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Science & Enterprise Featured in ACI Blog
3 July 2015. Because of the Independence Day holiday in the U.S., we’re taking today off. Blog posts will resume on Monday, 6 July. We were looking for a suitable way to mark the 5th anniversary of Science & Enterprise — our first post while in stealth mode was 6 July 2010 — but…
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Engineered Mosquitoes Sharply Reduce Dengue Carriers
2 July 2015. A variety of mosquito, engineered to produce offspring that die before maturity, was found to reduce the dengue mosquito population in a city in Brazil by 95 percent, well below the level needed to spread the disease. The team from the biotechnology company Oxitec Ltd. in Abingdon, U.K., with academic and business…
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Commercial Space Launch Site Slated for New Zealand
2 July 2015. Rocket Lab Ltd, a company aiming to make orbital space launches frequent and less costly, says it plans to build a launch site in New Zealand, with completion scheduled by the end of 2015. The company says test flights will begin soon after completing construction of the site, with commercial operations planned…
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Drug Abusers, Smokers More Likely to Use Opioids Long-Term
1 July 2015. A study by the Mayo Clinic finds people with a history of substance abuse and using tobacco are those most at risk for using opioid pain killers on a continuous basis. The team led by Michael Hooten, an anesthesiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, published its findings in the July issue…
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Foundation Supporting ALS Pilot Clinical Trials
1 July 2015. ALS Association is funding pilot studies with patients having amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to confirm biomarkers, or biochemical indicators, that improve responsiveness to therapies. The studies are being conducted by Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical developer in Palo Alto, California, and University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. ALS, also known as Lou…
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Environmental Sensor Developer Reveals Collaborations
30 June 2015. Aclima Inc., a designer of environmental monitoring sensors and networks, unveiled today collaborations with Google Inc., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, among others. The San Francisco company, operating with little publicity for long as 5 years, did not disclose financial details from any of these partnerships. Aclima Inc.…
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Juno, Celgene Partner in $1 Billion Immunotherapy Deal
30 June 2015. Biotechnology company Juno Therapeutics Inc. and biopharmaceutical developer Celgene Corp. are collaborating on therapies that harness the immune system to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases over the next 10 years. The agreement is expected to bring Juno nearly $1 billion from Celgene in upfront payments and stock purchases. Juno Therapeutics, headquartered in…
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Patient Registry Started for Rare Genetic Disorder
29 June 2015. A registry of families with individuals having Sjögren-Larsson syndrome aims to systematically collect data about families’ experiences with the disease and provide a source of participants for clinical trials of therapies. The registry is being formed by the National Organization for Rare Disorders and Sjögren-Larsson Syndrome Network Community. Sjögren-Larsson Syndrome, or SLS,…
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Novartis Acquires Pain Medication Developer in $200M Deal
29 June 2015. Global pharmaceutical company Novartis is acquiring Spinifex Pharmaceuticals Inc., a developer of new types of therapies for neuropathic pain. Spinifex reports Novartis is paying $200 million in cash for the company — based in Stamford, Connecticut and Melbourne, Australia — as well as undisclosed future milestone payments. Spinifex Pharmaceuticals develops therapies for…
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Rare Disease Therapy Company Raises $60 Million in IPO
26 June 2015. Catabasis Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biotechnology company creating treatments for rare diseases and cholesterol-related disorders, is raising $60 million in its initial public stock offering, trading on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol CATB. The Cambridge, Massachusetts enterprise yesterday priced its 5 million shares at $12.00, and as of 4:00 pm today is…