POLICY |
Embryonic Stem-Cell Patents Infringe EU Law, Top Court Says
The European Union (EU)’s highest court said that stem-cell research involving human embryos can’t be patented, in a ruling that scientists called “devastating” for medical research. [European Court of Justice, European Union] Press Release
European Research Heads Get a New Body
Fifty funding and research organizations from 23 countries joined in the founding assembly of Science Europe, an organization its members hope will give research funders a stronger voice in policy-making at the European Commission in Brussels and across the region. [Science Europe, European Union] Press Release
Vatican Bids for Italian Institute
A court will decide whether to leave the Milan-based San Raffaele Scientific Institute to its fate, or allow a consortium led by the Vatican Bank to rescue it. [San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Italy] Press Release
US Row Threatens Chinese Links
Backed by the Government Accountability Office Report, Frank Wolf has asked the US Department of Justice to rein in Holdren’s China-related activities; if the department refuses to do so, the matter could end up in the courts. [US Department of Justice, United States] Press Release
Super Science Suggestions: House Panel Lays Out Spending Preferences
The Republican leaders of the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology have some suggestions on where to cut $1.5 billion from the fiscal year 2012 research budget—and they are drawing mixed reviews from science advocates. [House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology, United States] Press Release
Lobbyists Confront US Budget Crunch
On 21 September, a letter signed by more than 130 university presidents was sent to the joint select committee asking it to reach a “big agreement” so as to spare discretionary spending from drastic cuts. [Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, United States] Press Release
Building a 21st Century Bioeconomy
OSTP has issued a Request for Information to solicit input from all interested parties on how best to develop the National Bioeconomy Blueprint. [Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), United States] Press Release
Collaborative Partnership Pioneers Model to Improve Clinical Success of Cancer Immunotherapies
The Cancer Immunotherapy Consortium of the Cancer Research Institute and the Association for Cancer Immunotherapy have issued a joint white paper outlining a comprehensive roadmap that promises to help improve and facilitate the path forward in the development of novel immunotherapies for cancer. [Cancer Research Institute, United States] Press Release
Federal Government Releases Environmental, Health, & Safety Research Strategy for Nanotechnology
The Federal Government released a national strategy for ensuring that environmental, health, and safety research needs are fully identified and addressed in the fast-growing field of nanotechnology. [Federal Government, United States] Press Release |
BUSINESS |
iScience Interventional Announces Clinical and Commercial Supply Agreement
iScience Interventional announced it has signed a clinical and commercial supply agreement with Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, LLC., and its affiliates. [MarketWatch] Press Release
Servier and Miragen Sign $352 Million Partnership Agreement for the Research, Development and Commercialization of MicroRNA-targeting Drugs for Cardiovascular Disease
Les Laboratoires Servier and Miragen Therapeutics, Inc. announced an agreement for advancing the research, development and commercialization of three drug candidates, including two of miRagen’s lead programs (miR-208 and miR-15/195) and one additional target yet to be identified, for cardiovascular disease. [Miragen Therapeutics, Inc.] Press Release
Otsuka Commits $ 25 Million to JV with LCT
Living Cell Technologies Limited (LCT) has agreed to establish a 50/50 joint venture company DIATRANZ OTSUKA LIMITED with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Factory, Inc. to accelerate the commercialization of LCT’s DIABECELL®, a ground breaking new cell implant therapy to treat diabetes. [Living Cell Technologies Limited] Press Release
RetroSense Licenses Gene Therapy for Restoring Vision from Wayne State University
RetroSense Therapeutics has taken up its option to acquire an exclusive global license to a gene-based approach to treating retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, from researchers at Wayne State University School of Medicine. [Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News] Press Release
Arrowhead Research Corporation Acquires Roche RNA Assets and Site
Arrowhead Research Corporation announced that it has acquired RNA therapeutics assets from Roche including the state-of-the-art research site in Madison, WI. [Arrowhead Research Corporation] Press Release
Cellular Dynamics International’s Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) Technology Named the Gold Winner in The Wall Street Journal 2011 Technology Innovation Awards
Cellular Dynamics International announced that it was named as the overall Gold winner in The Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards. [Cellular Dynamics International] Press Release
UT Southwestern Biochemist Receives New NIH Early Independence Award
Dr. Randal Halfmann, a research scientist at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center, is one of 10 investigators selected for the first National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Early Independence Awards. [University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center] Press Release
Roddenberry Foundation Gives $5 Million to Gladstone for Stem Cell Research
The Gladstone Institutes and the Roddenberry Foundation inaugurated the Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at Gladstone, a new unit founded on an unprecedented $5 million gift from the foundation that was established to honor the legacy of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. [The J. David Gladstone Institute] Press Release
Rutgers Establishes Stem Cell Repository for the Study of Mental Health Disorders
Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository has established a stem cell repository for the National Institute of Mental Health that will better enable researchers to study a variety of mental health disorders, including autism, attention deficit disorder, major depression, and schizophrenia, that affect millions of Americans. [Rutgers University] Press Release
Dendreon Begins Enrolment in Phase II Neu-ACT Trial for Second Active Cellular Immunotherapy Product Candidate, DN24-02
Dendreon Corporation announced that the company has begun enrolling patients into a Phase II trial for DN24-02, Dendreon’s investigational active cellular immunotherapy being evaluated for the treatment of HER2 positive cancer. [Dendreon Corporation] Press Release
Oxford BioMedica Announces US IND Approval for Novel Ocular Product in Usher Syndrome Type 1B
Oxford BioMedica plc announces that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the Phase I/IIa clinical development of UshStat®, a novel gene-based treatment for Usher syndrome type 1B. [Oxford BioMedical plc] Press Release
Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics Receives Opinion on Re-Examination of Glybera® Marketing Authorization Application
Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics announced that the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has maintained its earlier opinion that Glybera (alipogene tiparvovec) is not approvable at this time. [Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics] Press Release
FDA Approves Continuation of ALS Stem Cell Trial
Emory University researchers have received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to advance to the next phase of a landmark trial to treat patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) using human neural stem cells. [Emory University] Press Release
American SELICA III Trial to be Extended into Canada
On September 14th, 2011 the Canadian health authority Health Canada granted Cytonet approval to extend the SELICA III trial, which has been running in the USA since 2010, into Canada. [Cytonet LLC] Press Release |
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