$18 million awarded to TGen and University of Pennsylvania for pancreatic cancer research from Stand Up to CancerScottsdale Healthcare at Shea Medical Center a primary clinical sitePHOENIX, Ariz. - The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) will receive $18 million to research pancreatic cancer, Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) announced today. Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, TGen’s Physician-In-Chief, and Dr. Craig B. Thompson, Director of the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn, are co-leaders of SU2C pancreatic cancer "Dream Team," which will lead a three-year investigation into new approaches to treating pancreatic cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. "We want to do something dramatic. It is going to take a tremendous amount of real thinking power to make that difference, so it is a dream come true to be able to put this team together to work towards this goal," said Dr. Von Hoff, who also is Chief Scientific Officer for TGen Clinical Research Services (TCRS) at Scottsdale Healthcare, a primary clinical research site for TGen and the SU2C grant. The $18 million to TGen and Penn was the largest single grant among five awards, totaling $74 million, announced by SU2C, a philanthropic group created by cancer scientists and members of the entertainment industry a year ago today to quickly turn scientific discoveries into ways to care for cancer patients. The goal of the pancreatic cancer Dream Team research project – "Cutting Off the Fuel Supply" – is to develop tests, ...

TGen intern named one of the nation’s Top 40 students Source: TGEN ASU student also awarded $2,500 scholarship for work at TGen 05-08-2009javascript:void(0)PHOENIX, Ariz. - May 8, 2009 - Eric Anderson, who has worked for three years as an intern for the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), has been named one of the nation’s Top 40 students by USA Today. Anderson, a senior at Arizona State University, was named to the national newspaper’s prestigious annual All-USA College Academic Second Team of 20 students. The First Team of 20 students also included an ASU student. (Click here for related link). In addition, Anderson was notified May 7 by ASU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences that he has been awarded a $2,500 Arizona Power Authority Scholarship in the fall 2009 semester for his research under the supervision of TGen's Dr. Heather Cunliffe. Anderson, who has worked in brain and breast cancer research at TGen, has investigated potential diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets. "Eric is an extremely intelligent and self-motivated student. It has been a pleasure to play a role in his career development, and very satisfying to see him excel through strong collaborative mentorship from both TGen and ASU," said Dr. Cunliffe, head of TGen's Breast & Ovarian Cancer Research Unit. Anderson, who also has worked in research projects at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, will remain at ASU one more year to complete dual majors in Bioengineering and Medicinal Biochemistry. He plans to attend medical school and pursue a ...

Big Web 2.0 Technology Challenges: Moderating Biotech, Pharma and Medical User-generated Content (UGC)I know this post has jumped ahead in order of my planned posts on the technology challenges created in by Web 2.0. However, I recently had a few inquiries in this area (from friends, analysts and colleagues.) As such, I thought it would be beneficial to move this topic up in my series.In general, moderation of UGC is not a simple prospect. Moderation of UGC in a regulated space is even tougher – especially in the very highly regulated biotech, pharmaceutical and medical industries (where regulation compliance is essentially intended to protect human life). Based on the sensitivity of this topic, it is worth diverting a little of your attention to some disclaimers and background information:Read MoreArizona Internet MarketingArizona Biotechnology MarketingBiotechnology News

BIO 2009 - Stop by the Arizona Pavilion (Booth 4601)Again this year, the AZ Dept. of Commerce has coordinated a pavilion that will showcase our state's bioscience community. In the pavilion, AZBio will highlight the AZBio Bioscience Company Directory and the Interactive Biomap on our website (click here), both exceptional tools for locating bioscience organizations in Arizona. As BIO's recognized state affiliate organization in Arizona, AZBio works closely with BIO throughout the year, and we hope to see many of our Arizona colleagues at the world's largest annual gathering of the biotechnology industry. For more information and to register for BIO 2009, click here.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Highlighted events on the online calendar:April 30th - Experience Your Future Day (Glendale)Presented 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. For complete details, click here.May 4th - Donald K. Buffmire Lecture presents Fernando D. Martinez, MD (Phoenix)Fernando D. Martinez, MD, Director of the Arizona Respiratory Center and Interim Director of the BIO5 Institute will present “Genes and Environment at the Onset of Asthma and Allergies”. Dr. Martinez will discuss the natural history of childhood asthma, and the role of genetic, physiologic, immunologic and environmental factors as determinants of the risk for asthma in early life. Please RSVP to Mindy Shields by April 29 to buffmirelectures@gmail.com or 602-827-2076. For more information, please ...