This week’s biotechnology news headlines include, zika virus news, CellMedica links with UCL in research deal, FDA approves Novartis biosimilar to Amgen’s Enbrel, Biogen gains fast-track Alzheimer’s drug review in wake of early data, Sunovion pays $624M for Canada’s Cynapsus lead PhIII Parkinson’s med, and Takeda to develop Zika vaccine in Mass.

Cell Culture Events

Workshops:

VISION leadership course is uniquely tailored for the bioindustry to capture the synergies between bioscience, technology and business practice – Keck Graduate Institute, Claremont, CA – September 14-16, 2016

UCL Biochemical Engineering in collaboration with Keck Graduate Institute is announcing its 2016 VISION Leadership Programme. Designed for talented high impact individuals, VISION provides executive leadership insights tailored for present & future leaders in the bioindustries through rigorous intellectual analysis & intensive, practical, peer-to-peer action-based learning giving you the tools required to drive innovation, entrepreneurship & global leadership in your organisation.

KEY BENEFITS AND IMPACT:

• Know how to make the transition from science & engineering based decision making towards company- wide strategic resolutions
• Build an invaluable network with elite peers & experts from academia & industry who challenge, stimulate & inspire you
• Gain perspectives on leadership challenges & critical business issues facing the bioindustry globally & formulate actions to address these
• Learn from real life cases studies to succeed in making difficult decisions & implementing strategies to secure a more robust future for your business
• Access & share best practices on how to be a good leader & avoid pitfalls in constantly evolving market
• Achieve your personal development & career objectives
• Evaluate the impact of key innovative research & technologies on the future of business & manufacturing

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS FOR 2016

Barry Buckland, CEO, BiologicB
Charles Cooney, Professor, MIT
Nigel Darby, former VP, GE Healthcare
Parrish Galliher, CTO, GE Healthcare
Phil Gomez, Principal, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Ljiljana Minwalla, Senior Legal & Patent Counsel, Mesoblast, Inc.
Andrew Ramelmeier, Senior VP, Portola Pharmaceuticals
Rahul Singhvi, COO, Takeda Vaccines

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

• Managers & practitioners fast tracked for executive roles or intending to move into leadership positions
• Current executives intending to interact with fellow leaders & expert speakers to debate & exchange novel thoughts & opinions
• Funding agencies wanting to interact with present & future thought leaders to gain insights into the sector trends & skills required to navigate the changing bioindustry landscape

 VISION combines innovative management thinking with cutting edge research to ensure high flyers perform optimally

For more information contact naveraj.gill@ucl.ac.uk and visit www.ucl.ac.uk/biochemeng/visionprogramme

Webinars:

The Role of Exosomes in Inflammatory Disease: Pathogenesis and Treatment

Date: Thursday, September 22, 2016

Time: 02:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Exosomes encapsulate and transport a wide variety of molecules generated by their cell-of-origin, a process now thought to be a form of cellular signaling. Exosome signaling is common across cell types and species, but it is of particular interest in diseases with an inflammatory component. While exosome isolation and analysis is useful to understanding the mechanisms behind these multifaceted diseases, exosomes may also be exploited for their therapeutic potential. The Scientist is bringing together a panel of experts to review the current knowledge on exosomes in inflammation, and to explore the potential for exosome-based therapeutics. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with the experts, ask questions, and seek advice on topics that are related to their research.

Topics to be covered:

• The exosomal cargoes released during inflammation, and their potential as therapeutic targets
• How inflammatory diseases are uniquely suited to exosome analysis

Register here

Bioprocess Insights Webinars

The biopharmaceutical industry has developed into a multi-billion dollar market in just 30 years. Making decisions and setting up strategies in a rapidly changing environment can be challenging. The difference between a good and a great decision can have extensive implications for the future of a company. In this environment, knowledge and experience are what make the difference. Good insights about, for example, technical advancements, process economy implications, and sustainability aspects can help improve the individual decisions and strengthen the overall business strategy.

In this webinar series, four renowned subject matter experts will share their insights into four areas of bioprocessing: upstream, vaccines, downstream, and single-use technology. We will present tangible, recently developed data that can help you in developing modern, cost-efficient, and sustainable bioprocesses.

Don’t miss these on demand webinars – http://www.bioprocessintl.com/sponsored-content/bioprocess-insights-webinars/

Conferences:

September

• BioAnalytical and Formulaiton Summit – September 14-15, 2016 – Berlin, Germany https://lifesciences.knect365.com/bioanalyticalandformulation The Bioanalytical & Formulation Summit provides the ultimate opportunity to discuss your current challenges in analytical methods for biologics, with 2 streams dedicated to:
  • Protein Characterisation and Post Translational Modifications
  • Formulation for Biologics

  Join your peers for expert insight, new data, and the latest technology updates for formulation and QC strategies, to inform your methods and improve your product quality and efficacy.

• CAR-TCR Summit – September 13-16, 2016 – Boston, MA – http://car-tcr-summit.com/ If you are attending the CAR-TCR Summit, please stop by Roche Custom Biotech at booth 33 to see their showcased products and capabilities:
  • Cedex HiRes automated cell counter
  • Cedex Bio and Bio HT nutrient/metabolite analyzers
  • MycoTOOL Mycoplasma Real-Time PCR Kit
  • GMP Proteases portfolio

October

• Bioprocessing International Co-Located with Cell Therapy Bioprocessing – October 4-7, 2016 – Boston Convention Center and Exhibition Center – Boston, MA http://www.ibclifesciences.com/BPI/overview.xml

• World Vaccine Congress Europe – October 10-12, 2016 – Barcelona, Spain http://www.terrapinn.com/conference/world-vaccine-congress-europe/index.stm

• Adoptive T-Cell Therapy Summit Europe 2016 – October 10-11, 2016 – London, UK www.tcellsummit.com

• Bioproduction – October 14-15, 2016 – Dublin, Ireland http://www.informa-ls.com/event/bio-production14

November

• 2^nd Annual Cell & Gene Therapy Congress – November 3-4, 2016 – London, UK – http://www.celltherapy-congress.com/Over 250 delegates representing leading biotech companies, global pharma organisations and internationally renowned academic institutions.Over 20 presentations and case studies focused on the key issues in cell & Gene Therapy development, updates in regulatory pathways, commercialisation, bioprocessing and manufacturing2 interactive streams:Cell & Gene Therapy: Development, Clinical Trials & Commercialisation

  Cell Therapy Bioprocessing and Manufacturing

  Co-located with the established 5th Annual Cell Culture & Bioprocessing Congress and 3rd Annual Stem Cell Congress

  Free Pre-Congress Webinar

  Advances In Gene Editing Technologies
  Presented by Richard Morgan, Vice President, Immunotherapy at Bluebird Bio. – Register for free today >>

• 5th Annual Cell Culture & Bioprocessing Congress – November 3-4, 2016 – London, UK – http://www.cellculture-congress.com/Over 170 delegates representing leading biotech companies, global pharma organisations and internationally renowned academic institutions50 presentations, case studies and panel discussions focused on the key issues in cell line optimisation, process development and biological production4 interactive streams:Early Cell Line Development

  Process Development

  Late Stage Cell Line Development

  Biological Production

  14 pre-scheduled one to one meetings, exhibition and informal networking opportunities

  Co-located with our 3rd Annual Stem Cell Congress and our 2nd Annual Cell & Gene Therapy Congress

• TIDES Europe – November 14-17, 2016 – Berlin, Germany – http://get.knect365.com/tides-europe/TIDES Europe is the place where oligo and peptide experts go to meet and build successful partnerships to accelerate products from early discovery through late stage development and commercialisation. In 2015 Tides Europe attracted a 40% increase in attendance across the oligo and peptide audience.
• World Immunotherapy Congress 2016 – November 14-16, 2016 – Basel Switzerland http://bit.ly/1rbnrYy

• World Precision Medicine – November 14-15, 2016 – Washington DC

The World Precision Medicine Congress USA is bringing together big pharma, big data, and healthcare providers to discuss the scientific, economic, and policy goals towards producing precise and genomic-based medicines. Partnered with forward-looking industry leaders such as precisionFDA and NantWorks, this event will fast-track our momentum into the future paradigm of healthcare by spurring the important discussions to get us there.

Can you afford to miss this gathering of precision medicine leaders? Pharma, big data, and healthcare providers will be there attending sessions on Gene Therapy, Cell Therapy, personalized medicine, and genomics.

Download the brochure: http://bit.ly/1N3Y0vI

Register to attend: http://bit.ly/1ObpkNV

December

• ASCB – December 3-7, 2016 – San Francisco, CA http://ascb.org/meetings/

• World Stem Cell Summit & RegMed Capital Conference– December 6-9, 2016 – West Palm Beach, Florida http://worldstemcellsummit.com/

• Antibody Engineering and Therapeutics – December 11-15, 2016 – San Diego, CA http://www.ibclifesciences.com/AntibodyEng/overview.xml

• Global Biomanufacturing Summit – December 12-14, 2016 – San Diego, CA http://biomansummit.com/

Headlines:

“U.S. Funding for Fighting Zika Virus Is Nearly Spent, C.D.C. Says,” The New York Times

“The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Tuesday that federal funds to fight the Zika virus were nearly exhausted, and that if Congress did not replenish them soon, there would be no money to fight a new outbreak.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Poster: Flow Electroporation Provides a Highly Efficient, Flexible and Scalable Transient Protein Expression System”

“Cell Medica links with UCL in research deal,” PharmaTimes

“Cell Medica has signed a research deal with University College London for access to its novel T cell receptor technology, in a bid to generate leading-edge modified TCR products for the treatment of cancer.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Cool Tool –Smart Cell Culture Monitoring, Transform single cell parameters into cell culture intelligence”

“In Reaction to Zika Outbreak, Echoes of Polio,” The New York Times

“Exactly 100 years ago this summer, New York City was hit by one of the worst epidemics it had ever seen: the first explosive American outbreak of infantile paralysis — a disease later known as polio. It was a mystifying, terrifying illness. Most victims were toddlers. Initially, they didn’t even look terribly ill; often, they woke up feverish and cranky, saying their necks hurt.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Cell Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease – An update on the move toward clinical trials”

“FDA approves Novartis biosimilar to Amgen’s Enbrel,” Reuters

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved Novartis AG’s biosimilar version of Amgen Inc’s arthritis drug Enbrel. The FDA approved the drug, Erelzi, known also as etanercept-szzs, for multiple inflammatory conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and plaque psoriasis, a skin condition.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Ten Years of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: A Look Back”

“Biogen gains fast-track Alzheimer’s drug review in wake of early data,” FierceBiotech

“After releasing early data just a day ago that grabbed international headlines, now Biogen ($BIIB) has disclosed that its aducanumab to treat Alzheimer’s disease has been granted fast-track designation from the FDA.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Reduce Cell Line Development Time by 30% and Simplify Proof of Clonality – A Case Study”

“Sunovion pays $624M for Canada’s Cynapsus, lead PhIII Parkinson’s med,” FierceBiotech

“Sunovion Pharmaceuticals is to pay a 120% premium to buy out Canadian biotech Cynapsus Therapeutics as it looks to get its hands on the company’s late-stage Parkinson’s disease candidate. Cynapsus ($CYNA) closed before the deal was announced at just over $18 a share, with Sunovion putting $40.50 a share, or $624 million, down for the drugmaker–a 120% premium over its closing price.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Gene Therapy Strengthened by Recent Successes”

“Takeda to develop Zika vaccine in Mass.,” The Boston Globe

“Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. is joining the campaign to develop a Zika vaccine with nearly $20 million in US funding for a Cambridge-based research program. The company, which last year said it will move its global vaccines business to Cambridge from Deerfield, Ill., disclosed Thursday that it was tapped by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to produce a vaccine to treat the virus in the United States and abroad.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Real Time IgG Titer Measurement Enables PAT (Process Analytical Technology) Implementation”