Biotech NewsTGen helps test for swine flu in ArizonaThe Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is assisting state and federal authorities in a coordinated effort to prevent a swine flu pandemic. Using state-of-the-art genetic testing systems for identifying the potentially deadly swine influenza virus, scientists at TGen’s Pathogen Genomics Division (TGen North) in Flagstaff today began running tests on three of the first four suspected cases in Arizona. A fourth sample from Arizona was tested and found to be positive for swine flu - the state’s only confirmed case - earlier today at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.TGen’s work in producing disease-detecting genotyping tools has potential national and global significance in tracking potential drug-resistant mutations of swine flu, said David Engelthaler, Director of Programs and Operations for TGen North in Flagstaff Arizona.Techniques honed from post-9/11 FBI anthrax letters investigation; ‘TGen North’ also investigating Valley Fever; viruses and bacteria “We’ve been working on influenza the last couple of years; developing tools and assays to be able to identify different strains of influenza, to quantify the amounts of virus in different samples, and also to look for anti-viral resistance markers,” said Engelthaler, a former Arizona State Epidemiologist and former Arizona Biodefense Coordinator.In addition to assisting the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), TGen is working with a pharmaceutical company to help discover ways to track and prevent anti-viral drug resistance. Currently, strains of influenza eventually become resistant to anti-viral drugs, Engelthaler said. “We’ve maintained ...

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 (Bernama) -- Students and job-seekers should explore the various career paths offered by biotechnology and life sciences, said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili.He said career opportunities in the industry were not limited to only research-based roles but also marketing, legal, finance and human resources, among others.Read MoreArizona Internet MarketingArizona Biotechnology MarketingBiotechnology News

The U.S. Government declared an emergency Sunday and released 25% of Relenza and Tamiflu antiviral treatment courses for use by healthcare providers should cases escalate. Tamiflu was developed by Gilead and manufactured and sold by Roche; Relenza is made by GlaxoSmithKline. A travel advisory to Mexico may be issued today where there are 2000 cases and about 150 deaths.In the U.S. there are several cases in CA,NY and TX for a total of 40.GSK was up 7.8% and GILD up 4% at midday trading. More speculative biotechs are quite volatile with BCRX up 68%,CRXL up 6.5%, and NVAX up over 90%.Be careful here.Leerink Swann has a Market Perform on BioCryst (BCRX), which has Peramavir an IV/IM neurominidase inhibitor currently in Phase III studies in the U.S. and Phase IV in Japan and LS says the drug is likely to be effective against H1N1 swine flu.Rodman and Renshaw has a Market Outperform on Novavax (NVAX) which has a Phase II seasonal flu vaccine in trials and could move due to the potential of a swine flu development.Diagnostic stocks perked up as well with Becton-Dickinson (BDX) up 4.4%,Inverness (IMA) up 11.5%,Quidel(QDEL) up 7%,and Meridian(VIVO) up 11.5%.Although it is way too early to forecast the impact of swine flu on the biotechnology stocks the sector will attract more investors as diagnostics and drugs have been languishing in the current rally.We recommended IMA at 20 (now 30) and continue to like the stock on pullbacks and would add to healthcare positions with BDX GILD ...

How Biotechnology Is Helping to Create a Greener WorldApril 2009 (Medialink) - Everyone interested in the environment knows about recycling, hybrid cars and carbon footprints. But what about bioplastics, biofuels and pest-resistant crops? Biotechnology breakthroughs help bring us clean air, clean water and green products. Biotechnology is technology based on biology, creating cutting edge products and technologies used to create renewable fuels, increase environmental sustainability and develop new drugs and cures for devastating diseases such as cancer and Parkinson’s.New industrial and environmental biotechnology advances are helping to make manufacturing processes cleaner and more efficient by reducing toxic chemical pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable biofuels from algae and other cellulosic materials decrease greenhouse gases while reducing our dependence on oil. Bioplastics that are available today can substitute for petroleum-based plastics, replacing waste destined for a landfill with biodegradable, compostable consumer products.Agricultural biotechnology allows farmers to grow more food on existing farmland while reducing water and fuel consumption. New technologies also are allowing farmers to address the challenges of producing food in less than adequate growing conditions with drought and flood resistant crops. In fact, growing biotech crops actually can help enhance air, water and soil quality. Agricultural biotechnology is integral in reducing pesticide use, toxic chemical pollution and greenhouse gases. Although we can do a lot to clean up pollution after it’s in the environment, preventing pollution in the first place is even better.Talent/Guest: Oliver P. Peoples, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, VP ResearchOliver P. Peoples is a co-founder of Metabolix ...

May 15th - AZBio/BIO-SA Breakfast - An Ounce of (Chemo) Prevention (Tucson)Eugene W. Gerner, Ph.D. will discuss his research and findings regarding Colorectal Cancer (CRC) and how he and his team have recently demonstrated remarkable efficacy for the prevention of recurrence of colon polyps, which are the forerunners of colon cancer. Click here for more information and to register online. May 18th - 21st - 2009 BIO International ConventionThe 2009 BIO International Convention will deliver the partnering tools, licensing tips and other industry resources you need to meet current economic challenges and to strengthen your biotech business for the future. Join 20,000 senior level life science professionals in Atlanta to explore valuable partnerships and discuss financial and strategic practices. For more information and to register, click here.October 11th - 13th - Annual BioPartnering Europe - EARLY REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!BPE brings together decision-makers from leading biotechnology, pharmaceutical and investment companies from around the world for 3 days of focused networking, presentations, expert panels and one-to-one partnering. For more information and to register, click here.Arizona Internet MarketingArizona Biotechnology MarketingBiotechnology News

Experience Your Future Day - Bioscience Companies NeededPresented by Jobing.com, Experience Your Future Day is a one-day, experiential learning event designed for 8th grade students to be able to experience hands-on what it's truly like to work in a chosen trade, profession or industry. Bioscience companies in the Greater Phoenix Region are being asked to give back to the community while helping to invest in the future workforce by registering for an exhibit booth free of charge. Exhibitors will answer questions or possibly demonstrate what their company does, discuss how education is a factor, etc. Please click here for more details.

The use of biotechnology (BT), which initially was employed in the traditional food processing sector in the form of home-made fermented cheese and yoghurt, is now one of the frontline technologies in food and beverage and dietary supplements sectors. Resultantly, several food and supplement segments have transformed into high value markets. Diverse technologies such as gene modification, transfer, in-vitro vegetative propagation of plants, to name a few, have been used in agriculture in order to improve crop yield and create disease resistant variants.Food & Beverage Focus 2009, to be held on May 27 at Hyatt Regency in Mumbai, will he plunging into such topics surrounding the biotechnology trends, associated safety hazards and leveraging BT in the industry. The event is being organised by Frost & Sullivan and the theme would be "Biotechnology applications in F&B sector and dietary supplements sector."Read MoreArizona Internet MarketingArizona Biotechnology MarketingBiotechnology News

ScienceDaily (Apr. 13, 2009) — Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin Biotechnology and Bioengineering Center in Milwaukee have just made the very expensive and promising area of protein research more accessible to scientists worldwide.hey have developed a set of free tools called ViPDAC (virtual proteomics data analysis cluster), to be used in combination with Amazon's inexpensive "cloud computing" service, which provides the option to rent processing time on its powerful servers; and free open-source software from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of Manitoba.Their research appears online in Journal of Proteomic Research and is funded by the NIH Heart Lung and Blood Institute's Proteomics Innovation Center at the Medical College. Proteomics is a biomedical research term used to describe the large-scale study of all the proteins expressed by an organism. It usually involves the identification of proteins and determination of their modifications in both normal and disease states.Read MoreArizona Internet MarketingArizona Biotechnology MarketingBiotechnology News

Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) April 10, 2009 -- MarketArt announced today that it has signed a multi-year event marketing agreement with Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) to provide its You Are Here interactive directory system at the organization's international conferences. The 2009 BIO International Convention, the largest biotechnology event in the world, will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The conference attracts over 20,000 attendees and 2,200 exhibitors. Tradeshow Week cited the convention as the 2008 Top Association Show and included the event on its Fastest 50 list for the second consecutive year.The You Are Here system will be deployed on 15 touch-screen stations distributed throughout the show floor. The system helps attendees find their way to the companies, products and services of highest interest to them, and enables exhibitors to extend their reach, promote their offerings and attract qualified traffic to their booths."After experimenting with other electronic directories in the past, we chose the You Are Here solution based on its extraordinary usage numbers and overall attendee and exhibitor satisfaction demonstrated at other shows employing the system," explained Chris Galione, Senior Sales Executive at BIO. "Last year's results proved we made the right decision. Our goal is to make our convention's networking and partnering opportunities as cutting-edge, exciting and productive as possible for our attendees, exhibitors and members."About MarketArt - www.MarketArt.comMarketArt is a digital media technology company that develops and sells interactive media and advertising systems to both online and to out-of-home markets. The company is the ...

Facet Biotech, the Redwood City drug development company that is facing a proxy fight, now has has a new majority shareholder, according to a regulatory filing Wednesday.The Baupost Group, a Boston investment company run by Seth Klarman, disclosed owning 4,374,407 shares of Facet, or about 17.8 percent of its outstanding stock. The news was filed on an SC 13D form, the kind of form used by active investors. Although Klarman said he had no plans currently to acquire more shares or to enact any “extraordinary corporate transaction, such as a merger, reorganization or liquidation, he did say that intends “from time to time to discuss with management” issues about the company and its “strategic direction”.Facet, formed less than four months ago as a spin-off of the drug development operations of PDL Biopharma from its licensing business, was notified last month by Roderick Wong of his intention to nominate four directors of his own choosing to the company’s board as part of his intention that the company liquidate itself.In a response to Wong issued Monday by the chairman of Facet’s board, the company basically thanked him for his “input” but said it preferred its own plans.Arizona Internet MarketingArizona Biotechnology MarketingBiotechnology News