The Dish’s Weekly Biotechnology News Wrap Up – January 9, 2015
This week’s biotechnology news headlines include, FDA panel backs first biosimilar, best year for drug approvals in 18 years, major drug approvals in 2014, Novartis employs gene editing for drug discovery, stem Cell Therapy trial for ALS benefits most patients, and top M&A deals of 2014.
Cell Culture Dish Feature – Ask the Expert:
Our Next Session – Cell Culture Basics – Starts Monday!
Cell Culture Events
January
Introduction to Cell Culture Workshop – 4 days, January 13-16, 2015, Presented by BioSciConcepts
One of our most popular workshops, this Cell Culture Workshop covers essential fundamentals, providing a solid basis for the understanding of the growth of animal cells. We combine lecture and laboratory exercises aimed at giving participants a deeper understanding of serum-free media applications and related topics.
Topics include: Introduction to cell and tissue culture, serum containing media and the use of serum, cell counting and viability determination, development of growth curves, growth of adherent and suspension cells, transfection technologies for recombinant protein expression in animal cells, cryopreservation and cryothawing of animal cells, cell cloning , primary cell culture and so much more.
February
Cell Line Development and Engineering – February 9-12, 2014, Dublin Ireland
http://www.informa-ls.com/event/Cellline
7th Annual Global Biomanufacturing Summit – February 18-20, 2015, Orange County, CA
With the affordable care act and added FDA pressure on companies to cut costs to the end user it has become imperative that the biological manufacturing industry optimizes and streamlines its processes in order to maintain profit margins and stay competitive.
The 7th Annual Global Biological Manufacturing Summit 2015 has been designed to enhance collaboration, discussion and networking amongst the Biological Manufacturing community.
The 2015 will programme will feature three dedicated streams, each tackling the latest challenges for the industry: Manufacturing, Supply chain, Quality and Regulation. Each stream will feature the most esteemed companies in their fields, including UCB, GSK, MEDIMMUNE GENENTECH, M W GROUP, KINAXIS.
Visit http://biomansummit.com/for more information
Book now via The Cell Culture Dish and save 15%
Cell Culture World Congress – February 23-25, 2015 –Munich Germany
http://www.terrapinn.com/conference/cell-culture/index.stm
Headlines
“FDA Panel Backs First ‘Biosimilar’ Drug,” The Wall Street Journal
“A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Wednesday unanimously recommended the agency approve the first “biosimilar” drug in the U.S., a version of the anti-infective cancer drug Neupogen.”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “The Benefits of Implementing Bioprocess Monitoring and Quality by Design in Process Development“
“Pharma and biotech on a roll as drug approvals hit 18-year high,” Reuters
“U.S. drug approvals in 2014 hit their highest level in 18 years and recommendations in Europe also came at a rapid rate, driven by expensive new treatments for cancer and rare diseases.”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Raw Material Sourcing for Cell Culture Media – Important Considerations”
“The Most Important New Drug Of 2014,” Forbes
“It’s a tie. Since 2012, I’ve been picking the most important new medicine approved each year. It’s always a tight competition, but this year the two obvious winners are so alike that I think it’s not fair to give either an edge. They are: Keytruda from Merck and Opdivo from Bristol-Myers Squibb.”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “2014’s Top Ten Cell Culture Dish Ask the Expert Sessions”
“Novartis taps into gene editing for next generation drugs,” Reuters
“Novartis is diving deeper into the world of gene-based medicine by signing deals with two U.S. biotech companies, giving it access to a powerful new genome editing technology.”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Genome Editing and Associated Technologies”
“Israel’s BrainStorm says stem cell drug benefits most patients in ALS trial,” Reuters
“Israel’s BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics said final results from a clinical trial of its adult stem cell treatment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were positive, with most patients showing a slowing in the disease’s progression.”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Stromal Cell Isolation from Adipose Tissue”
“Scientists explain how stem cells and ‘bad luck’ cause cancer,” The Los Angeles Times
“Why are some types of cancer so much more common than others? Sometimes it’s due to faulty genes inherited from one’s parents and sometimes to behaviors like smoking a pack of cigarettes every day. But in most cases, it comes down to something else – stem cells.”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Where’s the Beef!?”
“Top 10 M&A Deals of 2014,” Genetic Engineering News
“Just a few numbers show how far the value of 2014’s top deals involving biopharma mergers and acquisitions (M&A) has surpassed those of 2013: The biggest acquisition of 2014, at $66 billion, is more than four times that of 2013’s number-one (Thermo Fisher Scientific’s purchase of Life Technologies for $13.6 billion plus $1.5 billion in debt).”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “The Benefits of Implementing Bioprocess Monitoring and Quality by Design in Process Development”