 |
|
 October 2011 |
| June 2005 |
| February 2005 |
| January 2005 |
| December 2004 |
| November 2004 |
| October 2004 |
| August 2004 |
| July 2004 |
| June 2004 |
| May 2004 |
| April 2004 |
| October 2011 Volume 1 Number 1 |
| Announcement |
3rd international workshop on humanized mice was held on October 28 - 31, 2011 with supported by CAHB. One of the board member of us, Mr. Nomura, gave an opening remark for it. In addition, Central Institute for Experimental Animals which is our related organization was the main sponsor for the conference. Please find the program from here. |
| December 2004 Volume 1 Number 9 | ||
| Announcement | ||
| We, Center for the Advancement of Health and Biosciences (CAHB), are pleased to announce that the year 2004 was a successful start-up year for our two main activities, holding of Health & Bioscience Forum and publication of CAHB Newsletter. We would like to express our great appreciation to those of you who contributed to our activities to be successful. The success would never have been achieved without you. | ||
| Wish you a happy and prospective year 2005! | ||
| Hiroaki Masuda: hmasuda@cahb.org | ||
| Forum Report | ||
| Our sixth monthly Health & Bioscience Forum was held on December 16th, 2004. Dr. Hiroyuki Nakai from Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, talked about “Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors – amazing vehicles for gene delivery in vivo”. | ||
| ||
| ||
| Top 10 Bio News (December 2004) | ||
| 1. Doctors Say Avoid Pfizer's Bextra | ||
| Doctors writing in a prominent medical journal on Dec. 17, 2004 recommended that physicians stop prescribing Pfizer Inc.'s Bextra painkiller, just as a large study found the drug maker's sister drug, Celebrex, doubled risk of heart attacks. A letter by three top doctors published in The New England Journal of Medicine said that in light of Vioxx and negative signs on Bextra, Bextra should be avoided. | ||
| 2. Genentech, ImClone Shares Rise | ||
| Shares of Genentech, OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. and ImClone Systems Inc. surged before the bell on Dec. 17 after rival AstraZeneca said its lung cancer drug Iressa failed to show survival benefits in a major clinical study. | ||
| 3. Genencor Expands Oncology Pipeline with Product Candidates From the National Cancer Institute (NCI) | ||
| Palo Alto-based Genencor International, Inc. announced that it has signed an exclusive worldwide patent license agreement giving it the right to develop and commercialize two therapeutic product candidates for cancer from the Public Health Service (PHS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The two proteins, BL22 and HA22, are recombinant immunotoxins that | ||
| 4. AVANIR Announces Submission of Rolling NDA for Neurodex | ||
| San Diego-based AVANIR Pharmaceuticals announced it has begun submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) seeking marketing approval of Neurodex, an investigational drug for the treatment of pseudobulbar affect. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration offered a "rolling" review for Neurodex and also indicated that Neurodex would qualify for a priority review when the submission is complete. | ||
| 5. OSI Pharmaceuticals Comments on Recently Filed Class Action Lawsuits | ||
| OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it has been made aware of several class action lawsuits filed against the Company alleging that the Company issued false and misleading statements concerning the survival benefit associated with the Company's flagship product Tarceva and the size of Tarceva's potential market upon U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the drug. The Company continues to believe in the potential of its flagship product, Tarceva, to become a major product in the treatment of human cancer. | ||
| 6. Mylan Gets FDA OK for Generic Darvon | ||
| Pittsburgh-based Mylan Laboratories Inc. reported that the Food and Drug Administration approved its abbreviated new drug application for a generic version of Pharma Inc.'s opioid painkiller Darvon. The approval is for a 65 milligram capsule version of the drug and Mylan said it will begin shipping the product immediately | ||
| 7. FDA approves Eligard six-month formulation for prostate cancer | ||
| Canada-based QLT Inc.announced today that the company has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Eligard 45mg (leuprolide acetate for injectable suspension) six-month formulation, for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Eligard is a member of a class of drugs known as luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists, also called LHRH agonists. It works by lowering the levels of testosterone in the body, which may result in a reduction of symptoms related to the disease. | ||
| 8. Roche and The University of Vermont Grant Cell Therapeutics, Inc. Exclusive Worldwide License to a New Class of Anticancer Compounds | ||
| The University of Vermont, and Cell Therapeutics Europe, a subsidiary of Cell Therapeutics, Inc. have entered into an exclusive worldwide, royalty-bearing license to a new class of platinum-containing, anticancer drug candidates, called bisplatinum compounds. Under the terms of the agreement, CTI has development and commercialization rights to the compounds. At the same time, Roche has granted CTI a worldwide license for bisplatinum compounds under its patents. | ||
| 9. WHO urges countries to prepare against bird flu threat | ||
| With up to 50 million people expected to die from the next influenza pandemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is to convene a meeting of international experts in Geneva to plan how best to meet the threat. Although it cannot predict when the next pandemic will strike, the WHO said the arrival of the avian influenza or "bird flu" virus, which is now widely entrenched in Asia, signals "the world has moved closer to the next pandemic." While it is impossible to accurately forecast the magnitude of the next pandemic, we do know that much of the world is unprepared for a pandemic of any size. | ||
| 10. Hepatitis C Drug Available in Japan | ||
| Schering-Plough Corp. and Enzon Pharmaceuticals Inc. reported Friday that hepatitis C treatment PEG-Intron is now available in Japan following its inclusion on the country's health insurance reimbursement price listing. Enzon receives royalties from worldwide sales of the drug, which is marketed by Schering-Plough Corp. The companies said PEG-Intron is now available for use in combination with hepatitis C treatment Rebetol in Japan. It was approved for marketing in Japan in October 2004. The companies said hepatitis C is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in Japan, affecting up to 2 million people and resulting in about 30,000 deaths a year. | ||
| Paul Candelaria: paul@cahb.org | ||
| USA Topics | ||
| On An Impending Global Flu Outbreak | ||
| Governments must brace for a future flu outbreak because one will strike inevitably, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2004. | ||
| "Influenza pandemics are natural phenomenon, like earthquakes," said Klaus Stohr, coordinator of the global flu program at the WHO. "The problem is bad preparedness." | ||
| Influenza is highly contagious and has killed millions over the past 100 years. It has traditionally moved in cycles, and some scientists say a major outbreak is already overdue. | ||
| The 1918-1919 Spanish Flu outbreak killed up to 40 million people around the world, many more than World War I. There also were major outbreaks in 1957-58 and 1968-1969 that killed more than a million people each. The most virulent strains hit about every 30 years. | ||
| WHO has warned that 7 million could die in a new outbreak and that governments must do more to prepare - and try to cut the death toll. | ||
| "We're living on borrowed time," said Stohr. "But that gives us a chance to do things we should perhaps have done before." | ||
| Besides developing vaccines to combat new, potentially deadly flu strains, health authorities worldwide must boost surveillance, said WHO. The agency also called for better emergency plans that can be put in place fast if there is a pandemic - with clear quarantine rules and screening of departing passengers at airports, for example. | ||
| "Vaccines are often mentioned as the first line, but they are not," said Stohr. "They are just one pillar of the response." | ||
| The three flu pandemics that hit in the last century, and the ones that came before them, spread around the world before health officials had the chance to even identify the strain - let alone make and distribute vaccines to combat it. | ||
| Fears of a new global outbreak have been spurred by last year's epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which struck hardest in Asia. The flu-like disease killed nearly 800 people worldwide. | ||
| Worries also have been stoked by bird flu, which swept through farms across Asia this year, ravaging the poultry industry as more than 100 million birds were culled in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. | ||
| The disease also jumped to humans, killing 12 people in Thailand and 20 in Vietnam. There is no concrete evidence yet of human-to-human transmission, but experts fear the virus could mutate to a form that could spread among humans, sparking the next global pandemic. | ||
| WHO also wants governments to boost cooperation between medical and veterinary authorities because of fears that animal flu could jump the species barrier. | ||
| Paul Candelaria: paul@cahb.org | ||
| Top |
| November 2004 Volume 1 Number 8 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Announcement | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Forum Report | |||||||||||||||||||
| Our sixth monthly Health & Bioscience Forum was held on November 15th, 2004. This time, we had two distinctive speakers; Dr. Yoshiyuki Shiroyanagi from Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Japan and Dr. Kazuo Ohashi from Nara Medical University, Japan. The topic of the forum was “Frontier of Regenerative Medicine”. | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| vascular network at the transplantation site would reduce graft loss. To do this, we provided a potent angiogenic agent prior to hepatocyte transplantation into the subcutaneous space. With this procedure, persistent survival was achieved for the length of the experiment (120 days). To establish that these engineered liver tissues also retained their native regeneration potential in vivo, we induced two different modes of proliferative stimulus to the naïve liver, and confirmed that hepatocytes within the extrahepatic tissues regenerated with similar activity as naïve liver. In conclusion, our studies demonstrate that liver tissues can be engineered and maintained at extra-hepatic sites, retain their capacity for regeneration in vivo, and can be used to successfully treat genetic disorders. We had more than ten attendees with diverse backgrounds from medicine to engineering to investment. For more information about the forum, please visit http://www.cahb.org/forum.html. Hiroaki Masuda:hmasuda@cahb.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| Top 10 Bio News (November 2004) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1. Schering-Plough Announces CLARITIN RediTabs Now Available in Japan | |||||||||||||||||||
| Schering-Plough Corporation announced that Schering-Plough K.K., the company's subsidiary in Japan, has introduced CLARITIN (loratadine) RediTabs, an instantly dissolving nonsedating antihistamine tablet. It is available by prescription in Japan for the treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR), chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU), or hives of unknown cause, and itching associated with skin diseases in adults and children 15 years of age and above. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2. Neurobiological Technologies, Inc. to Present at the Wall Street Analyst Forum | |||||||||||||||||||
| California-based Neurobiological Technologies, Inc, a biotechnology company engaged in the business of acquiring and developing central nervous system (CNS) related drug candidates, announced that its President and Chief Executive Officer, Paul Freiman, will present a corporate overview at The Wall Street Analyst Forum in New York City at 11:00 a.m. on December 1, 2004. Listeners are encouraged to visit the website at least 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the scheduled presentation to register and to download and install any necessary audio software. The presentation will be available for 90 days after the event. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3. Cord Blood Registry Sees FDA Regulation as Good for Consumers and Industry | |||||||||||||||||||
| Beginning in May 2005, cord blood banks must meet new federal safety standards mandated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Since 1997, Californiabased Cord Blood Registry (CBR), the nation's leading newborn stem cell bank, has been preparing for these new regulations, which will set the baseline standards for all cord blood banks. The blood remaining in the umbilical cord after it has been clamped and cut, "cord blood," has proven to be a rich source of stem cells, and a growing number of expectant parents are taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime chance by arranging to collect and bank their newborns' stem cells as a type of "biological insurance" to help protect their families' future health. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4. Nationally Renowned Surgeon Notes Increase in Patient Demand for Artificial Spinal Disc | |||||||||||||||||||
| With the FDA's recent approval of an artificial disc that makes spinal fusion "a thing of the past”, one nationally renowned spine surgeon is receiving a flood of phone calls from patients interested in seeking relief from chronic back pain. Rick Delamarter, M.D., medical director of The Spine Institute at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, is one of only a handful of surgeons authorized by the FDA to perform a state-of-the-art surgical procedure where patients are fitted with an artificial spinal disc to replace one that has become damaged or diseased. Delamarter has performed more lumbar (lower back) and cervical artificial disc replacements than any other surgeon in the United States to date. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 5. Nanogen Issued Patent for Device That Combines Optical Waveguides and Molecular Diagnostics | |||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego-based Nanogen, Inc., developer of advanced diagnostic products, announced today that it was issued U.S. Patent No. 6,821,729, "Device for Molecular Biological Analysis and Diagnostics Including Waveguides," by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent covers methods and technologies for coupling optical waveguides with a DNA microarray used for performing biological operations and illuminating it at an angle that allows the size and complexity of the diagnostic instrument to be reduced. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 6. Kosan NSCLC Phase II Trial Discontinued, Breast and Prostate Phase II Trials Advance | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hayward-based Kosan Biosciences announced that its Phase II clinical trial of KOS-862 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been discontinued, while Phase II clinical trials in both breast and prostate cancers continue to advance. The KOS-862 trial in non-small cell lung cancer was terminated as the trial did not meet the primary objective of tumor response in the first step of the two-stage Simon trial design. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Roche and Kosan entered into a global alliance for the co-development and commercialization of KOS-862 and its back up compounds in September 2002. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 7. Federal Funding Provided for Non-embryonic Stem Cell Research | |||||||||||||||||||
| Case Western Reserve University, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) and University Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC) have been awarded $4.5 million in seed funding to establish the National Center for Regenerative Medicine as part of the omnibus appropriation bill approved by Congress this week. Additional funding for the center is expected over the next five years. The center's research facilities, will enable new non-embryonic stem cell research discoveries by faculty to be translated into therapies that can be used to treat thousands of patients each year. In addition, the center's education programs will train personnel to perform groundbreaking research and deliver the world's foremost patient care. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 8. Riverain Medical Introduces Artificial Intelligence System for Chest X-Ray Early Lung Cancer Detection | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio-based Riverain Medical has introduced the first and only artificial intelligence system with FDA PMA approval for early-stage Lung Cancer detection. In clinical trials, radiologists working with RapidScreen's computer aided detection technology demonstrated a 23% increase in detection efficiency for lung nodules ranging from 9 to 14mm in size. Detecting and treating more lung cancers in the earliest stage has the potential to save 54,000 lives annually. According to The American Cancer Society, Lung Cancer is the number one cancer killer in the United States. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 160,000 lives are lost each year to lung cancer -- more than colon, breast, and prostate cancer combined. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 9. Genentech Again Named the No. 1 Employer in Science Magazine Survey | |||||||||||||||||||
| Genentech, Inc. announced that it has been named by Science magazine as "the top employer and most admired company in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries" for the third consecutive year. The honor is the result of a survey sponsored by Science magazine, along with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and conducted by Senn-Delaney Culture Diagnostics and Measurement (SDCDM). | |||||||||||||||||||
| 10. WHO Warns of Bird Flu Pandemic | |||||||||||||||||||
| The World Health Organization has issued a dramatic warning that bird flu will trigger an international pandemic that could kill up to seven million people. The influenza pandemic could occur anywhere from next week to the coming years. Even with the best case scenario, the most optimistic scenario, the pandemic will cause a public health emergency with estimates which will put the number of deaths in the range of two and seven million. Scientists are busy working on vaccines for bird flu and other viruses. Two U.S. companies have said they plan to test experimental bird flu vaccines from January. Paul Candelaria:paul@cahb.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| USA Topics | |||||||||||||||||||
| New Law Coming That Will Affect U.S. Patent and Trademark Office | |||||||||||||||||||
| The provisions of the omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 4818) will go beyond mere filing fee increases. The bill is likely to be signed by President Bush and becomes effective in mid-December, 2004. Unless an unlikely success is achieved in last-minute attempts to amend the provisions affecting the Patent and Trademark Office, the current form of these provisions will become the law of the land. An outline of the major themes of these provisions is: | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| In a related development prior to Thanksgiving 2004, the Intellectual Property Coalition, has sent a letter asking the House Appropriations committee to oppose raising patent fees unless those fees are kept at the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) for operating expenses. The letter, signed by the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Intellectual Property Owners Association, and six others, was sent to the chairmen and ranking members of the House Committee on Appropriations and its Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies. | |||||||||||||||||||
| The Senate is expected to debate the FY2005 Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill (S. 2809), incorporating a one-year, 30 percent PTO fee increase, as part of an omnibus appropriations package. The letter urges House Appropriators either to seek inclusion of language in conference negotiations that would allow the PTO to keep all of the fees generated by its work or to drop entirely the proposed fee increase. | |||||||||||||||||||
| An increase in PTO application fees without an end to diversion of those funds would be particularly onerous to the biotechnology industry. In fact, the vast majority of biotech organizations are small start-up companies that have yet to bring a product to market, but have 370 promising biotech medicines in the clinical pipeline. For these companies, patents are their sole assets, making the role of the PTO critical to the biotechnology industry. | |||||||||||||||||||
| The letter affirms the need for a stable funding stream for the PTO, which the one-year fee increase will not ensure. Already, the average time it takes to get a patent is more than 27 months (and more for some technologies) and the quality of patent examinations has suffered under inadequate funding. The letter also strongly asserts the coalition’s opposition to a fee increase without an end to fee diversion. The Senate CJS Appropriations bill as currently drafted is unacceptable to the PTO user community and totally ignores the premise that initially secured the user community’s support of a fee increase ending the 12-year practice of fee diversion. Paul Candelaria:paul@cahb.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| What is BioSpace? | |||||||||||||||||||
| Part 6 – BioGarden (New Jersey) | |||||||||||||||||||
| As of November 2004, BioGarden consists of 131 organizations, bioscience and pharmaceutical companies, industry service and supply companies, research institutes, non-profit organizations, and universities in the State of New Jersey. Selected are: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical, Bridgewater, New Jersey) is now a part of Sanofi-Aventis group, the world’s third largest pharmaceutical company, ranking number one in Europe. The group is developing leading positions in seven major therapeutic areas: cardiovascular disease, thrombosis, oncology, diabetes, central nervous system, internal medicine, vaccines. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Covance (Contact Research Organization, Princeton, New Jersey) is a recognized industry leader with expertise and experience in every phase of drug development and the ability to conduct drug trials around the world. It is one of the world's largest and most comprehensive drug development services companies with 2003 revenues of $940 million, global operations in more than 15 countries, and 6,500 employees worldwide. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Johnson & Johnson (Pharmaceutical, New Brunswick, New Jersey) is the world's most comprehensive and broadly based manufacturer of health care products, as well as a provider of related services, for the consumer, pharmaceutical and medical devices and diagnostics markets since the Company's founding in 1886. It has more than 200 operating companies in 57 countries around the world employing 109,200 employees and selling products in more than 175 countries. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Merck & Co., Inc. (Pharmaceutical, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey) is a leading research-driven pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of human and animal health products and services. Merck's research has produced vaccines and medicines to treat cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and infectious diseases, arthritis, glaucoma, and symptomatic benign prostate enlargement and products to treat animal parasites and crop pests. | |||||||||||||||||||
| For more information and news update, visit BioCorridor website . Hiroaki Masuda: masuda@cahb.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| Top |
| September & October 2004 Volume 1 Number 6 & 7 |
| Announcement |
| There will be no monthly health & biosciences forum in October. Next forum will be held in mid November. Stay tuned at http://www.cahb.org/forum.html for update. |
| Forum Report |
| Our fifth monthly Health & Bioscience Forum was held on August 27th, 2004. The speaker was Naoya Tsurushita, Ph.D., Director, Protein Engineering, Protein Design Lab, CA. He talked on “Engineering Antibodies for Human Therapeutics “. |
| Since the introduction of the hybridoma technology in 1975, monoclonal antibodies have rapidly become one of the most important tools in bioscience, with utility extending to therapy of human diseases. The use of monoclonal antibodies as therapeutics, however, was initially hampered by the fact that murine (and other rodent) antibodies proved to be highly immunogenic in humans. Therefore, major research efforts have focused on elimination, or at least reduction, of the immunogenicity of rodent monoclonal antibodies in humans. The humanization technology has ultimately made it possible to eliminate the immunogenicity of rodent antibodies in humans and opened a door to the application of monoclonal antibodies for treatment of human diseases. In addition, recent advances in antibody engineering have provided an opportunity to improve the efficacy of monoclonal antibodies as therapeutics. In this presentation, I will describe how antibody engineering, such as humanization and Fc engineering, has contributed to the development of antibodybased human therapeutics and discuss on the future direction of the research in antibody engineering. |
| We had about 20 attendees with diverse backgrounds from medicine to engineering to Japanese local government. Lively conversations continued after the presentation, over fresh sushi. For more information about the forum, please visit http://www.cahb.org/forum.html. Hiroaki Masuda: hmasuda@cahb.org |
| Top 10 Bio News (September & October 2004) |
| 1. Roche and Protein Design Labs (PDL) announced a worldwide agreement |
| Roche and Protein Design Labs (PDL) recently announced a worldwide agreement to co-develop and commercialize Zenapax(R) (daclizumab) for asthma and related respiratory diseases, based on recent positive phase II data in patients with moderate to severe asthma. Under terms of the agreement, PDL will receive a $17.5 million upfront payment as well as up to $187.5 million in development and commercialization milestones for successful further development of daclizumab. Both companies will globally co-develop daclizumab in asthma, share development expenses and co-promote the product in the US. Outside the US, PDL will receive royalties on net sales of the product in asthma. |
| 2. Medarex and diaDexus Expand Collaboration For Development Of Fully Human Antibody Therapeutics |
| Medarex, Inc. and diaDexus, Inc. today announced an expansion of their existing collaboration for the research and development of fully human antibody therapeutics against novel cancer targets provided by diaDexus. Under the terms of this expansion, diaDexus and Medarex expect to develop antibodies against three novel cancer targets outside of the lung cancer field, which is the focus of the original collaboration between Medarex and diaDexus announced in January 2003. The two companies expect to share the cost of development and commercialization as well as potential profits resulting from any products developed through this collaboration. |
| 3. Nymox Has Global Patent Rights to Use of Statin Drugs for the Treatment and Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease |
| Statins offer hope for a readily available treatment for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease according to Dr. Michael Munzar, Medical Director of Nymox Pharmaceutical Corporation. Statins are a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs that are the biggest-selling prescription pills in pharmaceutical history with estimated 2004 global sales of up to $26 billion. Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly, afflicting an estimated 4.5 million people in the U.S alone. Nymox holds U.S. and global patent rights for the use of statin drugs for the prevention and treatment of AD. |
| 4. Genentech Announces October 6 Webcast Discussion Of Earnings And Other Business Results |
| Genentech, Inc., a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes biotherapeutics for significant unmet medical needs, will announce its 2004 3rd quarter earnings on Wednesday, October 6, 2004, after the markets close. |
| The announcement will be followed by a live webcast at 2:15 p.m. Pacific Time of a discussion by Genentech management of the earnings and other business results. The webcast can be accessed on Genentech's web site at and will be archived and available for replay until 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on October 20, 2004. |
| An audio replay of the webcast will be available beginning at 5:15 p.m. Pacific Time on October 6, 2004 through 5:15 p.m. Pacific Time on October 13, 2004. Access numbers for this replay are: 1-800-642-1687 (U.S./Canada) and 1-706-645-9291 (international); Conference ID number is 128648. |
| 5. Abbott To Present At Banc of America Securities And Merrill Lynch Conferences |
| Abbott Laboratories will present at two investor conferences next week: the Banc of America Securities 34th Annual Investment Conference and the Merrill Lynch Global Drug, Biotech & Medical Devices Conference. Thomas Freyman, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will present on the company at the Banc of America conference at noon Central time on Sept. 20, 2004, in San Francisco. In addition, John Thomas, divisional vice president, will make a company presentation at the Merrill Lynch conference on Sept. 22, 2004, at 11 a.m. Central time in London. |
| 6. Third Wave Files Patent Infringement Suit Against Stratagene |
| Third Wave Technologies Inc. announced that it has filed suit against Stratagene Corp. of La Jolla, Calif., for infringement of Third Wave's patents covering its invasive cleavage structure chemistry. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Madison, Wisconsin, and seeks a permanent injunction against Stratagene that would prevent the sale of that company's probe-based quantitative PCR and RT-PCR reagents. |
| The patent infringement suit against Stratagene has been filed in the same court that heard a similar suit brought by Third Wave against EraGen Biosciences Inc. of Madison, Wisconsin. The court issued a ruling in that case confirming Third Wave's interpretation of the patent claims at issue. That suit was subsequently settled with Eragen's removal from the market of the products in question. |
| 7. Xechem Receives a Broad U.S. Patent for Second Generation Paclitaxel |
| Xechem International, Inc. announced that it has received its eighth U.S. patent related to Paclitaxel (TAXOL(R)). The United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted Xechem a broad patent # 6,765,015 B2 with 37 claims for the second generation paclitaxel. This patent award extends the validity of the patents granted in China, Australia, New Zealand and seven European countries including Austria, Belgium, Ireland, France, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Xechem now has over 20 international and domestic patents covering Paclitaxel and next it's generation taxane analogs. Paclitaxel was developed by the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health and first marketed by Bristol Myers Squibb under the trade name TAXOL(R) for the treatment of ovarian cancer, thereafter breast cancer and Kaposi's Sarcoma. |
| 8. Schatz & Nobel Announce Class Action Lawsuit Against Nektar Therapeutics |
| The law firm of Schatz & Nobel, P.C., which has significant experience representing investors in prosecuting claims of securities fraud, announces that a lawsuit seeking class action status has been filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of all persons who purchased the securities of Nektar Therapeutics between March 4, 2004 and August 4, 2004, including anybody who purchased shares in the March 9, 2004 stock offering. The complaint alleges that Nektar issued a series of material misrepresentations to the market between March 5, 2004 and August 4, 2004. |
| 9. Bankrupt biotech company gives up facility |
| Genteric Inc. intends to shutter the doors to its state-ofthe-art facility in Alameda, California, by October 1st. The 7-year-old biotechnology company lost a battle with its landlord and ended up in bankruptcy court. The company, which is researching ways to deliver vaccines for common diseases through a pill rather than by injection, plans to sell the bulk of its equipment through an auction held by DoveBid on Sept. 15. If the auction and a deal with its landlord are approved by the bankruptcy court, Genteric will use the proceeds to pay off creditors and then end its lease. |
| 10. Vaccine Producer Aventis Pasteur Warned by FDA to Address Deficiencies at French Plant |
| The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned vaccine producer Aventis Pasteur SA earlier this month it could face regulatory action, including license suspension, if prompt corrections were not made to quality control problems found at one of its French manufacturing plants. Released by the FDA Tuesday, the letter said the company, now a unit of drug giant Sanofi-Aventis, had not sufficiently addressed quality control issues found by FDA inspectors at its Lyon, France, manufacturing plant. The inspections occurred before the Sanofi-Synthelabo and Aventis merger earlier this summer. Paul Candelaria: paul@cahb.org |
| USA Topics |
| Congressman Greenwood as BIO President |
| Congressman James C. Greenwood was recently named President of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). |
| The industry group represents more than 1,000 small and large companies, as well as academic and research centers which use biotechnology to develop medical, agricultural, industrial and environmental products. BIO has members in all 50 U.S. states and 33 other nations. |
| BIO Chairman and Alkermes CEO Richard Pops said, after a comprehensive search from a pool of top-level candidates, Jim Greenwood was the Board of Directors’ unanimous choice to lead BIO because of his commitment to improving people’s lives through science and technology and his personal leadership skills. He inherits one of the youngest but strongest and most vibrant trade groups in Washington. |
| BIO, under Jim Greenwood’s leadership, is now well positioned and ready to be an even more persuasive voice for thousands of researchers, many from small innovative companies, as well as encouraging a regulatory climate in Washington that will help our industry bring even more cutting- edge health products to patients and consumers around the world. |
| Given my seniority in Congress, and my role on the Energy & Commerce Committee, had virtually any other organization approached me, I would have politely declined to interview. However, I passionately believe in the promise of biotechnology to find cures and treatments for the diseases that force parents to watch their children suffer and die, and children to endure their parents・disintegration into the clutches of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, Greenwood said, continuing, the research and the science that BIO’s members represent hold so much potential: regenerative medicine to enable us to repair our organs and spinal cords, biotech crops and foods which can help feed the hungry, and biofuels to help save the environment. |
| Greenwood has represented the Eighth District of Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1993 and serves on the Energy and Commerce and Education and the Workforce Committees. He previously served in the Pennsylvania House and Senate. |
| Since 2001, Greenwood has served as Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. In this position, he has investigated and held hearings on a wide array of issues including corporate governance issues at Enron and WorldCom, bioterrorism, and the security of our ports and borders. |
| Greenwood has been a leader on education and juvenile justice issues. He has also authored several pieces of critical legislation to ensure that Americans have access to the best health care in the world, including the Help Efficient, Affordable, Low Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act to provide reasonable limits on non-economic damages in medical liability lawsuits to preserve patient’s access to healthcare. |
| Greenwood has been active on environmental issues and has worked to increase communication among leaders to address international environmental issues, serving as President of Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE) International. He is also a founder and co-chair of the House Oceans Caucus. |
| Congresswoman Anna Eshoo of Palo Alto, California commented, Congressman Greenwood has been a valued colleague and classmate whom I've had the privilege to partner with on many successful legislative initiatives. The Congress’ loss is BIO’s gain. Jim brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and wisdom to BIO and I'm very proud of him. |
| In addition, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) commented that throughout his career, Representative Greenwood has been a strong voice for the needs of patients. While we are sad to see him leave Congress," said NMSS CEO General Mike Dugan, "we are gratified that someone with his balanced perspective has been chosen to lead this important biotechnology industry group. We wish him well and look forward to working with him in his new role. |
| Greenwood will be taking over from Carl B. Feldbaum who has headed BIO since its establishment in July of 1993. BIO has grown from 16 employees and a $2.1 million budget to almost a 100 member staff with a $40 million budget. Membership has increased from 350 companies to over 1,000. BIO members are involved in the research and development of health-care, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. |
| Feldbaum, who announced in February that he would retire this year, said, Jim Greenwood has the broad social perspective, the passion, ability and experience to lead BIO superbly in the future. I could not be more enthusiastic in passing this baton to our industry’s next generation of leadership. Paul Candelaria: paul@cahb.org |
| What is BioSpace? |
| Part 6 – BioCorridor (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois) |
| Because of the dramatic growth and success of the life science industry in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, BioSpace has decided to launch the BioCorridor™ Hotbed Campaign. This marketing campaign for the Midwest Life Science Community will assist the cluster in attracting and retaining valuable resources. |
| As of Oct 2004, BioCorridor consists of 202 organizations including bioscience and pharmaceutical companies, industry service and supply companies, research institutes, non-profit organizations, and universities. Selected are: |
| Abbott Laboratories (Pharmaceutical and Medical Products, Abbott Park, Illinois) was founded by a young Chicago physician, Dr. Wallace Calvin Abbott, in 1888, Abbott Laboratories has evolved into a diversified health care company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets innovative products and services that span the continuum of care – from prevention and diagnosis to treatment and cure. |
|
| For more information and news update, visit BioCorridor website . Hiroaki Masuda: masuda@cahb.org |
| Bio-Novelty |
| Fusion or differentiation |
| Ms. Helen Blau is the one of the famous professors in Stanford University. She is the first woman professor who graduated from Stanford University. Her major is pharmacology and has been dedicating skeletal muscle study. She applied the gene therapy for Duchene muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients for the first time in the world. She is now dedicating the role of bone marrow stem cells (BMSC) research for skeletal muscle. Taken her several papers together, I can conclude her research is fusion theory or differentiation theory of BMSC. |
| Theise ND and Krause DS reported that BMSC differentiated into hepatocytes and neuron by using Ychromosome method in 2000 (Hepatology. 2000 Jan;31(1):235-40). They demonstrated that Y-positive hepatocytes, up to 2.2% of total hepatocytes, were identified in one animal at seven days post transplantation and in all animals sacrificed two months or longer post transplantation. They concluded that hepatocytes could be derived from bone marrow cells after irradiation without severe acute injury. The small subpopulation of CD34(+)line(-) bone marrow cells was also reported to be capable of such hepatic engraftment. |
| In contrast, Wagers AJ and Weissman IL reported that BMSC did not differentiate into other cells (Science. 2002 Sep 27;297(5590):2256-9. Epub 2002 Sep 05, Cell. 2004 Mar 5;116(5):639-48). In 2003, Weissman IL concluded that those produced cells that Klaus reported to be outcomes from the differentiation were just fusion cells. There has been intense debate between two parties. |
| In her conclusion, Helen Blau stated that BMSC could differentiate into other cells and fusion cells from BMSC could differentiate into the cells that BMSC fused if stimulation was added to some extent. Her theory is a kind of combination theory between Klaus and Weissman. Supported by the enormous data, her theory seems to convince the audience at the Stanford University. Toshihiko Nishimura: toshi@cahb.org |
| Top |
| August 2004 - Volume 1 - Number 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Announcement | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Forum Report | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Top 10 Bio News (August 2004) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1. Senate Panel OKs Bill To Create Facility At Cal State Hayward | |||||||||||||||||||
| Assemblywoman Ellen Corbett's uncompromising desire to create a biotechnology center at California State University in Hayward, continued to gain support, the latest coming from a state subcommittee. The Senate Appropriations Committee last week signed off on Bill 1885, which calls for the creation of such a center at Cal State Hayward. For the past year, the assemblywoman has spearheaded efforts to bring the East Bay Biotechnology Center to Cal State Hayward. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2. Venture Capitalists Return To Startups: Eighty-five Biotech Companies Attracted $923 Million | |||||||||||||||||||
| The life-sciences sector, which includes biotechnology and medical devices, continued to remain near historical highs, as it has for the past eight quarters. Investments in that sector totaled $1.41 billion, or 25% of the quarter's venture capital. However, eighty-five biotech companies attracted $923 million, down from the $968 million that went into 77 biotech companies in the first quarter of 2004. Meanwhile, funding for 70 medical- device companies jumped 40% to $485 million; that compares with the $344 million that went to 56 companies in the first quarter of the year. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3. Adeza Biomedical Corporation Files Registration Statement for Proposed IPO | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sunnyvale-based, Adeza Biomedical Corporation announced today that it has filed a registration statement relating to the proposed initial public offering of its common stock with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All of the shares are to be sold by Adeza. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined. Adeza's principal product is a patented diagnostic test, the Fetal Fibronectin Test, that utilizes a single-use, disposable cassette and is analyzed on Adeza's patented TLiIQ(R) System. This product is approved by the FDA for broad use in assessing the risk of preterm birth. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4. FDA Approves Eli Lilly and Company's Alimta For The Second-Line Treatment Of Advanced Lung Cancer | |||||||||||||||||||
| Eli Lilly and Company's anti-cancer drug Alimta received its second U.S. approval in 2004. The FDA granted accelerated approval for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in previously treated patients. In February, Alimta was approved, in combination with cisplatin (a common chemotherapy agent), for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma, a cancer often associated with asbestos exposure. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 5. Othera Pharmaceuticals Closes $13 Million In Venture Capital Financing | |||||||||||||||||||
| Othera Pharmaceuticals Inc., a privately-held ophthalmic pharmaceutical company developing proprietary drugs to treat or prevent the three leading causes of blindness, announced today that it has raised $13 million in a Series B financing to fund further clinical development of its ophthalmic drug pipeline. The financing was led by NewSpring Ventures, Commerce Health Ventures, and included investments from Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation and Liberty Venture Partners. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 6. Science Recreates Mad Cow Disease | |||||||||||||||||||
| Scientists have produced a prion protein that can trigger the development of a neurological disorder in mice that is similar to mad cow disease, according to a new study supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a part of the National Institutes of Health. The findings demonstrate that prions, an unusual class of infectious proteins, can make copies of themselves without the presence of viral DNA or RNA, damage brain tissue, and cause neurological diseases. The work by Nobel Laureate Stanley B. Prusiner, M.D., and colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco produced prion protein fragments in bacteria, folded them into larger protein structures called amyloid fibrils, and then injected them into the brains of susceptible mice. The mice began exhibiting symptoms of disease in their central nervous systems between 380 and 660 days after they were given the synthetic prion proteins. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 7. Bio-Rad Purchases MJ GeneWorks | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hercules, California-based Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of life science research products and clinical diagnostics, announced today that it has completed the purchase of MJ GeneWorks, Inc., and its subsidiaries, including MJ Research, Inc., for approximately $32 million in cash. The sale is effective immediately. MJ Research, based in Waltham, Massachusetts, is a life science company that specializes in premium instruments and consumables used in modern biological research, including thermal cycling instrumentation and reagents used to amplify DNA. MJ Research pioneered the use of Peltier-effect technology and has introduced a number of other innovations in the thermal-cycling field. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 8. Merck & Co., Inc. Executes Exclusive Patent License and Collaborative Research and Development Agreement with Kyorin Pharmaceutical | |||||||||||||||||||
| Merck & Co., Inc. announced that it has entered into an exclusive patent license and collaborative research and development agreement in the infectious diseases field with Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan. Under the terms of this latest agreement, Kyorin grants Merck an exclusive worldwide license, excluding Japan, for the development, manufacture and sale of any products that result from the collaboration. Merck will make milestone payments to Kyorin and pay royalties based on product sales. Merck is a global research- driven pharmaceutical products company. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 9. Galileo Genomics Purchases Illumina BeadStation Platforms to Fine Map Candidate Regions For at Least Five Disease Gene Discovery Programs | |||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego-based Illumina, Inc. and Galileo Genomics Inc. today announced that they have signed a collaborative agreement with a value exceeding $1.5 million. Under the terms of the agreement, Galileo has purchased two Illumina BeadStation 500GX genotyping systems for use in fine mapping candidate regions in a minimum of five disease gene discovery programs. The resulting information will be used to produce GeneMaps, comprised of multiple interacting genes unequivocally associated with disease, which will be used for the development of innovative therapeutics, diagnostics and pharmacogenomics services. Illumina is also licensing the diagnostic rights to Galileo's osteoarthritis gene discovery program. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 10. Simova Updates On Phase I Human Clinical Testing Of SARS Vaccine | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sinovac Biotech Ltd. announces that all 36 subjects of the Phase I human clinical trial for its inactivated SARS vaccine have now been vaccinated with either SARS vaccine or placebo. The final 12 subjects in the second group of 18 volunteers have received the vaccination, 6 subjects on July 28 and 6 subjects on August 4, 2004. No adverse side-effects have been observed. As previously announced, the first 6 of this second group of 18 volunteers in the SARS vaccine trial were injected on July 15, 2004. These subjects together comprise the second group of 18 second group of 18 volunteers, which has been injected with either the high-dosage SARS vaccine or a placebo. Paul Candelaria: paul@cahb.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| USA Topics | |||||||||||||||||||
| Stock Scheme Pushed Up Share Price Of Biotech Company | |||||||||||||||||||
| Stock scheme is being disguised as wrong number | |||||||||||||||||||
| An old stock scam with a new gimmick is ensnaring investors and has pushed up the share price of a biotech company, prompting the Securities and Exchange Commission to warn the public. | |||||||||||||||||||
| The classic "pump-and-dump" scheme, in which promoters hype a stock to build up its price and then sell their shares before the price plummets has been updated. | |||||||||||||||||||
| People checking their cell phone voice mail and home answering machines are finding a message from a woman who has apparently misdialed and, unaware of her mistake, left a stock tip for a friend. The well-crafted subterfuge even has the woman making chewing noises and apologizing for eating. The stock the woman tells her friend to buy is one sold on lightly regulated and thinly traded exchanges, called the pink sheets and the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board. | |||||||||||||||||||
| A Manhattan Beach, California attorney, who represents one of the companies, said that the SEC staff attorney who is working on this case told him that there are five companies that are being touted this way, and none of the companies seemingly know anything about it. The SEC declined to identify the companies being promoted through the scheme and said that, "Right now we don't know who it is and we don't know if the companies are behind this or not." | |||||||||||||||||||
| The SEC is scheduled to make a formal announcement about the scam and ask for the public's help to locate the source of the messages. It is not a crime to talk up a stock or be compensated to do so. But it could be fraud and a violation of federal securities law if an investment professional does not tell potential investors about being paid to promote a stock and uses tactics that manipulate the markets. | |||||||||||||||||||
| For example, on August 11, 2004, just under 380,000 shares of Texas-based X Biotech Company were traded, and the stock closed at $2.17. The next day, 2.34 million shares were bought and sold, and the stock closed at $2.85. By Tuesday, the volume reached 5.69 million, and the stock closed at $4.38, more than double its price just four trading days earlier. It fell back 20.8 percent Wednesday to close at $3.47 on volume of 2.92 million. Paul Candelaria: paul@cahb.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| What is BioSpace? | |||||||||||||||||||
| Part 5 - BioCapital (Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and Washington, DC) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Recognizing the Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Washington, DC area as an international life sciences hub, BioCapital has been one of the most active hotbeds in BioSpace. | |||||||||||||||||||
| As of Aug 2004, BioCapital consists of 66 organizations including bioscience and pharmaceutical companies, industry service and supply companies, research institutes, non-profit organizations, and universities. Located in the capital of the US government, two well-known national institutions are listed in BioCapital: | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Leading companies in bioscience and pharmaceutical industry are in the participant list as well. | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| BioCapital “Interactive Media Campaign”, conducted from 2001 to 2003, was a remarkable multi-media program designed to heighten awareness surrounding both the participating organizations and the BioCapital community. Utilizing BioSpace’s high visibility, the campaign provided two years of highly focused branding, directly reaching the vertical audience ”for less than the cost of one display ad in a Sunday newspaper”. A combination of advertising, marketing and industry awareness initiatives, the campaign consisted of two key elements below: | |||||||||||||||||||
| BioCapital “Interactive Media Campaign”, conducted from 2001 to 2003, was a remarkable multi-media program designed to heighten awareness surrounding both the participating organizations and the BioCapital community. Utilizing BioSpace’s high visibility, the campaign provided two years of highly focused branding, directly reaching the vertical audience ”for less than the cost of one display ad in a Sunday newspaper”. A combination of advertising, marketing and industry awareness initiatives, the campaign consisted of two key elements below: | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1) BioCapital Map: Participant company’s building, logo and location relative to other companies in the BioCapital community is displayed on BioCapital Map. The map, recognized as a global branding tool is distributed industry wide over a two-year period at events, in media kits and by request. | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2) A web-based interactive functionality: The BioCapital Map is duplicated on the BioSpace.com website, where your position on the map is linked to a detailed company profile. The profile consists of news and information regarding the organization and career opportunities posted on BioSpace. It is also linked to the company's website. This profile provides a highly visible presence to BioSpace.com's audience of over one million unique visitors per month. | |||||||||||||||||||
| For more information and news update, visit BioCapital website http://www.biospace.com/hotbed.cfm?RegionID=9. Noriko Oki: oki@cahb.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| Top |
| July 2004 - Volume 1 - Number 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcement | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Top 10 Bio News (July 2004) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1. Draft Of Dog Genome Sequence Unveiled In US, Available Worldwide | ||||||||||||||||||||
| US researchers have unveiled the first draft of the dog genome sequence, making it available around the world, the US National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) said. A team of researchers picked a boxer dog out of 120 canines representing 60 breeds because of little variation in its genome sequence, making it the best reference for canines. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2. Mayo Clinic Use Human Antibody To Cure Malignant Melanoma In Mice | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Mayo Clinic researchers have manipulated a human antibody to induce an anti-tumor response in living mice that consistently curbs, and often cures malignant melanoma, one of the most lethal forms of skin cancer and the most common cancer of young adults. Cancer immunotherapy refers to scientist-controlled manipulations of the immune system to kill cancer cells without the toxic side effects of chemotherapy or radiation. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 3. Mouse Brain Stem Cells Capable Of Converting Into Blood Vessel Cells | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Adult stem cells in the brains of mice possess a broader differentiation potential than previously thought and may be capable of developing into other cell types including those involved in the formation of new blood vessels, according to a new study supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a part of the National Institutes of Health. The finding could help resolve a critical question about these promising, but still mystifying cells. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4. Technology That Reduces Infectious Prions "Mad Cow Disease" From Blood Unveiled At International Transfusion Meeting | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pall Corporation unveiled an innovative, proprietary technology that reduces prions from blood prior to a transfusion at the annual meeting of the International Society for Blood Transfusion (ISBT). The soon to be released Leukotrap(R) Affinity Prion Reduction Filter will provide the dual benefit of reducing harmful white blood cells while also reducing infectious prions, the rogue proteins that cause variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 5. Bayer To Acquire Roche Holding's Roche Consumer Health for $3 Billion | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Bayer announced that it has agreed to acquire Roche Consumer Health. By acquiring this business, Bayer will become one of the top three over-the-counter (OTC) consumer health companies worldwide. Additionally, Bayer will acquire Roche's 50 percent share of the 1997 Bayer/Roche joint venture in the U.S., (an element not included in Roche's original offering) and five Roche production sites in Grenzach (Germany), Gaillard (France), Pilar (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco) and Jakarta (Indonesia). The OTC business of the Japanese company Chugai, in which Roche has a majority stake, is not included. The acquired business has yearly sales of around EUR 1 billion. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 6. Novavax HIV Vaccine Programs and its Five-Year Contract Cancelled | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Novavax, Inc. today announced that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has cancelled its five-year contract for the development of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine candidates due to programmatic considerations for "the government's convenience." Novavax had been the prime contractor, with Emory University, Tulane University, and the University of Pittsburgh as subcontractors. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 7. New Method Enables Researchers To Make Human SARS Antibodies Quickly | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Human antibodies that thwart the SARS virus in mice can be mass-produced quickly using a new laboratory technique developed by an international research team collaborating with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The new technique could become an important tool for developing a cocktail of SARS-specific antibodies that might help protect people recently exposed to the SARS virus or at high risk of exposure. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 8. U.S. Congress OKs $5.6B For Bioweapons Vaccines | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Enough new-generation anthrax vaccine to dose 25 million people: That's first on the government's shopping list under a massive new program to develop and stockpile antidotes to biological and chemical weapons. Called Project BioShield, the $5.6 billion program passed the House on a 414-2 vote July 14, 2004. The Senate passed it in May and President Bush's signature is guaranteed. Federal health officials have their wish-list ready: antidotes for botulism and anthrax, a safer smallpox vaccine, and a long-awaited children's version of an anti-radiation pill. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 9. Pfizer Chief Says He Expects to Win Appeal of China's Decision to Overturn Viagra Patent | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pfizer Inc., the U.S. maker of Viagra, expects to win an appeal of a recent decision by Chinese regulators to overturn the company's patent there, according to the company's top executive. Hank McKinnell, Pfizer chairman said overturning the ruling would have little effect on Pfizer's bottom line. However, the move would be welcomed by foreign investors wary of China's stance on intellectual property rights, he said. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 10. Quigley Receives U.S. Patent For Its Topical Treatment For Radiation Dermatitis | ||||||||||||||||||||
| The Quigley Corporation announced that it has received a patent for QR-335, its topical treatment designed to potentially prevent and relieve the effects of radiation dermatitis. The U.S. Patent, No. 6,753,325 B2 is entitled Topical Compositions and Methods for Treatment of Adverse Effects of Ionizing Radiation. A pre-clinical "proof of concept" study on pigskin is currently being planned, since pigs are an established animal model for the testing of likely human skin reactions. Paul Candelaria: paul@cahb.org | ||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Topics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Biotech Outsourcing – the next big wave | ||||||||||||||||||||
| The Indian industry is planning an outsourcing encore. This time, it is slated to happen in the biotech sector. Currently valued at $120 million, biotech outsourcing in India is quickly turning out into a major money spinner for companies involved in contract and clinical research activities. Out of this, $50 million is raised from contract research and the rest from clinical research. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Added to that, a new concept called research process outsourcing (RPO), is finding its feet as well. Five years ago, outsourcing was a word alien for the industry but things have changed. Biotech outsourcing from India is growing at a rate of 75% and experts are predicting that the business would touch $1 billion in the next five years. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Globally, $40 billion is the R&D outsourcing expenditure in the pharmaceutical industry on an annual basis. In comparison, India's contribution at this stage would seem minimal, but taking into consideration India's scientific talent pool, it may not be that tough for it to break into the $1 billion club. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| India had snared a 3% share of the global IT outsourcing market, and the biotech industry is aiming for exactly that. It is expected that India along with Russia and the East European block will become outsourcing destinations of the world and among these nations, India hold the edge due to its superior communication skills and IT talent. Paul Candelaria: paul@cahb.org | ||||||||||||||||||||
| What is BioSpace? | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Part 4 - Bio NC (North Carolina) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| North Carolina is one of the east-coast states, surrounded by Virginia on the North, Tennessee on the West and South Carolina on the South. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, about 8.2 million people call North Carolina home. That makes the state the 11th most populous in the nation. Raleigh has the State Capitol, but the largest city in NC is Charlotte as below. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| <Top 5 cities ranked by population> • Charlotte—540,828 • Raleigh—276,093 • Greensboro—223,891 • Durham—187,035 • Winston-Salem—185,776 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Biotech NC consists of 108 organizations including universities, research institutes and companies (as of July 2004). The development of this area largely relies on colleges and universities. These academic organizations throughout North Carolina provide a strong foundation for the state's growing bioscience community through research, technology transfer, teaching and public service. Some of the campuses with extensive bioscience activities include: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| • Duke University • East Carolina University • North Carolina Central University • North Carolina State University • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • University of North Carolina at Charlotte • University of North Carolina at Greensboro • University of North Carolina at Wilmington • Wake Forest University School of Medicine | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Role of The North Carolina Biotechnology Center, which is a private, non-profit corporation established in 1981 by the state's General Assembly, cannot be neglected. The Center's mission is to provide long-term economic benefit to North Carolina through support of biotechnology research, development and commercialization statewide. The Center does not, however, perform laboratory research. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| With the help of its working partners and the financial support of the General Assembly, the Center has made targeted investments in biotechnology that have been leveraged into substantial gains for the state. Selected accomplishments include: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| In addition, a number of non-academic research facilities in the state contribute to North Carolina's high caliber of bioscience research: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Noriko Oki: oki@cahb.org | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Potpourri | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ABC | ||||||||||||||||||||
| “He is ABC”, said my Chinese friend. I have worked in Stanford University for six years. I have seven colleagues including three Chinese medical doctors. Guohua was an associate professor in Gowangchow, Linfang was a chief resident in Shanghai, and Daoming was also a chief resident in Peiging. They are not ABC, but CBC. ABC stands for America Born Chinese and CBC is China Born Chinese. The Chinese can tell themselves between ABC and CBC. Maybe I can tell by the accent of their spoken English. It’s so hard for me to understand CBC’s speaking. On the other hand ABC’s English is much clearer and more understandable than American. Chinese are diligent and so they may learn very carefully how to speak English if they are born in USA as ABC. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| There are many China towns all over the world. Wherever we travel, we can find a China town in a city. Why? Once a Chinese leads a life in a place and he/she tries to call his/her family and his/her relatives. One Chinese does so and others do the same things. They can, then, build a Chinese community and have a China town there. As of today the population in Mainland China is more than 1.3 billion that is more than 20 % of the world’s population. If we calculate the population of all the Chinese in the world not only in Mainland China but also the Chinese out side of main land, the number will be more than 2 billion. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| The mayor in San Francisco was a Chinese who was ABC. The current president is George Bush, but in the close future I can guess that we will see a Chinese president in United States of America. He/She must be ABC. Toshihiko Nishimura: toshi@cahb.org | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Acknowledgment | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Top |
| June 2004 - Volume 1 - Number 3 | ||
| Announcement | ||
| There will be no monthly health & bioscience forum in June. Next forum will be held in late July. Stay tuned at http://www.cahb.org/forum.html. | ||
| Top 10 Bio News (May – June 2004) | ||
| 1. Accumetrics Secures Funding Led by Essex Woodlands Ventures | ||
| San Diego-based Accumetrics, Inc., maker of the VerifyNow line of diagnostic tests, announced that it has raised $13.5 million in equity financing from a syndicate of private, corporate and venture investors led by Essex Woodlands Health Ventures. Other investors in the round are PTV Sciences, KB Partners and Telegraph Hill Partners. The company specializes in point-of-care tests to evaluate the effectiveness of antiplatelet therapy, a mainstay of treatment for patients with cardiovascular disease. | ||
| 2. University of Toronto Study Links Tumors and Proteins | ||
| Protein long thought to be involved in repairing DNA that is damaged during normal metabolic processes is linked to tumor suppression, says a new University of Toronto study. The researchers discovered that reduction or loss of a protein called Mus81 led to the development of lymphomas and other tumors in mice. The research is published in the June 18 edition of Science, and demonstrates Mus81’s role in preventing cancer and illustrates that, contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary for processing Holliday Junctions. | ||
| 3. Roche Submits Application To U.S. FDA For New Formulation Of Invirase | ||
| Roche announced the submission of a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval to market a new 500 mg tablet formulation of its HIV protease inhibitor Invirase(R) (saquinavir mesylate). The new formulation is smaller in size than the currently available 200 mg Invirase capsule and, if approved, will reduce pill count for each dose by more than half. A filing for approval to market the new formulation in the European Union will be submitted to the European Medicines Agency within days of the U.S. filing. | ||
| 4. Sanko Junyaku to Launch Diagnostic Test Kit for Hepatocellular Carcinoma | ||
| Sanko Junyaku Co., Fujirebio Inc., and Eisai Co., announced that Sanko Junyaku will launch on August 3, 2004, Lumipulse Pivka-II Eisai, a test kit (in vitro diagnostics) to determine Des-Carboxy-Prothrombin. The test kit will be used for Lumipulse, automatic chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay system developed and marketed by Fujirebio. | ||
| 5. Renowned UCLA Molecular Biologist Named to NeoStem Advisory Board | ||
| NeoStem, a company committed to pioneering adult stem cell therapeutics, announced today that Richard A. Gatti, M.D., Co-Director of the Molecular Pathology Laboratory at UCLA, has been named to the firm's Medical Advisory Board. Dr. Gatti is currently a distinguished professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. He is a world-renowned molecular geneticist and immunologist and a pioneer in transplantation medicine. | ||
| 6. Stanford Researchers Eye New Chip's Potential as an Artificial Retina | ||
| Researchers at the Stanford have developed a prototype for a new kind of implantable chip they believe could be adapted to serve as both a prosthetic retina for people who suffer from a common form of age-related blindness and as a drug-delivery system that could treat conditions such as Parkinson's disease. Where other types of chips use electricity to stimulate nerves, this one instead tickles cells with minute amounts of chemicals. Because nerve cells normally communicate with each other by releasing chemicals known as neurotransmitters, the new device points to a more effective way of treating very delicate tissues, such as those in the eye and in the brain. | ||
| 7. Interleukin Receives Patent For Pharmacogenetic Tests For Asthma | ||
| Interleukin Genetics reported that it was awarded Patent No. 6,746,839 B1 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for methods and kits that use specific genetic markers to assist in the diagnosis and management of an obstructive airway disease, such as asthma. | ||
| 8. AGY Therapeutics At 11th Annual Euro-Biotech Forum | ||
| South San Francisco-based AGY Therapeutics Inc. announced that Cynthia J. Ladd, the company's president, made a presentation at Windhover Information's 11th Annual Euro-Biotech Forum last June 22nd in the Salon Napoleon at the Hotel Inter-Continental in Paris. She provided an update on progress in AGY's drug development programs made through the application of its proprietary central nervous system discovery and technology. The company's lead development program is for functional recovery after a stroke, which has a product candidate targeted to enter clinical trials in early 2005. | ||
| 9. Pall Corporation To Reduce Potential Risk Of Mad Cow Disease | ||
| Innovations in membrane filtration developed at Pall Corporation will help reduce potential BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) contamination in biologicals and biotherapeutics. BSE is one of a family of invariably fatal, progressive, neuro-degenerative diseases widely believed to be caused by infectious proteins known as prions. Recent data demonstrate that Pall membrane technologies, validated to remove a host of viral and bacterial pathogens, can also remove prions for a range of applications. These include removing prions from animal growth factors and serum that are used to manufacture drug therapies, as well as prion clearance from breathing filters used in medical procedures and from blood prior to transfusions. | ||
| 10. Cardima Meets With FDA Regarding Revelation Tx Microcatheter | ||
| Cardima today announced that it met with the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 18th, in response to the FDA's encouragement for Cardima to meet with FDA representatives subsequent to the issuance of the FDA's letter stating that Cardima's Revelation Tx Microcatheter system pre-market approval application (PMA) was NOT approvable. Paul Candelaria: paul@cahb.org | ||
| USA Topics | ||
| New Research Shows That "Mighty Mouse" Gene Found In Humans. | ||
| By studying the genes of an unusually muscular child, scientists have identified a gene in human which has also been used to create "mighty mice" in the lab. The discovery means that successful therapies for degenerative muscle diseases in mice that target this gene might be also effective in humans. | ||
| Subject of the research is a boy, whose mother is a professional sprinter. He is so strong that at the age of just four and a half he can hold a three-kilogram weight in each hand with his arms outstretched horizontally. The international team of scientists has shown that the boy has a single mutation in the gene for a protein called myostatin. This gene has previously been examined in mice, and blocking it can make mice twice as brawny as normal. However, until now no one knew its effects in humans. | ||
| "The idea was if we could find ways to interfere with myostatin function, perhaps we could slow down muscle loss in muscle wasting diseases and hopefully increase lifespan," explains the main researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. "But a major question was, will this work in humans?" he says. The new study confirms that the so-called "mighty mouse" gene does have the same effects in humans. | ||
| Sequencing the myostatin gene of the boy and his mother revealed both had a single change in the gene's DNA sequence. Where the mother had only one copy of the mutant gene, the boy had two. The mutation affects the way that the RNA made from the gene is spliced and gives a misformed protein. Myostatin is normally made by muscle cells and circulates in the blood, acting on muscle only. The current view is that it may act on a group of muscle stem cells called satellite cells. These cells are activated in response to injury and regenerate muscle cells. Myostatin acts to keep them in some kind of a quiescent state. | ||
| The New Scientist Journal was told that there's definitely sufficient evidence to demonstrate, at least, there might be a therapeutic benefit for humans. Paul Candelaria: paul@cahb.org | ||
| What is BioSpace? | ||
| Part 3 – Biotech Beach – | ||
| Biotech Beach covers Greater Los Angeles and San Diego areas and their surroundings in Southern California. At the time of this publication (6/25/2004), 275 companies, organizations, and universities are participating in the Biotech Beach hotbed community. Selected are: | ||
The full directory can be found at the BioSpace web page at . | ||
| A list of upcoming events in Biotech Beach in 2004 | ||
| ||
| More information about the upcoming events can be found at Hiroaki Masuda: hmasuda@cahb.org | ||
| Bio-Novelty | ||
| West Nile Virus | ||
| The news that the avian flu killed tremendous number of chickens in South Korea and Japan were reported in early 2004. Globalization can bring us many kinds of industrial products and foods from all over the world in a few days after they are collected in their original countries, which are good facets of globalization. However, like the avian flu case, we are in 24 hours exposed to the very dangerous situation when we can be infected by the pathogens that we never see before in the past in that area. SARS, avian flu, and WNV are the examples. This is very serious and we should keep in mind in this alert. | ||
| Background | ||
| WNV is an arbovirus first isolated in Uganda, Africa in 1937, and is endemic in entire Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle Eastern Hemisphere. The first case of WNV was detected in the Western Hemisphere in 1999 in New York and has since spread to much of the United States. Last year in 2003, 9858 human cases and 262 deaths were reported, and animal or human infection was demonstrated in all the states except four states, which are Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii, far from New York. In California we had three human cases last year. | ||
| Clinical Illness | ||
| The spectrum of the disease caused by WNVranges from asymptomatic infection (79%), which is most common, mild illness (20%) known as WNV fever to severe infection (1%) manifesting as encephalitis. | ||
| ||
| Diagnosis | ||
| The WNV immunoflourescent assay (IFA) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) tests measure IgM/IgG anitibodies and IgM anitibodies, respectively. These tests are positive in most infected people within 8 days of symptom onset. | ||
| Treatment | ||
| Treatment is supportive, often involving hospitalization. Ribavirin in high doses and IFN α and 2β may be good based on in vitro data. Prevention is the best way of treatment. We need to protect us and our family from mosquito’s bite. It’s better to stay in during dawn, dusk and in the early evening-peak mosquito biting times. Wear long sleeved shirts, and apply insect repellant containing DEET. | ||
| Useful information can be obtained from: Toshihiko Nishimura: toshi@cahb.org | ||
| Acknowledgment | ||
| ||
| Top |
| May 2004 - Volume 1 - Number 2 | ||
| Announcement | ||
| There will be no monthly health & bioscience forum in May. Next forum will be held in late June. Stay tuned at http://www.cahb.org/forum.html. | ||
| Forum Report | ||
| ||
| Top 10 Bio News (April – May 2004) | ||
Paul Candelaria: paul@cahb.org | ||
| USA Topics | ||
| A Short History of Google | ||
| Internet search engine leader Google, Inc. filed its longawaited IPO plans on April 29, 2004 setting the stage for the company to make its stock market debut — a move that could still be months away. Without specifying a price per share, Google said it hopes to raise $2.7 billion with an initial public offering that's created the biggest high-tech buzz since the dot-com bubble burst four years ago. | ||
| Although Google's stock won't be sold for several more months, the filing represents a significant milestone in the 5 1/2-year-old company's evolution from a fun-loving startup to a corporate adolescent that will be held more accountable for how it manages its money. | ||
| According to Google news, company founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin first met as Stanford University graduate students in 1995. Larry was a 24-year-old University of Michigan alumnus on a weekend visit; Sergey, 23, was among a group of students assigned to show him around. They argued about every topic they discussed. Their strong opinions and divergent viewpoints would eventually find common ground in a unique approach to solving one of computing's biggest challenges: retrieving relevant information from a massive set of data. | ||
| By January of 1996, Larry and Sergey had begun collaboration on a search engine called BackRub, named for its unique ability to analyze the "back links" pointing to a given website. Larry, who had always enjoyed tinkering with machinery and had gained some notoriety for building a working printer out of Lego took on the task of creating a new kind of server environment that used low-end PCs instead of big expensive machines. Afflicted by the perennial shortage of cash common to graduate students everywhere, the pair took to haunting the department's loading docks in hopes of tracking down newly arrived computers that they could borrow for their network. A year later, their unique approach to link analysis was earning BackRub a growing reputation among those who had seen it and the new search technology began to build as word spread around campus. | ||
| Larry and Sergey continued working to perfect their technology through the first half of 1998. They bought a terabyte of disks at bargain prices and built their own computer housings in Larry's dorm room, which became Google's first data center. Meanwhile Sergey set up a business office, and the two began calling on potential partners who might want to license a search technology better than any then available. Despite the dotcom fever of the day, they had little interest in building a company of their own around the technology they had developed. | ||
| Among those they called on was friend and Yahoo! founder David Filo. Filo agreed that their technology was solid, but encouraged Larry and Sergey to grow the service themselves by starting a search engine company. "When it's fully developed and scalable," he told them, "let's talk again." Others were less interested in Google, as it was now known. | ||
| Unable to interest the major portal players of the day, Larry and Sergey decided to make a go of it on their own. All they needed was a little cash to move out of the dorm — and to pay off the credit cards they had maxed out buying a terabyte of disks. So they went looking for an angel investor. Their first visit was with a friend of a faculty member. | ||
| Andy Bechtolsheim, one of the founders of Sun Microsystems, was used to taking the long view. One look at their demo and he knew Google had potential — a lot of potential. As Sergey recalls, "We met him very early one morning on the porch of a Stanford faculty member's home in Palo Alto. We gave him a quick demo. He had to run off somewhere, so he said, 'Instead of us discussing all the details, why don't I just write you a check?' It was made out to Google Inc. and was for $100,000." | ||
| The investment created a small dilemma. Since there was no legal entity known as "Google, Inc.", there was no way to deposit the check. It sat in Larry's desk drawer for a couple of weeks while he and Sergey scrambled to set up a corporation and locate other founders among family, friends, and acquaintances. Ultimately they brought in a total initial investment of almost $1 million. | ||
| On September 7, 1998, Google Inc. opened its door in Menlo Park, California. The door came with a remote control, as it was attached to the garage of a friend who sublet space to the new corporation's staff of three. Google.com, still in beta, was then answering 10,000 search queries each day. That December, PC Magazine named Google one of its Top 100 Web Sites and Search Engines for 1998. | ||
| Google quickly outgrew the confines of its Menlo Park home, and by February 1999 had moved to an office on University Avenue in Palo Alto. At eight employees, Google's service was answering more than 500,000 queries per day. Interest in the company had grown as well. | ||
| On June 7, the company announced that it had secured a round of funding that included $25 million from the two leading venture capital firms in Silicon Valley, Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Buyers. In short order, key hires began to fill the company's modest offices. At one point the office became so cramped that employees couldn't stand up from their desks without others tucking their chairs in first. | ||
| The gridlock was alleviated with the move to the current headquarters in Mountain View, California. What had been a college research project was now a real company offering a service that was in great demand. On September 21, 1999, the beta label came off the website. The rest is now history… Paul Candelaria: paul@cahb.org | ||
| What is BioSpace? | ||
| Part 2 – Biotech Bay – | ||
| In the previous issue, we overviewed BioSpace and Hotbed campaign in several geographical regions in the US and the world. The Hotbed campaign is still actively expanding and three new communities (BioSoutheast™, BioPenn™, and BioSoutheast™) joined since last month. | ||
| Table. List of BioSpace Hotbed communities as of 5/15/2004 | ||
| ||
| We will introduce each Hotbed community every month and the first is Biotech Bay where BioSpace was born . | ||
| Biotech Bay covers San Francisco Bay Area and its surroundings in Northern California, almost overlapping with Silicon Valley. Its web site provides information about, Breaking News, New Jobs, Events, Features, as well as a list of Biotech Bay Campaign Participants. It also provides a search engine on comprehensive Biospace database relating to bio and medical science and technology, although it is not so sophisticated as Yahoo or Google (see other article in this issue). You can immediately find many useful resources by simply supplying key words that you want to look up. | ||
| At the time of this publication (5/15/2004), 262 companies, organizations, and universities are participating in the Biotech Bay hotbed community. Selected are: | ||
Hiroaki Masuda: hmasuda@cahb.org | ||
| Bio-Novelty | ||
| A single bone marrow-derived stem cell unlikely differentiates into the organs | ||
| Krause DS and Theise ND who are professors in Yale University, demonstrated that a single bone marrow-derived stem cell (BM-SC) differentiated into several organs, such as lung, liver, gut, skin, etc in May, 2001. Their method was very unique, which was that they collected a single BM-SC from male donor mouse, and then transplanted the only single cell into lethal irradiated female mouse. The first question was whether the only single bone marrow cell could rescue the lethal dose irradiated mouse, or not. Second question was the single BM-SC could be differentiated into the different organs. In order to confirm these questions, they stained Y-chromosome in all organs of recipient female mice. If the single BM-SC could rescue the lethal irradiated mouse, they could see Y-chromosome in the hematopoietic cells and might be able to see Y-chromosome in the different organs. The result was striking to the medical field. They could save the lethal dose irradiated mouse and find the Ychromosome in lung, liver, gut and skin. This sensational paper was published in May three years ago. (Cell.2001 May 4;105(3):369-77). | ||
| On the other hand, Amy J Wagers and Irving L. Weissman, Stanford University group, demonstrated completely opposite result by using different approaches. Dr. Weissman who is a prominent professor said to be very close to Nobel Medicine Prize, used green fluorescent protein (GFP) marked BM-SC and parabiotic pair mice method. He used the single BM-SC from GFP mice and transplanted it into wild type mice. The parabiotic mice were controversial to medicine and animal right groups, but were approved for the experiment by the panel at Stanford medical center. A mouse | ||
| was surgically anastomosed to the other mouse and let them live together. One mouse was GFP mouse and the other was wild type. After they examined more than 10 million cells in brain, half million cells in liver, 1 million cells in kidney, and other organs in the wild type mouse, they found one positive cell in the brain and seven positive cells in the liver and no positive cell in the other organs. By using parabiotic mice models, they obtained similar number of cells for different organs. Weissman concluded that BM-SC does not differentiate into the organs. | ||
| These two studies are controversial. Since then many studies followed these two studies one by one. As of today, the positive cells of BM-SC in the different organs are 1) differentiated from BM-SC, 2) just the fusion cells of BMSC to the different organs. Weissman demonstrated and concluded again that BM-SC do not differentiate into the different organs and that the other data from other group which insisted BM-SC can differentiate into the different organs are wrong and those data can be fully explained by the fusion theory. Toshihiko Nishimura: toshi@cahb.org | ||
| Acknowledgment | ||
| ||
| Top |
| April 2004 - Volume 1 - Number 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| A message from our chairman | ||||||||||||||||||||
| We are pleased to announce the first issue of our CAHB Newsletter. It covers breaking news and information about health and biosciences, as well as the Center’s activities. Although the Newsletter covers all of the US, special emphasis is given to the news in the Bay Area, including Stanford University, Silicon Valley, and the cities of Palo Alto, and Menlo Park. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| We welcome your contributions, which will help make the Newsletter a success. Happy reading and best wishes! | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Henry Vogel Chairman of the Board of Directors Center for the Advancement of Health and Biosciences (CAHB) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| About us | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Mission and Commitment: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| CAHB fills the emerging necessity for R&D and commits to support US developmental initiative and scientific capacity building in various biotechnology fields especially health care, pharmaceutical, foods, agriculture, and environment. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Background: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| The US biotechnology research & development field is facing an emergence in global competition. The final stage of R & D is validation stage for the product. The validation for biomedical products must have vivo test as well as vitro test. Although technologies for vitro study have been developed at high quality and with accuracy, the technologies for vivo study including gene-manipulated animals must be improved in terms of specification, reproduction, and accuracy. Therefore, the field is seriously in need of services in terms of intellectual property & information for further advancement of technologies, application & experimental capabilities aimed at capacity development and building market leadership at internationally. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Key Lines of Services: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Proposed Activities: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| CAHB is dedicated to provide comprehensive services to strengthen US leadership and competitiveness in both research and development and in the international market. The same will be strong capacity development in the fields of health, medicine, pharmacology, and other biotechnology related fields. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Institutional Collaboration Work - National, International, Government, Non-Government, Universities, Industries - | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Promotion and Consulting Services: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Toshihiko Nishimura: toshi@cahb.org | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcement | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| City of Menlo Park - Our Hometown - | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Menlo Park is a city of innovation, yet it is friendly and pleasant. We are proud to have our office here in Menlo Park. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Month’s Top 10 Bio News | ||||||||||||||||||||
Paul Candelaria: paul@cahb.org | ||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Topics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Biotech companies and the patent office: a relationship-in-progress | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Last month, the lower house of the U.S. Congress passed H.R. 1561, the United States Patent and Trademark Fee Modernization Act of 2003. This legislation would assist in enhancing patent quality and services by preventing diversion of these fees to other government programs and providing the funds necessary for Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) operations. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Patents spur the discovery and development of new medicines and diagnostics, agricultural products, and other breakthrough technologies that are the hallmark of biotechnology. The biotechnology industry has produced more than 160 biotech drugs and vaccines that have helped more than 325 million people worldwide. None of these successes would have been possible without strong, predictable intellectual property protection. For start-up companies, patents are their sole assets, making the role of the PTO as the agency responsible for granting patents, critical to the biotechnology industry. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Biotech companies own and market ideas: for example, the discovery of a potential point of intervention in a disease process or the identification of a gene that might affect how that disease progresses. Biotechnology product development can take decades and hundreds of millions of dollars to achieve. The ability of biotechnology companies to raise funding from the capital markets is linked directly to the availability, strength and security of their intellectual property rights. Without quality patents, companies simply cannot raise funds to conduct their research and get their products on the market. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| The PTO's 21st Century Strategic Plan recognizes the importance of patents and is aggressive in its efforts to improve PTO quality and services. However, this effort cannot be undertaken without adequate funding. H.R. 1561 would provide the PTO with the resources to implement many elements of the strategic plan. It would provide funds through user fees and ensure that these fees stay with the PTO. As few people know, the PTO is a fully user-fee-funded agency whose income in the past has been siphoned off for non-PTO programs. Paul Candelaria: paul@cahb.org | ||||||||||||||||||||
| What is BioSpace? | ||||||||||||||||||||
| BioSpace is a comprehensive information resource provider on the internet for the life sciences community. Its web site (http://biospace.com) has more than 1 million unique visitors every month. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Services they offer - Internet Services - | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Hotbed Communities | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other Communities | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
 BioSpace - Hotbed Campaign Map Toshihiko Nishimura/Hiroaki Masuda | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Bio-Novelty | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Key facts on cloning | ||||||||||||||||||||
| The FDA scientific risk assessment had concluded that eating foods from animals which have been cloned for better health are safe for human consumption. This is consistent with 2002's National Academy of Sciences report on animal-based biotechnology. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Using the tools of biotechnology to produce more desirable and healthier farm animals is not a new practice. For decades livestock producers have used genetic twins to improve the health and efficiency of animals to provide beneficially healthy and nutritious meat and milk. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Cloning can help livestock producers deliver what consumers want: nutritious, wholesome food products provided to them in a repeatable and reliable manner, and at an affordable price. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Animals which have been successfully cloned: Sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, mice, rabbits, horses, rats. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Clone. A term that is applied to genes, cells or entire organisms that are derived from ɾand are genetically identical to ɾa single common ancestor gene, cell or organism respectively. Cloning of genes and cells to create many copies in the laboratory is a common procedure essential for biomedical research. Note that several processes commonly described as cell "cloning" give rise to cells that are almost but not completely genetically identical to the ancestor cell. Cloning of organisms of embryonic cells occurs naturally in nature (e.g., identical twins). | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The transfer of a nucleus from a fully differentiated cell into an egg that has had its nucleus removed. This technique was used to clone Dolly the sheep in 1996. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Difference between cloned and transgenic animals. Cloning is asexual production, producing offspring that are genetically identical to the single parent organism, whereas transgenic technology introduces genetic material from one organism into another. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Timeline Earliest form of animal cloning began in 1978 with the splitting of an already formed embryo. SCNT overcomes limits of earlier techniques and allows breeders to copy an adult animal whose traits are well known. It is conceivable to produce thousands of clones from a single animal. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 First successful adult or SCNT clone was Dolly, the sheep. Although researchers had been working on cloning for more than 20 years this brought it to the forefront of public attention. Paul Candelaria: paul@cahb.org | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Acknowledgment | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Top |
| © 2004-2011 Center for the Advancement of Health and Biosciences |
