Pullan Consulting
Linda M. Pullan
4400 Paseo Santa Rosa
Newbury Park, CA 91320 USA
Phone 001/805/558/-0361
lpullan
msn.com
My Pieces
Pullan's Pieces
Commentary on Science & Business of Drug Development
For Business Development & Others
Commentary on Science & Business of Drug Development
For Business Development & Others
Twins with a lipid storage disease may shed light on Alzheimer’s – a touching story, foundations, patient-funded virtual biotech
A story in The Scientist (http://www.the-scientist.com/templates/trackable/display/article1.jsp?type=article&o_url=article/display/55136&id=55136) of young twins afflicted with Niemann-Pick Disease (NPC) brings together the touching drama of illness, and the reach for innovation that makes biotech special.
Most cases of relapse in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia can be traced back to a cell with a mutation existing at diagnosis
An analysis (Mullighan et al, Science 322: 1377, 2008) of gene copy number changes in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) samples at time of diagnosis and at time of relapse may change the way we think about cancer relapse. It is not yet clear how broadly these findings apply as this study was focused on changes in gene copy number (not other mutations), and not on a more heterogeneous solid tumor, but it already raises new questions about the biomarkers of tumors and treatment of relapse.
New doubt on cancer stem cell hypothesis, at least in melanoma
Past studies on diverse cancers, including melanoma, have indicated that only rare human cancer cells (0.1–0.0001%) form tumors when transplanted into non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mice.
Cheaper proteins may reduce the costs of biologic drugs; Merck sees yeast production as enabling biogenerics business
Producing proteins more cheaply has long been on the horizon, with transgenic goats and other alternatives to mammalian cell culture. Now, a clinical study has begun with insulin produced in the oil storage bodies of safflower seeds. This sequestration in the seed organelles makes the proteins easier to purify from the plants. It is estimated that 3 commercial farms could supply all the insulin. SemBioSys Genetics says it is the largest production of proteins in plants yet.
The economy and biotech
The Economy: The last few months have been dramatic, as housing prices declined and homes were foreclosed or walked away from. Wild gyrations in the stock market. Big brokerage firms and banks have failed or been swallowed. The giant hedge fund industry has lost $180 billion in 3 months, the Federal Government is spending $700 billion to try to stop the panic, and everyone is lobbying for their piece of the taxpayer dollars. What does it all mean for biotech?