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GangaGen, University of Nottingham sign research agreement
Project to develop phage treatment for campylobacter in poultry
OTTAWA, Canada and Nottingham, UK – May 22, 2007 – GangaGen Life Sciences Inc. and the University of Nottingham today announced they are engaging in a major research project to develop a bacteriophage-based treatment for the control of Campylobacter bacteria in poultry. Along with Salmonella, Campylobacter is the most common form of food-borne illness, infecting millions of people worldwide every year.
Both GangaGen and the university are leaders in bacteriophage research and view the technology as a vital breakthrough in the control of bacterial contamination and associated health risks. Phages are naturally occurring agents that target and destroy bacteria with a high degree of efficiency, and do so selectively and specifically, without affecting beneficial bacteria or body cells.
The research agreement is focused on building a business relationship to commercialize phage technology developed at the University that complements the existing phage expertise of GangaGen.
GangaGen is a developer of therapeutics based on phage technology for the control of disease-causing bacteria. The company is developing a portfolio of products for the effective treatment of infectious disease in human and animal health. Its animal health program includes innovations for the control of food-safety hazards associated with the transfer of pathogenic bacteria from animal production to consumers. The work on a phage product for the control of Campylobacter will complement the GangaGen’s food safety product portfolio, which also includes phage products against Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7. The technological advances made by the company have already eliminated any potential toxicity and gene-transfer risks.
"We are excited to be working with a company like GangaGen that is at the forefront of phage technology development," said Dr. Ian Connerton, Northern Foods Professor of Food Safety, the University’s research partner in the agreement. "Our team’s research has demonstrated that certain phages specific for Campylobacter can significantly reduce the load of the bacteria carried by poultry. By implication, this should also reduce the risk to consumers by decreasing bacterial contamination of meat that is prevalent in poultry processing and is transferred to chicken meat on grocery shelves."
Food-safety authorities in Europe and in North America recently released data showing that the contamination hazard due to Campylobacter remains high, and is of increasing concern because the pathogen has also started to demonstrate resistance to several common antibiotics. The IAFP International Association for Food Protection highlighted this concern at its 2006 annual conference in Calgary.
"GangaGen believes that the place to start fighting food safety-related bacteria is at the farm where livestock production takes place, and this research agreement with the University of Nottingham allows us to continue building on that premise," said Dr. Rainer Engelhardt, CEO of GangaGen Life Sciences Inc. "The food industry and its regulators have stated that they believe that timely intervention is needed at the farm level to supplement the extensive, but not fully effective, controls already in place in food processing. GangaGen has demonstrated in production animal trials that we can isolate and use phages efficaciously, with full regard for safety, and that the phages are benign to animals, humans and the environment."
"This research agreement is of great importance to the health market in general," continued Engelhardt. "The combination of these two research teams provides strong impetus for creating a safe, effective and low cost solution to this pernicious consumer health risk."
About GangaGen
GangaGen is a private biotechnology company and a world leader in phage technology and commercialization of phage innovation for control and treatment of infectious bacterial disease. GangaGen Life Sciences Inc. was established in 2002 in Ottawa, Canada, by its U.S. parent, GangaGen Inc., to develop, jointly with its sister company in India, GangaGen Biotechnologies Pvt. Ltd., phage-based anti-infective technologies for applications in human and animal health, including zoonotic disease (that is, pathogens carried by animals and transferable to humans). For more information, visit www.gangagen.ca.
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German Biotech Leaders Identify Cross-Border Investment Opportunities
BOSTON - Germany's biotechnology industry is actively seeking international investors to leverage opportunities in Europe's largest biotech market. With generous public and private-sector support, cooperation is being encouraged particularly in the fields of health and medicine, industrial biotech and nano-biotechnology.
The cross-border business potential of Germany's biotech industry was
delineated at a group presentation in Boston on May 6th during the 2007 BIO
International Convention. The presentation, organized by Invest in Germany,
featured five key players from the country's biotech sector: Steffen Helmling,
Executive VP of Noxxon Pharma; Peter J. W. Stadler, CEO of Artemis
Pharmaceuticals GmbH; Thomas Christely, CEO of Silence Therapeutics AG;
Gunther Wess, CEO of the Helmholtz Association's National Research Center for
Environment and Health; and Viola Bronsema, Managing Director of the industry
organization BIO Deutschland. Addressing an audience of 120 industry
professionals, the panel provided an overview of current developments in
Germany's biotech sector and offered a vision for the future.
"The biotechnology industry in German is completely undervalued," said
Dr. Stadler. "German biotech companies have everything you need to create
value on a high quality level." Comparing business conditions for biotech
companies in Germany and the United States, Thomas Christely added: "Germany
has significantly lower operating costs." The panelists agreed that the cost
advantages in Germany are particularly noticeable for companies involved in
conducting clinical trials.
Germany is home to more biotech companies than any other country in
Europe. The latest figures show nearly 500 dedicated biotechnology firms in
the country, over 20 of which are listed on the stock exchange. Two out of
every five dedicated biotech companies in the country have secured venture
capital financing, while more than a third benefit from public grants or
subsidies. R&D expenditure in 2005 exceeded 700 million euros.
Shortly before the BIO 2007 convention kicked off in Boston, Invest in
Germany announced the opening of a new contact office in the city. The Boston
office, which is led by Robert Hermann, is the agency's fourth location in the
United States and will form an integral part of the organization's growing
international network. Cultivating contacts with Boston's biotech community is
among Mr. Hermannn's chief responsibilities.
Invest in Germany is the official investment promotion agency of Germany.
The agency's US expansion reflects an increasingly proactive approach
following its recent institutional merger. "Invest in Germany GmbH" was
created in January 2007 through the merger of an entity bearing that same name
with a second organization, the Industrial Investment Council (IIC), which had
formerly promoted foreign investment in eastern Germany.
Invest in Germany's mandate is to assist international companies in
identifying and developing investment opportunities in Germany. Its services
are free of charge.
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Canadian and U.S. Biotechnology Companies Forging New Partnerships at the 2007 BIO International Convention
80 Canadian companies gather at conference; establish new relationships with U.S.-based biotech firms
BOSTON - As 80 Canadian biotech companies cross the border into New England this week for the 2007 BIO International Convention, increased business and investment bonds between the two trading partners will be highlighted by a series of partnering events, and business and technology announcements.
Canada's Minister of Industry and Minister of Health, in conjunction with
1,200 attendees and more than 80 Canadian companies specializing in a range of
biotechnology disciplines
(http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/lse-ledsv.nsf/en/h_01924e.html), will participate in the 2007 BIO International Convention, making Canada the most represented nation in attendance next to the U.S. In March 2007 alone, U.S. companies invested more than $500 million in a number of Canadian-based industries including biotechnology. Perhaps even more notable, though, is the increasing trend of U.S.-and Massachusetts-based venture capital (VC) firms investing in Canadian biotech companies. One recent such partnership is an investment of $35.7 million in Ottawa-based Variation Biotechnologies Inc. led by Clarus Ventures, a Cambridge, Mass.-based VC firm.
With the marked surge in interest Canadian biotech firms are generating
among U.S. VCs, this year's 2007 BIO International Convention, which opens
Sunday, May 6 in Boston, offers an ideal forum to further develop these
strategic partnerships. Two investment-related events taking place at the
conference include:
<<
-- Cross-Border Successes & Opportunities - Canadian Venture Investment
Update panel featuring Clarus Ventures and RBC Technology Ventures,
among others (Monday, May 7)
-- Canadian Partnering Event - More than 50 Canadian companies seeking
business partners with many New England companies participating
(Sunday, May 6, Westin Copley Place, Boston, Mass.)
>>
Recent Canadian-U.S. Partnerships and Investments The past six months has
seen an encouraging number of collaborative efforts between Canadian and U.S.
companies and an increasing number of Canada-based companies opening U.S.
divisions. A few notable endeavors:
<<
-- Angiotech, a pharmaceutical and medical device company
headquartered in Vancouver, just announced a partnership with Boston
Scientific Corporation to market coronary stent systems in
Japan.
-- QSV Biologics, a biopharmaceutical manufacturing company based in
Alberta, recently announced a partnership with Cambridge, Mass.-based
Critical Biologics Corporation to manufacture human plasma gelsolin.
-- Viron Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in
London, Ontario whose main focus is on the commercialization of a new
class of anti-inflammatory drugs, May 1 announced the opening of a
Boston division. The Boston office of Viron Therapeutics will be
headed by Dr. Claude Benedict, a 30-year veteran of the medical and
pharmaceutical industries.
>>
BIOTECanada (http://www.biotech.ca), the national biotechnology industry
association, and participating Canadian companies will be available during the
2007 BIO International Convention to discuss trends in biotech investment and
the Canadian involvement in this growing industry. For more information on
the Canadian biotech industry and partnership opportunities, visit
http://www.biotech.ca/content.php?TAG=clsdb.
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'We still want GE mandatory labelling' - Canadians respond to Harper's government refusal
VANCOUVER, TORONTO and QUEBEC CITY, - Greenpeace releases today another Léger Marketing poll(1) done in Quebec that confirms an increase in public support for mandatory labelling of genetically engineered (GE) food: from 76% in 2004, 79% in 2005 to 86% now. Last week, Federal Agriculture minister, Chuck Strahl said that the Federal government won't enforce mandatory labelling of GE food. This is despite the failure of 'voluntary' labeling, adopted three years ago by the previous Liberal government, to produce a single label on food sold in Canada describing a product as 'with GE'. According to the poll in Quebec, now only 8% oppose GE mandatory labelling (compared to 13% in 2005). All the polls done on GE labelling in Canada over the years have confirmed an overwhelming support among all Canadians for GE labelling.
'This latest poll confirms that the issue of GE mandatory labelling is
not going away despite the failure of the Federal government to address it and
resolve it', says Eric Darier, GE campaigner for Greenpeace in Montreal. 'Why
can't Canadian consumers, like consumers in over 40 countries, have the right
to know if the food they eat contains GE ingredients? What are they hiding
from us? If GE food were so good, it would have been labelled a long time
ago'.
Another Greenpeace poll released last January in Vancouver confirmed that
79% of British Columbians wanted their provincial government to implement
mandatory labelling of GE food(2). 'Federal government inaction has left
consumers without an effective tool to make choices about the food they and
their families eat, it is now up to provincial governments to fill the void.'
says Josh Brandon, a Greenpeace GE campaigner based in Vancouver.
'With a new minority Liberal government in Quebec, the opposition parties
have an historical chance to force Charest's Liberals to put in place GE
labelling. According to the poll results, 97% of Quebecers who want GE
labelling also want the two opposition parties to support GE labelling.
Quebecers want results not partisanship' says Darier.
Greenpeace wrote to all the provincial, federal and territorial
agriculture ministers to demand that the issues about GE, including GE
mandatory labelling be put on the agenda of the next ministerial meeting that
will take place in Whistler (BC), June 26-28. 'As the Federal government
doesn't want to act on mandatory GE labelling, the provinces must implement
their own labelling' says Brandon. 'If BC and Quebec go ahead with GE
labelling, it will encourage other provinces to do the same. Eventually, the
Federal government will need to step in to make it effective and harmonized
across Canada'.
According to the poll in Quebec less than 3% of all respondents are
concerned that GE labelling would be too expensive. 'It is clear that
consumers were not fooled by industry scare tactics about the cost of GE
labelling. A recent economic study(3) made public by Greenpeace, revealed that
the cost of GE labelling would be much less that what the food industry
claimed. 'In all the countries that have put in place mandatory GE labelling,
there was no increase in food prices for consumers. The food industry has
either absorbed the costs of GE labeling or minimized them by adopting
innovations in management and marketing', concluded Brandon.
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'Mad cow' vaccine effective in mice
U.S. scientists say they've developed a vaccine that protects mice from a brain condition similar to mad cow disease.
Illnesses such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, are caused by infectious prion proteins. There are no treatments or cures for prion diseases, which also include scrapie (often found in sheep), and chronic wasting disease.
Because prions are very similar to proteins produced naturally in the body, the immune system does not attack and destroy them. Prions can be transmitted when an animal eats the body parts of other infected animals.
But the U.S. team said it had created a vaccine that would stimulate the immune system of mice by attaching prion proteins to a genetically modified strain of the salmonella.
The vaccine either prevented or significantly delayed the onset of prion disease symptoms in the mice.
"These are promising findings. We are now in the process of redesigning the vaccine so it can be used on deer and cattle," study author Dr. Thomas Wisniewski, of the New York University School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.
He noted that much more research is required before the vaccine could be considered for use in people.
"The human version of prion disease usually occurs spontaneously and only rarely because of eating contaminated meat. But if, for example, a more significant outbreak of chronic wasting disease in deer and elk occurs, and if it were transmissible to humans, then we would need a vaccine like this to protect people in hunting areas," Wisniewski said.
The study was expected to be presented this week at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting, in Boston.
© 2007 Forbes.com LLC
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Helix BioPharma awarded first U.S. Patent for DOS47
AURORA - Helix BioPharma Corp. announced the issuance of a patent (U.S. Patent No. 7,211,250) from the United States Patent & Trademark Office relating to the method and composition in combining DOS47 with targeting agents in the treatment of cancer. Helix is currently developing its first DOS47-based cancer therapeutic, L-DOS47, a drug product candidate for the treatment of adenocarcinoma of the lung.
"This patent provides Helix with significant intellectual property
protection and is a vital step toward our goal of bringing DOS47-based cancer
therapeutics to market," said Donald H. Segal, President and CEO of Helix. "We
will continue to advance our worldwide DOS47 patent strategy in support of the
development of L-DOS47 with a view to maximizing the commercial opportunity of
this product and future products derived from our DOS47 technology platform."
Preliminary in vitro and in vivo testing of L-DOS47 has been completed
with certain research findings presented in peer-reviewed publications,
posters and scientific meetings. See our website at www.helixbiopharma.com for
further information on these publications, posters and meetings. In addition,
Helix has begun scale-up manufacturing of L-DOS47 for the Company's upcoming
preclinical and clinical testing initiatives.
"Though we are focused on L-DOS47 as our first DOS47-based cancer
therapeutic, we continue to explore other cancer-specific targeting agents
with the goal of developing a portfolio of conjugated DOS47-based cancer
therapeutics," commented Dr. Heman Chao, Helix's Vice President of Research.
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Italy develolps drought-resistant tomato
ROME - Italian scientists have developed a tomato that can thrive on less than one-quarter of the water common varieties need.
The tomatoes are grown without soil in a solution of water and nutrients, Massimo Iannetta of the ENEA Research Institute told the Italian news agency Ansa. Each plant needs about four gallons of water, compared to 18.5 gallons for a conventionally grown tomato.
ENEA is developing drought-resistant strains of other types of plants, including potatoes and wheat. The institute has just completed a test in the Mexican desert.
"We tried growing selected varieties of cereals and vegetables, and the results were excellent," he said. "Within a few months, we ought to be able to register them and put them on the market."
Genetically engineered plants cannot be sold or grown legally in Italy, although the institute is experimenting with some grown in the laboratory.
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Record-Breaking 79% Increase in Capital Raised by Canadian Biotechs in 2006
Canada's biotech industry reports best year, but challenges remain
MONTREAL - Canadian biotech companies had a banner financing year in 2006, raising $1.8 billion in capital (all figures in $US), setting a new industry record. Capital raised in 2006 topped the previous record of $1.3 billion raised in 2003, according to Beyond Borders: Global Biotechnology Report 2007, Ernst & Young LLP's 21st-anniversary report, released today, on the biotechnology industry.
In 2006, Canadian public company revenue grew to $3.2 billion, a 22%
increase over 2005. Net losses decreased by 43% as Canadian companies strive
towards profitability. The report sees that 2006 marked a sizable decrease in
the number of companies in imminent financial danger - 25% of public companies
had less than one year of cash in 2006, down from 45% a year earlier, and half
of Canadian public companies are now sustainable without needing to raise
capital in the near term.
"Mature Canadian biotechs are raising record-breaking amounts of capital,
growing revenues by double digit rates, while the industry is moving in the
direction of aggregate profitability," said Rod Budd, author of the Canadian
chapter of the global report and leader of Ernst & Young's Life Sciences
practice in Canada. "All of these successes translate into dramatic
improvements in fundraising and financial performance for these companies."
Globally, product success, record financing totals, unprecedented deal
activity and impressive financial results mark historic industry advances:
"The industry in the U.S. has never been stronger, and we're seeing its
success story spreading to other parts of the world," said Glen Giovannetti,
Ernst & Young's Global Biotechnology leader. "Time will determine whether
these trends will be sustained, but there's reason for optimism."
More good news for the industry is that pipelines are maturing, with more
products making it to late-stage clinical trials. Canadian biotechs have often
gone public prematurely and then struggled to survive; this welcome maturation
is leading companies to delay their public offerings. "By remaining private
longer, some companies going public are only a few years away from product
approvals and revenues. This makes them much more attractive to the public
markets and better positioned to command significantly higher values from
pharmaceutical and large biotech partners. Companies are also maintaining more
control over their products, which should result in much higher long-term
revenues," said Mr. Budd.
Private companies in the U.S. and Europe were acquired for significant
premiums in 2006, some even crossing the 100% threshold; Canadian public and
private companies have not benefited from this trend. The report finds that
pipelines of many companies are simply too "early stage" to attract interest
from large foreign buyers.
"Fundamental drivers point to big pharma continuing to look for
significant acquisitions in the years ahead, so Canadian companies must think
strategically about positioning themselves for M&A exits," said Mr. Budd.
"Companies will need to identify market trends over their expected exit
horizon, find buyers where there may be a strategic fit, and develop their
business plans with these trends and buyers in mind."
Furthermore, financing for less mature public companies and most private
companies, especially those that require seed and early-stage funding,
continues to be a significant challenge. With the growing number of products
in late-stage clinical trials and products expecting regulatory approval in
2007, a number of positive results could increase investor interest in the
sector and create a substantial increase in market values. There is a danger,
however, if a number of clinical failures occur in 2007: it could have a
devastating impact on access to the capital of early-stage private and public
companies. "The Canadian biotech industry desperately needs new sources of
early stage and seed funding. Encouraging seed funding for start-up companies
and making adjustments to the current tax credit system could prove to be the
much-needed boost the sector craves," said Mr. Budd.
<<
Other Canadian highlights from the report include:
- Total research and development spending increased four percent and is
approaching the $900 million mark.
- There was a two percent decline in market capitalization in 2006 -
from $13.2 billion to $12.9 billion - showing a lacklustre
performance compared to other industries.
- For the first time, Canada had two equity financings of over
C$100 million in a single year.
- Global public company revenues grew by robust double-digit rates and
crossed the $70 billion threshold for the first time. Double-digit
revenue growth was achieved in Canada (22%), the U.S. (14%) and in
Europe (14%).
- Net losses of publicly traded companies fell by 37% in Europe and 43%
in Canada, creating momentum toward profitability. While the U.S.
sector saw increased net losses, this was due primarily to large
transaction-related charges in a year of unprecedented deal activity;
in the absence of these, the U.S. industry would have been profitable
in aggregate for the first time, and the global industry would have
had its lowest net-loss ever.
- Canadian companies were very active in acquiring U.S. and other
foreign companies; this trend was driven, in part, by the
strengthening of the Canadian dollar in recent years, which has made
foreign targets considerably more affordable for Canadian buyers,
while making Canadian targets more expensive to foreign acquirers.
>>
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Innovations: CU professor's biodegradable composites made from plant materials go to market
By Bill Steele
Biodegradable composites made entirely from plant materials, developed by Anil Netravali, Cornell professor of fiber science and apparel design, and soon to be found in commercial products, promise to save landfill space, reduce carcinogens in homes and workplaces and boost the economy of central New York.
Netravali has been working for several years to create the composites, and last year he partnered with Pat Govang, the former industrial partnerships director for the Cornell Center for Materials Research, to form e2e Materials LLC, to sell a product based on one of his patents: "green" biodegradable composites made entirely from plant fiber and a resin derived from soy protein.
Composites are materials combining a reinforcing material with a moldable "glue" or resin. Examples range from fiberglass and the carbon-fiber composites used in aircraft parts to reinforced concrete. Unfortunately, most glues used do not break down in landfills and sometimes are toxic.
The new company's first product will be a replacement for particleboard. Particleboard contains resins based on formaldehyde, which has been found to be carcinogenic and has sometimes been blamed for "sick-building syndrome." Formaldehyde-based particleboard is on the way out, and the industry is scrambling for replacements. According to Govang, e2e has the only cost-competitive one, and it is several times as strong as particleboard; that means the same strength with less weight, reducing shipping costs. Early customers include Herman Miller, a leading office furniture company.
A lot of office furniture and low-cost home furniture is made of particleboard covered with various laminates, and the current supply chain isn't very efficient, says Govang. Typically, particleboard is made from trees grown in one part of the country, shipped elsewhere to be made into particleboard, which is then shipped to the furniture factory as 4x8 sheets that must be cut to the needed size. By the time the product is sold at a store in Ithaca, for example, very little of its value impacts the community.
Govang says e2e will make its products from soy and fibers grown in New York state, and that the fibers -- mostly flax and bamboo, -- can be grown on farmland now considered marginal and lying unused. "Rural poverty levels in upstate New York are significant and increasing; we see this as an opportunity and would like to have a positive impact on the agricultural base here," he said.
Netravali said that the resin-making process complements the manufacture of biodiesel fuel from soybeans: Biodiesel is made from the oil, and Netravali's resin is made from the remaining meal after extracting the oil. The new company is negotiating to work with a biodiesel plant being developed by the State University of New York at Morrisville.
As an added selling point, e2e's composites will be formed by compression molding to the exact size and shape the furniture factory needs, reducing their manufacturing costs.
After deciding to form their company, Govang and Netravali attended a Pre-seed Workshop sponsored by the Cornell Center for Technology, Enterprise and Commercialization, the Center for Life Science Enterprise -- the technology transfer unit of the Cornell Institute for Biotechnology and Life Science Technologies -- and the Cornell Center for Materials Research. The workshop organizes start-up company "wannabees" into teams consisting of an inventor, a business person, a lawyer and students from Cornell's Johnson School to determine whether a business idea is viable. The climax is a pitch to a panel of real venture capitalists.
"The pre-seed was a great experience," Netravali said. "They give you a complete idea of what is involved in starting a business, how to go from one step to the next, how to get investors."
Experience gained in the workshop paid off with top honors from UNYTECH '06, a pitch event hosted by the Upstate Venture Association of New York, a technology transfer grant to Cornell from the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research for further development of the process, and a Grant for Growth from the Metropolitan Development Association of Syracuse. On April 5, e2e won a $100,000 prize in the first EssentialConnections.org Emerging Business Competition, sponsored by M&T Bank and the New York Business Development Corp. The company is negotiating for further funding from Excell Partners, a not-for-profit venture capital enterprise created by the University of Rochester, and BR Ventures, a student-run venture capital enterprise at Cornell.
The company is trying to grow without commercial venture capital, Govang said, because that requires giving up control. "We're taking a long view," he said.
Netravali is happy to let Govang handle such things. "My contribution to the company is the basic research, coming up with different kinds of resins that can be fed into the company, while benefiting Cornell at the same time through patents," he said.
The company expects to commercialize future ideas from Netravali's lab and maintain other Cornell connections. For example, Govang said, Johnson School students helped with market and supply chain research, and the company will soon recruit a couple of Cornell engineers.
Copyright Chronicle Online
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Fascinating spider silk
Stronger than steel and more elastic than rubber: spider silk is unsurpassed in its expandability, resistance to tearing, and toughness. Spider silk would be an ideal material for a large variety of medical and technical applications, and researchers are thus interested in learning the spiders’ secrets and imitating their technique.
A team lead by Thomas Scheibel at the Technical University of Munich has now made a step in the right direction. As they report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, the interaction between hydrophilic (water friendly) and lipophilic (fat friendly) properties of the silk proteins plays an important role in the spinning process.
Fundamentally, the spinning of spider silk represents a phase change from a solution into a solid thread; but the exact details of this process are largely unknown. The silk used by orb weaver spiders to spin the edges and spokes of their webs and to rappel away in the face of danger is made of two different proteins.
The Munich team has now successfully used genetic engineering to produce one of the spider silk proteins of the European garden spider (Araneus daidematus). While purifying the protein by dialysis, the researchers observed the separation of two different fluid phases. Whereas one phase consisted of protein dimers, the second consisted of oligomers - multiple protein units linked together. After the addition of potassium phosphate, a natural initiator of silk aggregation, the liquid could be pulled into threads. “It is clearly not a structural change in the protein, but rather the degree of oligomerization that is crucial for thread formation,” concludes Scheibel.
The silk solution in the spider’s silk gland has a very high protein concentration. This solution also contains a high concentration of sodium chloride, which suppresses oligomer formation. If the sodium chloride is removed, the proteins aggregate into oligomers.
In addition, the pH value also plays a crucial role in web production: within the silk gland, the pH is relatively high, but within the spinning duct it drops to a slightly acidic level. No phase separation was observed for the synthetic spider protein when the pH was maintained at an alkaline level. At high pH, the normally uncharged tyrosine groups in the protein are deprotonated, which gives them a negative charge. This charge weakens the interactions between the hydrophobic, lipophilic regions of the proteins, which are necessary for oligomerization.
“Our insights form a foundation for the establishment of an effective spinning process for the production genetically engineered spider silk,” hopes Scheibel.
Copyright PhysOrg 2003-2007
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Canada: Cost to label genetic food is overblown
By Michelle Lalonde
Mandatory labelling of genetically modified foods would cost much less than the food industry has claimed, a new study commissioned by Quebec's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food reveals.
The as-yet-unpublished study, obtained by The Gazette, estimates the yearly cost of such a program at $28 million to Quebec's food industry and $1.7 million to the provincial government.
Previous studies commissioned by the food industry - and cited by the federal and Quebec governments as reason not to act on the issue - pegged the annual cost of implementing such a system at up to $950 million (both government and industry) for the whole country, and up to $200 million in Quebec alone.
At a news conference planned for this afternoon, environment al groups, organic food advocates and consumer groups are expected to renew calls for mandatory labelling in Quebec and to denounce Jean Charest's Liberals for abandoning a 2003 election pledge to bring in a labelling system.
Eric Darier of Greenpeace says the new study, written by Martin Cloutier of the Universite du Quebec a Montreal, shows that the cost of mandatory labelling is reasonable.
"Thirty million is a much lower figure than what (the food industry) has been saying," he said.
Considering Quebecers spend about $30 billion on food every year, it is a cost that could and should be absorbed by the industry, Darier added.
Many commonly consumed processed foods - an estimated 70 per cent of the processed foods found on grocery store shelves - contain or may contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.
GMOs are organisms with genetic material that has been altered using gene technology.
While there is uncertainty over whether genetically modified foods pose a long-term danger to human health and environmental threats are debated, polls have consistently shown that a strong majority of Canadians want to know whether there are GMOs in the foods they buy.
A 2004 survey by Leger Marketing indicated 83 per cent of Canadians - and 87 per cent of Quebecers - want mandatory labelling of GMO foods.
Canada is a major producer of genetically altered crops, such as corn and soy, along with the U.S., Argentina, China and Brazil.
Many countries require mandatory labelling of foods that contain GMOs, including the European Union countries, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand.
Labelling requires the implementation of separate production, harvesting, storage, handling and processing systems for genetically modified and completely natural foods, plus a validation system, and separate shelf allocations by retailers.
While some assume the costs of such a system would simply be passed to consumers through higher food prices, Darier said this has not proven to be the case in other countries where labelling is mandatory.
"The international experience shows there is no impact on consumers, because the entrepreneurs decided to change the way they do things to absorb the supplemental costs," Darier said.
Greenpeace and other anti-GMO groups argue that long-term human health effects of consuming genetically engineered food have not been studied, and cite such potential health risks as resistance to antibiotics and allergic reactions.
© The Gazette (Montreal) 2007
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Biotech industry leaders publish Green Biotech Manifesto and set out policy
European biotech industry leaders announce a Green Biotechnology Manifesto today in Lyon, France at BioVision where industry, politicians and NGOs are gathering to discuss how biotechnologies can meet the Millennium Development Goals and the needs of developing countries.
Agricultural or "green" biotechnology is being adopted at record speed around the world - in 2006, 10.3 million farmers in 22 countries cultivated genetically modified (biotech) crops on 102 million hectares. Of the 10.3 million, 90% or 9.3 million were small, resource-poor farmers from developing countries whose increased income from biotech crops contributed to alleviate their poverty.
Planting in Europe has been much slower, but is accelerating as farmers start reaping the benefits of biotech crops. The number of hectares of biotech crops in Europe, although modest, is also growing significantly.
The Green Biotechnology Manifesto is a European perspective on green biotech and advocates five main policies to support agricultural biotech in Europe. The industry calls on decision makers to
* Fully implement the biotech crop authorization process
* Enable a European single market in seeds
* Respect other countries' freedom to trade in commodities
* Promote coherence of policies and public information on green biotech
* Promote policies that respect developing countries
Launching the biotech manifesto, Dr Bernward Garthoff, Chairman of the Agrifood Council of EuropaBio said: "The application of biotechnology to plant breeding has yielded benefits to farmers, the economy and the environment which are simply not possible with the more traditional approaches. These new possibilities are making an essential contribution not only to the food and animal feed security of a growing and increasingly prosperous global population, but also to the sustainable supply of renewable raw materials for industry and energy such as transport fuels."
EuropaBio Chairman, Dr Hans Kast said: "Agricultural biotechnology offers tremendous opportunities. We have the products in place, we have the solutions to offer, but we need political action from European leaders to open the European market and offer real choice, otherwise Europe will not benefit from this technology and will be left behind."
Link to Green Biotech Manifesto - www.greenbiotech-manifesto.org
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Canada's plant science industry hails Ontario investment in bio-resource innovation
TORONTO - Canada's plant science industry is hailing today's announcement by the Ontario government that it will make a major investment in research to find new ways of using agricultural products in the auto sector.
"Investing today in the development of leading edge bio-resources will
help ensure that Canada is able to capture a share of the growing global
bio-economy in the future," said Denise Dewar, Vice-President of CropLife
Canada.
"Innovation in bio-plastics and other plant-based resources for the
future is key to both the health of our economy and the health of the
environment. We applaud the Ontario government for its leadership in this
area."
CropLife Canada is the trade association representing the developers,
manufacturers and distributors of plant science innovations, and is the
principal partner in GrowCanada, a coalition of leading agricultural producers
and technology developers working together to provide new products and new
solutions for agriculture, nutrition, health, energy and environmental
challenges facing Canada and the world.
The global bio-economy has the potential to grow to a value of some
$500 billion by 2015.
"The federal government and the other provinces should follow Ontario's
lead in partnering with agriculture producers and technology developers to
ensure Canada's place in the bio-economy of tomorrow," Dewar added.
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Biotech Weathers a Market Storm in February 2007
SAN FRANCISCO - While the 416-point plunge in the Dow industrials on the penultimate day of the month took the wind out of biotech's sails, which up until then was performing ahead of the general markets, it did not completely ruin what was a strong performance by biotechs. The Burrill Biotech Select Index held its own in February, up slightly at 0.24% in contrast to the Dow, which finished down 3.2% and the NASDAQ down 2.2%. It could have been much worse but, fortunately, Wall Street rebounded somewhat on the closing day as investors took comfort from comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke but still remained uneasy about the economy. He allayed some of the fears about an economic slowdown in the US and Chinese economies that had fed the largest drop in the Dow since the fateful 9/11 five years ago.
However, there wasn't enough time after the "recalibration" on Wall
Street, February 27, for the biotech industry to recover the $20 billion that
was shaved off its collective market cap that day, and which stood at $475
billion by month end. "The short-term weakness in biotech will give way to
longer term strength and we expect to see biotech's value hit the $500 billion
mark by the end of the first quarter," said G. Steven Burrill CEO, Burrill &
Company, a San Francisco based global leader in life sciences with principal
activities in Venture Capital, Merchant Banking and Media. "In times of
stress, the market's first reaction is to sell and to move to less
risky/higher quality investments. We saw this 'knee-jerk' reaction with the
Dow's rapid fall. However, biotech has a good story and is robust enough to
quickly recover from market hiccups," he added.
One didn't have to look far for a spate of positive news: Onyx
Pharmaceuticals and its strategic partner Bayer said they were prematurely
halting a clinical trial testing Nexavar in advanced liver cancer, based on an
interim review of the very good data. Onyx plans to provide more complete data
at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in June. Nexavar net
revenue, as recorded by Bayer, was $165.0 million for the year ended December
31, 2006. Onyx's shares finished February up a whopping 122% more than
recovering from the bath its shares took following a setback with Nexavar in
November when there were disappointing results in trials for it as a treatment
for advanced melanoma.
Also on the regulatory front, the FDA approved Shire and New River
Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug Vyvanse.
The same companies added themselves to the growing list of M&A's that are
pervading the industry. Shire said that it would buy New River for
approximately $2.6 billion in cash. Although financial terms were not
disclosed, Pfizer said it would acquire BioRexis Pharmaceutical, which is
developing long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonists for the potential treatment of
patients with type 2 diabetes.
On the other side of the coin, Threshold Pharmaceuticals shares sank 59%
by the close of February after it reported that a Phase III clinical trial of
glufosfamide failed to show the drug could extend the lives of patients with
advanced pancreatic cancer. The company said despite the results, it remains
committed to further studying the compound.
<<
IPO market still weak for biotechs
>>
Despite the fact that five biotech IPOs were completed in February only
3SBio Inc., a Chinese biotech company, priced its IPO of 7.7 million American
depositary shares at $16 each, above their announced pricing range. The
remainder had to ameliorate their expectations:
<<
-- Rosetta Genomics Ltd. raised $26 million from 3.75 million shares at
$7.00 per share. Rosetta's current programs are focused on the
development of microRNA-based diagnostic and therapeutic products
for various cancers and infectious diseases. The company priced
below its $7.50-$8.50 range.
-- Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc. settled for selling 7 million shares at
$7 a share, down from its initial $12 to $14 range. Optimer focuses
on anti-infective drugs with its initial efforts aimed at treating
gastrointestinal infections and related diseases.
-- Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp.'s debut received a cool reception after
the stock priced well below its expected range and sold fewer shares
than anticipated. At $10 a share, the IPO price fell well short of
the $14 to $16 range. The company has two products in clinical
trials. The most advanced, STA-4783, was awarded fast track
designation status from the Food and Drug Administration for the
treatment of metastatic melanoma.
-- Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals Inc. offered 5 million shares at
$14 a share, raising $70 million. The company is developing Azedra
and Onalta, both radiotherapeutic treatments aimed at treating
neuroendocrine tumors. Both products have Orphan Drug status from
the FDA and Azedra has Fast Track status. Zemiva is the company's
lead molecular imaging product, aimed at diagnosing carida ischemia.
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Dupont's commercialization strategies for cellulosic ethanol, biobutanol advancing
NEW YORK - DuPont Biofuels Vice President and General Manager John Ranieri told investors at an alternative energy conference that the company’s efforts to commercialize its biofuels technologies, including biobutanol and cellulosic ethanol, are on track.
At the Piper Jaffray Alternative Energy Symposium which focused on industry and investment trends in solar, cleantech and biofuels, Ranieri reviewed global biofuels opportunities, the future of cellulosic ethanol and next generation biofuels, such as biobutanol, as replacements for gasoline transportation fuels.
“From our strong seeds and crop protection products offering for biofuels today to significant transformative opportunities in new biofuel technologies, I am confident in DuPont’s capabilities to meaningfully increase the use of renewable feedstocks with smaller environmental footprints in place of petroleum,” Ranieri said.
DuPont’s three-part strategy entails: (1) improving existing ethanol production through differentiated agricultural seed products and crop protection chemicals; (2) developing and supplying new technologies to allow conversion of cellulose to biofuels; and (3) developing and supplying next generation biofuels with improved performance.”
Improve Existing Ethanol Production: DuPont had more than $300 million in revenues in 2006 and growing at greater than 20 percent per year from seed and crop protection solutions that increase yield per acre and enhance ethanol yield of grain through biotechnology. For the ethanol industry, DuPont subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. offers more than 180 seed hybrids that are marketed through its IndustrySelect program, bringing specialized grain traits that improve the efficiency of ethanol production.
Technology to Produce Cellulosic Biofuels: DuPont and the U.S. Department of Energy are jointly funding a research program to develop technology to convert corn stover into ethanol. The technology was licensed to Broin Companies, the nation’s largest dry mill ethanol producer, in October 2006. A 25 million gallon per year commercial-scale plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa, will begin production of cellulosic ethanol in the next four to six years. Ranieri outlined how the Integrated BioRefinery technology package will significantly increase the amount of ethanol per acre achievable by using corn grain and stover on the same amount of land.
Biobutanol Partnership with BP and Advanced Biofuels Pipeline: DuPont’s partnership with BP to develop biobutanol is based on its strategy to bring advanced biofuels to market to expand the use of biofuels in gasoline. Biobutanol will be the first product available and offers improved performance. It enhances ethanol-gasoline blends by lowering the vapor pressure when co-blended with these fuels; it resolves fuel stability issues in that biobutanol-gasoline blends can be distributed via the existing fuel supply infrastructure; it improves blend flexibility allowing higher biofuels blends with gasoline; and it improves fuel efficiency (better miles per gallon) compared to incumbent biofuels. Fleet testing of biobutanol has begun in the United States and the European Union. Biobutanol market testing is targeted for later this year in the United Kingdom. Additional global capacity will be introduced as the technology advances and market conditions dictate.
About DuPont
DuPont is a world leader in the development and manufacturing of high-performance materials that provide environmentally sustainable solutions utilizing renewable, farm-grown feedstocks rather than petroleum. The power of DuPont’s scientific capabilities, including state-of-the-art biotechnology and bio-based manufacturing processes, are being harnessed to meet the needs of both customers and society.
DuPont – one of the first companies to publicly establish environmental goals 16 years ago – has broadened its sustainability commitments beyond internal footprint reduction to include market-driven targets for both revenue and research and development investment like biofuels. The goals are tied directly to business growth, specifically to the development of safer and environmentally improved new products for key global markets, including products based on non-depletable resources, like biofuels.
DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries and regions, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.
Copyright © 2005 DuPont
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PREMIER Biosoft and PamGene International B.V. form an alliance.
Palo Alto, California, PREMIER Biosoft International, a leading bioinformatics company, and PamGene International B.V., owner of patented technologies for second-generation microarray products, have come together to develop a software tool to design custom oligos for use in MLPA® based assays.
Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA®) is a method for assessing tens to hundreds of gene copy number changes, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), insertions and deletions and methylation markers in genomic DNA in a single reaction tube. PamGeneâ s microarray platform detects and quantifies all these MLPA® amplified products with a single array using its flow-through PamChip® microarrays and PamStation® systems.
The alliance will help MLPA® users design custom oligos for use with PamGene's microarrays. Currently, such a tool is not available to the users. "I see great synergies between the two companies. I look forward to working with PamGene to develop such an innovative product", commented Kay Brown, V.P. Business Development and Marketing of PREMIER Biosoft. Rinie van Beuningen, V.P. Business Development, PamGene International added, " With this software tool we are enabling researchers to quickly develop new multiplex genomic assays for use in research and diagnostics" . |
Why going organic could cost the earth
By Liz Hull
Organic food could actually be worse for the environment than produce grown using pesticides and fertilisers, say scientists.
A government report claims that, despite its eco-friendly image, some organic farming creates greater pollution and contributes more to global warming.
According to the study, certain organic foodstuffs — such as milk, chicken and tomatoes — produce more greenhouse gases, create more soil and water pollutants and require more energy and land for their production than those farmed by conventional methods.
As the first major report on the environmental impact of organic food production, the document will reignite the debate over the £1.6billion industry, which grew by almost a third last year alone and now accounts for four per cent of farm produce.
The market is forecast to be worth £2.7billion by 2010.
"You cannot say that all organic food is better for the environment than all food grown conventionally," said Ken Green, professor of environmental management at Manchester Business School, who conducted the research with the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs.
"If you look carefully at the amount of energy required to produce these foods, you get a complicated picture.
"In some cases, the carbon footprint for organics is larger."
The report looked at Britain’s 150 top-selling foodstuffs, as identified by supermarkets, and assessed energy use, the effect of by-products from farming, and the impact of processing and packaging of both methods.
It concluded that there was "insufficient evidence" to prove organically farmed food was better for the environment.
"In particular, organic agriculture poses its own environmental problems in the production of some foods, either in terms of nutrient release to water or in terms of climate change burdens," the report said.
For example, because organic chickens were reared for longer than battery hens, they had a larger environmental impact.
The study comes as organic farmers reel from last month’s comments by Environment
Secretary David Miliband, who suggested organic food was simply a "lifestyle choice" and there was no evidence it was a healthier option for consumers.
Even the Government’s chief scientific adviser, Professor Sir David King, has previously expressed his reservations about its overall benefits compared with chemically treated produce.
The findings of the report are, however, unlikely to sway advocates of organic farming, who maintain that it is still better for "biodiversity" than intensive farming.
The Soil Association, the country’s main organic certification body, conceded that organic farming was not always energy-efficient, citing as examples poultry farming and growing vegetables out of season.
However, it claimed these disadvantages were vastly outweighed by other factors not assessed in the Defra study, such as animal welfare and soil conditions.
Around 350 pesticides are allowed in conventional farming, and an estimated 4.5billion litres of chemicals are used on British farms each year. Many consumers say organic food tastes better but it is, of course, more expensive.
For example, an organic chicken costs about £8.50 in a supermarket, almost three times the price of its non-organic counterpart.
©2007 Associated Newspapers Ltd
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Brazil to invest $5 billion in biotech research
BRASILIA - Brazil plans to invest 10 billion reais ($4.76 billion) over the next 10 years into biotechnology research involving renewable energy, agriculture and rain forest pharmaceuticals, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday.
"Brazil has 20 percent of the world's biodiversity and immense forests. The goal is to activate that potential," Lula said at an event to sign a decree outlining the policy.
More than half Brazil's territory is covered by the Amazon rain forest. Governments have long talked of tapping its potential as a source of pharmaceutical discoveries, but bureaucracy and lack of investment have slowed progress.
The funding should come from public and private investment. The government will contribute 60 percent, including funds from the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), and the private sector will provide the rest, Development Minister Luiz Furlan said.
Furlan did not explain if the private funding was already guaranteed.
Lula said he would promote research into rain forest plants, while continuing to fight deforestation. He cited Brazil's ethanol program as proof the country can profit from biotechnology. The aim was for Brazil to become a global leader in biotechnology in the next 10 to 15 years, he said.
Brazil is a powerhouse agriculture exporter that became a global biofuels leader by investing in sugar cane ethanol over the last three decades.
The government also recently cleared the way for genetically modified crops, but no new varieties of plants have yet made it through a cumbersome approval process.
© Reuters 2007
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Biotech Starts Out on Right Foot in January
SAN FRANCISCO -- While 2006 was one that many of the larger biotech companies would prefer to forget the New Year has started out on a positive note for these bell-weather companies. The Burrill Biotech Select Index, which slipped almost 14% in value by the close of 2006, recovered in January finishing up 4.5% by month end outperforming the NASDAQ, which posted a January gain of 2%, and the Dow just short of that at 1.3%. Although finishing a hair short of its record high, the Dow was bolstered on the final trading day of January by the Federal Reserve holding interest rates steady and citing a pickup in economic growth but no significant shift in monetary policy for now.
"There were some very impressive gains among biotech's elite companies
during January, which helped biotech outperform the general markets during
January," said G. Steven Burrill, CEO of Burrill & Company a San Francisco
based global leader in life sciences with principal activities in Venture
Capital, Merchant Banking and Media. "With the Feds holding firm on interest
rates, it bodes well for a steady improvement in the fortunes of biotech
companies during the year. We saw all Burrill indices performing well this
month, something we haven't seen for several months," added Burrill.
"Also helping the cause of was the release of good clinical data by a
number of companies at JP Morgan's 25th Annual Healthcare Conference. The 25th
anniversary event, held in San Francisco mid-month, continues to set
attendance records," noted Burrill. "The four day event featured presentations
from over 300 companies."
A case in point was Incyte Corp., whose shares closed up 27% following
the release of positive preliminary results from a Phase IIa
placebo-controlled trial designed to evaluate the anti-viral effects and
safety of INCB9471, the company's lead CCR5 antagonist that is being developed
as a once-a-day oral treatment for patients with human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV) infections.
"But the buzz around the meeting room hallways was not so much on trial
data but the specter of increasing mergers and acquisitions," continued
Burrill. "The sector is ripe for significant M&A activity, as big pharma looks
to strengthen weak pipelines and replace blockbuster drugs that are coming off
patent. There is general industry consensus that biotech firms with drugs on
the market or near to market will become prime targets."
A related issue also fuelling M&A revolves around product innovation.
Last year was the second in a row that 18 NMEs were approved by the FDA -- a
number that is surprising low given the over $50 billion the US industry
spends on research and development. During the past eight years, the high
point for novel drug approvals was 35 in 1999 and the low was 17 in 2002,
according to FDA data.
"This further emphasizes why big pharma will be looking to access
biotech's rich innovation," noted Burrill. "We are coming off a year that also
saw a record amount of dollars that the biotech industry raised through
partnership deals. This is a trend we expect to continue in 2007."
Pfizer could be at the head of this partnering and acquisitions trend
following its announcement to pare $2 billion in costs by cutting its
workforce by 10,000 and closing research and manufacturing facilities. It has
been estimated that Pfizer is faced with the loss of 41% of its revenue to
generic competitors between 2010 and 2012 putting pressure on the company to
develop new medicines to replace this lost revenue.
It was not only healthcare biotech that grabbed the headlines in January.
President Bush, in his State of the Union address, gave an addition boost to
stimulate large-scale production of biofuels from cellulosic biomass. Thanks
to recent advances in industrial biotechnology, the US is on target to achieve
the goal of producing 35 billion gallons of renewable fuel by 2017 the
President said.
Perhaps the only negative note to the month was in the stem cell arena.
The Nancy Pelosi-led House of Representatives passed a bill promoting
embryonic stem cell research but came up short of the two-thirds margin
required to overturn a presidential veto. Shares of stem cell companies were
adversely affected with companies such as Geron sliding 7% by the close of
January.
It was a quiet month for biotech IPOs in January with only one getting
out of the gate. Oculus Innovative Sciences, a developer and manufacturer of
products designed to prevent infection in wounds, priced three million shares
at $8, the low end of its pricing range. In the five trading days since its
debut, the company's share value had dropped approximately 4%.
"Biotech has started out on the right foot following a positive month and
we will look for this momentum to build in the first quarter of 2007," Burrill
concluded.
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