Researchers at Oregon Health Sciences University have created chimeric monkeys that expressed as many as six different genomes in their cells. Chimeric mice, which are one of the mainstays of biological research, can be created by injecting slightly later-stage embryonic stem cells into a developing embryo, but that method failed to succeed with primates. Read More
SAN FRANCISCO – If cautious optimism was biotech's theme in 2011, it appears that slightly-less-cautious-though-far-from-exuberant optimism may be the name of the game in 2012, according to those attending the 30th annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. Read More
As Vical Inc. ramps up for a potential biologics license application filing and the commercialization of its cancer immunotherapy Allovectin – and with promising data from a preclinical herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) program – the San Diego-based company priced a $50 million public offering on Friday. Read More
Cancer vaccines such as Dendreon Corp.'s Provenge (sipuleucel-T) harness dendritic cells to fight tumors. In fact, the discoverer of dendritic cells – Ralph Steinman, who in 2011 won the first posthumous Nobel Prize for his discovery – treated himself with therapies based on his own discovery after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Read More
WASHINGTON – Regulatory uncertainty at the FDA is often cited as a source of industry heartburn. But rather than turning down the heat, the agency is looking for ways to make that uncertainty less irritating, recognizing it as a natural part of the scientific process. Read More
• Microbix Biosystems Inc., of Toronto, and Zydus Cadila, of Ahmedabad, India, signed a letter of intent to market thrombolytic drug Urokinase in North American markets. Microbix acquired rights to the drug in 2008. Financial terms were not disclosed. Read More
• Durect Corp., of Cupertino, Calif., said top-line data from its Phase III BESST (Bupivacaine Effectiveness and Safety in SABER) study of Posidur in postoperative pain relief failed to reach statistical significance, though results trended positive for both pain reduction and reduction of supplemental opioid use in the first three days after surgery. The study enrolled a total of 305 patients undergoing a variety of general abdominal surgical procedures. Shares of Durect (NASDAQ:DRRX) plunged 34 percent, or 44 cents, to close Friday at 74 cents. Read More
