Science and Enterprise

Tag: biotechnology

  • Indiana Companies, Universities Form Biosciences Institute

    A consortium of life sciences companies and universities in Indiana launched today the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute, a public-private partnership that expects to be financed largely through corporate funds. The institute aims to attract top research talent and dollars to develop pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, medical devices, biologic therapies, and agricultural biotechnology, including animal health. Indiana Biosciences…

  • FuturaGene, Danforth Center Partner on Crop Yield Technology

    FuturaGene, a Sao Paulo, Brazil biotechnology company in the forestry industry will collaborate with Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis to apply FuturaGen’s yield enhancement discoveries to food crops in developing countries. Financial and intellectual property aspects of the deal were not disclosed. FuturaGene, a subsidiary of the Brazilian forestry products company Suzano…

  • One-Step Process Developed for Genetic Designed Bacteria

    Resarchers at University of Adelaide in Australia and Stanford University in California  developed a more efficient process for producing genetically designed bacteria. The team led by Adelaide biotechnology professor Keith Shearwin published its findings online earlier this month in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology (paid subscription required). Shearwin and colleagues call their process “clonetegration,” which…

  • Faster Process Developed to Find Therapeutic Antibodies

    Researchers at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California and Scripps Korea Antibody Institute developed a new process to more rapidly identify antibodies that target specific disease molecules. The team from the lab of Richard Lerner, an immunochemistry professor at and former director of Scripps, published its findings yesterday in the journal Chemistry & Biology…

  • Mayo Clinic, Cancer Genetics Form Cancer Diagnostics Venture

    The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and Cancer Genetics Inc. in Rutherford, New Jersey formed OncoSpire Genomics, a joint venture to develop personalized cancer diagnostics based on next-generation genomic sequencing. Financial aspects of the deal were not disclosed. Cancer Genetics develops tests to discover genetic abnormalities, particularly those leading to personalized management of cancer. Among…

  • Clinical Trial Underway to Test MicroRNA Cancer Therapy

    Mirna Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company in Austin, Texas, recently began a clinical trial to test its lead candidate, MRX34 that simulates the tumor-suppression action of microRNA, as a therapy for cancer. The trial is an early-stage study mainly of MRX34’s safety with patients suffering from cancer of the liver or advanced or metastatic cancer…

  • Nimbus, Shire Partner on Rare Genetic Disease Drug Discovery

    Nimbus Discovery, a biotechnology company in Cambridge, Massachusetts will discover and develop new small-molecule drug candidates to treat a set of rare genetic disorders, for the specialty pharmaceutical company Shire plc based in Ireland. Under the deal, Shire will provide Nimbus with periodic milestone payments, and while financial details of the agreement were not disclosed,…

  • University, Biotech Develop Heart Tissue Repair Patch

    Biomedical engineers from Duke University in North Carolina and the biotechnology company VistaGen in San Francisco grew in the lab human heart tissue material from stem cells that could one day repair heart muscle or test new drugs.  Findings of the team led by Duke professor Nenad Bursac appeared online last week in the journal…

  • Biotech, Sloan-Kettering Partner on Blood Cancer Test

    Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and biotechnology company Foundation Medicine are developing a new test to diagnose blood-related cancers and connect patients to the best treatment options. Foundation Medicine plans to commercialize the test and bring it to market by the end of 2013. Other financial and intellectual property aspects of the deal…

  • Synthetic Biology Census Shows Company Growth, Consolidation

    A census of organizations, agencies, and companies involved in synthetic biology shows rapid growth of the field in the past four years, but also some retrenchment, particularly in the private sector. The study was conducted by the Synthetic Biology Project, an initiative of Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. The Wilson Center…