• Pharma Ventures

    Aug 30, 2013, 08:00 AM by Michael Croft
    Wall Street Journal Blogs | Pharma is getting more notice from venture capital these days. Clarus Ventures, for example, has backed three specific pharma projects including Phase III studies of an already-approved drug in a new indication.
    Full story
  • BGI's Plans for Complete Genomics, Planned IPO

    Aug 29, 2013, 08:00 AM by Michael Croft
    Forbes Asia | Forbes Asia checks in with BGI since their Complete Genomics acquisition. The group is readying an IPO of their institutional-client business, and have sequenced 57,000 human genomes to date.
    Full story
  • The Coming Bust?

    Aug 29, 2013, 08:00 AM by Michael Croft
    Nature | It's been a great year for biotech IPOs, which has everyone wondering when the bubble will burst. In 2000 there were 26 biotech IPOs, but 2001 and 2002 showed almost no revenue from biotech IPOs.
    Full story
  • Behind Third Rock

    Aug 28, 2013, 15:00 PM by Michael Croft
    Boston Magazine | Third Rock Ventures invests heavily in biotech, now taking on projects for "ultra-orphan" diseases. Though the risks are high, the rewards are too. A recent acquisition could could net Third Rock a 20-fold payout for their investment.
    Full story
  • Far Off Genomics: FarGen 2013

    Aug 28, 2013, 09:05 AM by Michael Croft
    Bio-IT World | In the high north, the tiny Faroese population has been isolated—physically and genetically—for more than 1,000 years. Now the FarGen Project will be offering whole genome sequencing to all 50,000 inhabitants of the Faroe Islands.
    Full story
  • Three Small Steps Toward Genomically Sensible Healthcare

    Aug 27, 2013, 09:00 AM by Michael Croft
    Bio-IT World |  A talk at the Clinical Genome Conference resonated with some folks, who suggested sharing it. Crucially, that crowd included doctors, who have much to both teach and learn in the brave new world of genomic medicine. With them on hand, the day’s session loosely echoed a grand rounds, where the case was, soberingly, the tall order of making genomes widely useful in healthcare.
    Full story
  • OpenBEL Joins Linux Foundation As Collaborative Project

    Aug 26, 2013, 14:00 PM by Michael Croft
    Bio-IT World | OpenBEL—the open source version of the Biological Expression Language released last June by Selventa—announced today that it is now an open source collaborative project of The Linux Foundation.
    Full story
  • Uncertainties in Assembly: Communicating and Managing the Truth About Our Data

    Aug 26, 2013, 09:00 AM by Michael Croft
    Bio-IT World | Published in late July in GigaScience, the Assemblathon 2 paper has been in the works since June 2011. Three genomes and about 17 GB of compressed data later (doubled if you include the contig files that were extracted from the scaffolds), the findings can be summarized in five words: “We’re doing it all wrong.”  
    Full story
  • Genomics XPRIZE Canceled

    Aug 26, 2013, 08:00 AM by Michael Croft
    The Huffington Post | Last week, the X Prize foundation canceled the $10-million Archon Genomics XPRIZE presented by Express Scripts.
    Full story
  • Amgen Inks $10.5 Billion Deal for Onyx

    Aug 26, 2013, 08:00 AM by Michael Croft
    Los Angeles Times | Amgen agreed to acquire Onyx Pharmaceuticals on Sunday for $10.4 billion. Amgen tried to acquire the in June for $120/share, but was rejected. Yesterday's agreement was for $125/share.
    Full story
  • N-of-One Analyzes 4,000th Tumor

    Aug 26, 2013, 08:00 AM by Michael Croft
    Bio-IT World  | N-of-One Therapeutics has analyzed and interpreted its 4,000th cancer patient tumor, providing details on therapeutic options beyond the current standard of care in more than 70% of cases.
    Full story
  • Quanterix Launches Single-Molecule Detection of Proteins, DNA

    Aug 22, 2013, 13:00 PM by Michael Croft
    Bio-IT World | The Quanterix Corporation has launched its Simoa technology—SIngle MOlecule Array—making it commercially available for the first time on a fully automated platform for research use only.
    Full story
  • Bridging the Gap: Bring Genome Analysis Tools to the Masses with GenePattern

    Aug 22, 2013, 08:00 AM by Michael Croft
    Bio-IT World | This past month, researchers from the Broad Institute released a software update to GenePattern, the Institute’s open-source genome sequence analysis software, which will allow programmers to upload their own analysis tools to an open database.
    Full story
  • Mayo Florida Gets $5m Individualized Medicine Grant

    Aug 21, 2013, 11:00 AM by Michael Croft
    Florida Union Tribune | The Center for Individualized Medicine at Mayo Clinic's Jacksonville campus received a personal $5 million gift to, "move from talking about the promise of genomic medicine to making it a reality for patients.”
    Full story
  • Gene Information Directly to Doctors

    Aug 21, 2013, 07:00 AM by Michael Croft
    Bio-IT World | Last week, GenoSpace, PathGroup and Thomson Reuters announced an expansion of PathGroup’s SmartGenomics product to include Thomson Reuters’ information on genes, variants and therapeutic implications, and GenoSpace’s advanced analytical and information integration capabilities.
    Full story
  • Bina Launches Bina On-Demand, Exome Analysis

    Aug 19, 2013, 11:05 AM by Michael Croft
    Bio-IT World | Bina Technologies has launched two new capabilities making their big data genomics platform accessible to more users. Whole Exome Analysis and Bina On-Demand expand the user base for the company’s hardware appliance that quickly handles assembly and alignment of raw reads and variant calling in next generation sequencing.
    Full story
  • BIO on the JOBS Act

    Aug 19, 2013, 08:00 AM by Michael Croft
    US News and World Report | Jim Greenwood, President and CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, reports on the effects of the JOBS Act on the biotech industry.
    Full story
  • Dell Reports 72% Profit Drop

    Aug 16, 2013, 11:00 AM by Michael Croft
    Computerworld | Dell, in the midst of a privatization push by founder and CEO Michael Dell, reported a 72% profit drop yesterday.
    Full story
  • The Work You Do to Help Save Lives Can Also Save Jobs

    Aug 16, 2013, 10:00 AM by Michael Croft
    Bio-IT World | Guest Commentary | For many small to midsized businesses, the downturn of the U.S. economy in recent years has led to smaller salaries, decreased revenue, and in many cases, the loss of valuable employees. Unfortunately while small to midsized companies suffer the consequences of a struggling economy, some larger corporations have left their counterparts behind thanks to the research and development (R&D) tax credit.
    Full story
  • Regeneron's Good Business

    Aug 15, 2013, 12:00 PM by Michael Croft
    Forbes | Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is ranked #4 on Forbes list of most innovative companies for their combination of smart science and smart business.
    Full story