• July 14, 2008
• July 7, 2008
• July 2, 2008
• June 23, 2008
• June 16, 2008
• June 9, 2008

Welcome to New SoCalBio Members

•  Harlan Sprague Dawley/RCC (Los Angeles Office)

•  Momentum Biosciences, LLC (Culver City)

This West-Los Angeles-based life-science incubator is focused on nurturing startup projects from UCLA and Caltech. The following startups -- Cellfluidics, ImagineAB and VitalVax -- are among the incubator's portfolio companies....Learn More

• Biomarkers for Alzheimer's?

• Caltech Biologists Show How Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) Hides from the Immune System

In the July 15 edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Caltech biologists Pamela Bjorkman (photo right) and Zhiru Yang show how HCMV -- which is carried by eight in 10 people -- hides from the immune system. Although it generally harms only those who are immuno-compromised, it has also been linked with brain tumors like the one for which Ted Kennedy recently had surgery. Understanding how HCMV survives may help in the development of a vaccine, as well as in the fight against other viruses with similar evasive tactics ...read paper

• Cedars Sinai Researchers Find Correlation Between the "Intensity" of a Patient's Immune Response and Clinical Outcome of Brain Cancer Vaccine

Published in the July 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research, this finding was an outcome of a clinical trial of a dendritic cell vaccine designed to fight malignant brain tumors called glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). "The demonstration that the magnitude of immune response is directly related to survival of patients gives us a very good tool or 'surrogate marker' for clinical benefit. If we can improve the immune response of our vaccine, we can anticipate that the clinical benefit will be improved as well. This allows us to fine-tune our vaccine in more of a real-time way," said John S. Yu, M.D., (photo right)director of Surgical Neuro-oncology at Cedars Sinai, principal investigator of the clinical trial and senior author of the article.

• Going Bi-Coastal: Los Angeles Is a City of Vast Wealth and Cultural Influence, But Relatively Little Corporate Power

• Spotlight on China Biomedical Investment

The major theme in the China biomedical news last week was investment. Zero2IPO released its Q2 review of China venture capital activity, showing sharp increases across-the-board in both funds raised and funds invested. Unfortunately, the Bio/healthcare sector experienced a disconcerting decline in a period of overall prosperity .... Read Article

• FDA to Exempt Early-Stage Drugs from GMP Regulations

The FDA has released a final rule that would exempt experimental drugs in Phase I development from some good manufacturing practice regulations. The rule, which is set to take effect Sept. 15, will apply to small-molecule treatments and biotech drugs such as vaccines and gene-therapy products. Read More

• Dow Jones: VC Investments Drop in Q2/08 and Fewer Deals Made Since 2005

Health care companies fared poorly in the second quarter of 2008 with the industry only seeing 149 deals completed and $1.98 billion invested. That is 22 percent less than the $2.53 billion that was invested in 181 health care deals in the second quarter of 2007. Investment is down 31 percent compared to the first six months of last year and deal flow is at its lowest level in three years ... Read Report

• Funding Woes Threaten Future Drug Development, Finds New Reserach

Risk aversion from investors is posing a serious threat to drug development, according to the latest annual biotechnology report by Marks & Clerk. The report surveyed some 500 biotech executives in the U.S. and U.K. and found that:

•  82% of executives believe that funding pressures pose aserious threat to the biotech industry
• 72% believe future drug pipelines will become much harder to deliver unless the drug approval process is relaxed
• 91% consider the time it now takes for drugs to get through the system is eating into patent protection
• 78% believe the climate for enabling biotechnology innovation has deteriorated within the last year

• U.S. Doctors Push for Medical Devices for Children

Doctors contend children are getting worse treatment in the United States, and have even died, because pediatric medical devices are not approved. Many make their own equipment or take patients abroad for procedures because of the lack of approved pediatric medical products in the U.S. .. Read Article

• Company News