Quick overview on Biotechnology

Inside Wall Street: Is ImmunoCellular Another Rising Star in Biotech?

2010-11-23T13:48:00.000-08:00

The significance of cancer stem cells (CSC) is the latest hot, though controversial, topic in scientific circles. The talk about CSC has widened to a point that it has become the subject of articles published by popular nonscientific magazines. In 2008, The Economist had a prominent story on "cancer and stem cells," which noted that "the connection could lead to a cure." Cancer may be caused by stem cells gone bad, said the magazine, and if that proves to be correct, "It should revolutionize treatment."

Indeed, in a more recent article published in The New York Times Magazine on Oct. 29, 2010, a case was made that CSC may be the "cancer sleeping cell." The article by Siddhartha Mukherjee, assistant professor in Columbia University's division of medical oncology, argued that CSC may be the cause of relapse in many cancer patients. CSC might be the "ultimate determinant of relapse" in patients, which may "redirect our efforts to develop anticancer drugs," says Mukherjee, who has also authored the book, Emperor of all Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.

Is it possible, Mukherjee asks, that "the quest to treat cancer has also stalled because we haven't found the right kind of cell?"

CSCs encode instructions to generate more tumor cells that don't necessarily bear any resemblance to their parents, or creators. As a result, CSC may be immune to the treatments designed to attack the tumors they create -- and, therefore, are ready to cause a relapse in a cancer patient even when the tumor seems to have disappeared.

Preparing for a Phase II Trial

If cancer stem cells are the real culprit of cancer recurrence, "then true victory over cancer requires treatments designed to target them specifically," says Manish Singh, president of ImmunoCellular Therapeutics (IMUC), who is very familiar with the subject: His company is the only publicly traded outfit in the field of cancer vaccines or monoclonal antibodies dedicated primarily to the development of CSC-targeted therapeutics. Others involved in CSC studies are some of the Big Pharmas, including Pfizer (PFE) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), which have a lot of other things on their plates.

Late this year, ImmunoCellular is starting a Phase II clinical trial for its chief product, ICT-107, a novel brain cancer vaccine that targets CSC in glioblastoma, or brain cancer, the same aggressive type of brain cancer that killed Senator Ted Kennedy. Singh says ICT-107 is custom-built to target cell-surface proteins that are highly expressed by CSC, as well as regular tumor cells. Tumors, he notes, are like weeds, and their eradication requires killing the CSCs at their roots.

In its Phase 1 clinical trial, ICT-107 increased disease-free survival by a significant amount in newly diagnosed glioblastoma patients, compared with the best standard of care, says Singh, without any serious side effects. "Phase 1 results were astonishingly positive as we have 45% of patients in the study without any measurable diseases after two years," says Singh.

A Better Bet Than Dendreon?

ICT-107 is produced by harvesting a patient's own dendritic cells, similar to what Dendreon's (DNDN) blockbuster drug Provenge does, and programming them to attack cancer. But unlike Provenge, which targets prostate cancer, ICT-107 targets brain cancer.

Another disparity separates the two companies: Dendreon boasts a market capitalization of $5.1 billion, with its stock trading at $37 a share, down from a 52-week high of $57. ImmunoCellular's market value is a mere $21.7 million, with its stock at $1.17, down from a 52-week high of $2.44.

That's why some pros believe ImmunoCelluar would be a better bet, given its vaccine that targets CSCs, and its stock priced at just over a dollar.

An Appealing Risk-Reward Ratio

This stock is ripe for momentum investors and day traders to take it up to $10 a share, which would bring it in line with other early-stage companies, notes Reni Benjamin, biotech analyst at investment Rodman & Renshaw. Since Rodman doesn't officially follow ImmunoCellular, Benjamin doesn't have a rating on the stock.

Sponsored Links
Tony Lowbeer, a partner at Scarsdale Securities, which recently purchased $2 million worth of ImmunoCellular's stock, says he trusts management and its efforts to develop a glioblastoma vaccine. If it works, investors could make 10 times their investment, says Lowbeer. "I like the stock's risk-reward ratio, and I am excited about the product and our investment in the company," he adds. Also a large investor is SDL Ventures, which owns $1.5 million worth of stock.

If the survival data from the Phase II clinical trial of ICT-107 comes out with results as impressive as the Phase I trial's, tiny and little-known ImmunoCelluar could jump onto the stage with Dendreon as a prospective star in biotechnology.

Information Sources Launches 'TecTrendsOnline.com' Searchable Database Site

2010-11-23T13:47:00.000-08:00

BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- TecTrends Online, a service of Berkeley-based Information Sources, Inc., is teaming up with the world's largest, and continuously updated collection of market research to offer subscription-based access to an extensive searchable, keyword-rich database of hard copy and web-based articles in business, technical, trade, and consumer publications.

"TecTrends Online provides insight into technology topics and issues for individuals, whether CEOs, product managers, marketers, or end users -- it's an essential tool for understanding current and emerging technologies," says Ruth Koolish, company founder. The Apple iPad, cloud computing and green automotive technology are among the thousands of topics in the database, which is fully sourced and cross-linked.

To sign up for the TecTrends Online database, visit tectrendsonline.com/subscribe. Subscriptions are available on an individual basis or as site licenses.

Why should someone use the TecTrends Online database instead of searching Google?

"We have live humans on staff who identify the name of the companies, products, or services in the indexed article. This type of information is not so easy for the automated online search engines to find," says Koolish. "We're providing a service that cites products and companies, allowing users to follow links from place to place in the database so they can find in minutes what used to take hours."

Not designed to replace the free search engines, the TecTrends Online database is a subscription-based search aid that saves time and makes essential research more effective.

The TecTrends Online database includes more than 30,000 article abstracts, back to 2004, with product names, keywords, and over 15,000 company name citations. Articles are updated weekly. In addition to TecTrends Online coverage of such topics as Android, e-readers, gaming, mobile devices, digital media, social networking, biotechnology, and the emerging technologies that will be hot in tomorrow's marketplace, there are links to countless articles and news releases on PR Newswire.

"The Internet is loaded with an overwhelming amount of what passes for information," says Koolish, "but without TecTrends Online, researchers will end up spending needless hours searching for information that directly relates to their needs."

About Ruth Koolish

Ruth Koolish, the founder and president of Information Sources, can track the development of the information industry through her own professional experience. She began her career with the founding of Hartley Data in Glenview, IL, automating information services for publishers and associations. She then founded Information Sources to research the full range of current and emerging technology development.

About TecTrends

TecTrends Online is a service of Information Sources Inc., a private company based in Berkeley, California. Drawing on years of experience in the collection and organization of information about technology and business, Information Sources also has extensive expertise in meeting the information needs of technology researchers in companies and institutions around the world.

About Market Research

MarketResearch.com is the world's largest and continuously updated collection of market research. As a source for market intelligence, MarketResearch.com offers more than 250,000 market research reports from over 650 leading global publishers.

Shimadzu - Analytical Instrumentation

2010-11-23T13:45:00.001-08:00

Shimadzu is one of the worldwide leading manufacturers of analytical instrumentation. Its equipment and systems are used as essential tools for quality control of consumer goods and articles of daily use, in health care as well as in all areas of environmental and consumer protection.

Spectroscopy, chromatography, environmental analysis, balances, biotechnology and material testing make up a homogeneous yet versatile offering. Along with many "industry first" technologies and products Shimadzu has created and invented since 1875, there has also been the exceptional awarding of the 2002 Nobel Prize for Chemistry to Shimadzu engineer Koichi Tanaka for his outstanding contributions in the field of mass spectrometry.

Shimadzu's analysers and equipment are applied in the chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industry, life sciences and biotech, cosmetics, semiconductor and nutrition industry as well as in the flavors and fragrances business. Research institutes, privately run laboratories, administrations and universities complete the list of clients. The systems are used in routine and high-end applications, process and quality control as well as R&D.
Spectrophotometers and chromatographs

Shimadzu provides a broad range of instruments and solutions for the pharmaceutical industry: basic analytical instruments such as spectrophotometers, sophisticated technology like chromatographs for conventional and fast separation; mass spectrometers as well as instruments for determination of total organic carbon in ultra-pure water.

The instruments are used in research and development, quality control and on-line monitoring. Special system solutions have been developed together with key researchers from these industries. The units have been designed for maximum productivity and meeting the demands of these laboratories.

Shimadzu HPLC and UHPLC systems are controlled by all leading chromatography data systems in order to fit into existing IT environments.
Coupling methods

Most modern technologies are in the focus of research: UHPLC - and Fast GC(MS), advanced coupling methods such as multi-dimensional GC and comprehensive LCXLC(MS) and GCXGC(MS) provide tools for the highest resolution and easiest separation of complex samples.

Customers may select from a wide range in order to obtain a solution tailored to their individual needs. In this way, Shimadzu has become the only supplier of the whole range of analytical instruments whose product offer has grown constantly. At the same time, Shimadzu is the market- or technological leader in almost all areas.

Shimadzu is focused on top quality when developing products, including ease of operation, optimum service and an appropriate price/performance ratio. The company manufactures according to internationally renowned quality standards, e.g. Pharmacopeia, ISO, FDA, GLP and GMP. As a global player, Shimadzu operates production facilities and distribution centers in 76 countries. Shimadzu's success is based on more than 9,000 employees worldwide. For over 40 years the European headquarters has been located in Germany.

Shimadzu Europa GmbH
Albert-Hahn-Str. 6-10
47269 Duisburg, Germany

Tel: +49-203-7687-0
Fax: +49-203-766625

DNA Sequencing and Its Application to “Fitness”

2010-11-23T13:44:00.001-08:00

Calvin College Developmental Cell Biologist Steve Matheson points to an interesting series of papers highlighting the importance of new rapid-fire DNA sequencing technologies for the study of evolution.

The “$1,000 Genome” has been in the news a great deal from a health care perspective: the advances in sequencing technology have brought the cost of sequencing whole genomes down to just a fraction of what they were when Francis Collins began the laborious sequencing of the Human Genome back in the early 1990s. See, for example, the new book by Kevin Davies of Bio-IT World.

In a matter of a few years (if not months), you and I will be able to get our complete genome sequenced for the cost of a night out at a decent restaurant.

Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies have high hopes for the kind of therapies that can be developed in response to what we learn cumulatively from thousands of people’s genomes about the genes that predispose an individual to diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Diabetes.

But the same technology, as Matheson’s essay helps to illustrate, is also shedding new light on questions of evolution and fitness that have intrigued scientists ever since Darwin. In that sense, the more we move forward, the more we learn from the past.

Altogen Labs, Texas-Based Biotechnology Company Develops Oil-Degrading Bacteria

2010-11-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

Altogen Labs announced today that it has successfully isolated natural oil-eating bacteria from polluted soil near Galveston Bay, Texas that has been shown in laboratory tests to be effective for the bioremediation of crude oil and petroleum saturated earth.

"We started this project 6 months ago by taking soil in a heavily oil-contaminated area (near Galveston Bay, TX) and have isolated strains of naturally present bacteria. We are currently finishing the proof-of-concept experiments demonstrating that these strains are effectively degrading Texas oil. Methods based on bioremediation approach are actively used in several countries now and well accepted by nature while posing minimal threat to marine ecosystems," said Dr.Dmitriy Ovcharenko, Altogen Labs founder and CEO.

Bioremediation is a process involving microorganisms, fungi, green plants, or their enzymes to restore the natural environment to its original state after contamination. Bioremediation of the environment, be it soil or water, following contamination by crude oil, is performed by a variety of bacteria that feed on hydrocarbons, breaking down the petroleum molecules into less harmful substances.

These bacteria, which occur naturally in the environment, can be isolated and expanded to help remediate oil spills. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, applied remediation of oil contaminated soil and water is a high priority of government and industry as this method can be quicker and cheaper - today's technology for cleaning up oil spills relies on physical cleaning methods, including skimmers, vacuums, and in situ burning, with chemical cleaning methods often toxic and poisonous to marine life. The recent spill of millions of gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico demonstrated a lack of effective technologies to clean up oil from the ocean as well as from large areas of contaminated soil.

Altogen Labs scientists have found these oil-degrading bacterial strains to be naturally present in various types of soil and water; however, upon contamination with crude oil, the concentration of bacteria increases dramatically because these bacteria feed on oil. Unfortunately, this process only occurs on the edge of the oil spill, as most microorganisms need other nutrients and oxygen to survive, making the ecosystem relatively inefficient for bioremediation. Altogen Labs developed a technology that allows the acceleration of this natural process. Scientists were able to identify a hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial population, including saturate degraders and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degraders, and optimize the growing process in the laboratory. They developed a method of cultivation of oil-degrading bacteria that are specific to the site of a particular spill - microbes that act on the hydrocarbon molecules that are present at the site of the pollution.

The remarkable feature of this development is that bacteria can be expanded in large aqueous volumes and then the water can be evaporated to store high concentrations of bacteria in dry form and low volume. The product is very stable, and dry, natural bacteria can be activated by the addition of water. The growth conditions of these natural bacteria were optimized for effective oil degradation in Texas soil (including variations in temperature and soil conditions, as well as a number of oil compositions).

Altogen Labs is actively working on further development of this technology for both soil and water applications. However, the current product development process is limited to laboratory scale, and industrial-grade production and commercial product launch will require additional scale-up work. The company is now looking for collaborative opportunities to enable this large-scale development project.