Washington – "The textbook view on proteins is that they are globular. They are globular, they are well-folded and their function relates entirely to their form," summarized Peter Wright of the Scripps Institute. Read More
Privately held Diartis Pharmaceuticals Inc., a spin-off launched late last year from Versartis Inc., both of Mountain View, Calif., hit the ground running with a Series A financing from Index Ventures, biotech company Amunix Inc. and private investors. Read More
• Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, treated the first patient in a Phase IIb trial of CTS-1027 in combination with Peginterferon Alfa-2a (Pegasys) and ribavirin in treatment-experienced hepatitis C virus null responders. Safety, tolerability and antiviral activity of the triple combination will be assessed after up to 48 weeks. About 260 patients will be enrolled. CTS-1027 is a small molecule designed to inhibit matrix metalloproteinases. Read More
• Asuragen Inc., of Austin, Texas, has received notices of allowance for claims related to the use of mir-21 and mir-30a as diagnostics in lung cancer. Read More
After extending and restructuring its Phase III trial of Northera (droxidopa) for neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (NOH) in Parkinson's patients, Chelsea Therapeutics Inc. needed a bit more of a cash boost to carry it through to launch. Read More
A diminishing drug pipeline helped the FDA do a better job of meeting its PDUFA performance goals last year, but the pharmaceutical industry says there's still need for improvement. Read More
That bacteria swap genes amongst each other is a well-known fact of life, and antibiotic resistance mechanism. Now scientists from Northwestern University have found evidence that Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium that causes gonorrhea, also has acquired DNA directly from its human host. Read More
