Related to CureVac, Sanofi Pasteur, and In-Cell-Art Collaborate on €33.1M DARPA-Supported Vaccine Program

• Nanotechnology Enables Precise Cancer Targeting
  While first-generation nanodrugs reduced toxicity, next-gen treatments are being designed to increase efficacy.
  
• What Comes After Dendreon’s Provenge?
  Success of prostate cancer vaccine has ushered in a wave of autologous vaccine development.
  
• Will a Nonautologous Cancer Vaccine Be the Next to Make It Through Approval?
  In the race to mimic Dendreon’s success with Provenge, off-the-shelf products make for attractive opportunities.
  
• 2011 Budget Outlook: Trim, Cut, Then Slash
  Agencies like the FDA and NIH are looking at potentially huge cuts.
  
• Study Finds a Friend at NIH but Will Congress Share the Love?
  Paper in NEJM tries to make case for boosting federal research funding amid House leaders’ pursuit of spending cuts.
  
• NIH Updates Its Strategy to Combat Obesity
  Research spending has been on the upswing, but so has the obesity epidemic.
  
• Japan Disaster Renews Interest in Antiradiation Drug Development
  BARDA's flexibility in dealing with industry is improving investor's confidence in biodefense.
  
• Academic Organizations Try to Step Up Their R&D Game
  Sector has work cut out for it as ARRA has dried up and gov’t as well as industry cut budgets.
  
• Exploring New Ways to Get at Old Bacterial Targets to Combat Resistant Strains
  Arsenal must include not just souped-up me toos but also some brand new compounds.
  
• FDA Tries to Address Some Concerns Over Nanotech in Biotech
  More details are needed, but developers now have a better idea of what constitutes nanomaterials.
  
• Revival of Tax Credit Program Depends on Job Creation and Scientific Results
  Members of Congress are trying to expand the Qualified Therapeutic Discovery Program through 2017.
  
• Prospect of Court Appeals and Congressional Bill Hold the Cards for hESC Research
  Case seeks to prevent the use of federal dollars, while Washington’s conservative bent is cause for concern.
  
• A Decade after 9/11, Spending Cuts Challenge Biodefense Effort Spawned by Attacks
  The House approved a budget for Homeland Security that is $1.1 billion below FY ’11 spending.
  
• FDA Evaluating Input from Industry on Nanotech Guidance
  Questions and comments covered FDA’s definitions of what constitutes a nanomaterial.
  
• Does Clinical Success Mean Commercial Success for Cancer Vaccines?
  Getting insurers to pay for immunotherapies and keeping doctors more informed are key to market growth.
  
• Vaccine Isotype Seems to Affect Clinical Outcome in Blood Cancer Trials
  New results presented at ASH will impact production of autologous immunotherapies.
  
• U.S. Lead in Nanotechnology Depends on Growth of FDA and Gov’t Initiatives
  European revenue from nanotech-enabled products is projected to surpass that of the U.S. by 2015, according to Lux Research.
  
• House, Senate Look to PAHPA Reauthorization to Stoke Biodefense Initiave
  Bill has passed the House and was the subject of a closed-door executive session in the Senate on December 14.
  
• Defense Authorization Measure Yields Less for Chem-Bio Defense, More for Cooperative Biodefense Engagement
  CBEP is trying to expand its centers of excellence beyond the former Soviet Union nations.
  
• Policy Makers, Regulators Are Trying to Fortify Focus on Treating Superbugs
  Legislation and FDA rules have been slow to come, but all voice a sense of urgency.