The Dish’s Weekly News Wrap Up – August 29, 2014
This week’s biotechnology news headlines include, biosimilar timing estimates, FDA issues policy on genomic data, Roche buys InterMune, J&J signs deal with ViaCyte, genetically engineered pig hearts survive in baboons, new HIV combo drug approved and Illumina makes deals for universal cancer test.
Cell Culture Events
September
Cell Line Development & Engineering – September 8-10, 2014 – Doubletree by Hilton Berkeley Marina Berkeley, CA
http://www.ibclifesciences.com/CellLine/overview.xml
Cell Therapy Bioprocessing – September 15-16, 2014 – Sheraton Pentagon City, Arlington, VA
http://www.ibclifesciences.com/CellTherapy/overview.xml
If you are attending Cell Therapy Bioprocesing, don’t miss:
Products for Cell Therapy and Stem Cell Workflow – High-quality, Customizable Solutions You Can Trust
Timely and accurate information enables you to make high-confidence decision faster, offering the potential to reduce cycle time and production costs. Roche Custom Biotech recognizes the complex needs and challenges associated with product research, development, manufacturing, and ultimately achieving regulatory approval. We will highlight few reagents, instruments, and services that we offer that could meet your unique requirements from discovery through commercial production.
John Ogden, Ph.D., Senior Scientific Affairs Manager, Roche Diagnostics Corporation
Ability to Detect Failure: Appropriateness and Capability of the Cedex Bio Analyzer in Media Optimization
David Scharp, MD, President and CEO, Prodo Laboratories, Inc.
And please visit our sponsor, Roche Custom Biotech at booth #12
Cell Culture World Congress USA – September 15-16, 2014 – The Westin Copley Place – Boston, MA
http://www.terrapinn.com/conference/cell-culture-world-congress-usa/index.stm
Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Conference –
World Cord Blood Congress –
October
Bioproduction – October 8-9, 2014 – Barcelo Sants Hotel – Barcelona, Spain
BioProduction 2014 is Europe’s leading and largest event for a comprehensive update on operational strategies, technologies, regulatory challenges, manufacturing production and process development in biological manufacturing.
http://www.informa-ls.com/event/bio-production14?xtssot=0
Bioprocessing International – October 20-23, 2014 Hynes Convention Center Boston, MA
http://www.ibclifesciences.com/BPI/overview.xml
Headlines:
“No biotech copycat drug lift off before 2017: Novartis CEO,” Reuters
“Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG does not expect copycat versions of biotech drugs to play an important role in the healthcare system for another three to five years, its chief executive said on Monday.”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Novel Stem Cell Technologies Presented at the 2014 Annual International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Meeting”
“J&J signs stem cell type 1 diabetes deal with ViaCyte,” PharmaTimes
“Johnson & Johnson has linked up with ViaCyte with a view to getting rights to the stem cell specialist’s investigational treatment for type 1 diabetes.”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Release Your Cells – A Simple New Tool that Eliminates the Need for Manual Selection and Scraping in hPSC Passaging”
“Genetically engineered pig hearts survived more than a year in baboon hosts,” Washington Post
“By breeding piglets with a few choice human genes, scientists were able to create sort-of-pig hearts that seem to be compatible with primate hosts. The organ wasn’t used as a heart, but was instead grafted into the abdomen of an otherwise healthy baboon. After over a year, the best of the hearts are still living, viable organs.”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Innovations Abound at the 2014 Annual International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Meeting”
“Illumina signs up big pharma for universal cancer test,” Pharma Times
“Illumina has inked deals with pharma majors AstraZeneca, Sanofi and Johnson & Johnson to develop a test that will select the right personalised cancer drug for each individual patient.”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “New Study Compiles Extensive Database that Supports the Importance of Vaccination”
“Roche to buy U.S. biotech firm InterMune for $8.3 billion,” Reuters
“Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX) has agreed to buy U.S. biotech company InterMune Inc (ITMN.O) for $8.3 billion in cash, marking the latest multibillion-dollar deal in a consolidating pharmaceutical sector.”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Single-use Perfusion Culture Enables Continuous Bioproduction.”
“NIH Publishes Finalized Policy on Genomic Data Sharing,” Genetic Engineering News
“The National Institutes of Health has issued a finalNIH Genomic Data Sharing (GDS) policy to promote data sharing as a way to speed the translation of data into knowledge, products, and procedures that improve health while protecting the privacy of research participants. The final policy was posted in the Federal Register August 26, 2014, and published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts August 27, 2014.”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Flexible Facilities for Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing”
“Glaxo, Pfizer’s ViiV Wins Approval for HIV Combo Drug,” Bloomberg
“ViiV Healthcare Co., a joint venture of GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK), Pfizer Inc. (PFE) and Shionogi & Co. (4507), won U.S. approval for an HIV treatment that combines three drugs into one, reducing side effects and providing greater convenience for patients.”
If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Progress is Being Made Toward Using Cell Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes”