TOP STORY
It seems there’s a bit of a schism developing in the world of genomics.
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Three weeks ago, in a secret meeting at Harvard University, 130 scientists, policy-makers and entrepreneurs hashed out a plan to create synthetic human genomes. They lifted the veil on the Genome Project-Write in an article published Thursday in the journal Science.
The name comes from the fact that the Human Genome Project led to the ability to “read” genetic codes, while this new effort seeks to “write” codes. According to a draft press release obtained by the Washington Post:
“[T]he goal of HGP-write is to reduce the costs of engineering and testing large genomes, including a human genome, in cell lines, more than 1,000-fold within ten years, while developing new technologies and an ethical framework for genome-scale engineering as well as transformative medical applications.”
But the leader of the original Human Genome Project, current NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, came out against the new plan. “There are only limited ethical concerns about synthesizing segments of DNA for laboratory experiments. But whole-genome, whole-organism synthesis projects extend far beyond current scientific capabilities, and immediately raise numerous ethical and philosophical red flags,” Collins said in a statement from NIH. — The Washington Post, Science
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LIFE SCIENCES
Drug and device companies are targeting kids by funding school lesson plans, producing comic books and staging health events. — STAT
Abbott Laboratories is trying to get out of its proposed $5.8 billion purchase of Alere after learning that the target company is under federal investigation for overseas bribery. — Bloomberg
Stanford researchers were “stunned” by the effectiveness of a treatment that injected stem cells into the brains of stroke patients. — The Washington Post
Clearside Biomedical, Alpharetta, Georgia, raised $50.4 million in its IPO on Thursday, after cutting its offering price in half, to $7 per share. — The Wall Street Journal
Startup device company Flowonix Medical has landed $15.5 million in equity and debt financing. — PR Newswire
After losing its bid to buy Toshiba’s medical division, Fujifilm continues to look for M&A opportunities in life sciences. — Reuters
PAYERS/PROVIDERS
Aetna has filed a preliminary plan to finance its $37 billion acquisition of Humana. It includes the sale of $13 billion in bonds — Louisville Business First, The Wall Street Journal
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has sued the federal government, claiming a $129 million shortfall in reimbursements from the Affordable Care Act’s risk corridors program. — Durham Herald-Sun
India is becoming the destination of choice for many Americans who can’t afford specialty drugs at home. — CNN
TECHNOLOGY
Apple reportedly has hired Dr. Rajiv Kumar, builder of a HealthKit-enabled app for monitoring pediatric diabetes, away from Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. — Fast Company
Vium, a startup formerly known as Mousera, emerged from stealth on Thursday, and introduced its “living informatics” technology designed to improve preclinical tests on animals by combining sensors and analytics. — Xconomy
Waters Corp., based in Medford, Massachusetts, introduced Symphony Data Pipeline, software for laboratories to manage and archive large amounts of data from liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. — Business Wire
POLITICS
In its rule for “compassionate use” of investigational drugs, the FDA has said that pharma companies may only charge what it cost them to make the drug. — Reuters
Last month, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) slammed the FDA for rejecting Sarepta Therapeutics’ investigational drug for Duchenne multiple dystrophy. Now, a former FDA senior medical analyst offers a rebuttal. — STAT
To the surprise of nobody, the ACLU has sued to block new restrictions on abortion in Alabama. — Reuters
A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
Two Colorado cannabis product manufacturers are suing each other over “harassment, slander, threats” and other nastiness. If only there were something to help the principals mellow out. — PR Newswire
Photo: National Institutes of Health
