Blog Archives
Top 5 News Stories: 4/20-4/26
1) Return of BioPharm America™ 2013 to Boston Will Draw Leading International Life Science Dealmakers to Northeast - EON – 4/18/2013
EBD Group, the leading partnering firm for the life science industry, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio) announced today that BioPharm America™ 2013 will again be held in Boston September 17–19 at the Westin Boston Waterfront in Boston, MA. Link
2) French biotech Hemarina opens Boston office - Mass High Tech – 4/24/2013
Hemarina SA, a privately-held biotechnology company based in Morlaix, France, is opening its first Americas location in Boston. The announcement was made by Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) president and CEO Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister at the 2013 BIO International Convention in Chicago this week. Link
3) Mass. woos biotech firms at BIO convention - Boston Globe – 4/24/2013
Around the tables at the Massachusetts pavilion Tuesday, there was the buzz of deals in the making. State officials, along with representatives from Boston, Cambridge, and Quincy, huddled in meetings with executives from biotech companies in Israel, Northern Ireland, and New Zealand. Similar scenes were being played out across an exhibition hall the size of four football fields at the Biotechnology Industry Organization annual convention here. Link
4) Mass. groups emphasize international collaboration with new programs - Mass High Tech – 4/22/2013
Two local organizations are working to boost international collaboration in the form of investment, trade and research and development. From the floor of the 2013 BIO International Convention in Chicago, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) said Monday it was launching a new International Collaborative Industry Program (ICIP) to enable the group to partner with other nations to award funding to support R&D in Massachusetts and in the partnering nations. The international program will promote collaboration between life sciences companies and to increase the development of new products for commercialization. Link
5) AstraZeneca follows Pfizer for BIND’s second cancer nano-drug deal of the month - BBJ – 4/22/2013
AstraZeneca is set to pay up to $199 million to Cambridge biotech BIND Therapeutics for development of Accurin, a cancer nanomedicine based on a kinase inhibitor owned by AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN). Link
BioTeach Update: Job Shadow Day, NIH LAB Challenge Award, BioGraph
MassBioEd has been hard at work with their BioTeach program. We have some exciting new updates for our readers:
MassBioEd Will Host 3rd Annual Statewide Biotechnology Job Shadow Day
Students participating in last year’s Job Shadow Day
What: Over 450 Massachusetts students from 15 local high schools will explore life sciences career options by shadowing biotechnology professionals at 14 local biotech companies and research institutions statewide.
MassBioEd’s 3rd Annual Statewide Biotechnology Job Shadow Day aims to allow students to learn more about the fascinating and diverse career options that exist within the life sciences industry and encourages them to consider further STEM education. Students will participate in company tours, one-on-one meetings with life sciences professionals, and a networking lunch.
When: Thursday, June 7, 2012
Who: Companies that will be participating in this year’s Job Shadow Day are Abbott Labs, AirGas, Avecia, Biogen Idec, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, EMD Millipore, EMD Serono, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, MicroTest, Millennium, Shire Pharmaceuticals, and Whitehead Institute. Thank you!
BioTeach Lab Wins 2011 NIH K-12 LAB Challenge Award
We are pleased to announce that the Burping Yeast lab, designed by four BioTeach teachers, has received recognition from the NIH K-12 LAB Challenge Award!
The NIH K–12 LAB Challenge is a call to the nation to help bring engaging hands-on science into the classroom — so everyone can enjoy doing science! NIH asked people to send in their best experiments for kindergarten through 12th-grade classrooms. These written procedures are available to everyone for free.
During Summer 2010, the MassBioEd team asked a small group of teachers to design labs that used BioTeach equipment, were engaging and original, aligned with state frameworks, and were virtually free to run. The Burping Yeast Lab is available here.
Congratulations to:
- Whitney Hagins, Lexington High School
- Ken Bateman, Wellesley High School
- Aimee Gauthier, Boston Latin School
- Maggie Keeler, Lexington High School
10 BioTeach Teachers Chosen to Participate in NSF-Funded BioGraph
President’s Update: Join us in the Cancer Research Challenge!
Hello readers!
It’s been a busy few weeks here at MassBio. We recently participated in Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Day at the Massachusetts State House, attended Bio Fly-in, are busy preparing for BIO, and hosted the 4th Annual Progress Toward Winning the War on Cancer Symposium.
Four years ago, MassBio and the American Cancer Society launched the Cancer Research Challenge, an unprecedented partnership involving academic, nonprofit, and corporate sectors, sharing the goal of raising $1.5 million is to dramatically increase the amount of basic scientific research in the region’s universities and academic medical centers. The Challenge aims to fund ten additional American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowships in Massachusetts. The Challenge has funded six Fellowships since it began in 2008.
We hit the ground running, announcing four fellows funded from 2009-2012:
- Matthew Ramsey, PhD, American Cancer Society, AstraZeneca, Postdoctoral Fellow at MGH
- Robert J. Tomko, Jr., PhD, American Cancer Society, Millenium: The Takeda Oncology Company, Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale
- Dr. Paul Boutz, American Cancer Society, Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT
- Dr. Adam Boutin, American Cancer Society, EMD Serono, Postdoctoral Fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (now at MD Anderson)
