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IN REAL ESTATE IT IS LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. In startups it's FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS. Read this charming and brutally honest article by a serial entrepreneur. http://lnkd.in/nxvkEA View in LinkedIn

HEALTHCARE STARTUPS ARE BECOMING MORE MATURE, especially as scarce resources provide a brutal winnowing of the weaker on the Bell curve. I recall the late 1980s, where any Nobel with a fishing expedition and no clue of an exit could raise buckets of cash. Today, around the globe, I hear VCs and investors comment that there is a maturing. A VC in Spain recently commented that the quality of deals has gone "from 1.0 to 3.0 in a few years". Whether it is accelerators, mentors, VCs or savvy corporate partners, the sector is getting smarter help today. http://lnkd.in/uCZ5jN View in LinkedIn

A FAMOUS AUTHOR BELIEVES THAT BIOTECH WILL DOMINATE THE GLOBE BY LIFE EXTENSIONS. I remain skeptical if this is worthy of pursuit, even if attainable. The betterment of health and QOL is more important. Ultimately, age wears out body systems. Many of them. Trees drop leaves in autumn because it is easier to remake than to repair. Are we to repair all the worn out systems? Or just a few? As I watch my 25 year old cat struggle with the infirmities of age, I am concluding a peaceful exit is more noble. Rather, stop children dying in the streets and the young suffering brutal illnesses. http://lnkd.in/fx2bAc View in LinkedIn

HISTORICALLY, FAILED ANIMAL DRUG STUDIES LED TO A NO-GO. And equally, if a drug passed the animal study hurdle it usually progressed to human studies. Of those, a high percentage failed. Those drugs that got approved were successful in both animal models and in human trials, showing concordance. But it is fair to ask whether an early No-Go based on a failed animal study was meaningful. Animal models have been under criticism for poor predictability. It is likely that patient-derived tissues may improve the predictability rate of preclinical studies, but tissues are still not whole organisms. http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v19/n4/full/nm.3163.html View in LinkedIn

DRUGS BANNED IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD ARE STILL AVAILABLE IN INDIA. The Indian government claims it has become a dumping ground for bad drugs, partly driven by the willingness of doctors and patients to use these banned drugs, and partly due to unethical practices. Recent informed consent abuse charges in a cervical cancer vaccine trial have added a Constant Gardner flavor to the issue, making it a political hot potato. Now any trials in India must have previous or parallel developed world trials. Clearly, Indian regulatory agencies are trying to clean house. http://lnkd.in/mDdacP View in LinkedIn

WITHOUT PATENTS, BIOPHARMA COMPANIES CANNOT GET FUNDING. Without the significant amount of work needed behind every therapeutic product, DNA based Rx innovations would never get off the ground. No IP, no therapeutic innovation. That simple. The enormous costs demand IP protection for the innovator. The arguments for restricting patenting of human DNA must bear this key issue in mind. The so-called genetic freedom is a fuzzy concept with very negative consequences. http://lnkd.in/8ZzNKT View in LinkedIn

AN EXCELLENT REVIEW OF THE BIOTECH-PHARMA RELATIONSHIP TODAY, where it is clearly more efficient for Big Pharma to make early deals on SME biopharma products, and to focus on the expensive late stages of gaining approval and ultimately, marketing. This whole dynamic, however, has been confounded by the pull-back of VCs from funding early biotech, and the simultaneous effects of the Crisis. No clear answer in sight, except perhaps the serious pain Big Pharma is experiencing as it tries to reinvent itself, opening new possibilities. http://lnkd.in/62mN2K View in LinkedIn

VERIZON'S POWERFUL ANSWERS COMPETITION seeking and rewarding with cash innovative ideas worldwide, is a smart way to get ideas from outside of the silo. Internal R&D in big organizations cannot help but be driven top-down and have annual targets to measure these mandates. I have long argued for the benefits of Skunk Works, but this bold initiative sounds promising. It is the ultimate development in back-loaded rewards for unpaid external consultants. http://m.networkworld.com/news/2013/040313-verizon39s-10-million-new-ideas-contest-268375.html#mobify-bookmark View in LinkedIn

A MENTOR CAN OFFER AN ENTREPRENEUR UNTAINTED ALIGNED ADVICE if they have a stock position in the company. VCs have a delicate inherent tension at play: they must first align with the interests of the LP funders to stay in business, and secondarily with the portfolio company. Some do this better than others. But the stock-owning mentor has the same alignment as the founders without this other consideration. Worth bearing in mind at all times when dealing with VCs. View in LinkedIn

CELL THERAPY WILL CONTINUE TO GAIN GROUND as engineering and understanding advance. It is crystal clear that cells can do functions that small molecules or even antibody drugs cannot. While there are many hurdles yet to overcome, it does seem inevitable that cell therapy will be an integral part of medicine in the future. http://lnkd.in/GbxCS7 View in LinkedIn