October 2012- Volume 8, Issue 10
October 2012
In this Issue
Commentary
Barcodes in drug discovery: The quiet revolution
Barcodes in drug discovery: The quiet revolution
From the grocery store to the microwell plate in your lab, barcodes are ever-present. But our knowledge of them is often superficial, and as a result, we don’t fully enjoy their benefits. Their critical role in drug discovery suggests knowing how they work makes us more productive users of the technology.
Who needs R&D tax credits?
Who needs R&D tax credits?
No one with a brain makes an R&D decision based on tax credits. We make those decisions to try for a competitive advantage. If we don’t achieve that advantage, we shouldn’t expect to be partially reimbursed for the effort just to have our butts protected in a plea for fairness.
Research & Development
Fixing broken hearts
Fixing broken hearts
University of Maryland cardiac studies explore use of stem cells to reduce ripple effect, help children
Acquisition elevates Sunovion’s respiratory focus
Acquisition elevates Sunovion’s respiratory focus
Company’s $100 million-plus purchase of Elevation Pharmaceuticals comes with novel nebulizer for COPD
Marching toward the front line
Marching toward the front line
SFJ and Pfizer to co-develop dacomitinib as first-line treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer
Court upholds federal hESC research funding
Court upholds federal hESC research funding
Plaintiff’s arguments in contentious Sherley v. Sebelius case rejected
A window into VISTA
A window into VISTA
Partnership aims to develop immunotherapies for cancer based on new negative checkpoint regulator
Feature
Being human: ASHG 2012 annual meeting preview
Being human: ASHG 2012 annual meeting preview
American Society for Human Genetics delves into specifics of human genome in San Francisco
Tools & Technology
Filling a ‘critical’ gap
Filling a ‘critical’ gap
Agilent now offers single-vendor solutions in supercritical fluid chromatography with acquisition of Aurora SFC Systems’ assets
Leica Biosystems acquires Aperio
Leica Biosystems acquires Aperio
Aperio’s ePathology solutions key to the deal
Seeking growth with Molegro
Seeking growth with Molegro
CLC bio acquires Molegro, expands bioinformatics offering
No gene left behind
No gene left behind
PerkinElmer and Massachusetts General Hospital to develop a complete sequencing informatics system for cancer research
Global News
Company complements are more than skin deep
Company complements are more than skin deep
Valeant acquires Medicis for $2.6 billion
Adding mixtures to the mix
Adding mixtures to the mix
Merck, Symphogen ink $600 million-plus licensing deal for recombinant antibody for oncology
Going through a phage
Going through a phage
AmpliPhi to acquire Special Phage Services to create anti-infective company focused on bacteriophage-based therapies
Mad about mAbs
Mad about mAbs
Genmab licenses monoclonal antibody cancer treatment to Janssen Biotech in deal worth more than $1.1 billion
Give them a C
Give them a C
Medivir acquires preclinical antiviral programs from Novadex, including hepatitis C and prodrug technologies
Diagnostics
PathGEN inks pact with Affymetrix
PathGEN inks pact with Affymetrix
Companies to tackle diagnostic test development for pathogen detection
Intel inside Ivy
Intel inside Ivy
Stanford uses Intel chip to analyze protein interactions, diagnose disease
Paradigm for personalized medicine
Paradigm for personalized medicine
U-M/IGC joint venture uses genetic information to understand and treat disease
A picture-perfect focus
A picture-perfect focus
MacroGenics, ImaginAb collaboration to develop clinical imaging agents
Partners target ovarian cancer
Partners target ovarian cancer
Toronto biotech Axela and Calif.-based OvaGene Oncology develop molecular diagnostics test
Omics & Systems Biology
Treasure in the junk
Treasure in the junk
ENCODE project finds much less garbage in what has been called ‘junk DNA’
An infectious attitude
An infectious attitude
AstraZeneca, Broad Institute announce antibacterial, antiviral collaboration
Three partners, one target
Three partners, one target
Two British research organizations team with California-based pharma company to discover and develop novel blood cancer drug candidates
An alternative to liver transplantation
An alternative to liver transplantation
Collaboration between University of Cambridge and GSK seeks a breakthrough in A1AT deficiency treatment
Collaborators seek MS biomarkers
Collaborators seek MS biomarkers
Biogen Idec and Regulus Therapeutics to look for microRNAs as biomarkers for multiple sclerosis
Editor's Focus
When the medium isn’t the message anymore
When the medium isn’t the message anymore
“Quotation approval” might have come into practice because sources wanted to ensure that their statements are correct and properly attributed, but unfortunately, this process often goes far beyond making sure a journalist recorded your statements accurately.
Special Reports
A companion in your corner (Part 1)
A companion in your corner (Part 1)
CDx market sees strong growth despite regulatory, development burdens
A companion in your corner (Part 2)
A companion in your corner (Part 2)
CDx market sees strong growth despite regulatory, development burdens
Contract Services
Charles River acquires Accugenix
Charles River acquires Accugenix
CRO expands microbial identification capabilities
QPS acquires JSW Life Sciences, Austria’s largest independent CRO
QPS acquires JSW Life Sciences, Austria’s largest independent CRO
CROs look to expand global footprint, particularly among CNS clients
A venture in the East
A venture in the East
MedImmune, WuXi AppTec announce joint venture to commercialize in China
From Ireland with love
From Ireland with love
ICON partners with University College Dublin to advance genetic analysis and clinical research
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