Griffith University in Queensland Australia Signs International Affiliation Agreement with the Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) The Centre for Drug Research and Development announced that Griffith University in Queensland Australia has signed an international affiliation agreement allowing for collaboration and the exchange of information between CDRD and Griffith’s researchers, which includes the Eskitis Institute for Cell and Molecular Therapies and the Griffith Health Institute. [Centre for Drug Research and Development Press Release] Lilly and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Partner to Fund Regenerative Medicine Research in Type 1 Diabetes Eli Lilly and Company and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation announced that they have signed an agreement to fund early-stage research that could enable patients with type 1 diabetes to regenerate insulin-producing cells destroyed by the disease. [Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Press Release] Elan and Boehringer Ingelheim Announce Development and Manufacturing Agreement for Elan’s Antibody-Based Therapeutics Pipeline Elan plc and Boehringer Ingelheim announced that they have entered into a global technical development and manufacturing agreement for antibody-based therapeutics. [Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH Press Release] GSK Plots New Approach to Working with Academia Pharma and biotech companies have long recognized academia as a rich source of innovative early research. In most cases companies cherry-pick the most promising projects and license them from the universities where they originated, ending academic involvement. But GlaxoSmithKline is adopting a new approach. The pharma plans to work closely with medical researchers over the entire decade-plus drug development process. [FierceBiotech] Mesoblast Issues New Equity to Cephalon, Receives Further Cash Injection Regenerative medicine company Mesoblast Limited reported that it had issued an additional 24,702,056 ordinary shares to global biopharmaceutical company Cephalon Inc., and received an additional cash injection of $139 million. [Mesoblast Limited Press Release] Lundbeck Expands Its Commercial Opportunities in Canada and Latin America H. Lundbeck A/S announced that Lundbeck has been granted commercial rights to several Cephalon products in Canada and Latin America. As part of the agreement, Lundbeck will register and commercialize several key products which are currently available in the U.S. and/or Europe on behalf of Cephalon. [H. Lundbeck A/S Press Release] UT Southwestern Scientist Awarded $450,000 Grant for Cancer Research Dr. Benjamin P. Tu, assistant professor of biochemistry at the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center, has received a Rachleff Innovation Award from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. Dr. Tu, who investigates how cell growth and proliferation are coordinated with metabolism in a cell, is one of five recipients selected to get the three-year, $450,000 grants this year. [University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Press Release] Pace Picks Up for Clinical Trials to Evaluate Stem Cell Therapies Stem cell science remains a fast-moving frontier — that much was made clear by leading scientists discussing their latest discoveries during a scientific symposium honoring the opening of the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building on the University of California, San Francisco Parnassus campus. [University of California, San Francisco Press Release] Neuralstem Receives FDA Orphan Designation for Spinal Cord Stem Cells for Treatment of ALS Neuralstem, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Orphan Products Development has granted it orphan drug designation for the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) with its human spinal cord derived neural stem cells (NSI-566RSC), currently in a Phase I safety study to evaluate the safety of the product and the surgical route of administration in a wide range of ALS patients. [Neuralstem, Inc. Press Release] Neuralstem Updates ALS Clinical Trial Progress Neuralstem, Inc. updated the progress of its ongoing Phase I human clinical trial of the company’s spinal cord stem cells in the treatment of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The company announced that, after reviewing the safety data from the first nine patients, the trial’s Safety Monitoring Board has unanimously approved moving to the last group of ALS patients in this part of the safety trial. [Neuralstem, Inc. Press Release] Cell Medica Announces First Patient Treated in Cytomegalovirus~ACE/ASPECT Clinical Trial Cell Medica announced that the first patient has been treated in the CMV~ACE/ASPECT trial at University College Hospital London. [Cell Medica Ltd. Press Release] Pervasis Receives FDA Fast Track Status for Vascugel® to Prevent Arteriovenous Access Failure in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis Pervasis Therapeutics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track review status for Vascugel® for the prevention of hemodialysis access failure in patients with end stage renal disease. [Pervasis Therapeutics, Inc. Press Release] RegeneRx Receives Notice of Australian Patent to be Granted for the Use of T(Beta)4 to Prevent Scarring and Fibrosis RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the Company has received notice from the Australian Patent and Trademark Office that it intends to approve its patent application for the use of thymosin beta 4 (T(beta)4), its analogues, isoforms, and other derivatives, for preventing extracellular matrix buildup that may occur from injuries or diseases of the heart, skin, brain, or eye, among others. [RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. Press Release] UCSF Stem Cell Building Opens, A Milestone for Pioneering Program The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) celebrates the official opening of the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building, a testament to the power of perseverance in the stem cell field. [University of California, San Francisco Press Release] Geron Appoints David Greenwood President, Interim CEO and Director Geron Corporation announced a new leadership structure that reflects the company’s progression into mid-stage clinical development of multiple therapeutic product candidates. [Geron Corporation Press Release] Scientists Warn Against Stifling Effect of Widespread Patenting in Stem Cell Field A team of scholars urges the scientific community to act collectively to stem the negative effects of patenting and privatizing of stem cell lines, data and pioneering technologies. This means grappling with the ambiguity of several fundamental distinctions typically made in ethics, law, and common practice, the experts insist. [Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics Press Release] Lilly CEO Says Industry, Public Policy Must Pave Way For Innovation A new approach to research, along with public policies that support medical innovation, will help biopharmaceutical companies address stubborn diseases with potentially devastating personal and financial consequences, such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, according to John Lechleiter, Ph.D., chairman, president and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company. [Eli Lilly and Company Press Release] Many Breakthrough Drugs Come from Publicly Funded Research: Study A surprising number of valuable new drugs and vaccines approved in the United States have arisen wholly from research funded by the public sector, new research finds. [HealthDay] |