Category Archives: Biotechnology

TRENTON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The biotechnology industry in New Jersey continues to demonstrate vitality, experiencing important increases in both the number of companies operating in the State and the number of employees working for those companies, according to the results of a survey conducted by Ernst & Young on behalf of BioNJ. The survey also confirmed data derived from previous BioNJ surveys which indicate that access to funding remains the primary challenge impacting the growth of early-stage companies.

The number of biotechnology companies with operations in New Jersey increased from more than 300 in a previous BioNJ study in July 2010 to more than 340 today, representing an increase of more than 13 percent, according to the study, Biotech in New Jersey: Finding Its Way Through Continuing Challenges.

The number of employees working directly at those New Jersey biotechnology companies also increased, rising 9.3 percent in the last two years, from approximately 15,000 employees in July 2010 to an estimated 16,400 in 2012.

The full report is available at: http://www.bionj.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/1207-1376406-BCNJ-survey-2012-8-1final.pdf

We are thrilled to see that the biotechnology industry in New Jersey continues to grow despite the ongoing issues facing the national and international economies, said Debbie Hart, President of BioNJ. Keeping with past reports, growth in New Jersey is coming from both within the State in the form of new company formations; spinouts from other companies and our universities; and from companies relocating to New Jersey from other states and other countries, with the latter taking on increasingly more prominence.

Hart said the growth is the result of several factors that include access to a variety of life science companies operating in New Jersey, a strong academic environment, an experienced and highly educated workforce and the long-term support of State government, which Governor Chris Christie and Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno and their Administration have built upon through several new initiatives.

Todays good news about the continued growth of New Jerseys biotechnology industry is not unexpected, said New Jersey Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno. Early on, this Administration identified life sciences as a critical driver of the Garden State economy, taking action to increase investment through comprehensive tax reform and enhancing financial incentives for these companies. More than ever, we remain firmly committed to the expansion of the industry to ensure New Jerseys well-earned reputation for life science excellence.

Study Highlights

Among the highlights the survey reports:

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NJ Biotechnology Industry Continues to Grow; Number of Companies and Employees Increasing

Background:
Degradation of cellulose to glucose requires cooperative action of three enzymes, collectively known as cellulases. Endoglucanases randomly bind to cellulose surface and generate new chain ends by hydrolysing 1,4-beta-D-glycosidic bonds. Exoglucanases bind to free chain ends and hydrolyze glycosidic bonds in a processive manner releasing cellobiose units. Then, beta-glucosidases hydrolyze soluble cellobiose to glucose. Optimal synergistic action of these enzymes is essential for efficient digestion of cellulose. Experiments show that as hydrolysis proceeds and the cellulose substrate becomes more heterogeneous, the overall degradation slows down. As this catalysis occurs on crystalline cellulose surface, several factors contribute to overall hydrolysis of cellulose. Therefore, it requires development of spatial models of cellulose degradation that can capture effects such as enzyme crowding and surface heterogeneity that have been shown to lead to a reduction in hydrolysis rates.
Results:
We present a coarse-grained stochastic model for capturing the key events associated with the enzymatic degradation of cellulose at the mesoscopic level. This functional model accounts for the mobility and action of a single cellulase enzyme as well as the synergy of multiple endo- and exo-cellulases on a cellulose surface. The quantitative description of cellulose degradation is calculated on a spatial model by including free and bound states of both endo- and exo-cellulases with explicit reactive surface terms (e.g., hydrogen bond breaking, covalent bond cleavages) and corresponding reaction rates. The dynamical evolution of the system is simulated by including physical interactions between cellulases and cellulose.
Conclusions:
Our coarse-grained model reproduces qualitative behaviour of endoglucanases and exoglucanases by accounting for the spatial heterogeneity of the cellulose surface as well as other spatial factors such as enzyme crowding. Importantly, it captures the endo-exo synergism of cellulase enzyme cocktails. This model constitutes a critical step towards testing hypotheses and understanding approaches for maximizing synergy and substrate properties with a goal of cost effective enzymatic hydrolysis.Source:
http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/rss/

Background:
Because many Miscanthus genotypes can be cultivated with relatively high productivity and carbohydrate content, Miscanthus has great potential as an energy crop that can support large scale biological production of biofuels.
Results:
In this study, batch hydrothermal pretreatment at 180 °C for 35 min followed by enzymatic hydrolysis was shown to give the highest total sugar yields for Miscanthus x giganteus cv. Illinois planted in Illinois. High throughput pretreatment at 180 °C for 35 min and 17.5 min followed by co-hydrolysis in a multi-well batch reactor identified two varieties out of 80 that had significantly higher sugar yields from pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis than others. The differences in performance were then related to compositions of the 80 varieties to provide insights into desirable traits for Miscanthus that enhance sugar yields.
Conclusions:
High throughput pretreatment and co-hydrolysis (HTPH) rapidly identified promising genotypes from a wide range of Miscanthus genotypes, including hybrids of Miscanthus sacchariflorus/M. sinensis and Miscanthus lutarioriparius, differentiating the more commercially promising species from the rest. The total glucan plus xylan content in Miscanthus appeared to influence both mass and theoretical yields, while lignin and ash contents did not have a predictable influence on performance.Source:
http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/rss/

Regional News of Sunday, 5 August 2012

Source: GNA

Professor Jonathan Padi Tetteh, a biotechnology expert has debunked public perception that Genetic Modified foods pose health risks to humans.

He said GM foods posed no health risk since extensive test was made on them before they were released.

GM foods, he noted, had been consumed in many countries including USA, Canada, Brazil, India and China for over 16 years without any reports of adverse effects.

Prof Tetteh was speaking at the monthly session meeting of Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB) on the theme: Impact of biotechnology on Food production in Accra.

He said: Most of the imported foods into the country are GM foods, yet we eat and have no adverse effects and we speak against GMOs as if is the work of Satan.

God created man and impacted knowledge into man to discover and explore what He (God) created and that is what GMOs is all about. It is Gods creation and man only discovered it, he said.

On the environmental hazard of using biotechnology, Prof Tetteh said a toxin known as Bt toxin had been produced by the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis, which was toxic to insects of the Lepidoptera and Coleoptera families only, but not to man and other animals.

This toxin is formulated into insecticide, and used safely by organic farmers to control insects on their crops. The biotechnologist introduced the Bt gene from the bacteria, into crops now referred to as Bt crops. Bt crops can produce their own Bt toxin to protect themselves, he said.

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Biotechnology has no health and environmental hazards - Expert

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -08/03/12)- The Biotechnology Industry has been soaring in 2012 as companies -- both large and small -- have shown impressive growth. The SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI) and the First Trust NYSE Arca Biotech Index ETF (FBT) are both up 31 percent for the year, outperforming the broader market by a wide margin. The Paragon Report examines investing opportunities in the Biotechnology Industry and provides equity research on Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (OSIR) and Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (PSTI).

Access to the full company reports can be found at: http://www.ParagonReport.com/OSIR http://www.ParagonReport.com/PSTI

Despite having to negotiate a more challenging regulation process biotech companies have continued to show investors strong gains in 2012. The FDA Amendments Act of 2007 forced regulators to increase standards for approvals of new drugs, introducing mandatory risk evaluation and mitigation strategies. According to a Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology report from IMAP, several pharmaceutical firms have altered their drug portfolios from primary care driven blockbusters towards specialties such as oncology, immunology and inflammation, where the medical need is "so high that prices are more easily accepted by the regulators."

Paragon Report releases regular market updates on the Biotechnology Industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Take a few minutes to register with us free at http://www.ParagonReport.com and get exclusive access to our numerous stock reports and industry newsletters.

Osiris Therapeutics is a leading stem cell company focused on developing and marketing products to treat medical conditions in the inflammatory, autoimmune, orthopedic and cardiovascular areas. Osiris' stem cell products have significant therapeutic potential because of their ability to regulate inflammation, promote tissue regeneration and prevent pathological scar formation.

Pluristem Therapeutics is a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapies. The company's patented PLX (PLacental eXpanded) cells are a drug delivery platform that releases a cocktail of therapeutic proteins in response to a host of local and systemic inflammatory and ischemic disease. Shares of the company have gained 40 percent in the last month.

The Paragon Report has not been compensated by any of the above-mentioned publicly traded companies. Paragon Report is compensated by other third party organizations for advertising services. We act as an independent research portal and are aware that all investment entails inherent risks. Please view the full disclaimer at: http://www.paragonreport.com/disclaimer

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Osiris Therapeutics and Pluristem Therapeutics Showing Impressive Growth as Biotech Industry Thrives in 2012

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/dn327p/us_biotechnology_s) has announced the addition of the "US Biotechnology Sector: Industry Profile" report to their offering.

This industry profile helps to gain an insight into the evolution of the industry and competitive dynamics prevalent in the market. It discusses the significant developments in the industry and analyzes the key trends and issues. The profile provides inputs in strategic business planning of industry professionals.

This profile is of immense help to management consultants, analysts, market research organizations and corporate advisors.

Key Topics Covered

Industry Snapshot

This section gives a holistic overview of the industry. It starts with defining the market and goes on to give historical and current market size figures. It also clearly illustrates the major segments of the market which would be discussed later on in the report.

Industry Analysis

It involves a comprehensive analysis of the industry and its market segments. This section discusses the key developments that have taken place in the industry. It also identifies and analyzes the driving factors and challenges of the industry. A description of the regulatory structure tells us about the major regulatory bodies, laws and government policies.

Country Analysis

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Research and Markets: US Biotechnology Sector: Industry Profile