Category: Intellectual property
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Janssen Licenses Biotech’s Antibody for Multiple Myeloma
Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, a division of Johnson & Johnson in Horsham, Pennsylvania, agreed to license a cancer drug targeting multiple myeloma made by biotechnology company Genmab A/S in Copenhagen, Denmark. The agreement has a total potential value of $1.1 billion from upfront, milestone, and royalty payments, as well as an equity investment in Genmab. The…
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New Process Simplifies Protein Production for Drug Companies
A chemical engineer at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville developed a new method for producing high quality proteins used in drugs for treating an assortment of disorders. Doctoral candidate Ellen Brune (pictured right) also founded a company, Boston Mountain Biotech, to commercialize the technology. Current industry methods for protein manufacturing require separating out the background…
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Biopharm, Monsanto to Partner on Agricultural Biotechnology
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Monsanto Company in St. Louis, will collaborate on developing biotechnology applications in agriculture. The agreement has an immediate value to Alnylam of $29.2 million. The 10-year agreement gives Monsanto exclusive rights worldwide to use Alnylam’s platform technology and intellectual property in the field of agriculture. Alnylam is a…
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Hopkins Students Invent Suturing Device, Start Company
A team of biomedical engineering students at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore developed a disposable suturing tool for abdominal surgeries, to reduce the risk of complications, such as the accidental puncture of internal organs. The students, mainly undergraduates, filed a patent for their FastStitch device, and started a company to take their idea to market.…
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MIT Start-Up Building Solar Thermal Systems for Clinics
A not-for-profit company established by students and alumni at Massachusetts Institute of Technology is testing a solar energy system that generates electric power and hot water for isolated health clinics in Africa. The team led by Matthew Orosz, a recent Ph.D. recipient in mechanical engineering, will describe its work in an upcoming issue of the…
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Novartis, Penn to Partner on Cancer Immunotherapies
The global pharmaceutical company Novartis and University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia will collaborate on a new type of immunotherapy to treat leukemia and other cancers. Novartis and Penn will also form the Center for Advanced Cellular Therapies on the Penn campus to conduct research on related immunotherapies. The partnership will conduct research, develop and take…
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Hydrogel Culture Process Developed for Tissue Engineering
Engineers at University of Toronto in Canada developed a culture that can grow tissue cells in sufficient quantities and precision that it can lead to devices to produce treatments such as skin grafts on demand. The findings appear in the July issue of the journal Advanced Materials (paid subscription required), and the technology is being…
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Life Science Analytics Start-Up Generates First Sales
Tymora Analytical Operations LLC, a developer of analytic technology for drug development in West Lafayette, Indiana, says the company is generating its first sales income after only two years in business. The Purdue University spin-off licenses research done by biochemist W. Andy Tao (pictured left), who also serves as Tymora’s chief scientist. The company is…
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Start-Up Licenses National Lab-Developed Network Technology
Two computer scientists at Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee developed wireless network simulation technology, then started up a company to take that technology to market. Oak Ridge Lab licensed Radio Channel Simulator, or RCSim, technology for software development and commercialization to Networcsim LLC, a company formed by the technology’s inventors James Nutaro and Phani…
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Patent Awarded for Heat Resistant Polylactic Acid Polymers
Cereplast Inc., a manufacturer of bio-based plastics in El Segundo, California, received a patent for its formulation of heat-resistant polymers with polylactic acid. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued number 8,222,320 to Cereplast CEO Frederic Scheer and researcher William Kelly on 17 July 2012. Polylactic acid is a natural resin that can be formed…