BIOCOM Launches Contract Research Organization Program
BIOCOM is launching a new CRO program in response to the shift in company structure that has led to the extraordinary growth of outsourcing in the life science industries and the expanding number of contract research organizations (CROs) in Southern California.
Developed by twenty-two senior CRO leaders and BIOCOM staff, the program aims to identify new ways for BIOCOM members to better connect with the member CROs that have the specific services they need.
The BIOCOM CRO Program will foster the creation of an outsourcing community by providing services that include:
• Educational short courses in all aspects of drug development
• Web portal providing online resources including
Service category search
Service provider listings
RFP support
New member plug-in to local resources
• Discounts and deals through the BIOCOM Associate Supplier Program
• Networking events that are discipline-specific
• BIOCOM Golf Network (BGN)
“We are very proud to be able to provide real-world value to our industry member companies through this new initiative,” said BIOCOM President and CEO Joe Panetta. “Our goal is to pair our industry members with the CROs that best suit their needs, which will help all companies involved meet their milestones and move that much closer to commercialization,” Panetta said.
“At BIOCOM, we want to create a pro-active service network in which Southern California -based life science companies can further strengthen their product development and make the most of their valuable resources,” he said.
For more information about the program, please contact Jennifer Landress, BIOCOM’s Vice President of Corporate Relations at 858-455-0300 ext. 105.
About BIOCOM
BIOCOM is the largest regional life science association in the world, representing more than 550 member companies in Southern California. The association focuses on initiatives that positively influence the region’s life science community in the development and delivery of innovative products that improve health and quality of life. This includes initiatives in capital formation, public policy, workforce development, group purchasing and member services such as networking and educational events. For more information on BIOCOM and upcoming events please visit www.biocom.org
The S.D. Business Journal and Wall Street Journal Highlight Life Science Sector Making Its Voice Heard on New Policy
The Business Journal’s Heather Chambers looked at the issue of Follow on Biologics and BIOCOM’s efforts to see that new legislation would not curtail innovation in the Life Science industry .The Wall Street Journal highlighted how the industry’s strategy toward health care reform is different than when the Clinton administration took on the issue.
Spotlight on Reproductive and Sexual Health
With each issue of the Biocommunique, BIOCOM is continuing to take a monthly look at drugs and devices that member companies have in development to treat a specific disease. Following our 2009 "Art of Research" Calendar, each month, we'll look at a new disease and our companies’ efforts in it, with the information posted to the "About Southern California" section of our Web site.
In the spotlight this month are companies with products and devices in development to strengthen reproductive and sexual health. This product area seeks to help people overcome health issues that prevent them from having a responsible, satisfying and safe sex life so that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so. Reproductive ill-health may involve complications regarding sexually transmitted diseases, prenatal care, fertility, or both male and female reproductive systems. Reproductive and sexual ill-health accounts for 20% of the global burden of ill-health for women, and 14% for men.
The following companies responded to our request for summaries of their reproductive health efforts. Is your company not on the list? Please email Michelle Wright and we'll update you on our site.
Next month's spotlight will be on companies working in vision research. Please contact Michelle Wright with any questions or to make sure your company is on the list.
Southern California life science companies working in reproductive health include:
Gen-Probe, Halozyme Therapeutics, Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Medicinova, MK Bio, Nventa Biopharmaceuticals, Protein Polymer Technologies, Quidel, Sequenom, The Institute for Sexual Medicine
Gen-Probe: is a global leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of rapid, accurate and cost-effective nucleic acid tests (NATs) used primarily to diagnose human diseases and screen donated human blood. NATs harness the power of biotechnology to detect diseases more rapidly and/or accurately than older testing methods. Gen-Probe is developing APTIMA® HPV Assay, a NAT to detect high-risk strains of the human papillomavirus, which causes cervical cancer. APTIMAÒ HPV Assay employs the APTIMA technology to target mRNA expression of genes that are known to contribute to cancer progression.
Halozyme Therapeutics: focuses on providing life-saving and life-enhancing solutions to the endocrinology, oncology, dermatology, and drug delivery markets. Halozyme developes and commercializes products targeting the extracellular matrix. Cumulase is a formulation of rHuPH20 to replace the bovine enzyme currently used for the preparation of oocyte prior to IVF during the process of intracytoplasmic sperm injection. The enzyme strips away the hyaluronic acid that surrounds the oocyte. This allows the clinician to then perform the ICSI procedure, injecting the sperm into the oocyte.
Ligand Pharmaceuticals: The Company’s research and development programs are built around their proprietary intracellular (IR) technology. IR technology is a powerful technology for gene transcription that has already generated numerous compounds which have advanced to late-stage clinical development.
Medicinova: is a biopharmaceutical company focused on acquiring and developing novel, small-molecule therapeutics for the treatment of diseases with unmet need with a specific focus on the U.S. market. MN-221 is a novel, highly selective β2-adrenergic receptor agonist under development for the treatment of preterm labor. Pre-clinical results suggest that MN-221 may be effective in reducing premature births and/or providing for longer gestation.
MK Bio: Founded in 1991, MK Bio has been recognized as a “National Excellent Foreign Investment" and a "Shanghai New High Technology Company." Their rapid test product line focuses on Fertility, Infectious Disease, Drugs of Abuse, Tumor Markers and Cardiac Markers.
Nventa Biopharmaceuticals: is developing innovative therapeutics for the treatment of viral infections and cancer, with a focus on diseases caused by the human papillomavirus. Nventa’s lead initiative is the development of HspE7, an investigational therapeutic vaccine, also known as an immunotherapeutic, made using recombinant DNA technology that covalently fuses a heat shock protein (Hsp) to an HPV E7 viral protein to form one CoVal™ therapeutic protein.
Protein Polymer Technologies: As a pioneer in protein design and synthesis, PPTI’s goal is to create products that aid in the natural process of bodily repair, including the healing of tissue, and the restoration or augmentation of its form and function. PPTI is focused on developing bio-active medical devices that integrate biological and physical product components to provide for optimized clinical performance and patient outcomes.
Quidel: is a leader serving to enhance the health and well being of people around the globe through the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of rapid diagnostic solutions at the point of care (POC) in infectious diseases and reproductive health. Quidel currently produces tests that aid in the diagnosis of several disease or condition states, including influenza, RSV, fecal occult blood, Strep A, pregnancy, bacterial vaginosis, infectious mononucleosis, H. pylori, and Chlamydia.
Sequenom: is committed to providing the best genomic and genetic analysis solutions for the research and molecular diagnostic markets. Sequenom is developing diagnostic products to improve the healthcare of women with the objective of making safe, non-invasive prenatal testing available to all women, independent of age and other factors that may contribute to pregnancy complications. SEQureDxÔ isolates and analyzes circulating fetal nucleic acid from a maternal blood sample. The technology has promise for developing new, non-invasive tests for fetal gene and chromosome abnormalities.