September 2013- Volume 9, Issue 9
September 2013
In this Issue
Research & Development
A North-South partnership
A North-South partnership
MD Anderson pairs up with Boston Strategics for cancer drug development
‘Armamentarium’ for personalized medicine
‘Armamentarium’ for personalized medicine
NIH-awarded genome sequencing projects envision a world where genomic information is used to advance an individual’s medical care
Front line of defense against prostate cancer
Front line of defense against prostate cancer
Berg Pharma pact with U.S. Department of Defense marries vast research resources with powerful data analysis platform
Choosing the right Ensemble
Choosing the right Ensemble
Novartis taps Ensemble Therapeutics for two-part R&D project
Tools & Technology
Sigma-Aldrich, TSRI partner to commercialize research reagents
Sigma-Aldrich, TSRI partner to commercialize research reagents
Agreement marks first partnership of its kind between a research institution and reagents company
Off to the data mines
Off to the data mines
Pharma data mining is becoming a key piece of clinical trial success and personalized medicine
Best of both worlds
Best of both worlds
AB Sciex combines Eksigent chromatography with Beckman Coulter capillary electrophoresis to drive separations innovation
96 samples across 92 proteins in one microfluidic run
96 samples across 92 proteins in one microfluidic run
Fluidigm and Olink Bioscience will co-market Fluidigm’s BioMark HD system and Olink’s Proseek Multiplex technology
Access to answers
Access to answers
Databases are designed to facilitate research for personalized cancer treatment
Feature
ASHG Annual Meeting: Beantown becomes Genetown (continued)
ASHG Annual Meeting: Beantown becomes Genetown (continued)
Continuing coverage of the ASHG annual meeting, plus photos of the host city
ASHG Annual Meeting: Beantown becomes Genetown
ASHG Annual Meeting: Beantown becomes Genetown
American Society of Human Genetics' annual meeting in Boston covers personalized medicine, whole-genome sequencing, the epigenome and much more
Products & Services
Certara enhances SYBYL-X drug design and discovery software suite
Certara enhances SYBYL-X drug design and discovery software suite
Certara has released version 2.1 of its SYBYL-X molecular modeling and simulation suite.
Ceiba Solutions introduces Community Edition of Helium Data Workbench
Ceiba Solutions introduces Community Edition of Helium Data Workbench
Driving data efficiency in life sciences by connecting disparate datasets, Ceiba Solutions announced in August the expansion of its data analytics solution Helium with the introduction of its free, downloadable Community Edition.
Evado launches breakthrough new product, UniFORM
Evado launches breakthrough new product, UniFORM
UniFORM is an application that streamlines other business applications into one.
Turnkey solution for CHO cell bioproduction
Turnkey solution for CHO cell bioproduction
WHEATON and Irvine Scientific have collaborated to introduce a high-yield, small-scale solution for bioproduction.
ELISA automation: IVD and non-IVD labs now have affordable solution to ease workflow
ELISA automation: IVD and non-IVD labs now have affordable solution to ease workflow
Hamilton Robotics has launched a new module for the Microlab STAR workstation that automates Enzyme-linked immunoabsorbant assays (ELISAs).
New standard for stem cell characterization
New standard for stem cell characterization
The TaqMan hPSC Scorecard Panel and accompanying software is a qPCR assay that provides an accurate confirmation of pluripotency and lineage bias for your hESCs and iPSCs in an easy-to-interpret scorecard.
IonWorks Barracuda Plus system for automated electrophysiology: Enhanced system enables widest assay windows
IonWorks Barracuda Plus system for automated electrophysiology: Enhanced system enables widest assay windows
Molecular Devices has released the IonWorks Barracuda Plus system, with enhancements to produce best-in-class wide assay windows with stable ionic currents.
PrimePCR probe assays for human and mouse genomes
PrimePCR probe assays for human and mouse genomes
Bio-Rad has launched its new PrimePCR probe assays for qPCR that set the bar for specificity, sensitivity and linear dynamic range.
Superdex 200 increases size exclusion chromatography columns for higher resolution separation in shorter timescales
Superdex 200 increases size exclusion chromatography columns for higher resolution separation in shorter timescales
Superdex 200 with increased size exclusion chromatography columns is designed for both preparative and analytical purposes for a broad range of biomolecules, enabling higher purity and improved protein analysis.
RayShield Coupler makes accessible Raman data at low wavenumbers
RayShield Coupler makes accessible Raman data at low wavenumbers
WITec’s RayShield Coupler is now available for the alpha300 and alpha500 microscope series.
Simoa Single Molecule Array technology
Simoa Single Molecule Array technology
Quanterix has unveiled its Single Molecule Array (Simoa) technology, making it commercially available for the first time on a fully automated platform for research use only.
Expanded water purification portfolio
Expanded water purification portfolio
Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Barnstead GenPure xCAD Plus water purification system features advanced technology that allows simultaneous dispensing from three remote dispensers for exceptional flexibility and ease of use in shared laboratory environments.
TEM systems continue FEI’s emphasis on technology leadership while redefining its product portfolio
TEM systems continue FEI’s emphasis on technology leadership while redefining its product portfolio
FEI introduced three new systems that tailor the power of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to specific application and industry needs.
Government Watch
FTC vows to challenge pay-for-delay court settlements
FTC vows to challenge pay-for-delay court settlements
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has vowed in a subcommittee to continue challenging pay-for-delay settlements
Keeping the fast lane open
Keeping the fast lane open
Will FDA’s ‘breakthrough therapy’ designation really speed approval times?
An examination of exclusivity
An examination of exclusivity
Citizens’ petitions argue FDA should grant NCE exclusivity to combination drugs
Pharmas face bribery charges in China
Pharmas face bribery charges in China
GSK, Sanofi and Lilly are suspected of issuing bribes to boost sales
Patent Docs: Does the Myriad decision presage a golden age of patent-free personalized medicine?
Patent Docs: Does the Myriad decision presage a golden age of patent-free personalized medicine?
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Myriad decision has been almost universally hailed as being a great victory for patients, doctors, personalized medicine and research. Is this truly the case?
Global News
Impressing with immunotherapy
Impressing with immunotherapy
Bayer, Compugen join forces on antibody-based cancer therapeutics
Going straight for the value
Going straight for the value
Torrey Pines Investment and BioMotiv structure multimillion-dollar partnership for drug development
When biosimilars go bad
When biosimilars go bad
Teva, Lonza terminate biosimilars co-development agreement; other companies look to exit fast-growing market
Orphan Drug Act turns 30
Orphan Drug Act turns 30
CRO partnerships key for orphan drug development, says Rho
M&A madness
M&A madness
Pharma and biotech companies went on spending spree this summer
Diagnostics
MDx goes toe-to-toe with Medicare/Medicaid
MDx goes toe-to-toe with Medicare/Medicaid
As testing labs’ financial results nosedive, a blue-ribbon coalition takes up the cause of fair compensation for advanced molecular diagnostics
Pushing back Alzheimer’s disease
Pushing back Alzheimer’s disease
Takeda and Zinfandel kick off Phase III trial for compound to delay onset of Alzheimer’s and to test predictive algorithm
Up to 65 cellular events on a single slide
Up to 65 cellular events on a single slide
Clarient’s MultiOmyx ‘allows precision medicine to become even more precise’
Narayana Nethralaya and MedGenome set up India’s first ‘multi-omics diagnostics lab’
Narayana Nethralaya and MedGenome set up India’s first ‘multi-omics diagnostics lab’
Goal is to provide a complete, one-stop solution for diagnostic testing of every aspect of a disease at the molecular level
Omics & Systems Biology
Shining new light on gene expression
Shining new light on gene expression
Optogenetics allows researchers to ‘switch’ gene expression on and off in response to light pulses
Block and load
Block and load
CRT, ICR and Merck Serono sign license deal on molecules to block WNT signaling pathway
A piece of the PCSK9 pie
A piece of the PCSK9 pie
Genomics research reveals PCSK9 gene’s LDL-lowering potential, ignites drug race
No mean feat
No mean feat
Major protein structure discovery achieved using TTP Labtech’s mosquito LCP
Form influences function
Form influences function
Research indicates that the shape of the genome significantly influences transcription regulation
Commentary
Immuno-oncology: The importance of combination therapies
Immuno-oncology: The importance of combination therapies
Immuno-oncology is gaining wide acceptance as a promising therapeutic strategy due to its unique potential to generate durable clinical responses in patients. Additionally, there has been a resulting proliferation of cancer immunotherapies in the clinical pipeline.
Out of Order: Inspired cynic
Out of Order: Inspired cynic
For a few days, at least, this grumpy old tech has regained a degree of excitement about what is out there and what is possible. It’s a good feeling, and one that I wish for everyone out there.
Editor's Focus
Ask, and science may receive
Ask, and science may receive
For decades, clinicians and researchers have been taking leftover cells, tissue, blood and organs from patients and using them in the name of advancing scientific and medical research. Tremendous gains have been realized from these leftovers, but each milestone has been marked by the unresolved issue of informed consent—because sometimes, these researchers are not asking patients if it’s OK to use their leftovers.
Special Reports
An eye to stem cell therapies (Stem Cell Special Report Part 1)
An eye to stem cell therapies (Stem Cell Special Report Part 1)
Despite the renewed research interests in stem cells, therapeutics push the market
An eye to stem cell therapies (Stem Cell Special Report Part 2)
An eye to stem cell therapies (Stem Cell Special Report Part 2)
Despite the renewed research interests in stem cells, therapeutics push the market
