Bio Saga Blog - A Chronicle of Life Sciences & Informatics

Roche said today that it will acquire Genia Technologies for $125 million in cash and up to $225 million in additional payments tied to milestones. Once the deal closes, Genia will be integrated into the Roche Sequencing Unit. Genia, based in Mountain View, Calif., has been developing a single-molecule sequencing-by-synthesis technology that uses nanopore-based electrical detection and employs a semiconductor integrated circuit. Last fall, Genia and its academic collaborators at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology published proof of concept for their NanoTag sequencing technology. According to Roche, Genia's technology "is expected to reduce the price of sequencing while increasing speed and sensitivity." Roche has also been working with Pacific Biosciences on developing a sequencing system and assays for clinical diagnostics using PacBio's single-molecule real-time sequencing technology. Last fall,...

Following Roche's disclosure last week that it will shut down 454 Life Sciences and stop supporting 454 sequencing instruments by 2016, customers are making plans to move their sequencing over to other platforms, if they have not done so already. While Illumina, Life Tech's Ion Torrent, and Pacific Biosciences are eager to step in to fill the void, some customers say aspects of 454's technology cannot be replaced by other platforms at this point. Also, those customers who have started to use 454 for routine clinical applications need to revalidate their assays on a new platform. Roche said last week that it will close down 454, which is based in Branford, Conn., and lay off about 100 employees over the next three years ( GWDN 10/15/2013 ). By mid-2016, it will stop supporting the 454 sequencing platforms, the GS FLX+ and the GS Junior. Roche's decision to pull the plug on 454 came to light less than a month after the company announced a deal with Pacific Bios...

Dako today said that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved two assays for use as companion diagnostics for a Genentech drug targeting HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. FDA simultaneously approved Dako's HercepTest and HER2 IQFISH pharmDx assays and Genentech's drug Kadcyla (ado-trastuzumab emtansine). Kadcyla is for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who have been previously treated with Genentech's Herceptin (trastuzumab) and a taxane chemotherapy. Dako, an Agilent company, and Genentech, a Roche company, have been collaborating on the development of companion diagnostics for Genentech's drugs for a few years. In May 2012 the two firms inked a pact to collaborate on the FDA submission of Dako's assays for Kadcyla. A month later the HercepTest and HER2 FISH pharmDx were approved by FDA as companion diagnostics for Genentech's breast cancer drug Perjeta (pertuzumab). In late 2011, FDA gave the thumbs up to Dako's H...

This is getting interesting every day! I love this Idea! sell a company but before selling it split or spin off as another company with a future technology (Illumina). After a few years again sell or get acquired! Citing vast future potential, ISS has sided with Illumina in the gene-sequencing company’s fight to hold off a hostile bid from Roche Holding. The proxy advisor says shareholders should vote the Illumina board back into service, and reject Roche’s slate because the offer probably undervalues the future of Illumina. Roche  last week raised its offer for Illumina to $51 a share from $44.50 , and called it fair and full. But Illumina shares immediately went above $51, and some in the market have pointed to $60 as the number to get the deal done. Illumina rejected the offer,  citing a report that compared the company to Apple and Illumina’s products to iPads.  The company has argued that Roche’s bid came just after Illumina’s own shares had cratered on a ba...

Courtesy jobsinsciences.com Research Associate position Molecular Biology at Piramal Life Sciences Research Associate Piramal Life Sciences Ltd Experience: 1 – 2 Years Compensation:Rupees 2,00,000 – 2,25,000 Education: UG – B.Sc – Bio-Chemistry,B.Tech/B.E. – Bio-Chemistry/Bio-Technology PG – M.Sc – Bio-Chemistry,M.Tech – Bio-Chemistry/Bio-Technology Job Description • Responsible for performing research and development experiments for projects and products, in collaboration with others. • Regularly exercises technical discretion in the [...] Principal Investigator/ Senior Principal Investigator – Neuroscience at Syngene International Ltd Principal Investigator/Senior Principal Investigator for Neuroscience Syngene International Limited Experience: 5 – 10 Years Compensation:Rupees 6,00,000 – 9,00,000 Education:UG – Any Graduate – Any Specialization,Graduation Not Required PG – Any PG Course – Any Specialization,Post Graduation Not Required Job Description Qualification: Ph.D. in P...

PerkinElmer Inc. has entered into a new supply agreement with Switzerland’s Roche for distribution of the NimbleGen CGX microarray workflow the two developed together. Starting in January of 2012, Waltham-based PerkinElmer will assume responsibility from Roche for sales, service and support of the CGX array workflow for most countries outside of the U.S., according to a release. Roche will still sell the cytogenetic testing system in the U.S. and other select markets. The two companies started working together on a cytogenetics array workflow in 2009. The NimbleGen CGX array workflow uses microarray technologies developed by Roche with the cytogenetic-focused array design and analysis software from Signature Genomics, which was acquired by PerkinElmer  in May of 2010. So far this year, PerkinElmer has been on an acquisition tear, acquiring at least four companies since the spring. In June, the company  bought London-based Dexela Limited , a provider of X-ray detection t...

Initiating sequencing of a set of 60 closely related human genomes to identify novel genetic information relevant to cancer, metabolic and neurological disorders. Through this project, Avesthagen intends to establish a direct link between genes, genetics and the disorders themselves.  The study, led by Avesthagen, a life sciences company based in Bangalore, is being carried out in partnership with Genome Enterprise Limited, a subsidiary of The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC) on the Norwich Research Park..   The TGAC team, specialists in DNA sequencing and bioinformatics, will use the SOLiD™ 4 next generation sequencing platform from Applied Biosystems, part of Life Technologies, to generate draft sequence, and will collaborate with the Avesthagen’s own bioinformatics experts to analyze and interpret the sequence data It is known that many genes on the human chromosomes may be involved during the manifestation of the above disorders. However, the power of present technologies to...

Using genome sequencing and other strategies, researchers from Pennsylvania State University and elsewhere are finding genetic clues that they say may be useful for selecting Tasmanian devils for breeding programs aimed at saving the animals from extinction. The team used Roche 454 technology to do  de novo  sequencing of two Tasmanian devil genomes, Penn State biochemistry and molecular biology researcher Stephan Schuster said during Roche Applied Science workshop at the Plant and Animal Genomes conference this week. By looking at SNP data in the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes of Tasmanian devils, he explained, the team is tracking down informative markers that they believe may be useful for gauging genetic diversity and managing Tasmanian devil populations through more tailored breeding programs. Do you wish to know more?

Researchers from the International Citrus Genomics Consortium announced this weekend at the Plant and Animal Genome (PAG) XIX conference in San Diego, California the availability of the sequence assembly and annotation of the first citrus genomes, the sweet orange ( Citrus sinensis ) and the Clementine mandarin ( Citrus clementina ). The sweet orange genome was sequenced and analyzed in joint collaboration between the University of Florida, DOE Joint Genome Institute, the Georgia Institute of Technology and  454 Life Sciences , a Roche Company, using the high-throughput  GS FLX System . Funded in part by the Florida Citrus Production Research Advisory Council, a citrus grower industry organization, the project is expected to assist geneticists and breeders improve these important fruit crops. The assembled and annotated genomes have been added to the publicly available database Phytozome.net, a project of the DOE JGI and the Center for Integrative Genomes. Grown in more than...

Roche today announced a global restructuring plan, which includes reducing its global workforce by 4,800 jobs, most of which are in the firm's Pharmaceuticals Division. The firm has dubbed the restructuring an "Operational Excellence Program" that is intended to result in annual cost savings of CHF2.4 billion ($2.4 billion). It expects to implement the changes, which also include the transfer of certain positions, consolidation at certain sites, and the closure of some facilities, during 2011 and 2012. The 4,800 job cuts equates to 6 percent of Roche's global workforce. In addition to the reductions, it also expects to transfer around 800 jobs internally and approximately 700 positions to third parties. The cost-cutting measure is not a surprise, as Roche had said in September that it would undertake such an initiative. However, the details of the effort were not announced until today. Roche's Pharmaceuticals Division will bear the brunt of the cuts, with 5,400 jo...

A team of UK researchers, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), has publicly released the first sequence coverage of the wheat genome. The release is a step towards a fully annotated genome and makes a significant contribution to efforts to support global food security and to increase the competitiveness of UK farming. The genome sequences released comprise five read-throughs of a reference variety of wheat and give scientists and breeders access to 95% of all wheat genes. This is among the largest genome projects undertaken, and the rapid public release of the data is expected to accelerate significantly the use of the information by wheat breeding companies. The team involved Prof Neil Hall and Dr Anthony Hall at the University of Liverpool, Prof Keith Edwards and Dr Gary Barker at the University of Bristol and Prof Mike Bevan at the John Innes Centre, a BBSRC-funded Institute. The genome data released are in a 'raw' format, comprisin...

Aileron Therapeutics and Roche announced today that they have entered into a collaboration to discover, develop and commercialise a new class of drugs called Stapled Peptide Therapeutics. As part of this agreement, Roche will work with Aileron to develop drug candidates against up to five undisclosed targets selected from Roche’s key therapeutic areas, which include oncology, virology, inflammation, metabolism and CNS. Stapled Peptide Therapeutics are a result of Aileron’s breakthrough peptide stabilization technology, and are a potential solution to drug as-yet intractable disease targets, including those originating from long sought-after intracellular protein-protein interactions. Under the terms of the agreement, Roche will provide Aileron guaranteed funding of at least $25 million in technology access fees and R&D support. Aileron is eligible to receive up to $1.1 billion in payments upon the achievement of discovery, development, regulatory and commercialisation milesto...

Biotech companies return to profitability Biotechnology companies worldwide turned a profit last year for the first time since at least 1985 due to reduced spending on research and increased revenue. Profit in the industry was $3.7 billion, compared with a loss of $1.8 billion in 2008, according to a report Wednesday on biotechnology in the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia by London-based Ernst & Young Global. The company has compiled its report annually for 24 years. Research and development spending in the U.S. fell 13 percent last year, with about two-thirds of companies cutting those expenses as capital for some grew scarcer, said Glen Giovannetti, leader of Ernst & Young's global biotech unit. Sixty percent of European firms reduced research costs. At the same time, overall sales increased in the industry, driven primarily by a small number of large companies with well-performing existing products, he said. "What we don't know is ...

Roche Diagnostics said today that it has struck a deal with Salt Lake City-based BioMicro Systems to buy all of the products associated with the Roche NimbleGen microarray workflow. These assets include instruments that are key to the Roche NimbleGen microarray workflow, such as the 4-and-12-bay NimbleGen Hybridization Systems. Roche said that it will transfer the manufacturing capabilities associated with these products to its own in-house facility. "Acquiring these assets will allow Roche complete control over the production, support, and service of these products to ensure continued timely distribution, full support, and the high level of service our customers have grown to expect from Roche," Roche NimbleGen VP of Marketing Andreas Görtz said in a statement. NimbleGen originally partnered with BioMicro for custom hybridization for its chips in 2007, before it was acquired by Roche later that year. Financial terms of the agreement were not released.

Roche has reached an agreement with Innovatis to buy the cell analysis company for €15 million ($19.5 million), the Swiss life sciences firm said today. Roche said that the acquisition of the Bielefeld, Germany-based company, which focuses on automated cell analysis solutions including cell counting, viability testing, and cell function, fits with its strategy to strengthen its cell research market offerings. Innovatis will become a fully integrated part of Roche Applied Science, and it will develop and market its products through that part of Roche's diagnostics division. Roceh said that Innovatis' technology will complement its existing cell analysis products and is synergistic with its xCelligence technology, which was launched last year. " Roche has been one of our key customers for many years, in particular since the successful development of our cell analysis technology over 10 years ago," Innovatis CEO Michael Grohmann said in a statement. Roche said it ex...

Roche has upped its offer for Genentech to $93 a share, believing that this will be sufficient to bring the drawn out takeover to a close. The bid is still a long way short of the $112 that Genentech is alleged to have valued itself at, according to a Roche filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Despite this, and the possibility that positive data from Avastin trials could send Genentech’s share price over $100, Franz Humer, chairman of the Roche Group, is confident the deal will go through. Genentech has urged shareholders not to act until the Special Committee has taken a formal position, which will happen “ promptly ”. Roche - Genentech takeover timeline on Dipity . Be part of XTractor community. XTractor the first of its kind - Literature alert service , provides manually curated & annotated sentences for the Keywords of your choice XTractor maps, extracted entities (genes, processes, drugs, diseases etc) to multip...

Genentech believes a far-sighted approach to patent expiration, unique and life saving drugs and an unrivalled scientific culture will protect it from recession and ensure greater growth than Roche envisions. The comments were made by several Genentech executives at its annual investors meeting, at which the biotech sought to justify its financial model and its belief that Roche’s offer is inadequate. Genentech’s analysis of threats it faces in coming years, and their impact upon the business, included two issues that appeared in President Obama’s budget, namely follow-on biologics and Medicaid reform . Obama backing generic biologics. Ian Clark, executive vice president, commercial, explained that the damage caused by follow-on biologics had been mitigated through planning since 2004. The financial hit that Genentech will take is incorporated into its November financial model but Clark feels that the company is well prepared to face its patent expiration period, which spans 201...

The first effort to sequence a complete cancer genome has underscored the power of second-generation sequencing while further establishing the lack of a “killer software app” in the field. In the study, published this week in Nature , a team of 48 scientists at the Genome Center of Washington University and elsewhere sequenced a female patient’s acute myeloid leukemia genome and compared it to the genome of her biopsied skin as well as reference genomes to uncover 10 cancer-associated mutations — eight of which were previously unknown. The team used two high-throughput sequencing platforms — the Illumina Genome Analyzer and the Roche/454 FLX platform — and software tools such as Maq, Cross_Match, BLAT, and Decision Tree analysis. The team also did its own scripting and algorithm development in the course of the project, Rick Wilson, director of the Genome Sequencing Center at Washington University School of Medicine, said. The AML sequencing team applied several established soft...

Complete Genomics emerged from stealth mode today brandishing an audacious service model for wholesale next-generation sequencing, with its first human genome already assembled and the CEO’s pledge to reach the magical “$1000 genome” price point as early as spring 2009. Based in Mountain View, Calif., Complete Genomics has raised $46 million in three rounds of financing since its incorporation in 2006. Unlike its commercial next-gen sequencing rivals – Roche/454, Illumina, Applied Biosystems (ABI) and Helicos – Complete Genomics will not be selling individual instruments, but rather offer a service aimed initially at big pharma and major genome institutes. “Our mission is to be the global leader in complete human genome sequencing,” chairman, president and CEO Clifford Reid in a briefing last week. “We are setting out to completely change the economics of genome sequencing so that we can do diagnostic quality human genome sequencing at a medically affordable price. Essentially, [we’ll...

Switzerland's Roche Holding AG is set to become the world's biggest drugmaker by sales in 2014, as current market leader Pfizer Inc skids down the rankings to sixth place, according to a study on Monday. The realignment of the global drugs industry reflects the looming "cliff" of patent expiries, which will see many of the world's top-selling medicines cannibalized by cheap generics over the next five years. Forecasting company EvaluatePharma, which uses consensus analysts' sales estimates for its calculations, expects Roche to emerge as top dog in this tough new environment, reflecting its strength in fast-growing biotech drugs and its lack of near-term patent risks. Roche moved to consolidate its position in biotech-based cancer medicines last month by offering $43.7 billion to buy out the 44 percent of California-based Genentech Inc it does not already own. But even before that deal, which many investors expect to go through, albeit at a slightly swe...