Tag: biotechnology
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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…
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Roche Acquiring RNA Medications Biotech Company
5 August 2014. The pharmaceutical company Roche is acquiring Santaris Pharma, a biotechnology company developing therapies targeting ribonucleic acid or RNA that performs vital genetic functions. Roche is expected to pay as much as $450 million for Santaris, based in Hørsholm, Denmark. Santaris designs therapies focusing on RNA, a fundamental molecular building block in the…
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Engineered Protein Detoxes Pesticides, Chemical Weapons
1 August 2014. Biochemists at New York University synthesized a protein that removes the toxic elements of chemicals found in pesticides and some chemical warfare agents. The team led by Jin Kim Montclare at NYU’s engineering school published its findings last week in the journal ChemBioChem (paid subscription required). The process, which includes use of…
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Early Trial Shows Parkinson’s Vaccine Creates Antibodies
31 July 2014. An early-stage clinical trial testing the safety of an experimental vaccine to treat Parkinson’s disease, shows the vaccine generates antibodies that fight the build-up of proteins in the brain associated with the disorder. The vaccine is made by the biotechnology company Affiris AG, which presented the results today at a press conference…
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U.S. Patent Awarded for Prodrug Cancer Imaging, Treatment
30 July 2014. A new patent was awarded for a technology that detects and treats solid tumor cancers with a prodrug, a precursor compound activated inside the body — made by GenSpera Inc., a biotechnology company in San Antonio. U.S. patent number 8,772,226 was awarded on 8 July to inventors Samuel Denmeade and John Isaacs…
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Zero-Gravity, Tropical Institute Partner on Food Security
24 July 2014. Zero Gravity Solutions Inc. and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) are collaborating on implementing technologies originally developed for the U.S. space program to improve food security in Africa and other tropical regions. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. IITA, in Ibadan, Nigeria, conducts research on agricultural plant health and…
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Company, Institute Studying Youth Lung Cancer Genomes
23 July 2014. Foundation Medicine, a company providing genome-based personalized cancer diagnostics, and Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute are studying the genomes of younger lung cancer patients to uncover differences in their cancer and identify therapies for this population. Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed. Some 224,000 people in the U.S. are expected…
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Trial Shows Herpes Simplex Therapy Generates Immune Response
21 July 2014. An intermediate stage clinical trial of an immunotherapy by Genocea Biosciences to fight herpes simplex virus 2 — the main cause of genital herpes — shows the treatment generates an immune system response to the disease that lasts an entire year. The findings were presented this week by Genocea vice-president Jessica Baker…
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U.S. Energy, Ag Depts Fund Genomic Research for Biofuels
18 July 2014. The U.S. energy and agriculture departments are funding 10 new studies that aim to improve plant feedstocks for biofuels and other bio-based products. Department of Energy (DoE) is contributing $10.6 million in 2014, while Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adding $2 million. The studies run for 3 years. The joint DoE/USDA Plant…
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Arcadia Awarded U.S. Patent for Longer Shelf-Life Tomato
17 July 2014. Arcadia Biosciences, an agricultural biotechnology company in Davis, California received a patent for its engineered tomato that ripens slower after harvesting. Patent number 8,772,606, “Non-transgenic tomato varieties having increased shelf life post-harvest,” was awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on 8 July to two inventors and assigned to Arcadia Biosciences.…