Tag: genomics
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New Company Formed to Commercialize Synthetic DNA Discovery
7 May 2014. Synthorx Inc., a spin-off company from Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, will commercialize research licensed from Scripps that adds synthetic DNA elements into natural DNA of organisms. The research, led by Scripps chemistry professor and Synthorx co-founder Floyd Romesberg, appears today online in the journal Nature (paid subscription required). Romesberg,…
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Biotech Alliance to Humanize Pig Lungs for Transplant
7 May 2014. Synthetic Genomics Inc. in La Jolla, California and Lung Biotechnology Inc. in Silver Spring, Maryland are developing synthetic lungs from pigs for patients with end-stage lung diseases needing a transplant. While all financial aspects of the deal were not disclosed, United Therapeutics Corporation — the parent company of Lung Biotechnology — is…
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Regeneron, Avalanche to Partner on Eye Disorder Gene Therapy
5 May 2014. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in Tarrytown, New York is licensing gene therapy technology from Avalanche Biotechnologies in Menlo Park, California to develop and commercialize new treatments for eye diseases. The value of the deal is at least $640 million, but not all payment amounts were disclosed. Regeneron is a biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for inflammation, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, cancer,…
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Pfizer, Second Genome to Partner on Human Microbes, Obesity
2 May 2014. Second Genome, a biotechnology company in South San Francisco, California, and the pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. are conducting a large-scale study to better understand the relationship among gut microbes, obesity, and metabolic disorders, such as diabetes. Financial and intellectual property aspects of the collaboration were not disclosed. Second Genome develops therapies affecting…
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Mayo Clinic Offering Gene Test to Target Chemotherapy
29 April 2014. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota now offers cancer patients with solid tumors a test that enables physicians to tailor chemotherapy drugs to the patient’s specific genetic background. The test known as Solid Tumor Targeted Cancer Panel or CANCP is available to patients at the Mayo Clinic and its affiliates worldwide, through the…
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Diagnostics Firm Licenses Severe Food Allergy Gene Research
28 April 2014. Diagnovus LLC, a molecular diagnostics developer in Nashville, is licensing research on food allergies to detect a severe type of allergic condition based on a patient’s genetics. Financial terms of the deal with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center that conducted the research were not disclosed. The test will analyze a patient’s genome…
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Genome Editing Start-Up Secures $25 Million in First Round
24 April 2014. Biopharmaceutical start-up company CRISPR Therapeutics in Basel, Switzerland raised $25 million in its first funding round. The company develops engineered gene therapies with a technology developed by one of its scientific founders, and is backed in this round by Versant Ventures, a venture capital company in Menlo Park, California. CRISPR Therapeutics’ technology…
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IT Firm, University Partner on Alzheimer’s Research Platform
16 April 2014. Parabon Computation in Reston, Virginia is creating a crowd-sourced computer network to provide the analytical power for two research studies on Alzheimer’s disease conducted in-house and with George Mason University in nearby Fairfax. The initiative, called Compute Against Alzheimer’s Disease, aims to tap into unused capacity of idle computers donated for this…
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MRSA Toxicity Predicted Through Genomic Sequencing
9 April 2014. Researchers in the U.K., U.S., Sweden, and Turkey developed a technique based on genomic sequencing to predict the pathogenic severity of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA bacteria, an antibiotic-resistant microbe often found in health care facilities. The team led by University of Bath biologist Ruth Massey published its findings today online…
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Poplar Trees Engineered to Produce More Biofuels, Wood Pulp
3 April 2014. Researchers at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, a consortium of University of Wisconsin in Madison and Michigan State University in East Lansing, created a genetically modified poplar tree variety with weakened lignin bonds, making it easier to process into commercial biofuels and wood pulp. The team from the labs of Wisconsin’s…