Clarus Therapeutics, which has been moving ahead with venture cash from the likes of Thomas McNerney and H.I.G. BioVentures, has brushed off its IPO pitch designed to back the launch of a new drug for low testosterone which is now under regulatory review. ...
With the official deadline for any immediate takeover discussions looming on Monday, Pfizer picked up its ball and bat and headed for the lockers, officially calling an end to its odd quest to buy out AstraZeneca. ...
Scientists have developed a special device for the thermogenetic control of flies. This tool, called FlyMAD, enabled the scientists to target light or heat to specific body regions of flies in motion and to analyse the animals‘ brain cells. Compared to other techniques, FlyMAD allows highly improved temporal resolution. Using the new technology, scientists got new insight into the role of two neuronal...
Differences in the genetic code of pneumococcal bacteria have been identified by researcher that may explain why it poses such a risk to children with sickle cell disease and why current vaccines don’t provide better protection against the infection. The findings will aid efforts to improve vaccine effectiveness and inform research into new ways to protect young sickle cell disease patients from life-threatening...
The first genetic evidence that rapid evolution can help non-native plant species spread in new environments has been presented by a team of biologists. Using samples of centuries-old herbaria and DNA analysis, the researchers reconstructed the genetic adaptations undergone by the Pyrenean rocket prior to its rapid spread in Belgium. ...
After a manufacturing issue spiked its pitch for FDA approval, a new diabetes drug from Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim has secured European clearance, lining up to compete in a crowded market. ...
Reversing an earlier rejection, European regulators are recommending early approval for PTC Therapeutics' ataluren, a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, news that more than doubled the biotech's share value in premarket trading. ...
After an FDA rejection and an earlier negative opinion, Novartis' cardio treatment serelaxin has again failed to sway European regulators, and the drugmaker has resigned that its breakthrough-designated therapy will not hit any market this year. ...
Teva's $4-billion-a-year multiple sclerosis treatment Copaxone is slated to lose patent protection next year, and the Israeli drugmaker is struggling to move the needle on its planned replacement, enduring another rejection from European reviewers. ...
Princeton, NJ's Agile Therapeutics finally made its way onto Wall Street, pulling in $55 million after halving its expected share price. ...
A new approach to studying microbes in the wild will allow scientists to sequence the genomes of individual species from complex mixtures. It marks a big advance for understanding the enormous diversity of microbial communities —- including the human microbiome. ...
Australia can no longer lay claim to the origins of the iconic New Zealand kiwi following new research showing the kiwi’s closest relative is not the emu as was previously thought. Instead, the diminutive kiwi is most closely related to the extinct Madagascan elephant bird -- a 2-3 meter tall, 275 kg giant. And surprisingly, the study concluded, both of these flightless birds once flew. ...
It has long been assumed that there is only one 'canonical' genetic code, so each word means the same thing to every organism. Now, this paradigm has been challenged by the discovery of large numbers of exceptions from the canonical genetic code. ...
We have hundreds of types of cells in our bodies -- everything from red blood cells to hair follicles to neurons. But why can't most of them create offspring for us? New research suggests that separating germ cells -- sperm and eggs -- from somatic cells -- all other cells -- preserves the genetic building blocks while allowing organisms to flourish in a somewhat hazardous environment. ...
The way in which the sex of an organism is determined may require lifelong maintenance, finds new research. Sex-specific transcription factors perform lifelong work to maintain sexual determination and protect against reprogramming of cells from one sex to the other. Using a mouse model, researchers found the sex of gonadal cells -- those found in the ovaries or testes -- require maintenance throughout...
To avert coral demise, experts report the establishment of DNA markers that might be applicable to all species of the Acropora reef-building coral, giving accurate identification to individual corals. The technique, similar to DNA profiling in humans, enables scientists to study genetic diversity and connectivity among the Acropora coral populations, thus finding clues to help with the conservation...
Biopharma stalwart Ligand Pharmaceuticals is forking over a handful of in-development treatments and adding a $2.5 million sweetener, hoping new partner Viking Therapeutics can get them through midstage study and generate some value. ...
In the latest EuroBiotech Report, while critics of Pfizer's attempt to buy AstraZeneca spent the week celebrating a major blow to the deal, an awkward question remains: Exactly what has been "saved" from Pfizer's clutches? And more. ...
- FierceBiotech var OAS_taxonomy='device=desktop'; var OAS_query='device=desktop'; /* handheld */ if(Modernizr.mq('only screen and (max-width: 480px)')) { OAS_taxonomy='device=handheld'; OAS_query='device=handheld'; } /* handheld */ // this placeholder includes the ampersand OAS_taxonomy = '&topic=chutes and ladders&tag=symph'; OAS_query ='&topic=chutes and ladders&tag=symph'; if (LGP_DEMS_fvp !=...
After seeding a fledgling scientific effort focused on the biologic implications of regulating proteins, Third Rock and The Column Group are throwing $25 million behind a startup biotech--Nurix--that hopes to blaze a new path in small molecule drug development. ...