Hello, everyone. How are you today? Hope your week is going well. We have had a rather busy time, but that is to be expected. And so you know what this means - time for two cups of stimulation. Feel free to join us as we gear up for another cycle of meetings and deadlines. Meanwhile, here are some snippets of activity that may interest you. Have a good one and please do stay in touch...
Epilepsy Drugs Don't Increase Suicide Risk (Bloomberg News)
Merck Proteomics Research Matches Drugs To Activated Pathways (BioIt World)
Gilead's Ace Drug Developer Resigns (Xconomy)
Bayer, J&J's Xarelto Meets Study Goal (Reuters)
Glaxo Find New Way To Fight Drug-Resistant Bacteria (Dow Jones)
WHO Withdraws Pre-Qualification Of Sanofi Vaccine (Vaccine News Daily)
Glaxo Signs Cancer Pact With Amplimmune (PharmaTimes)
AstraZeneca To Pay $55M To Settle Seroquel Lawsuits (Bloomberg News)
World Courier Breaks Ground On Singapore Distribution Site (Outsourcing Pharma)
2 Comments
Good stuff, Ed!
I'd bet Merck will cover that (above) proteomics story, and try (once again) to spin the boceprevir Hep C data, afresh -- in about an hour, on the BMO Capital Markets webcast -- in Manhattan.
Namaste
In regards to Merck's proteomic research, both genomics and proteomics can identify potential new therapeutic targets, but these targets require the determination of cellular endpoints, composed of hundreds of complex molecules that regulate the pathways necessary for vital cellular functions. If a targeted drug could perturb any one of these pathways, it is important to examine the effects of the drug within the context of the cell.
The cell-based profiling platform has the capacity to measure genetic and proteomic events as a functional, real-time adjunct to static genomic and proteomic platforms. By examining small clusters of cancer cells (microspheroids) in their native state, a snapshot can be presented of the response of tumor cells to chemotherapy, combinations and targeted therapies.
The proteomic platform does not clarify how the response to EGFR inhibitors compares with that to chemotherapy, combinations, or other targeted therapies. There is a challenge to identify which patients the targeted treatment will be effective.
The introduction of targeted drugs has not been accompanied by specific predictive tests allowing for a rational and economical use of these drugs. However, given the technical and conceptual advantages of cell-based functional analysis, together with its performance and the modest efficacy of therapy prediction on analysis of genome and proteome expression, there is reason for a renewal in the interest of functional profiling assays for optimized use of medical treatment of malignant disease.