurisprudential decision to permit the contours of its Actavis decision to be ‘worked out’ in district and appellate courts below
On the cutting edge
On the cutting edge
A roundup of instrumentation, software and other tools and technology news
Horizon Discovery acquires Sage Labs
Horizon Discovery acquires Sage Labs
Transaction strengthens Horizon’s intellectual property with regard to CRISPR technology
Expanding the pipeline
Expanding the pipeline
Endo to acquire Auxilium Pharmaceuticals in a cash-and-stock transaction for approximately $2.6 billion
Clinical Trials
Matching drug and trial options to patients
Matching drug and trial options to patients
med fusion and GenomOncology recently announced a partnership to optimize treatment strategies based on the patient’s disease state and tumor profile
Strong statement
Strong statement
Monoclonal antibody HIV drug succeeds in monotherapy clinical trial
Progress on dementia
Progress on dementia
Intra-Cellular Therapies announces topline safety results from Phase 1/2 trial of lead dementia drug candidate
Easing the pain
Easing the pain
Improved treatment for spasticity on the horizon
Hope for spinal injury?
Hope for spinal injury?
StemCells Inc. takes step toward treating cervical spinal cord injury and possibly achieving a cure
Recognizing potential in RSV
Recognizing potential in RSV
Johnson & Johnson deals out $1.75B for respiratory disease company Alios
Preclinical
An ACS agreement
An ACS agreement
MedImmune will in-license Shionogi’s biologic program for acute coronary syndrome
Fruits of their efforts
Fruits of their efforts
Preclinical trials show experimental drug from seeds of Australian Blushwood tree fruit destroys cancer tumors
Cutting off avenues of ESKAPE
Cutting off avenues of ESKAPE
Novel antibiotics from Melinta show in-vitro potential against resistant bacteria
OnCore marks milestones in mission to cure hepatitis B
OnCore marks milestones in mission to cure hepatitis B
Recently, the biopharma licensed a series of second-gen cyclophilin inhibitors for the treatment of hepatitis B and acquired a pharma with two novel drug discovery programs
Feature
ASCB Show Preview: A new universality in cell biology
ASCB Show Preview: A new universality in cell biology
Engineering, physics, computational modeling and quantitative methods are all part of this year’s ASCB special sessions
Special Reports
Special Report on Disease Modeling: So life-like
Special Report on Disease Modeling: So life-like
After decades of questionable results, are disease models turning a corner?
Q&A
Q&A: Celsus seeks to develop the anti-inflammatory drugs of the future
Q&A: Celsus seeks to develop the anti-inflammatory drugs of the future
DDNews talks to Dr. Gur Roshwald, CEO of Celsus Therapeutics, about his company's proprietary drug technology platform and progress in the area of multifunctional anti-inflammatory drugs
Editor's Focus
Clinical trials and tribulations
Clinical trials and tribulations
Conducting clinical trials in "developing nations" and other places that aren't part of the so-called First World has been great for some pharmas and biotechs in terms of cutting costs and increasing recruitment, but the cost benefits won't last forever
Commentary
Success of new-generation metabolo-therapies in personalized medicine depends on measuring bioenergetic health
Success of new-generation metabolo-therapies in personalized medicine depends on measuring bioenergetic health
At the crossroads of understanding cell physiology, disease pathology and etiology is cell metabolism, which is widely known to be a common feature of these costly, debilitating and lethal diseases. In part because of this, The next decade will witness the release of a new class of drugs, known as “metabolo-therapeutics,” which will target metabolic pathways and the individual metabolites that are required for the maintenance of normal health.
Out of order: Regulator, go to heal
Out of order: Regulator, go to heal
Is it time for Health Canada to give up on regulation of drugs and medical devices, following the lead of the U.S. FDA on that front and focusing on other public health duties for which it is better equipped?
