FDA Begins Blazing Narrow Trail for Approval Shortcut
Source: Mari Serebrov, BioWorld  (1/15/13)
"As part of a goal to double the number of new drug approvals over the next decade, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology recommended the shortcut to get much-needed therapies to well-defined populations for which there's a favorable risk-benefit balance." More >

The Pulse: Breaking News from the Life Sciences Sector
Source: Editors of The Life Sciences Report  (1/7/13)
To invest wisely in the life sciences, broad-spectrum knowledge is key. Such knowledge encompasses not only the analysis of industry experts featured in Streetwise Reports interviews, but also up-to-date news on cutting-edge research and development, the latest mergers and acquisitions and the drug development process, both within companies and in the regulatory arena. Our Twitter feed links you to the information you need to profit, both intellectually and financially. More >

This Alzheimer's "Pacemaker" Could Be the Bridge to a Cure
Source: Michael Robinson, Money Morning  (1/2/13)
"As high-tech investors, we need to keep an eye on this research and be ready to pounce when a medical device maker gets it to market." More >

2012: A Healthy Year for the Life Sciences
Source: Editors of The Life Sciences Report  (12/27/12)
What is the value of innovation? Of addressing unmet needs? Of new and "disruptive" technologies? Those are just a few of the issues that industry experts tackled in interviews with The Life Sciences Report during 2012. Among the many therapeutic focuses discussed by analysts over the last year, orphan diseases and hepatitis C were identified early on as market "sweet spots." Oncology was another big hitter: From micro caps to big pharma, companies targeted the "emperor of all maladies" with innovative pharmaceuticals and genetic technologies. And analysts also uncovered the unexpected, including a pharmaceuticalized nutraceutical designed to reduce high cholesterol. More >

Crossing the Valley of Death
Source: Alex Philippidis, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News  (12/20/12)
BioMotiv says investments in drugs and technologies, not companies, will bring treatments to market faster. More >

Top 20 Venture Capital Firms
Source: Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News  (12/18/12)
"Venture capital firms, in exchange for equity in the companies in which they’re investing, can help provide funds for companies they think have high potential. So, which VC firms have helped pump up the most biotech and biopharma companies?" More >

Cliff Spells Danger for Biotechs
Source: Alex Philippidis, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News  (12/12/12)
"If Obama and Congress cannot agree, key agencies face cuts while tax changes would dampen new investment." More >

Open Innovation in the Pharma Industry
Source: Sue Pearson, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News  (12/5/12)
"As many big pharmas are maturing they have become more akin to manufacturing organizations with less internal innovation. This is where accessing science from academic centers of excellence and SMEs can help, and delegates at the conference believe many pharmas are now altering their business model and will increasingly access innovation in drug discovery from external sources." More >

Breakthrough Technologies Target Disease Diagnosis, the Blind and the Brain
Source: Michael Robinson, Money Morning  (12/3/12)
"With optogenetics, researchers select cells in the brain they want to make sensitive to a particular light color. Then they use the light to tell precise regions of the brain to activate or not." More >

Testing, Testing: Analyst Kevin DeGeeter on Five Good Bets in Cancer Diagnostics
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (11/29/12)
Because margins in diagnostics and life sciences tools tend to decline over time, the industry is all about scale. The goal is either to develop novel products or tests with high profit potential, or to acquire them. Another strategy is to develop economies of scale through consolidation. In this interview with The Life Sciences Report, Kevin DeGeeter, senior analyst and director of healthcare research for Ladenburg Thalmann, has singled out five important companies with exciting business models or products. More >

Personalized Diagnostic Medicine Coming of Age
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (11/29/12)
As little as a decade ago we were all thinking in terms of one blood draw being the be-all and end-all of diagnostics. With the first human genome sequenced, it would only require a panel of genetic, epigenetic, proteomic and small molecule metabolic markers. That was all we needed, we thought. Today it's clear that we got ahead of ourselves. Yes, the search is still on for the right biomarkers, but it’s going to be more about organizing the data and tying it together with history of present and past illness to render more definitive diagnostics. I spoke with Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Director of Health Care Research Kevin DeGeeter about this very topic. More >

As Pharmas Seek Innovation, Biotechs Eye Bigger Stick
Source: Marie Powers, BioWorld  (11/26/12)
"Pharmas have a five- to eight-year period to 'maximize the molecule' by translating their R&D programs into value in the marketplace or risk obsolescence. That's an area where biotechs can potentially enhance the return on investment, particularly in technologies such as therapeutic vaccines, stem cells and tissue replacement." More >

One (Biotech) Ring to Rule Them All
Source: John Mauldin, Investor Insight.com; Patrick Cox, Breakthrough Technology Alert  (11/17/12)
"We are just at the beginning of a biotech revolution that will astound and amaze. Enough said." More >

Analyst Scott Power Finds the Upside in Biotech Down Under
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (11/8/12)
If you're looking for fresh international names in biotech and medtech, but need the comforts of end markets on U.S. soil, the best ideas of RBS Morgans Ltd. Senior Analyst Scott Power might be for you. In this interview with The Life Sciences Report, Australia-based Power makes a case for important life science names with Australian origins and a U.S. presence that could present investors with huge upside. More >

Election Roundup: News from the Healthcare Front
Source: Tracy Salcedo-Chourre of The Life Sciences Report  (11/8/12)
With the reelection of President Barack Obama, the biggest reforms to hit healthcare in nearly a century are positioned to come online. Some provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) have already taken effect, but those remaining are likely to have significant impacts on the business of life science. Whether the reforms bode good or ill for biotech and medtech investors has yet to be seen. We've provided a few beats of the media and blog pulse below, and will keep you informed as developments unfold. More >

10 Top Women in Biotech 2012
Source: Fierce Biotech  (11/8/12)
"Too few female professionals rise to senior executive roles in the biopharma industry, making the accomplishments of these women all the more exceptional." More >

A Capital-Efficient Prescription for New Drugs: Raghuram "Ram" Selvaraju
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report   (11/1/12)
The small biotech companies that have survived the last five years have learned to be lean, mean and efficient with shareholder capital. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, Aegis Capital's Managing Director and Head of Equity Research Raghuram "Ram" Selvaraju discusses companies that have mitigated risk by giving new life and higher margins to products previously relegated to the dustbin of commoditized generics. He also highlights some very new and exciting developments in the realm of stem cell technologies and monoclonal antibodies that engage never-before-targeted molecules. More >

Our Next President and Healthcare Policy
Source: BioSpace, Karl Thiel  (10/30/12)
"Both candidates paint this as a vitally important election between leaders with starkly different views of policy and governing. So if the fate of the life sciences potentially hangs in the balance, what are we likely to see in the months ahead?" More >

The Age of Personalized Medicine Is Near
Source: Chris Wood, Casey Research  (10/29/12)
"Biomarkers have the potential to accelerate product development and cut costs because they can help identify those drug candidates that are likely to fail sooner, and can predict drug efficacy faster than conventional clinical endpoints—giving life to the concept of 'fail early, fail cheap.'" More >

Adult Stem Cells: Cashing in on the New Fountain of Youth
Source: Michael Robinson, Money Morning  (10/22/12)
"I believe we are not far from the day when we could all live to 100. . .and, more to the point, enjoy it." More >

Q3 Biotech Venture Investing Makes a Boisterous Leap
Source: FierceBiotech, John Carroll  (10/19/12)
"Using the figures provided by Thomson Reuters, the quarterly report concluded that total life sciences venture deals topped $1.7B in 181 deals in the third quarter—a bit more than a quarter of all investments tracked during the period." More >

Personalized Genomic Medicine: How Much Can It Really Empower Patients?
Source: ScienceDaily  (10/15/12)
"Genomic medicine's stakeholders—including direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies, private research centers, and the National Institutes of Health—are deeply invested in promoting how this information will benefit patients." More >

3-D Printing Has Now Reached Critical Mass
Source: Michael Robinson, Money Morning  (10/8/12)
"The U.S. remains the clear leader in 3-D printing. The technology will help everyone live longer and healthier lives, and it will transform manufacturing as it brings jobs back to the U.S." 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 >

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 >