Illumina Aims at Roche for Tests Seen Worth $25B
Source: Bloomberg, Michelle Fay Cortez  (9/28/12)
"Illumina Inc. bought BlueGnome Ltd. for an undisclosed sum, its first foray into the diagnostics market. Life Technologies Corp. is also after small diagnostic businesses, most recently Navigenics Inc., which it acquired in July." More >

Can Stem Cells Regenerate Your Portfolio? Stephen Dunn Says Yes
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (9/27/12)
Once the subject of intense political debate, stem cell therapies may soon be a therapeutic mainstay of healthcare. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, LifeTech Capital's President and Senior Managing Director of Research Stephen Dunn explores the history of stem cell therapy and discusses companies that are reviving this "old" technique for profit. More >

Silk-Based Electronics Dissolve on Cue for Vanishing Medical Implants
Source: Scientific American, Katherine Harmon  (9/27/12)
"A flexible device that is just nanometers thick can fight post-surgical infections or even capture images—until its work is done, when it vanishes." More >

For Most Biotechs, the Tough Times Continue
Source: Pharmalot, Ed Silverman  (9/25/12)
"The overall assumption continues to be that many biotech companies are finding it difficult to raise money, generate revenue and simply keep the lights on. But what is the reality? In some respects, the hard times continue, but the picture is a bit mixed." More >

Curing Diabetes with 'Self Cell Therapy'
Source: Patrick Cox, The Penny Sleuth   (9/24/12)
"One tiny company, incorporated in America but with roots in Israel, has what I believe will be an actual cure for many diabetics and a vastly improved therapy for those it does not cure completely." More >

Four Biotech Ideas with Legs to Run
Source: George S. Mack, The Life Sciences Report  (9/24/12)
I had an opportunity to ask George Zavoico a few questions for The Life Sciences Report. Zavoico is senior biotechnology analyst at the boutique investment bank, MLV & Co. He originally got his career underway as a research scientist and worked in big pharma at Bristol-Myers Squibb, as well as small biotech firms Alexion Pharmaceuticals and T Cell Sciences (now Celldex Therapeutics). Zavoico is a guy loaded with knowledge about molecular biology, drug development and the needs of patients, and this was a great opportunity for me to get a few haunting esoteric questions off my mind. More >

A Cyber War on Cancer
Source: Alex Philippidis, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News  (9/23/12)
"New strategies are hoping to put an end to the war that Richard Nixon declared four decades ago." More >

Three New Findings Change Our View of the Brain
Source: Michael Robinson, Era of Radical Change   (9/21/12)
"By solving the brain puzzle, we will rid mankind of many cruel diseases while making our physical world smarter and more in tune with the way our minds work." More >

ThinkEquity Analyst Bets on Extraordinary Science and Clinical Data
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (9/20/12)
Investing in companies devoted to orphan diseases sounds counterintuitive, but Senior Research Analyst Kimberly Lee of ThinkEquity has singled out the space as one with the potential for huge returns. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, Lee shares her very best ideas, identifying companies that will be propelled by vigorously growing revenues and will also appeal to investors who understand the unmet needs of patients and the numerous incentives available for developing life-saving drugs. More >

Drug Giants Establish Problem-Solving Initiative
Source: Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News  (9/19/12)
"Our mission at TransCelerate BioPharma is to work together across the global research and development community and share research and solutions that will simplify and accelerate the delivery of exciting new medicines for patients." More >

Are Stroke Drugs Better than Stents?
Source: Wall Street Journal, Thomas Burton  (9/18/12)
"Research that suggests prescription drugs are as good or better at preventing strokes than interventional procedures is prompting doctors to recommend against carotid surgery and carotid stent implants in most patients who haven't had stroke symptoms. The shift has broad implications for large medical-device makers that make carotid stents to open neck arteries." More >

'Cyborg' Tissue Blurs the Line Between Man and Machine
Source: Michael Robinson, Money Morning  (9/17/12)
"We're getting very close to the day in which we augment robots with 'smart' human tissue. We'll grow tissue in labs and equip it with onboard electronics made possible by nanotech circuits." More >

Medtronic Wants Drug Industry Partners for Alzheimer's
Source: Bloomberg, Michelle Fay Cortez  (9/17/12)
"The push into Alzheimer's would expand the scope of Medtronic technology that’s been used for two decades to treat pain and spasticity." More >

Apple's iPhone 5 Lightning Dock Could Drive Medical Devices to Bluetooth
Source: eweek, Brian Horowitz  (9/17/12)
"Medical devices that connect to the iPhone include glucometers, heart rate monitors and fitness sensors. The iPhone also can act as a Smart Ready hub to connect Smart peripherals, which collect data on patient vital signs." More >

Five Medtech Ideas to Leverage
Source: George S. Mack, The Life Sciences Report  (9/16/12)
Before spending the last decade as a sellside analyst, James Terwilliger, now with The Benchmark Company, worked at Johnson & Johnson and other medtech companies where he learned quickly that the way to a surgeon's heart is to bring shiny new technology into the office. Physicians who spend their working lives in interventional cath labs or hospital operating suites have a natural inclination to listen and learn about new ideas and see how the latest toys work. But medtech companies want to sell their mature product lines as well. "Face time with the physician is hugely important because that new product doesn't just drive the new business," says Terwillger. "It also puts the medical device sales force in the position to do a pull-through with other products." He learned all the tricks first-hand. More >

Seven Innovative Biotechs That Could Soar by Year-End: George Zavoico
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (9/13/12)
Biotech has a breeze to its back, and successful progression through the phases of drug development also help propel the industry forward. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, George Zavoico, senior analyst and managing director with MLV & Co., describes solid milestones by which investors can tick off success in the biotech space, and suggests a number of innovative biotech companies whose success will blow profits into investors' pockets. More >

Biotech Bonanza of 2012
Source: Ray Blanco, The Daily Reckoning  (9/12/12)
"Favorable regulatory change is on the horizon in the biopharmaceutical industry, which should help improve conditions for innovators in the future. This is great for our portfolio going forward, as well as for the lives of patients." More >

This Tough Gel Could Replace Human Cartilage
Source: Michael Robinson, Era of Radical Change  (9/11/12)
"Breakthroughs like this will help us live longer and healthier lives. No doubt there will be plenty of opportunity for smart companies and their investors to become filthy rich in the process." More >

Drug Pipelines Limp Rather Than Leap
Source: Medical Marketing & Media, Noah Pines  (9/10/12)
"The drug industry's two main problems the last decade have been lagging R&D and the patent cliff, says Dr. Tim Anderson. Recent R&D wins suggest a productivity renaissance." More >

ENCODE Data Give 'New Lens' for Junk DNA
Source: Anette Breindl, BioWorld  (9/10/12)
"The findings will lead to 'a major paradigm shift in how we use the genome to understand the genetic causes of disease, which will open up new avenues for the development of diagnostics and therapies,' according to University of Washington's John Stamatoyannopoulos." More >

Three Easy Steps to a Well-Timed Sell
Source: Greg Guenthner, Penny Sleuth  (9/9/12)
"I'm willing to bet that you spend close to 90% of your time buying or waiting to buy. Yet you completely neglect the work that goes into selling your positions. Reverse your thinking—and put selling first—and you'll fix most of your problems." More >

Top Medtech Analyst Points to Post-Obamacare Opportunities
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (9/6/12)
New product visibility is vital in medical device stories. Without something new to show physicians, there is no way to get through the door. Medical Devices and Outsourcing Services Analyst James Terwilliger of The Benchmark Company looks for investments that will pique the interests of cardiologists, orthopedists and long-term care facilities. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, Terwilliger shares the names of companies poised to grow as the economy rebounds in the next two years. More >

Obesity Drug Developers Post Steady Gains
Source: Alex Philippidis, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News  (9/6/12)
"With the U.S. and the Western world increasingly overweight, companies that succeed at reversing obesity will, sooner rather than later, find themselves in Fat City." More >

Fact-Checkers Find Few Flaws in Clinton's Healthcare Claims
Source: The Hill, Sam Baker  (9/6/12)
"Self-proclaimed fact-checkers have drawn plenty of criticism from both parties, as well as neutral observers, and many individual assessments of 'fact' are highly debatable. In the aggregate, though, the fact-checkers haven't found much to complain about in Clinton's healthcare comments." More >

Roche Vows to Keep Up Drug Hunt
Source: Reuters, Caroline Copley  (9/5/12)
"The world's biggest maker of cancer drugs said it would build on long-term growth momentum and keep up R&D spending." More >