Google anti-aging biotech Calico

calico

Calico is a research and development company whose mission is to harness advanced technologies to increase our understanding of the biology that controls lifespan. We will use that knowledge to devise interventions that enable people to lead longer and healthier lives. Executing on this mission will require an unprecedented level of interdisciplinary effort and a long-term focus for which funding is already in place.

Calico, Google’s ($GOOG) first major foray into biotech, has been quietly filling its ranks and fleshing out its mission in the months since its existence … Read more

DSMB recommendation and HCV trial update of Benitec.

Sydney Australia, 21 July 2014: RNAi therapeutics company Benitec Biopharma
Limited (ASX: BLT, OTC: BTEBY) is pleased to provide an update regarding
recommendations from the Data Safety Monitoring Review Board (DSMB),
observations from the first patient dosed, and patient recruitment for the USJbased
Phase I/IIa TTJ034 clinical trial. TTJ034 is a ddRNAiJbased therapeutic, designed to
treat and potentially cure hepatitis C (HCV) with a single injection.
DSMB recommendation and observations from first patient dosed
Following review of data from the first patient treated with TTJ034 on 29 May 2014,
the … Read more

mRNA-based vaccines

TUBINGEN, Germany, July 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — CureVac, a German clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced the execution of an exclusive license agreement with Sanofi Pasteur S.A., the vaccines division of Sanofi , to develop and commercialize an mRNA-based vaccine against an undisclosed pathogen.

In 2011, CureVac and Sanofi Pasteur signed a collaboration and license option agreement for several pre-defined pathogens. CureVac met all pre-agreed milestones and acceptance criteria relating to these agreements, and therefore Sanofi Pasteur exercised its first option and extended its exclusive and non-exclusive options on all five … Read more

Calimmune stem cell therapy, HIV cure update.

Calimmune, Inc. today announced that encouraging results from a first group of participants indicates the company is ready to begin treating a second cohort in a clinical trial involving the use of Cal-1, an innovative gene-based stem cell therapy to help protect individuals infected with HIV from progressing to AIDS.

“While still early in clinical development, this announcement demonstrates real progress towards this mission. The accomplishment of Calimmune’s team is a great example of how CIRM partnerships are working to impact patient’s lives today.”

Calimmune was given approval to move … Read more

Benitec Director –   Dr. Melvyn John Bridges.

Dr. Melvyn John Bridges B AppSc FAICD was Independent NonExecutive Director of Campbell Brothers Ltd since September 29 2009. He has over 30 years of experience in the biotechnology and healthcare industries. During this period he founded and managed diagnostics biotechnology and medical device businesses. He is currently Chairman of Alchemia Limited ImpediMed Limited and resigned from the post of NonExecutive Director of Benitec Limited . He also represent Chairmanship of Tissue Therapies Limited . He was previously Chairman of Peptech Limited Incitive Limited and a nonexecutive director of Genera … Read more

Alnylam and Benitec

Alnylam (ALNY) is a $5.1B company and Benitec Biopharma (BTEBY, BNIKF) is a $120M company. Both are biothech companies working in the field of RNAi (RiboNucleic Acid Interference). Both have access to a wide patent estate: Alnylam’s estate covering Small Interfering RNA (siRNA) and Benitec’s estate covering DNA Directed RNAi (ddRNAi and shRNA).

In theory they are competitors, each looking to silence genes which produce harmful levels of proteins. However, in reality this competition has not been manifest. Alnylam has concentrated its pipeline efforts primarily on rare … Read more