Month: August 2014
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Biotech, Institutes Discover Target for Multiple Tumors
14 August 2014. Researchers in the U.S. and Australia identified an enzyme found in a range of cancerous tumor cells, but not normal adult tissue, and tested an engineered antibody to fight that enzyme in tumors. The team from the biotechnology company KaloBios Pharmaceuticals Inc. in South San Francisco, California, and Monash University and Ludwig…
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Middle, Inner Ear Drug Developer Raises $100M in IPO
13 August 2014. Otonomy Inc., a biopharmaceutical company in San Diego developing treatments for disorders of the middle and inner ear, raised $100 million in its initial public offering of stock. The company, trading on the NASDAQ under the symbol OTIC, priced its 6.25 million shares at $16.00. Otonomy was founded in 2008 by physicians…
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Genetically Engineered Medflies Found to Control Wild Types
13 August 2014. Researchers at the biotechnology company Oxitec Ltd. in Oxford and University of East Anglia in Norwich, both in the U.K., created a modified form of the Mediterranean fruit fly that tests show can reduce the population of this pest responsible for extensive crop damage in many parts of the world. Results of…
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23andMe, Pfizer Partner on Bowel Disease Genetics
12 August 2014. The pharmaceutical company Pfizer and personal genetics company 23andMe in Mountain View, California are researching genetic factors associated with inflammatory bowel disease, for which Pfizer is testing several treatments. Financial aspects of the collaboration were not disclosed. Inflammatory bowel disease is the name given to disorders of the digestive tract, such as…
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Heart Assn Challenge Seeks Heart Disease Prevention Tools
11 August 2014. American Heart Association seeks new products to better prevent and manage heart disease and stroke in an open-innovation challenge for early-stage companies in the Midwest. The top three winners will be eligible for awards of up to $20,000, and a chance to pitch their ideas at a November forum on health care…
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Licensing Deal Combines Genomics, Placenta Stem Cells
11 August 2014. A new licensing agreement will make available research by Celgene Cellular Therapeutics on stem cells from the placenta to Human Longevity Inc., a company specializing in genomics for age-related disorders. Financial aspects of the agreement were not disclosed, but as part of the deal, Celgene is expected to make an equity investment…
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Trial Shows Stem Cell Treatment Feasibility for Stroke
8 August 2014. An early-stage clinical trial shows treating stroke patients with their own bone-marrow stem cells is safe and feasible, and provides evidence of improving cognitive and motor functions. The study conducted by Imperial College London and affiliated hospitals in the U.K. appears today in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine (registration required). The…
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Graphene Sensor Designed for Wearable Disease Detection
7 August 2014. Engineers at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor designed a sensor from graphene that makes it possible to embed the technology into wearable devices for disease detection. The team from the labs of electrical engineering professor Zhaohui Zhong and biomedical engineering professor Sherman Fan published their results last month in the journal…
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Efficient Sequencing Method Devised to ID Cells, Biomarkers
6 August 2014. Researchers at University of California in San Francisco and Fluidigm Corp. in South San Francisco developed a more efficient process for analyzing genetic material, still revealing cell types and biomarkers that previously required more in-depth analysis. The team led by Arnold Kriegstein, director of UCSF’s regeneration medicine and stem cell center, and…
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Immunotherapy Start-Up Adds $134M in Venture Funding
5 August 2014. Juno Therapeutics, a biotechnology company in Seattle developing cancer treatments that harness the human immune system, secured $134 million in its second round of venture financing. The company, a spin-off enterprise from research labs in Seattle and New York, says the new round was provided by 10 public mutual funds and health…