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CROWDFUNDING CONTINUES TO GROW. Mark my words: this will challenge traditional funding sources worldwide. Microloans were a relatively recent first step down this path. Combine that with the world becoming flat again, and open source innovation, the possibilities are endless. http://lnkd.in/B9Npde View in LinkedIn

CAN REPAIRING CELLULAR ARCHITECTURE ONLY BE DONE WITH CELLS? Here stem cells repair heart defects in a dramatic study. Changing bad blood chemistry is a less complex issue of supply and demand of the chemical in question, and has occupied Pharma for many decades. Even this is really hard: think diabetes and glucose regulation. But to repair tissues and 3D structures with drugs seems beyond difficult. It appears to be the singular domain of cellular repair; complex systems solving complex problems through stem cell therapy. http://lnkd.in/HbAYtr View in LinkedIn

STARTUP WITH ONLY 3 M USD IN INVESTMENT TEAMS UP WITH TAKEDA for a license worth almost two zeros more if successful. Takeda has been at the lead of creative deal making, and this is a win-win. It reinforces that Big Pharma and early stage ventures can make great partners at the discovery end of the business. http://lnkd.in/n8mmxC View in LinkedIn

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS GIVE GENOME DATA GUIDELINES. Watch this space closely, as it will affect everybody. http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/02/21/new-guidelines-on-testing-kids-dna-the-cliffs-notes-version/ View in LinkedIn

AUTOLOGOUS RECOMBINANT CELL THERAPY FOR MACULAR DEGENERATION? A combination of the best of two approaches; taking a patient's own cells, adding a gene, and inserting into the patient's eye lesion, in the hope of regrowing the damaged tissue. Brilliant solution for a tough disease. And better still: heading for clinical trials. http://lnkd.in/JrNWzf View in LinkedIn

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER ONLY IF IT IS ACTIONABLE? Nancy Wexler said of the Huntingdon's gene (paraphrased): if I am in a plane enjoying my G&T, do I really want to be told that there is a bomb aboard? Muscular dystrophy is untreatable, but patients lined up to get a diagnosis, if only to plan their families' life and stop the endless clinical assessments. It seems inevitable that this genetic knowledge will be widespread. We just need to understand how to use it wisely. http://lnkd.in/STGfa3 View in LinkedIn

VACCINES MADE IN CHICKEN EGGS ARE OLD HAT. DNA vaccines are made in culture chambers like recombinant proteins or monoclonal antibodies. Unlike traditional vaccines, DNA vaccines arm both cellular and antibody defense pathways, are heat stable, last a lifetime, and can be delivered nasally. They can be directed against a wide range of diseases, not just infectious diseases, by recognizing disease markers. Those in clinical trials include DNA vaccines against cancer. Once a moribund field, today vaccines are becoming hot. http://lnkd.in/T_M4TS View in LinkedIn

ALL PHARMA PATENTS OF VALUE WILL BE CHALLENGED IN COURT, mostly for obviousness or prior art. For this reason, it is important to "stress test" your IP with a Pharma patent litigator before filing it. This allows you to remedy its deficiencies, and goes beyond FTO ( Freedom to Operate). http://lnkd.in/JYHjVi View in LinkedIn

A COMPELLING READ OF A SILICON VALLEY DOT BOMB, with a good deal of honesty and real angst. Failure is part of the startup landscape and its human toll is real. Don't play the game if you cannot handle the odds, or the fallout of a crash. It hurts. http://lnkd.in/B6gV4n View in LinkedIn

ABOUT 50% OF US BANKRUPTCIES ARE DUE TO HEALTHCARE BILLS, and has been the case for decades. The confluence of healthcare and capitalism is very problematic. Profit and health are poor bedfellows, at least in the entire delivery system. Innovation must be rewarded, but delivery democratized. http://lnkd.in/fWRESw View in LinkedIn