Related to University of Florida Receives $15M, and Berkeley Lab Obtains $12.8M in ARRA Funding

• Translational Research Is the NCATS’ Meow for Growing NIH’s R&D Role
  Budget will determine new institute’s ability to fill gaps in early drug development and de-risk projects.
  
• NIH and FDA Taking Partnership for Regulatory and Translational Science One Step at a Time
  Over the past year, initiative named members, held two meetings, and gave out $9.4 million.
  
• Protein Kinase Inhibitors for CNS Diseases at the Research and Discovery Phase
  One company has a clinical candidate, but focus for now is to understand kinase involvement in neurodegenerative pathways.
  
• 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.
  
• Companies with Cancer Therapeutic Candidates Ramp Up Companion Diagnostic Efforts
  As regulatory framework gets fine-tuned, firms realize the importance of having a biomarker strategy.
  
• 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.
  
• Chilly Budget Climate All but Freezes Proposed FY ’12 Spending for NIH and CDC
  Senate approved a 0.6% decrease in NIH’s budget and a 1% drop in CDC’s compared to fiscal 2011 levels.
  
• 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.
  
• NIH Funding Plagued by Potential of Continuing Resolution and Sequestration Measures
  As elections approach, likelihood of a spending bill covering institute or deficit reduction plan seems bleak.
  
• Vaccine Isotype Seems to Affect Clinical Outcome in Blood Cancer Trials
  New results presented at ASH will impact production of autologous immunotherapies.
  
• Avastin Label Changes Reignites Debate: Is OS or PFS the Better Regulatory Endpoint?
  A recent panel discussion set the stage for defining standards for drug approval as separate from those for treatment decisions.
  
• NIH Spending Barely Budges, CDC Stays Flat as Congress Finalizes FY 2012 Budget
  NIH will see a 1% increase and CDC a 0.6% increase over FY ’11 under a $1 trillion spending plan passed by the House and Senate.
  
• Review of NIH Grants in 2011 Shows Top Five Recipients Same as Last Year’s
  Johns Hopkins University came in first with $637.552 million, 4% more than last year.
  
• How Provenge Laid the Groundwork for Developing and Regulating Cancer Vaccines
  FDA’s recently issued guidelines pull from more than 20 years of research and clinical experience.
  
• Immune Response Markers for Cancer Vaccines Paint a Clearer Picture
  In trying to understand what constitutes an effective immune response, researchers find it’s all about T cells.
  
• NIH Expects to Have New Policies for Research Using Chimpanzees Next Year
  A working group has been established to review IOM’s findings and make suggestions for implementation.
  
• Massachusetts Sees $2B Construction Boom from the Biopharma Industry
  Growth has been built on academic expertise and fueled by tax breaks.
  
• Stakeholders Share Data to Design Better Trials for Neurodegenerative Diseases
  The Coalition Against Major Diseases is pooling clinical data to build disease and drug models.
  
• As Politicos Posture, Advocates Assess the Impact of Sequestration on Federal Agencies
  NIH estimates a 7.8% cut, while FASEB projects that number could go as high as 11.1%.
  
• Gene Therapy Society Looking to NIH to Revisit Role of the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee
  Goal is to restrict involvement in clinical trials and focus the RAC on questions of public concern.