This week’s biotechnology news headlines include, Biogen partners on Gene Therapy, Hutch researcher wins 12.9 million grant, Novartis gets approval for new heart drug, Allergan buys Merck’s migraine drugs’ rights, BioCardia IPO, Horizon takes its bid hostile, and Vertex wins approval for lung disorder drug.

Cell Culture Events

Webinars:

Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Times:

7:00 a.m. PDT Pacific Daylight Time
10:00 a.m. EDT Eastern DaylightTime
3:00 p.m. BST British Summer Time
4:00 p.m. CEST Central European Summer Time

Resolute® AutoPak: Changing Chromatography Column Packing from an Art into a Science

Typically column packing is the responsibility of a few specialist operators and has been regarded almost as an art by some observers. When the artistry fails, the results can be unplanned plant downtime, loss of product or sorbent as well as inefficient use of resources. Couple this with difficulties in transferring methodologies to other geographies and coping with loss of skill through high staff turnover then it’s not difficult to see why column operations are regarded with apprehension. To mitigate these risks the biopharmaceutical industry is moving toward an increasingly science based approach. The role of automation in this move is pivotal. This webinar discusses the move to automation and how it delivers solutions to the challenges associated with chromatography column operations.

Participants will learn:

• The relevance of automation to improving the efficiency of column operations.
• How automation has been implemented in the AutoPak system.
• The findings of an early adopter of the AutoPak system.

Workshops:

High Performance Tour 2015

Discover how to improve efficiency and productivity for your bioprocessing workflows during our exclusive High Performance Tour.

Learn how the choice of chromatography media (resins), hardware, and services can dramatically affect your process performance.

Register now to reserve your seat at this special event where you can gain insights in improved process efficiency and productivity.

Coming to these Cities:

• San Diego, CA – September 15, 2015
• San Francisco, CA – September 17, 2015

To Register – https://promo.gelifesciences.com/na/K15104/landing.html

Conferences:

August

• The Bioprocessing Summit – August 3-7, 2015 – Westin Copley Place – Boston, MA http://www.bioprocessingsummit.com/

September

• Stem Cells Regenerative Medicine Conference – September 2-3, 2015 – Mandarin Oriental, Washington D.C. – http://www.terrapinn.com/conference/stem-cells-and-regenerative-medicine-congress/#stem-cells-and-regenerative-medicine-congress Join 300+ attendees from stem cell, regenerative medicine, cell & Gene Therapy biotechs to discuss the hottest industry topics and make new connections. At this year’s event the regenerative medicine industry is taking it to the next level and discussing how genomics is changing the field – and highlighting the commercialization and manufacturing stories that have helped spur the recent success.Discover the future of the regenerative medicine industry with exclusive content.Co-located with:
• Cord Blood World – September 2-3, 2015 – Mandarin Oriental, Washington D.C. http://www.terrapinn.com/conference/stem-cells-and-regenerative-medicine-congress/C52334.stm

• Cell Therapy Bioprocessing – September 30 – October 2, 2015 – The Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, Alexandria, VA http://www.ibclifesciences.com/CellTherapy/overview.xml

October

• Bioproduction – October 14-15, 2015 – Dublin, Ireland – http://www.informa-ls.com/event/bio-production14Benchmark technological developments and explore best practices in biomanufacturingThe biopharmaceutical industry is making a capital investment of approximately $8 billion in new facilities in Ireland, most of which has come in the last 10 years, representing close to the biggest wave of investment in new biotech facilities anywhere in the world.Join us at BioProduction 2015 in Dublin this October to see why so much is being invested in this area and to network with leading players within this growing industry!BioProduction 2015: Europe’s leading and largest event for a comprehensive update on all aspects of large scale biological manufacturing. Providing insights on the latest technologies, upstream/downstream processing, process analytics, the implementation of continuous manufacturing, facility design, flexibility facilities and single use systems to reduce inefficiencies during the biomanufacturing process.4 Conferences – 1 Exhibition – 1 Congress
  • Conference 1: Continuous Manufacturing
  • Conference 2: Upstream Processing – Production, Development & Analytics
  • Conference 3: Manufacturing Strategy & Technology
  • Conference 4: Downstream Processing

  For more information on the 2015 event please visit the event website at http://www.informa-ls.com/CQ3531BioproductionCellEL

• Bioprocessing International – October 26-29, 2015 Hynes Convention Center Boston, MAhttp://www.ibclifesciences.com/BPI/overview.xml

Headlines

“Biogen Opens Gene Therapy Partnership Worth About $1 Billion,” Bloomberg Business

“Biogen Inc. will broaden its Gene Therapy pipeline by signing a partnership with Applied Genetic Technologies Corp. worth about $1 billion to develop ophthalmology treatments.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “3D Bioprinting – Research Successes, Challenges, and Future Possibilities”

“Hutch scientist receives $12.9 million grant,” The Seattle Times

“A founding scientist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has received a $12.9 million grant to refine stem-cell transplant treatments for people with congenital disorders including so-called “bubble-boy disease” and sickle-cell anemia.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Is Now the Time to Move Your Research to 3D Cell Culture? Key Considerations and New Tools to Ensure Success”

“Novartis wins early U.S. approval for major new heart drug,” Reuters

“Novartis AG on Tuesday won U.S. approval for its keenly awaited new heart failure drug Entresto earlier than expected, boosting hopes for a medicine tipped by analysts to reap billions of dollars in annual sales.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “2014 FDA New Drug Approvals – 11 Biologics Receive Approval”

“Allergan Buys Rights to Merck’s Migraine Drugs,” The Wall Street Journal

“Allergan PLC said Tuesday that it has reached a deal to buy the exclusive world-wide rights to two of Merck & Co.’s experimental migraine drugs for an upfront payment of $250 million.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “3D Printing and 3D Bioprinting – Changing the Healthcare Landscape”

“BioCardia to raise up to $62 million in IPO,” Silicon Valley Business Journal

“Gene therapy startup BioCardia plans to raise up to $61.9 million in its IPO, according to a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Cell Culture Media Optimization: Making the perfect magical potion”

“Horizon Pharma goes hostile with $3 billion offer for Depomed,” Reuters

“Ireland-based Horizon Pharma Plc (HZNP.O) offered to buy Depomed Inc (DEPO.O) in a $3 billion deal, taking its bid hostile after the smaller drugmaker refused to engage in talks.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “Continuous Bioprocessing – The Biomanufacturing Model of the Future?”

“Vertex Pharma’s lung disorder therapy wins FDA nod,” Reuters

“Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc’s unique combination therapy for a rare lung disorder was given the green light by U.S. health regulators, extending the company’s reach to the most common form of genetic mutation responsible for cystic fibrosis.”

If you like this story, please see our blog titled “A High Throughput, Scalable Solution to Upstream Process Development”