21
Mar
2017
Tag: Biomarkers
1
Feb
2017
Bionest
Communicating Value
— Robert J. Easton, Co-Chairman, Bionest Partners During the annual January gathering of the biopharma world in San Francisco this year, in-coming President Donald J. Trump put drug developers on notice and sent pharmaceutical and biotechnology stock prices plunging by accusing the industry of “getting away with murder” with respect to drug pricing. ...
16
Jan
2017
Bionest
FDA Grants Priority Review for KEYTRUDA® IN MSI-H Cancers
On November 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Priority Review to Merck’s Supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) in the new indication of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) cancer. MSI-H is a biomarker caused by a deficiency in a cell’s ability to repair errors in DNA sequences that occur during cell division. The...
21
Dec
2016
Bionest
21st Century Cures Act Heads for Signing, with Aim of Boosting Research and Easing Drug Approvals
On December 13, President Barack Obama signed the 21st Century Cures Act. The landmark bi-partisan health and science bill, which passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of 94 to 5, provides $6.3 billion in funding over 10 years, including $4.8 billion to the National Institutes of Health in support of such programs as...
8
Dec
2016
Bionest
Moonshot: On its Way
On September 17, Vice President Joe Biden released his final report on the Cancer Moonshot before leaving office. He announced progress on over 20 programs now underway during the effort’s first year or soon to be launched, and another two dozen for the second year of the effort and beyond. Back in September we...
14
Nov
2016
Bionest
From Disease Treatment to Patient Care: Thoughts from ESMO 2016
The theme of patient centricity and care that we discussed at this year’s ASCO continued this autumn at ESMO 2016. The tagline of the conference was ‘From disease treatment to patient care,’ which according to the organizers, “intended to capture and integrate clinical research with patient needs, and reinforces our commitment to bring the best...
5
Oct
2016
Bionest
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Funds $3 Billion Science Effort to Cure or Manage All Diseases by 2100
On September 21, Facebook CEO and billionaire, Mark Zuckerberg, and his pediatrician wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, announced a new, privately funded big science effort. The couple pledged more than $3 billion toward a plan to “cure, prevent or manage all disease within our children’s lifetime.” The couple has pledged to donate over $3 billion...
21
Sep
2016
Bionest
Mapping the Brain: Dawn of a New Era for Neuroscience Research?
On July 20, a team of neuroscience researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and other centers published a precise new brain map in Nature — an outcome of the White House BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) initiative, first announced in 2013. The new map draws in part on the brain’s internal...
6
Jul
2016
Bionest
Collective Wisdom Around Oncology – Comments on ASCO 2016
The Bionest Oncology team spent a jam packed and exciting five days at ASCO 2016 earlier this month in Chicago. More than 30,000 oncology professionals gathered from all around the world to discuss the latest data and innovations in oncology, and it did not disappoint. The theme of ASCO this year was Collective Wisdom, which...
16
Jun
2016