The Cross-Border Biotech Blog

Catch up on the week’s biotech developments and news from our Twitter stream @crossborderbio: Congrats to Chris Arsenault, Announced as Co-Chair of the Canadian Innovation Exchange http://eqent.me/gkggtr RT @CVCACanada Evolution, Vaccination, and Prostate health examination, in this week’s Friday Science Review: http://ow.ly/1aRBr1  Endo chief looks to spend $500M on diagnostics acquisitions http://bit.ly/h0hRe3 RT @FierceBiotech UCSF now has [...]

Catch up on the week’s biotech developments and news from our Twitter stream @crossborderbio: Top 5 Cross-Border Biotech Blog topics of 2010 http://bit.ly/gocDJb via @slaw_dot_ca  The House is going to repeal Obamacare; other than that bicameral thing, that seems straightforward: http://goo.gl/0DiN RT @randypicker Stem cells that divide in two, Tobacco vaccine to stop the flu: This week’s [...]

Social media, publication quality, Canadian VC policy and exhaustion (mine and patents’) make for a light dose of interesting reading this weekend: Friday Science Review: stagnant technologies in Africa, congenital blindness in children and chronic pain in the crosshairs… http://ow.ly/1auHag Social Media Reshaping Healthcare: Some cool data on the use of Twitter as a Public Health [...]

Here’s your dose of weekly biotech news, all wrapped up in one weekend-friendly package: VenGrowth Funds Receive Non-Binding Merger Proposal from GrowthWorks Canadian Fund http://eqent.me/hyhgU Oncolytic viruses for cancer therapy and synthetic promoters for diabetes therapy in this week’s Friday Science Review!http://bit.ly/g16v6Q Cephalon strikes record $2B stem cell pact with Mesoblast. $130m upfront+$220m for 20%, $1.7b later… http://bit.ly/dRGQlI [...]

Here’s your dose of weekly biotech news, all wrapped up in one weekend-friendly package thanks to our Twitter stream: RT @ArsenicMicrobes: We come in peace – Funny! But agree with @matthewherper on this one: not an alien http://bit.ly/ebEPxe Never too early for biotechs and VCs to understand and plan for payer-focused endpoints http://bit.ly/fDEsbL via @InVivoBlogChris My short presentation [...]

Here’s your dose of weekly biotech news, all wrapped up in one weekend-friendly package thanks to our Twitter stream @crossborderbio: RT @CVCACanada: A Brave New World – Amid industry turmoil a rash of new VC players emerge in Canada – via @Techvibes http://bit.ly/dKErHk RT @mikesgene: Canada’s transgenic Enviropig is stuck in a genetic modification poke http://bit.ly/g2M6aQ [...]

Here’s your dose of weekly biotech news, all wrapped up in one weekend-friendly package thanks to our Twitter stream @crossborderbio: RT @CVCACanada: BDC’s Young Entrepreneur Awards Applications are now open!http://eqent.me/dlH2Rx RT @dgmacarthur: RT @genomicslawyer GLR Post: Recap from the Partners Personalized Medicine Conferencehttp://bit.ly/bGm6Nv RT @Michael_Gilman..just getting started on the West Coast,have a look at today’s [...]

Here’s your dose of weekly biotech news, all wrapped up in one weekend-friendly package thanks to our Twitter stream @crossborderbio: RT @mikesgene: Ontario Genomics Institute Invests in Personalized Medicine for Age-related Macular Degeneration http://bit.ly/dl9VwC w/video 23 hours ago GrowthWorks solicits votes against VenGrowth-Covington deal, wants time to make its own offer. http://eqent.me/cWw2aK via @CVCACanada TSX’s Raymond King [...]

Some weekend reading from our Twitter stream @crossborderbio: RT @mikesgene: Personal genomics tests prompt lifestyle changes http://bit.ly/9QsQFx #genome RT @dgmacarthur: Y Bombard: newborn blood spots are stored for up to 18 years in US, up to 30 years in Canada #ashg2010 U.S. Therapeutic Discovery Stimulus Reaches Biotechs in Canada, Israel, Germany http://ow.ly/19NEBF RT @patentlyo: Constitutional Inventors, [...]

If you’re not following our Twitter stream @crossborderbio, here’s what you missed this week: RT @JillLOsborne: An interesting look at tech tranfer in Canada http://bit.ly/9Zqbb7Thx Jill – it’s by Mark Curtis, new @crossborderbio ! How Canada can use science as a diplomatic tool to restore our int’l reputation.http://bit.ly/aavqsP by Mehrdad Hariri of @sciencepolicy Acadia gets rights [...]

Some weekend reading from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio: Internal promoters: Pierre Meulien moves from GenomeBC to Genome Canada CEO http://bit.ly/czrWSc Glad to be following @sheffi ‘s tweets today from CER/PM summit at NIH http://bit.ly/b9vfiw I’ve seen that combo b4… http://bit.ly/9h4BJM Great call with @jordan_law21 @privacylawyer @scottwolfejr – prep for panel Connecting Social Media to Business [...]

Lots of great weekend reading from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio, including news and commentary on the latest in personalized medicine and the Canadian VC landscape: RT @LillyPad: ..changing R&D models to develop more targeted therapies instead of blockbusters, tailoring therapies that are more effective. 1 day ago RT @wellingtonfund WF-Blog:Mass confusion in ventureland: Is the venture model “broken”? [...]

Here’s some weekend reading from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio … Friday Science Review is back, thx to Mark Curtis! Today’s cool Canadian science = tomorrow’s cool startups… http://ow.ly/19f2te1 DTC genetics link in last tweet is from @CMAJ_News – also contrasts Class III regulation of companion diagnostics. I.e. DTC is non-clinical? MT @genomicslawyer: …Health Canada is taking [...]

Lots of great weekend reading from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio, including a plane that flies like a bird, a $450 million licensing deal and links to several worthwhile upcoming events:

Here’s some reading for the weekend from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio: RT @FiercePharma: Genomics might have rescued Sanofi diet drug.http://bit.ly/d18EFp 14 hours ago YM Biosciences’ Phase II JAK1/2 inhibitor gets orphan drug designation for myelofibrosis http://bit.ly/aFD4xc1 day ago Final Call for Abstracts (Deadline Extended): Canadian Science Policy Conference 2010 – Deadline Aug 29th, 2010 http://bit.ly/9EB34b 2 days ago Merck in Canada: $289m Alzheimer’s [...]

Even though posts have dropped off between the long weekend last week and some business travel, I’ve been keeping Twitter up to date and will resume with a two-week deal review on Monday. In the meantime, here’s some reading to catch up on: RT @PharmProEditor: Patheon Signs Technology Transfer Agreement with Dendreon http://bit.ly/aWElIg RT @OntInnovation: RT [...]

Here’s some reading for the weekend from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio: via @Michael_Gilman and @pearlf, great advice on running effective board mtgs http://j.mp/bkbjbh  U.S. Defense Dept Transformational Medical Tech program funds 2 RNAi projects: BC’s Tekmira http://bit.ly/cpOa8U & AVI http://bit.ly/ckCCxU  RT @FiercePharma: Reuters: Glaxo, Pfizer JV opens HIV pipeline to generic cos. http://bit.ly/adLi9x  RT @genomicslawyer: [...]

As you may have surmised (from my out-of-office email or from my attempts to get the attention of Delta’s customer service tweeps) I was out of town this week. Still, here’s some weekend reading for you from our Twitter stream @crossborderbio: RT @dgmacarthur: July 12 is your last chance to comment on NIH’s planned genetic [...]

Here’s some reading for the weekend from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio: RT @IBMResearch: Roche and IBM Collaborate to Develop Nanopore-Based DNA Sequencing Technology – http://cot.ag/9vbj8l  RT @CBCHealth: Chalk River reactor to restart in July: AECL http://bit.ly/d66r72  RT @ogilvyrenault: Ogilvy Renault’s Rick Sutin quoted in Financial Post article on TSX/TSXV’s strength in cleantech http://bit.ly/cFAXr2  RT @markrmcqueen [...]

Here’s some reading for the weekend from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio: Dutch and Canadian giants launch VC venture. http://bit.ly/cndCsg More TRIUMF funding. Must be the name. RT @CBCHealth: UBC isotope lab could help stem shortage http://bit.ly/bGmYHs  Good stuff. RT @mikesgene: Personalized Medicine Get Boost from Genome B.C. http://bit.ly/d5yNdk   RT @CBCHealth: Cystic fibrosis survivors over 40 [...]

Here’s some reading for the weekend from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio: RT @FierceBiotech @Kineticos: Biotech Race for $1B in Government Money Begins Monday http://ow.ly/20i6e New Post: Health Canada’s Pharmacovigilance Program Provides Consumers with (Consumer-Unfriendly) Form for Direct Re… http://ow.ly/17NaDB Things that make you go “hmmm”… RT @CVCACanada: Richardson returns $1B, gets out of fund business [...]

Here’s some reading for the weekend from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio: RT @FierceBiotech: Hospira gains EMA OK for Neupogen biosimilar. http://bit.ly/adeduG Smart, well-illustrated overview of the challenges facing big pharma drug pipelines, by Megan McArdle at The Atlantic http://bit.ly/dya7Vo Australian Myriad lawsuit launched by consumer group Cancer Voices and Yvonne D’Arcy, a Brisbane woman w/ [...]

Here’s some reading for the weekend from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio: Aiming just to catch up won’t do. This is why. RT @FierceBiotech: Huge Massachusetts biotech center gets green light. http://bit.ly/9iqdPO Can’t get their arms around it?Bit off more than they cld chew?..RT @JohnCFierce:No small biotech can..market an obesity drug. http://bit.ly/abeuvI Biotech IPOs Past 10 [...]

Here’s some reading for the weekend from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio: Patrick Draper named new CEO at Toronto Region Research Alliance (TRRA). Welcome! http://bit.ly/aUnu6y RT @FierceBiotech: RT @pharmagossip: RT @matthewherper: My take on Pfizer, AstraZeneca shuffle. http://ow.ly/1Qeje “Rhabbits”? RT @reutersBenHir: Dutch biotech Pharming plans.. financing to back Rhucin drug made from milk of genetically modified [...]

Here’s some reading for the weekend from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio: RT @GenomeWeb_News: U of Toronto Spinout [w OICR funding] Rolls Out New Biomarker System with Eye on Bead Array Market http://bit.ly/coey4n 23 hours ago RT @PharmProEditor: #Abbott buys unit of Piramal Healthcare for $3.7B http://bit.ly/bUa9TS 1 day ago British Columbia adds Prevnar 13 to routine vaccination schedule http://bit.ly/cuJlLn [...]

Here’s some reading for the weekend from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio: Legal deets RT @dgmacarthur @genomicslawyer FDA Puts the Brakes on Pathway-Walgreens Pairing; What’s Next for DTC? http://bit.ly/curxtZ RT @scotthensley: No Gene Test At Walgreens Just Yet. http://n.pr/aoOxf0 RT @jonmrich: In case you missed it: 2010 Dose of Digital Dosie Award Winners…best in pharma & [...]

Here’s some reading for the weekend from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio: RT @PharmProEditor: Intellipharmaceutics plans Effexor generic http://bit.ly/aKNOMp RT @CVCACanada: VC deals: Montreal based Enerkem announces funding from Alberta Energy http://bit.ly/aznzgC BELLUS Health ends NC-503 diabetes development program following Phase II results http://viigo.im/3q8b Aeterna Zentaris Receives Orphan-Drug Designation from the FDA for AEZS-108 in Ovarian [...]

Here’s some reading for the weekend from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio: RT @CVCACanada: Q1’10: venture-backed companies in Canada raised $166 million for 21 deals. $ 63M of that is in IT.Dow Jones via @startupcfo Friday Fun: check out this blog by the science advisor to The Big Bang Theory (best nerd sitcom ever)! http://bit.ly/bN25D7 RT [...]

Here’s some reading for the weekend from our Twitter stream on @crossborderbio: Canadian Foundation for Innovation’s Leaders Opportunity Fund supports 10 McGill researchers http://bit.ly/aRuStd for $1.7M Medicago $MDG headed for the TSX big board (from the Venture exchange) http://bit.ly/cY68Dl Congratulations! Genome Canada discloses planned allocation of $75m 2010 budget http://bit.ly/ccANNC Canada’s drug spend hit $30b in [...]