Bio Screening Industry News

InhibOx and the National Foundation for Cancer Research Announce Launch of DrugFinder

Fred — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:52:38 +0000

Oxford, UK (OBBeC) - InhibOx has announced the launch of a free hit identification service. This new service, according to the announcement, will enable research groups in academia and biotechnology companies to exploit an increasingly important starting point for novel drug discovery, namely, crystal structures of target proteins with an inhibitor bound in the active site.

The project follows on from the successful screensaver project run from the University of Oxford Chemistry Department (http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk) by Professor Graham Richards in collaboration with computational chemistry company InhibOx and the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR), with sponsorship at various times from Intel Corporation, Microsoft and IBM. The screensaver project which ran from 2001-2007 (http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/curecancer) involved over 3.5 million personal computers in more than 200 countries and was the world’s biggest computational chemistry experiment, outlines the report. A database of some three billion molecules was screened and a number of predicted hits were subsequently synthesized and tested with very promising results.

The NFCR and Inhibox have joined forces again to offer a service using InhibOx’s in-house computing facilities and databases of molecular structures. By going to a web site www.inhibox.com/drugfinder, researchers in universities or biotechnology companies will be able to submit a structure with a bound inhibitor. Inhibox will screen its small molecule database against the target and then provide to the academic or biotechnology company potentially superior inhibitors. Any intellectual property will be treated confidentially and results will belong to the group providing the crystal structure.

The screening service will be provided through three service levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. The Bronze service will be entirely free of charge and will identify up to 100 compounds from the database which are similar to the bound inhibitor, but offer the possibility of new scaffolds and chemistry.

The Silver service mirrors the Bronze, but includes searching a larger database and will return a larger number (up to 1000) of novel potential inhibitors. The fee for the Silver Service will be $10,000. The Gold service, which is likely to follow from the successful discovery of new lead compounds, will provide customized access to InhibOx’s full suite of virtual screening and computational chemistry tools and expertise. Twenty percent (20%) of any revenue will be returned to the NFCR to support cancer research and priority will be given for cancer targets.

Sanofi-aventis signs a collaboration agreement with RainDance Technologies and Louis Pasteur Univers

Fred — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:48:30 +0000

The FINANCIAL — Sanofi-aventis announced on September 26 the launch of the dScreen Consortium, a research initiative conducted with RainDance Technologies, Inc., Lexington, Massachusetts, and Louis Pasteur University, Strasbourg, France, to develop the next generation of High-Throughput Screening (HTS) for drug discovery applications.

The consortium was founded with the assistance of the Alsace BioValleyTM Cluster, France, which helped secure financing and support for the program.
The dScreen Consortium assembles:
- the renowned drug screening expertise of sanofi-aventis
- the unique expertise in droplet-based microreactors of the Chemical Biology Laboratory at the Institute for Science and Supramolecular Engineering (ISIS) of Louis Pasteur University
- and RainDance Technologies’ unique capabilities to apply droplet-based microfluidic technologies to human health and disease research.
“We are delighted to enter this partnership with two highly innovative research groups in this rapidly advancing field,” said Martin Galvan Ph.D., Scientific Director at the sanofi-aventis research site in Strasbourg. “The expected gains in terms of productivity and knowledge should significantly accelerate our drug discovery programs”.
Based in the Alsace BioValley in Strasbourg, the consortium will utilize the pico-liter volumes and ultra-high speed capabilities of RainDance’s technology and systems to achieve breakthrough performance in high-throughput drug screening methodologies.
“This exciting project represents the first research collaboration undertaken by our new RainDance Technologies France SARL subsidiary,” said Chris McNary, President and Chief Executive Officer of RainDance Technologies. “The speed, simplicity, and minute volume of our droplets eliminate the need for unnecessarily complex automation solutions in high-throughput screening. Our technology will process 10 million droplets per hour on a single benchtop instrument, dramatically accelerating the drug discovery process while conserving precious screening compounds,” added McNary.

“This project is an excellent opportunity to develop the compartmentalisation of reactions in emulsion droplets for an entirely new field of application: HTS for drug discovery” said Andrew Griffiths, head of the Chemical Biology Laboratory at ISIS. ”University Louis Pasteur is proud to be part of this consortium which will open new scientific routes while generating top scientific lectures to our students” said Jean-Marc Jeltsch, Vice-President, Louis Pasteur University.
“The dScreen Consortium is a great illustration of the “Pôle de Compétitivité” policy in France: the development of breakthrough innovations in drug screening through collaborative R&D programs results in strengthening local actors such as the sanofi-aventis research site and in the creation of a subsidiary of an US company in Alsace. Furthermore, the establishment of a drug screening services platform based on the results of the program will reinforce the capabilities of our cluster” underlined Pascal Neuville, President of Alsace BioValley.

deCODE and Radboud University Discover Common Variants in the Human Genome Conferring Risk of Bladder Cancer

Fred — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:47:34 +0000

Detection may be used to complement and target screening for the disease; findings will be integrated into the deCODEme(TM) personal genome scan.

Last update: 1:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 14, 2008
REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Sept 14, 2008

DCGN and colleagues at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands today report the discovery of two common single-letter variants in the human genome (SNPs) that confer increased risk of urinary bladder cancer. Approximately 20% of people of European descent carry two copies of the first variant, a version of a SNP on chromosome 8q24, putting them at a 50% higher risk of developing bladder cancer than those without the variant. Individuals who carry two copies of a common version of another SNP on chromosome 3 were found to be at a 40% higher risk of the disease than non-carriers. These are the best-replicated genetic variants ever linked to bladder cancer risk, and the study analyzed genotypic data from more than 40,000 patients and controls from Iceland, the Netherlands and eight other European countries. The paper, entitled ‘Sequence variant on 8q24 confers susceptibility to urinary bladder cancer,’ will appear today in the online edition of Nature Genetics at www.nature.com/ng.
“In all cancers, the ability to identify individuals at high risk, screening them intensively and intervening early, is the key to improving prevention and outcomes. We expect that the detection of these and other risk variants will soon be employed to complement the assessment of standard risk factors for bladder cancer. As with all of our discovery work, we seek to publish our findings and establish a solid intellectual property position in order to bring these swiftly into the healthcare arena, and have already folded today’s findings into our deCODEme(TM) personal genome analysis service. At the same time, we are working to identify the common thread of variants we and others have discovered on chromosome 8q24 that confer risk of several forms of cancer, including prostate, breast, colorectal and now bladder. If a common molecular mechanism exists, it could provide an important insight into oncogenesis more broadly,” said Kari Stefansson, CEO of deCODE.
For a more detailed discussion of today’s findings you can watch a video discussion between Dr. Stefansson and Dr. Simon Stacey on our blog, at www.decodeyou.com.
Urinary bladder cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer in the United States. It is estimated that 68,810 individuals will be diagnosed with bladder cancer in the United States during 2008 and that 14,100 people will die of the disease. Bladder cancer has been linked to exposure to various types of toxic substances such as cigarette smoke and industrial chemicals. Although it has been known for some time that genetic factors also play a significant role, identifying validated genetic risk variants had been problematic. Incidence of bladder cancer varies considerably between ethnicities, and as the risk factors reported here were discovered by analyzing DNA from groups of European descent, it is our hope that the publication of these findings will contribute to the swift analysis of the impact of these variants in cohorts of other continental ancestries.
The authors wish to thank the thousands of patients and control subjects who participated in this study, and acknowledge the assistance of national cancer registries that worked to identify potential participants. Data and sample collection in Iceland and the Netherlands was funded in part by European commission grants LSHC-CT-2005-018827 and LSHM-CT-2004-005166.
About deCODE
deCODE is a biopharmaceutical company applying its discoveries in human genetics to the development of diagnostics and drugs for common diseases. deCODE is a global leader in gene discovery — our population approach and resources have enabled us to isolate key genes contributing to major public health challenges from cardiovascular disease to cancer, genes that are providing us with drug targets rooted in the basic biology of disease. Through its CLIA-registered laboratory, deCODE is offering a growing range of DNA-based tests for gauging risk and empowering prevention of common diseases, including deCODE T2(TM) for type 2 diabetes; deCODE AF(TM) for atrial fibrillation and stroke; deCODE MI(TM) for heart attack; deCODE ProCa(TM) for prostate cancer; and deCODE Glaucoma(TM) for a major type of glaucoma. deCODE is delivering on the promise of the new genetics.(SM) Visit us on the web at www.decode.com; on our diagnostics site at www.decodediagnostics.com; for our pioneering personal genome analysis service, at www.decodeme.com; and on our blog at www.decodeyou.com.
Any statements contained in this presentation that relate to future plans, events or performance are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, and the timing of events, to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, those relating to our ability to obtain financing and to form collaborative relationships, uncertainty regarding potential future deterioration in the market for auction rate securities which could result in additional permanent impairment charges, our ability to develop and market diagnostic products, the level of third party reimbursement for our products, risks related to preclinical and clinical development of pharmaceutical products, including the identification of compounds and the completion of clinical trials, the effect of government regulation and the regulatory approval processes, market acceptance, our ability to obtain and protect intellectual property rights for our products, dependence on collaborative relationships, the effect of competitive products, industry trends and other risks identified in deCODE’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the risk factors identified in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any updates to those risk factors filed from time to time in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K. deCODE undertakes no obligation to update or alter these forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Colon Cancer Oncogene Discovered

Fred — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:30:32 +0000

SUNDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) — Researchers have identified a new genetic player in the development of colon cancer.

The findings implicate CDK8, a protein that regulates gene expression in the proliferation of colorectal cancer, the researchers found.

Should the results be validated, they could lead to new therapeutic approaches for colon cancer, as well as new screening and chemopreventative strategies, said Dr. Durado Brooks, director of prostate and colorectal cancer at the American Cancer Society.

“I think it is important work,” Brooks said. “They have identified what apparently is an oncogene associated with some colorectal cancers.”

Dr. William Hahn, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and his colleagues screened human colon cancer cells for genes that met three criteria: They were required for cellular proliferation, critical to regulating the WNT/beta-catenin signaling pathway known to be involved in the bulk of colon cancer cases, and also genetically amplified in cancerous cells.

“When we did that, we found one gene that fulfilled all three criteria, and that is CDK8,” Hahn said.

The results were published in the Sept. 14 issue of Nature.

CDK8 is a member of the so-called mediator complex, which bridges distant protein complexes to activate expression of certain genes.

According to Hahn, the study has two take-home messages.

The first, he said, is the apparent prevalence of colorectal tumors with elevated CDK8. Of the 50 tumors that Hahn and his team analyzed, 31 (62 percent) displayed evidence of CDK8 gene amplification — that is, the tumors contained more than the normal two copies of the gene, which usually leads to higher levels of protein expression.

“This is surprising in the sense that it occurs in a large percentage of colon cancers, and we didn’t know about it,” he said.

The second message involves the potential pharmacologic benefits of these results. CDK8 is a type of protein known as a kinase. Kinases are enzymes that catalyze the transfer of phosphate groups from one molecule to another. That action is like flipping a molecular switch, causing the recipient protein to turn on or off. It turns out that kinases tend to play key roles in the biochemical pathways that often go haywire in cancer, so they are popular targets for drug developers.

“There’s a reasonable likelihood, though it hasn’t happened yet, that one could develop a drug that targets this protein in colon cancer,” he said, “and you could determine which colon cancer patients are likely to benefit.”

That’s because Hahn and his team showed, using a genetic technique called RNA interference, that knocking down CDK8 protein levels in cancer cells that normally contain elevated CDK8 levels, reduced cell proliferation. That effect was less pronounced in cells containing lower levels of CDK8.

So, those tumors with elevated CDK8 levels might make good candidates for novel drug therapies directed at the enzyme, Hahn said.

“This fits into an emerging concept in cancer treatment,” he explained. “Not only do we develop better therapies, but hand-in-hand, we want to find which patients will respond to therapy, rather than giving it to everyone and hoping they will respond.”

Brooks agreed that CDK8 is a potential drug target. He noted other potential benefits, too, such as possibly being able to identify those at elevated risk of developing colorectal cancer, or identifying those who should be screened earlier and more comprehensively. It may even be possible to develop chemopreventative compounds that could diminish the risk of developing cancer in the first place.

“But we are at the very beginning of that pathway,” Brooks added. “All they have shown is this oncogene seems to be associated with a significant number of cancer specimens…. But translating that to, number one, how broadly this occurs in the broader community of colorectal cancer, and also in the general patient population, and then next, how can we use this information, we are at the very beginning of that process.”

In another report in this week’s online issue of Nature Genetics, researchers from Iceland said that they have found a genetic variant associated with increased risk of urinary bladder cancer.

BioServe Introduces Customizable DNA Panels for Genetic Research

admin — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:05:00 +0000

BELTSVILLE, MD — September 11, 2008 — BioServe today announced a more affordable pricing plan for its vast bank of DNA with comprehensive, de-identified, covariate data that includes age, gender, diet, body mass index (BMI), and race. In addition, each sample has data on the complete diagnostic and treatment history of the donor. BioServe’s DNA represents a wide range of disease states including cancers (breast, prostate, lung, colon, others), diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, arthritis, obesity, as well as some rarer diseases. The repository also includes over 14,000 control subjects that are free of major illnesses. DNA is available in quantities from a few nanograms to hundreds of micrograms per subject to suit customer needs. Customized DNA panels and case-control studies can be designed based upon the investigators’ needs, taking into consideration the specific data points available for each individual DNA sample. Another useful function of these DNAs is for investigators to utilize them as second group of samples to validate data generated from their studies.

“We are making high-quality DNA available at price points that are affordable to any research laboratory during these tough budgetary times,” stated Kevin Krenitsky MD, Chief Executive Officer of BioServe. “This will result in many more investigators who will be able to perform their research using very well annotated DNA samples. Experiments with these DNAs can be executed both in the investigators’ own lab, and/or at BioServe with a large variety of genomic platforms that are currently utilized. We also welcome collaborations that can make access even more affordable,” said Dr. Krenitsky.

BioServe’s DNA is obtained from human subjects that provided informed consent with strict IRB and HIPAA compliance. BioServe has obtained informed consent, detailed questionnaire data and DNA from over 120,000 subjects.

About BioServe

BioServe is a leader in the processing, development, and validation of diagnostic tests for the practice of personalized, predictive and preventive medicine. Leading pharma, biotech and diagnostic firms collaborate with BioServe to identify and validate markers that cause disease while correlating clinical and molecular data to develop new diagnostic tests, promoting wellness around the world. BioServe offers the Global Repository®, a growing library of over 600,000 human DNA, tissue and serum samples linked to detailed clinical and demographic data from more than 120,000 consented and de-identified patients from four continents. Leveraging BioServe’s robust genomic analytical services, processing technology, Global Repository and CLIA-certified laboratory, collaborators gain a complete, highly-efficient platform for obtaining diagnostic test results and identifying genomic markers for powerful new assays. BioServe has headquarters in Beltsville, MD and Hyderabad, India. For more information please visit www.bioserve.com or call 301-470-3362.

First of 100 Arab Human Genomes Sequenced by Saudi Biosciences, Beijing Genomics Institute Shenzhen, and CLC bio

admin — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:06:50 +0000

Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — September 9, 2008 — An international consortium consisting of Saudi Biosciences, Beijing Genomics Institute Shenzhen, and CLC bio have in a joint effort performed an initial sequencing and analysis of the first Arab human genome, as part of a large project to sequence 100 Arab human genomes to map the unique genetic variations of the Arab population.

His Royal Highness Prince Ahmad bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Head of the Board of Directors at Saudi Biosciences, said “This marks the first milestone in our goal to pioneer the personalized medicine era in the Arab world, and the next step is to lead a large project to sequence 100 Arab genomes at high resolution no later than the end of 2010. Our ambitions are to make this project go beyond similar international efforts, both in terms of quality and quantity!”

Dr. Saeed Hussain from Saudi Bio Sciences, states, “We are extremely proud to present the first Arab human genome! This project launches the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in to the small circle of nations who are currently in the process of building sophisticated databases of human genetic variation. This database is fundamental in the process of analyzing and understanding the specific genetic makeup of Arabs, which in turn will provide key knowledge to improve medical care for this large group of people.”

How was the project realized?
After Saudi Biosciences launched this project early 2008, an international joint collaboration with Beijing Genomics Institute and CLC bio was organized. A high quality sequencing of this genome was generated using Illumina’s Genome Analyzer platform. Afterwards the data was assembled and analyzed using CLC bio’s CLC Genomics Workbench.

“The fact that Saudi Biosciences have selected CLC bio among all the potential software providers, emphasizes that we are the world’s leading provider of genomics software solutions. We could think of no better opportunity to refine our software solutions, than a project like this, which is truly at the forefront of genomics research. This is indeed a unique and visionary project that we are excited and proud to be a part of.” said the Director of Scientific Solutions at CLC bio, Dr. Roald Forsberg.

The results, including analysis and identification of the unique variants of the Arab genome compared to African, European and Asian genomes, have been accumulated. The data are currently confidential but will be released following publication.

What is the impact of this project?
One of the most important goals of modern medicine and genetic research is the goal of tailoring medical care to an individual’s needs, based on information from the individual’s genotype or gene expression profile, so-called personalized medicine. Personalized medicine can offer huge advances in medical care but can only succeed if the genetic variation of humans can be accurately mapped.

The advent of a new generation of experimental techniques, has now given biomedical researchers the opportunity to map the complete genetic variation of large numbers of humans via full genome sequencing. The data produced from such efforts will provide an unparalleled amount of information that can be used to distinguish the unique groups within the human race, and help tailor medical care that targets the specific needs of different populations and individuals. Personalized medicine is thus on the brink of a major breakthrough.

However, the projects scheduled so far have aimed at characterizing mainly three populations - Africans, Europeans and Asians. This means that an accurate characterization and discovery of genetic variation in the Arab people can not be immediately expected and that the Arab populations may receive less of the benefits that will follow the advancement of personalized medicine.

This is why the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wanted to start building an Arab human genomics database now, in order to scientifically explore the unique genetic composition in the Arab world. The database is fundamental in the process of analyzing and recognizing the distinct genetic makeup of Arabs, which in turn can provide knowledge to help stratify disease status, select between different medications and tailor their dosage, provide a specific therapy for an individual’s disease, or initiate a preventative measure that is particularly suited to that patient at the time of administration.

His Royal Highness Prince Ahmad bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Head of the Board of Directors at Saudi Biosciences, said “The Arab world was never an active participant in the large international projects in the field of genomics, and we believe that this should change. Working with an international collaborator such as Beijing Genomics Institute, an advanced institute in genomics studies, and CLC bio, the leaders in bioinformatics solutions with their recently released CLC Genomics workbench, we plan to participate actively in international efforts towards understanding the genomics basis of human diseases.”

About Saudi Biosciences

Saudi Biosciences (SB) is a leading biotechnology company in the Middle East. SB main goal is to implement personalized medicine concept through studying the variations in Arabic populations. To achieve this goal, SB is sequencing 100 Arab genomes, exploring copy-number variations (CNV) and performing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in collaboration with major institutes in Middle East.

About the Beijing Genomics Institute Shenzhen

The Beijing Genomics Institute Shenzhen (BGI) was founded in 1999. Since June of 2007, BGI has been headquartered in Shenzhen. It achieved international prominence as a center for sequencing the human genome. BGI completed one percent of the human genome for the Human Genome Project and ten percent of HapMap. Today the BGI staff of 500, led by Director Yang Huanming and Director Wang Jian, are in the forefront of genome research. Among other achievements, BGI has sequenced and mapped the rice and silk worm genomes. Current research includes sequencing of the panda genome as well as participation in the International HapMap project and the 1000 Genomes project.

About CLC bio

CLC bio is a world leading bioinformatics solution provider, solely focusing on the development of bioinformatics: software, hardware, data analysis, and custom-designed bioinformatics algorithms.

CLC bio’s mission is to be among the most innovative bioinformatics companies in the 21st century. This is realized through:

Focusing on Next Generation Sequencing downstream data analysis
Development of bioinformatics software and hardware based on the latest scientific findings
User-friendly, integrated and intuitive cross-platform software solutions
Continuous focus on customer needs and superior customer service
Frequent product updates including the latest IT technologies and bioinformatics algorithms
A flexible IT architecture, enabling customers to buy or develop individualized solutions at a reasonable price

TOCRIS SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DEAL TO SUPPLY GEFITINIB

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:20:41 +0000

September 4th, 2008 - Tocris Bioscience announced today the signing of an exclusive deal with AstraZeneca to supply Gefitinib (also known as Iressa and ZD1839) to preclinical researchers working on the mechanisms underlying cancer development. For the first time, scientists will be able to buy authentic, fully licensed, non-formulated Gefitinib as an off-the shelf product for use in biological research.

In recent years pharmaceutical companies have developed a number of small molecule drugs that are clinically effective against certain types of cancer. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as Gefitinib are at the forefront of this new generation of targeted anticancer agents.

Gefitinib is an EGFR-TKI (epidermal growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitor), which targets and blocks the activity of the EGFR-TK, an enzyme that regulates intracellular signalling pathways implicated in cancer cell proliferation and survival. Growth factor signalling has been identified as a key driver of tumour growth and spread in a wide range of cancers. For clinical use, Gefitinib has been approved for the treatment of advanced Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) in 36 countries.

This molecule has been licensed to Tocris for use as a preclinical research compound only. Strict conditions have been imposed by AstraZeneca to ensure that it is not used in human studies.

Duncan Crawford, Tocris’ Chief Scientific Officer, said, “We know that there is a great deal of interest in Gefitinib from the global research community. By making fully licensed Gefitinib available through our catalogue, we hope to promote new and exciting research in the fundamental processes that drive cancer development. For Tocris this important new product perfectly compliments our comprehensive and expanding range of high purity compounds, which are in use worldwide to further biomedical research. We are delighted that our excellent relationship with AstraZeneca has allowed us to make this compound available to scientists working on the fundamental mechanisms of cancer cell biology”

About Tocris Bioscience
Tocris Bioscience is a leading supplier of high performance chemicals, peptides and antibodies, with customers in virtually all of the world’s major pharmaceutical companies, universities and research institutes. The Company is committed to making new life science discoveries possible by providing the highest performing and most innovative range of research reagents.

Tocris Bioscience products are used by scientists carrying out non-clinical research in fields such as cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and obesity. The Company’s product range of over 2,000 reagents represents a unique collection of novel, exclusive and licensed research tools. A major source of key signal transduction reagents and arguably the world leader in the supply of neuroscience reagents, the Company won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise (International Business) in 2002.

Tocris Bioscience is the trading name for the companies in the Tocris Cookson Group. Formed from the 1994 merger of Tocris Neuramin and Cookson Chemicals, Tocris Cookson Ltd is privately held and headquartered in Bristol, UK. Its US subsidiary, Tocris Cookson Inc, is located in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. There are approximately 50 employees in the Group worldwide, operating out of two sites in the UK and one in the US.

About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of meaningful prescription medicines and supplier for healthcare services. AstraZeneca is one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of $29.55 billion and is a leader in gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infectious disease medicines. For more information about AstraZeneca, please visit: www.astrazeneca.com

BIO-Europe 2008: The World’s Leading Biotech Companies and Deal-Makers Get Ready for Three Days of Intense Partnering in Mannheim/Heidelberg

admin — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:04:59 +0000

CARLSBAD, Calif. & WASHINGTON — September 2, 2008 — The leaders of the biotechnology industry will once again gather for BIO-Europe, the world’s largest stand-alone partnering conference, in Mannheim/Heidelberg, Germany, November 17-19. With biotech deal-making still the thrill in drug development markets, this year’s BIO-Europe promises to set new standards for generating quality partnering meetings and providing the information required to successfully navigate opportunities in an era of significant biotech industry change. Many of the most respected industry thought leaders and decision makers will come to the Rhein-Neckar biotech super cluster to examine the issues, new business approaches, policy trends that are vital to biotech’s successful long-term future.

A central theme to BIO-Europe 2008 is partnering in a globalizing biotechnology market, featuring interactive workshops led by renowned industry experts on important emerging topics such as understanding the critical issues upon entering the U.S. market and partnering with U.S. companies; deal-making in China; deal-making with Japanese companies; and how to adjust to changes in U.S. patent law.

Other conference highlights include the not-to-be-missed 6th annual “A Day in the Life of Experienced Deal-makers” plenary session. Led by James Watson, Managing Director and Head of Merchant Banking, Burrill & Company and including industry notables such as Andrew Gengos, Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Development, Amgen; Mark McDade, Executive Vice President, UCB Pharma; Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer, Morphosys; John Goddard, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Strategic Planning and Business Development, AstraZeneca; Simon Turton, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus; and William Ringo, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Pfizer; this highly popular and provocative forum promises to continue its tradition of lively and insightful debate over key issues of strategic deal-making by some of the biggest names in biotech partnering.

One of the more difficult tasks for the biopharmaceutical industry is to explain the value of new drugs to the wide variety of constituencies with which they interact, all of whom have a vested interest in minimizing the value of new drugs to the system. Successfully demonstrating value is critical if the industry is to obtain adequate reimbursement for its products, yet the environment in which the industry operates continues to put up more hurdles. In “Demonstrating the Value of New Drugs”, Dr. Karen Bernstein, Chairman and Editor in Chief, BioCentury Publications will lead a panel exploring how companies can best navigate emerging challenges such as a FDA that increasingly emphasizes safety in response to political pressures; a growing emphasis on comparative efficacy and comparative effectiveness; and the possibility of a new U.S. president less friendly to the industry.

Notes to Editors:
Entry to BIO-Europe 2008 is free to the media, including full access to the partnering system, sessions, press conferences, workshops, and pre-arranged partnering meetings. Visit the BIO-Europe conference Web site at http://www.ebdgroup.com/bioeurope for detailed information on this year’s conference and online registration. When you register online, please indicate in the comment field that you are requesting a complimentary press registration. Please fax a copy of your press pass to complete your complimentary media registration to fax number +49 (89) 23 88 756 - 55.

About BIO-Europe

BIO-Europe is the preeminent stand-alone partnering event for the biotechnology industry. Delegates from all parts of the biotechnology value-chain come to BIO-Europe to efficiently identify, engage and enter into the strategic relationships that drive their business successfully forward. The annual BIO-Europe partnering event draws over 2,200 industry attendees from almost 50 countries, representing more than 1,250 companies, for three days of high-level networking. BIO-Europe is organized by EBD Group with the support of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, in partnership with European Biopharmaceutical Enterprises.

About EBD Group

EBD Group is the leading partnering firm for the global biotechnology industry. Since 1993, firms in the life sciences have leveraged EBD Group’s partnering conferences, technology and services to identify business opportunities and develop strategic relationships that drive their business.

EBD Group’s conferences are run in collaboration with leading industry players and international trade associations. They include BIO-Europe, the world’s largest stand-alone life science partnering conference (organized with the support of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, BIO); BIO-Europe Spring(R); BioPharm America(TM) (EBD’s new North American partnering event); BioEquity Europe (co-organized with BioCentury Publications and BIO); and EuroMed Tech, the partnering event for the advanced medical technology industry.

EBD’s novel, Web-based, partnering service partneringONE(TM) is also used at numerous third-party events around the world. Outside of the conference format, EBD Group’s consultants can provide hands-on assistance for firms seeking to in- or out-license products and technologies. EBD Group has offices in the USA and Europe. For more information please visit www.ebdgroup.com.

About BIO

BIO represents more than 1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world.

New drug slows down cancer

Fred — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:44:13 +0000

WA researchers have taken the first step towards developing new anti-cancer medications that could activate a gene shown to block the growth of cancerous cells.

Led by Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) Director Professor Peter Klinken, the scientists have screened a large collection of drug-like molecules and recently identified a number of compounds which can increase levels of the Hls5 gene.

“This discovery is very encouraging and a great step forward in our quest to create new cancer treatments,” said Professor Klinken.

“Because of the role Hls5 plays in keeping cell growth at a normal rate, we expect that these compounds will greatly slow down the growth of cancer cells.”

The Hls5 tumour suppressor gene was reported by Professor Klinken’s team in 2004.

The group’s research has revealed that people who don’t have the gene - or those who have a mutated or inactive form of the gene - are more likely to develop certain types of cancer.

In conjunction with WA-based biotechnology company BioPharmica, the WAIMR team has spent more than a year screening 70,000 compounds which increase Hls5 levels.

“Our preliminary data reveals that several of these compounds do indeed markedly slow down the growth of human cancer cells,” said Professor Klinken.

“Importantly, we also know through computer modeling that nearly all of these compounds have drug-like qualities.”

“From here, we take the research to the next phase of laboratory testing with the ultimate hope of investigating if one of these molecules can be used to create a fresh treatment that can slow growth of cancer cells in patients.”

AstraZeneca, Singapore institutions sign innovative new partnership to develop anti-cancer compounds

Fred — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:19:25 +0000

Healthcare company AstraZeneca Plc (AZN: News, Chart, Quote ,AZN.L: News, Chart, Quote ) said Friday that it signed an innovative new partnership with the National Cancer Centre Singapore, or NCCS, and the National University Hospital, or NUH, for development of anti-cancer compounds. The collaboration is spelt out in a Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU.

As per the MOU, AstraZeneca and the Singapore institutions will enter into a collaborative agreement that spans both clinical and pre-clinical development activities.

AstraZeneca noted that the partnership also includes a Training Programme placement with the Manchester Cancer Research Centre, with whom AstraZeneca has a formal research alliance. Singapore Economic Development Board partly supports the training programme. The purpose of the training programme is to train a pool of clinical research professionals for both private-sector and public-sector research labs.

According to AstraZeneca, the partnership aims to further build its drug development capabilities in Asia and ultimately accelerate access to new medicines of potential benefit to patients with inoperable Hepatocellular Carcinoma, or HCC. HCC is a cancer that is particularly prevalent in Asia and accounts for approximately one million deaths annually worldwide.

Under the terms of the clinical development collaboration, NCCS and NUH can access AstraZeneca compounds that have already undergone initial clinical testing in the West.

The institutions have already identified AstraZeneca’s two compounds for clinical screening in inoperable HCC during 2008 and 2009. The company stated that more compounds would be made available at a rate of one per year, for the duration of the partnership, which exists until 2012.

For both clinical and pre-clinical activities, AstraZeneca maintained the alternative to presume further development and marketing of all drugs made available as part of the partnership deal.

AZN closed Thursday’s regular trade at $49.04, up $0.34, on a volume of 1.2 million shares.

Pharma Invests Big in Stem Cells

Fred — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:33:34 +0000

GSK gives the Harvard Stem Cell Institute $25 million.

Today, the pharma company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced a five-year, $25-million-plus collaborative agreement with the Harvard Stem Cell Institute to develop new methods for screening drugs with stem cells.

“GSK believes stem cell science has great potential to aid the discovery of new medicines by improving the screening, identification, and development of new compounds,” said Patrick Vallance, head of drug discovery at GSK, in a statement released by the company.

Big Pharma has mostly shied away from investing in stem-cell research. But drug screening, which some scientists say is likely to be one of the biggest near-term benefits of stem cells, is a growing area of interest.

Because stem cells can be differentiated into any type of cell in the body, they present an ideal source for screening. For example, scientists can determine how a candidate heart-disease drug affects heart cells and also look for potential side effects in liver or other cell types.

The time appears ripe for investing, because scientists can now use new reprogramming techniques to develop stem cells from patients with specific diseases. (While no one has yet reported this, word among stem-cell researchers is that it has been done.) That means they can make nerve cells from stem cells derived from an Alzheimer’s patient and then examine how candidate Alzheimer’s drugs affect the diseased cells.

CLC bio release white paper on the world’s fastest Next Generation Sequencing assembly algorithm

admin — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 23:03:43 +0000

Aarhus Denmark — July 23, 2008 — CLC bio has just released a scientific white paper which confirms, that, in benchmarking tests, CLC bio’s new algorithm for assembly of Next Generation Sequencing data is the fastest one available. Not only is CLC bio’s algorithm considerably faster, but it also provides a better quality of the results, compared to other algorithms benchmarked in the white paper.

Assistant Professor at Rutgers University, Dr. Todd P. Michael, states, ‘The speed of CLC bio’s new algorithm for reference assembly of Next Generation Sequencing data raises the bar to a level currently unmatched by any competitor. When CLC bio continues this impressive rate of development, and eventually also handles SOLiD’s Color Space analysis in the same convincing manner, this could easily become a de facto tool for scientists working with Next Generation Sequencing analysis.’

Instead of using around 3 to 4 hours assembling 8.5 million reads against a whole human genome, CLC bio’s assembly algorithm accomplished the same calculation in little more than half an hour, which means at least 5 times faster than the closest competitor.

For the assembly of large data sets, the increase in speed is even bigger: When assembling 86 million reads against the whole human genome, CLC bio’s assembly algorithm is more than 14 times faster, meaning an assembly normally taking almost 40 hours can be done in less than two! At the same time, CLC bio’s algorithm provides a better quality of the results delivered with more than 85% accuracy, compared to around 83% for the other algorithms in the white paper.

Another highly interesting aspect of this improved assembly algorithm is the modest requirements of physical memory - at no point during the benchmark tests did CLC bio’s algorithm require more than 8GB RAM.

The benchmark tests were conducted by comparing both 8.5 million reads and 86 million reads against a whole human genome, kindly supplied by the Beijing Genomics Institute. The data set for the benchmark tests was sequenced on Illumina’s Solexa platform and each read had a length of 35 nucleotides.

Once the assembly algorithm will be released in August, it will be available both in a command-line version on CLC bio’s Bioinformatics Cell platform and through CLC Genomics Workbench, which offers an intuitive graphical interface for analyzing and visualizing Next Generation Sequencing data. CLC bio’s white paper is free to download for everyone at www.clccell.com/ngs

About CLC bio

CLC bio is the world’s leading full-service bioinformatics solution provider, solely focusing on the development of bioinformatics: software, hardware, data analysis, and custom-designed bioinformatics algorithms.

CLC bio’s mission is to be among the most innovative bioinformatics companies in the 21st century. This is realized through:

Development of bioinformatics software and hardware based on the latest scientific findings
User-friendly, integrated and intuitive cross-platform software solutions
Continuous focus on customer needs and superior customer service
Frequent product updates including the latest IT technologies and bioinformatics algorithms
A flexible IT architecture, enabling customers to buy or develop individualized solutions at a reasonable price

BioPharm America Unveils Conference Program

admin — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:34:09 +0000

First Stand-Alone Partnering Conference Held in the USA to Attract the Biggest Names in Global Biotech for Two Days of Intense Networking

Carlsbad, CA. and Atlanta, GA., July 24, 2008: With only two months until the start of BioPharm America(TM) in Atlanta, September 9-10, 2008, EBD Group today announced the conference’s program highlights covering a wide selection of important industry topics.

The eagerly anticipated BioPharm America partnering conference is expected to bring out many well known and respected names in the biotech industry and to be the most international stand-alone partnering event held on US soil.

Program highlights include:

– How is the Evolving Bio/Pharma Drug Development Landscape Affecting Transactions? As partnering continues to be the “it factor” in the bio / pharma industry, the key questions are: Can the buyers and sellers reconcile their very different project management cultures and deal requirements? How will these differences manifest themselves in the types of transactions that will be seen over the next 3-5 years? How will the recent fondness for expensive platform deals reveal the genius, folly or desperation of big pharma’s new R&D strategies?

Dr. Bruce Robertson, Managing Director, H.I.G. Ventures will moderate a panel featuring Rob Wills, Vice President Alliance Management, Johnson & Johnson; Dr. Christy Shaffer, President and CEO, Inspire Pharmaceuticals; and Sun Park, Vice President, Business Development, MedImmune, to examine these critical strategic issues and also discuss the role of investors, venture capital and private equity, in determining the partnering strategy of development-stage companies.

– The New Oncology Partnerships – Paradigms for Novel Therapies or More of the Same? Oncology has exhibited the most venture investment and deal flow over the last two years. With large mergers and acquisitions, such as Astellas’ acquisition of Agensys and BMS’s acquisition of Adnexus, the oncology company landscape has changed dramatically. This is giving rise to important new questions: How will these new big players organize their oncology portfolio? How will their alliance strategies change?

On the other side of the spectrum there is an abundance of early stage companies exploring new technologies and pathways. From among these emerging players, which technologies are the most promising, and which companies have the potential to be the strongest partners?

These important questions will be tackled in this not to be missed session that features Dr. Nils Debus, Senior Director, Global Business Development and Licensing, Bayer Schering; Dr. Aya Jakobovits, Executive Vice President, Head, Research and Development, Agensys - Astellas Group; and Dr. William P. Peters, Chairman and CEO, Adherex Technologies.

– Novel Approaches to Treating Metabolic Diseases. Metabolic diseases such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes are growing and significant health problems for our society. These diseases represent large opportunities for biotech and pharma companies to develop and market novel drug therapies that address these debilitating disorders.

A leading practicing physician will run a panel featuring Dr. Thomas Landh, Director, Strategy and Sourcing, Novo Nordisk; and Dr. Eric Tomlinson, President and CEO, Altea Therapeutics to generate important insights on the challenges and unmet medical needs of this growing patient population and provide an update from industry experts on novel therapeutic agents and drug delivery technologies designed to improve patient outcomes.

– Fighting Temptation: Why Bigger and Richer is not Always Better in Drug Development Partnerships. While many big pharma companies are in the midst of deconstructing and overhauling their drug discovery and development processes, many mid-tier pharma continue to demonstrate why they are more adept at managing pipelines and getting the most out of partnerships.

This session will examine how these mid-tier companies can continue to maintain their edge in the face of big pharma’s increasingly generous deal terms that promise new partners and newly acquired companies that they can retain their autonomy.

– Exploring the Link Between Portfolio Strategy and Business Development.

Moderated by Ben Bonifant, Vice President, Business Development, Campbell Alliance, joined by Dr. Ellen Strahlman, Vice President, Licensing, Worldwide Business Development, Pfizer; Dr. Manuel Litchman, Vice President and Head, Oncology Business Development and Licensing, Novartis; and Steven Xanthoudakis, Director, Licensing and External Research, Merck Frosst Canada, this session will explore the link between portfolio strategy and business development.

It is reasonable to expect that a company’s business development activities should directly relate to—and support—its overall portfolio strategy. However, companies vary in the degree to which business development actively contributes to the portfolio strategy development, and often that strategy focuses on the commercial potential of the internal pipeline. Once pipeline gaps are identified, efforts shift to involve business development to help fill those gaps. If the two functions remain separated, business development can often find it difficult to align newly acquired assets with the investment priorities of the development pipeline. A successful approach incorporates considerations of business development opportunities simultaneously with asset prioritization decisions of the internal pipeline. In practice, aligning strategy with implementation can be easier said than done, and different companies apply different organizational approaches to achieving this goal.

– Antibodies - The Solution to Big Pharma’s Problems?

Antibodies have received intense interest during the past several years, and for good reason:

O antibodies are the fastest growing drug class with close to one thousand antibody projects currently in research and/or clinical development;

o antibody products and technologies are at the center of many biotech-pharma and biotech-biotech deal-making activities; and

o antibodies have energized M&A activity as many small and big biotech companies with antibody technologies and pipelines have been acquired by big pharma at high valuations.

Are these dynamics just a reflection of an overheated trend that will cool down in the not-too-distant future, or are we in a new era where streamlined 3rd, 4th and nth generation antibody therapies will come to dominate drug development pipelines, conquer new indications and provide widely available, efficacious and safe therapies?

Moderated by Dr. Fritz Rudert, General Manager, FHR Consulting will be joined by Dr. Simon Moroney, CEO, Morphosys; Jette Asboe Lassen, Director of Business Development, Symphogen; Dr. Masamichi Koike, CEO and President, BioWa; and Dr. Margaret Karow, Executive Director, Research, Amgen, to discuss whether antibodies have actually come closer to being a “magic bullet” or are just another promising drug class among the rest.

– Translational Medicine - How do we Fund Novel, Breakthrough Research More Efficiently? Perhaps the greatest challenge facing modern medicine today is the reconciliation of the short-term, earnings driven requirements of today’s medical marketplace, with the risky, capital-intensive, decade-long process usually required to bring transformative medical ideas to fruition. This tension is felt intensely at the intersection between the early, most innovative ideas and the point where substantial funding is required to move them forward. The techniques and processes required to move past this hurdle are what the medical research community have come to refer to as translational medicine.

Moderated by John P. Richert, Vice President Business & Technology Development Program, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, this session will bring together practitioners of translational medicine including universities that are focused on adding significant commercial value to a product prior to licensing; research institutions that are uniquely positioned to work in this nexus and companies that have been successful in crossing this hurdle.

– ABCs of Licensing.

Young companies often look to that first licensing deal to create a revenue stream for the company. Most of these same companies are just not successful in “landing” that first deal. The reasons for such high failure rates can often be attributed to the fact that no one ever taught the young company the ABCs of Licensing.

Although not a blueprint, there are some best practices that, if followed, are more likely to lead to a strong licensing arrangement for both the licensor and the licensee.

Moderated by Diane Romza-Kutz, Chair, Life Sciences Practice Group, Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LL, this interactive session will work through the steps to consider in securing a potential licensee’s interest, being ready for a licensee to engage in negotiations and concluding a successful license arrangement.

EBD Group’s events are widely recognized as being the gold standard for highly productive bio / pharma partnering meetings. Like all EBD Group events, partnering at BioPharm America 2008 is powered by partneringONE(TM), the industry’s most advanced partnering system. partneringONE enables participants to efficiently mine a large pool of potential partners, and identify and pre-arrange private one-to-one meetings with dozens of company targets.

General registration for BioPharm America is now available at http://www.ebdgroup.com/bpa/registration.htm

Advance media registration for BioPharm America is now available online. Registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the media. To register, please visit http://www.ebdgroup.com/bpa/press_reg.htm.

About BioPharm America

BioPharm America is where biotech industry partnerships get started. Meet one-to-one with biotech and pharma executives from around the world to identify and enter strategic relationships. BioPharm America is the only partnering event in North America based on the same winning formula as EBD Group’s acclaimed European events BIO-Europe and BIO-Europe Spring(R). BioPharm America is simply an unmatched opportunity for companies across the biotech value-chain to meet and do business. For more information please visit www.biopharmamerica.com.

About EBD Group

EBD Group’s conferences are run in collaboration with leading industry players and international trade associations. They include BIO-Europe, the world’s largest stand-alone life science partnering conference (organized with the support of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, BIO); BIO-Europe Spring(R); BioPharm America(TM) (EBD’s new North American partnering event); and BioEquity Europe (co-organized with BioCentury Publications and BIO).

AgriGenomics World Congress 2008 29-30 September 2008, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

admin — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:57:39 +0000

Select Biosciences is proud to announce their inaugural AgriGenomics World Congress. This year’s event will take place at the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam.

AgriGenomics.eu

Alongside an exhibition of selected scientific posters and service providers, Select Biosciences is organizing a two day event gathering some of the most influential players in the field from Europe, America and across the globe.

The agenda will include world leading research from renowned speakers including:

Karen Century
Senior Scientist, Mendel Biotechnology
Jim Dunwell
Professor, University of Reading
Dominique Job
Laboratory Head, Bayer CropScience and CNRS
Johnathan Napier
Research Leader, Rothamsted Research
Andrew Paterson
Distinguished Research Professor and Director of the Plant Genome Mapping Laboratory, University of Georgia
Joseph Petolino
Senior Scientist, Dow AgroSciences
Tatiana Tatusova
Genome Group Coordinator, National Centre for Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health
And many more…

The full two day agenda includes the following sessions:

Metabolic Engineering
System-Based Approaches
Informatics
Traits & Applications

To guarantee a high attendance at this exciting event Select Biosciences will maintain their traditional low registration fees and group booking discounts.

Full conference passes include admission to all sessions and the exhibition as well as conference documentation.

Lunch, coffee breaks and the drinks reception provide ample time for networking and to continue discussions from the question and answer sessions.

The conferences division of Select Biosciences Ltd. is focused on organizing specialist biomedical meetings each year. Experts from both academia and commerce are invited to present timely information from current research through to commercial implementation of new technologies. These events also provide a unique networking facility and the opportunity to reach a highly targeted scientific audience.
www.selectbiosciences.com

Seegene and Shimadzu Agree to Join Multi-Pathogen Tests and Platform for Combined Analytics Solution

admin — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:19:16 +0000

ROCKVILLE, MD and KYOTO, JAPAN–July 28, 2008 - Seegene, Inc. and Shimadzu Corporation today announced a strategic partnership to combine Seegene’s Seeplex(R) multi-pathogen tests with Shimadzu’s MultiNA (1) analytical platform. Under terms of the deal, Shimadzu and Seegene will collaborate on integrating the Seeplex polymerase chain reaction-based tests with Shimadzu’s MultiNA high-speed electrophoresis system to provide a highly sensitive, high-throughput multi-pathogen detection and analysis solution.

“This strategic agreement reinforces our plan to bring solutions, and not only products, to our customers,” said Dr. Jong-Yoon Chun, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Seegene. “Shimadzu’s MultiNA is outstanding in the market for electrophoresis analysis and a perfect match for the Seeplex family of multi-pathogen tests.”

“Seegene’s novel multi-pathogen detection test working with Shimadzu’s next-generation electrophoresis systems creates an unparalleled screening platform for laboratories around the world,” said Yoshiyuki Togawa, General Manager, Shimadzu. “Seeplex tests running on MultiNA is the fast, accurate and efficient way for laboratories to screen for the most rampant and debilitating pathogens infecting people around worldwide.”

Shimadzu’s MultiNA is a microchip electrophoresis system that quickly and easily performs DNA and RNA nucleic acid size confirmation and quantification. The system uses microchip technology to conduct fully automated high-speed electrophoresis separation, and fluorescence detection to perform high-sensitivity analysis.

Seeplex tests are based on a breakthrough multiplexing PCR technology capable of detecting multiple pathogens in a single tube. Seeplex-based tests deliver maximum specificity, reproducibility and sensitivity and can be applied to a broad range of molecular diagnostics, including human, animal, plant and microorganism. Currently, Seegene’s Seeplex multi-pathogen detection tests offer labs worldwide simple, cost-effective and comprehensive screening for STDs, respiratory viruses, human papillomaviruses, sepsis and pneumonia.

(1) MultiNA is Research Use Only.

About Shimadzu

Founded in 1875, Shimadzu Corporation develops and manufactures analytical and monitoring equipment for science laboratories worldwide. Its products include imaging systems for medical diagnosis such as ultrasound systems and mobile X-ray systems, as well as spectrophotometers and chromatography systems for the life science sector. For more information about Shimadzu’s extensive line of laboratory offerings, please visit www.shimadzu.com.

About Seegene

Seegene, Inc. is pioneering the field of multi-pathogen testing. Seegene applies its novel and proprietary Seeplex system utilizing “DPO (Dual Priming Oligo)” and “ACP (Annealing Control Primer)” to create multi-pathogen tests delivering maximum specificity, reproducibility and sensitivity. With over 360 citations and several patents and patents pending, Seegene has been offering advanced molecular diagnostics services to over 1,200 major global institutes in more than 30 countries. Seegene is actively working with both the scientific and OEM business community. Seegene’s mission is to integrate Seeplex with disease diagnostics to provide a new guideline for effectively treating patients. Seegene was founded in 2000 and is based in Rockville, MD and Seoul, Korea. For more information please visit www.seegene.com.

All trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Why Genentech will say ‘yes’ to Roche

Fred — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:56:37 +0000

The biotech firm faces burdens that come with age, and the Swiss drug maker looks like a good partner.

NEW YORK (Fortune) — As Genentech’s board weighs Monday’s $43.7 billion merger proposal from Roche, the South San Francisco biotech has one overarching reason to fall deeper into the arms of the Swiss drug maker that already owns most of its stock: Genentech’s “biological clock” is ticking.

Market and regulatory forces are driving biotech and Big Pharma closer together. For 30 years the biotech industry has led a charmed life. Companies that develop biologic remedies such as Genentech (DNA), Amgen (AMGN, Fortune 500), Gilead Sciences (GILD) and Genzyme (GENZ) have been free to flourish without many of the regulatory and competitive pressures that giant pharmaceutical companies face. That relative freedom allowed global biotech sales to grow 12.5 percent (to $75 billion last year), compared to a 6.4 percent rate of sales growth for Big Pharma drugs.

But this magical existence is likely to come to an end - and soon. Hooking up with a big drug company increasingly looks like the sensible thing to do. “There are going to be heavier burdens placed on biotech over the next five or so years” says Murray Aitken, a healthcare market analyst with IMS Health. Aitken believes that as patients spend more on biotech remedies, doctors and insurers will scrutinize prices more closely.

At the same time, biotechs are likely to experience greater competition in disease areas like cancer from big drug companies that have bought smaller biotechs or developed alliances with them. Meanwhile, the regulatory picture for biotechs is radically changing. As drugs from the first wave of biotech approvals two decades ago are approaching patent expiration, patients, doctors and insurers are demanding inexpensive alternatives to biotech drugs. Congress and the Food and Drug Administration are under pressure to fashion a new regulatory pathway for federal review and approval of generic biotech drugs, or “biosimilars.”

In June 2007, the Senate health committee passed the “Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act,” a law that seeks to allow biosimilars into the marketplace. The proposal is still wending its way through Congress, but it is seen as inevitable. “Sure, companies would have to adjust,” says Sandi Dennis, an attorney for a biotech industry trade group. “But a new framework would bring predictability, which is useful.”

Not a kid anymore

For its part, Genentech is in a good position relative to its peers. The company’s sales grew 19 percent to $8.5 billion in 2007, thanks to its three flagship cancer medicines Avastin, Herceptin and Rituxan. Genentech also has a brimming pipeline of future medicines in development.

Even so, when deciding whether to sell Roche the 44% portion of Genentech it doesn’t already own, the biotech is likely to consider Roche’s experience selling in mature markets, as well as the Swiss pharma’s regulatory acumen.

Genentech’s board will likely conclude that it’s time to settle down - because the biotech’s idyllic youth is coming to a close.

Genentech confirms buyout offer from Roche; shares rally

Fred — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:55:07 +0000

NEW YORK (Thomson Financial) - Shares of Genentech Inc. surged to their highest price in more than two years on Monday after the San Francisco-based biotechnology company confirmed its receipt of a buyout offer from Roche.

The shares jumped 14% to $93.09 on Monday on a volume of 8 million shares. The issue’s 30-day volume is 3.8 million shares. An intraday high of $94.19 represents the best price for the shares since January 2006.

Roche (other-otc: RHHBY.PK - news - people ), which currently owns 55.9% of Genentech (nyse: DNA - news - people ), offered to rest of the company’s stock that it doesn’t already own for $89 a share. The offer represents a 8.8% premium to the stock’s Friday closing price of $81.82.

Genentech said a special committee of its board composed of the independent directors will evaluate the proposal.

Ryan Vlastelica

Roche Wants to Buy Genentech — Again

Fred — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:53:06 +0000

In what could become one of the biggest biotech deals ever, Roche announced this morning that it was offering to pay $43.7 billion for the remaining Genentech (NYSE: DNA) shares it doesn’t already own.

Roche and Genentech have had a long and complicated relationship since the 1980s, after Genentech outlicensed one of its first approved drugs to Roche. In 1990, Roche upped the ante, acquiring a nearly 60% stake in Genentech (technically a merger). In exchange, Roche paid Genentech nearly $500 million up front, and got the option to buy the remaining outstanding Genentech shares later at a predetermined price.

Roche exercised this option in 1999, buying the remainder of Genentech for a split-adjusted $10 and change per share. Barely more than one month later, Roche brought Genentech back onto the public markets in its current form, after selling another chunk of its Genentech stake at barely more than a split-adjusted $12 a share. In 2000, it again put another large portion of its Genentech stake onto the public markets, but kept a 58% ownership interest in the company.

If Roche’s offer today goes through (subject to Genentech shareholder approval), Roche would pay $89 per share to acquire the remaining 44% of Genentech shares not under its current control — its second total buyout of the company in less than 10 years. This offer represents an 8.8% premium to Genentech shares’ Friday price.

Last week, Genentech released fairly positive second-quarter financial results. Both of Genentech’s top two cancer drugs, Rituxan and Avastin, are growing sales like gangbusters, even against rivals compounds from drugmakers like GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK), Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY), and ImClone Systems (Nasdaq: IMCL).

Its relationship with Genentech has always given Roche first dibs on marketing any newly approved Genentech drug outside the U.S. This sweetheart deal for Roche gave it the marketing rights to blockbuster compounds like Avastin and Herceptin. But it was set to expire in 2015, allowing Genentech to offer newly approved compounds to other partners. Keeping those potentially lucrative future compounds in its pocket may largely explain why Roche wants to bring Genetech fully back into the fold.

2nd annual Biosimilars Conference September 10 - 11, Berlin, Germany

admin — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:40:42 +0000

The future of the pharmaceutical industry lies with biotechnology. Biotech drugs account for around 10-15% of the current pharmaceutical market, and the sector is outperforming the market as a whole in terms of growth. With increasing regulatory clarity and the expiries of key patents covering innovator biologics, the development of biosimilars for a range of recombinant protein classes is becoming increasingly attractive.

The 2nd annual Biosimilars Conference will bring experts from the industry and academy sector together to discuss the latest developments in biosimilars regulations, clinical assessment, manufacturing processes and pricing and reimbursement. Through a series of presentations and interactive discussions, participants will gain new insight and share hands-on experiences in the latest trends and practices in the development of biosimilars.

http://www.biosimilars-events.com/index.html

Improving Solubility 2008 October 27-29, 2008 Philadelphia, PA

admin — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:06:12 +0000

This year’s Improving Solubility conference is essential for scientists working with poorly soluble drugs. With the increased number of poorly soluble drugs coming to the market, expansion of pipelines, effective research investment, and the incorporation of the correct strategy, it is vital for scientists working with poorly soluble drugs to ensure that they have the best techniques, expertise, and technologies to produce and develop drugs that are more soluble.

This conference, now back in the U.S., will provide the necessary updates, cutting edge science, strategies, and technologies incorporated by other companies that will enable you to find out what best practice is for you.

What are the benefits of attending?

* Actively seek new and improved ways to understand the importance of solubility in exposure during preclinical and clinical phases, and what parameters to control
* Avoid overcomplicating preclinical and clinical exposure issues
* Identifying compounds that will have issues during preclinical and clinical phases, and what you can do
* Build a higher probability of a new drug passing through the development pipeline
* Build an effective research strategy for the unique properties of a molecule
* Improve efficiency and throughput in testing compounds and develop good strategies to deal with this in formulation

Who will I meet and who will be speaking?

Early confirmed speakers:

* Annette Bak, PhD, Associate Director, Preformulation & Basic Research Support, Merck & Co., Inc.
* Caroline McGregor, PhD, Research Fellow, Merck & Co., Inc.
* Mitchell Friedman, PhD, Director of Toxicology, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
* Susan Wendel, PhD, Associate Director, ChemPharm Leader, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical R&D
* Michael Kennedy, PhD, Senior Scientist, Pharmaceuticals, Amgen, Inc.
* Shawn Yin, PhD, Sr. Research Investigator II, Group Leader of Form Chemistry and Characterization Group, A R & D, Research & Development, Bristol Myers Squibb
* Xiaoming Sean Chen, PhD, Principal Scientist, Schering-Plough Research Institute
* Yun Alelyunas, PhD, Principal Scientist, Head of Physical Team, AstraZeneca
* Li Di, PhD, Principal Research Scientist, Wyeth Research
* Chong-Hui Gu, PhD, Scientist, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
* Shirlynn Chen, PhD, Senior Principal Scientist, Boehringer Ingelheim
* Jianling Wang, PhD, Head, ADME Profiling Cambridge, MAP, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research
* Ritesh Sanghvi, PhD, Assistant Research Scientist, Forest Laboratories
* Alex Avdeef, PhD, CEO/CSO, PIon Inc

Who should attend:

Scientists, Chemists, Research Leaders/Fellows/Advisors, Directors, Heads, & Managers specializing in:

* Discovery R&D
* Preclinical Development
* Preformulation
* Formulation
* Medicinal Chemistry
* Analytical Chemistry
* Chemical Development
* Product Development
* Drug Delivery
* Drug Discovery
* Toxicology
* Pharmaceutics
* Physiochemistry
* Chemical Engineering
* Solid States
* Process R&D
* Bioavailability