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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

READ THE PATENT OFFICE to find IP to bolster your own position! Most IP at www.uspto.gov is unlicensed, and for small upfronts and reasonable royalties tech entrepreneurs can start to create an "IP THICKET". An IP thicket can be a formidable hedge against competition. Forget ego, and Not Invented Here! Adopt the strongest ideas and patents. IP is at the heart of tech companies, so value it and constantly expand it. View in LinkedIn

IF THE ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY TECHNOLOGY MANAGERS (AUTM) IN THE US were to offer Distance Learning classes worldwide, the planet's tech entrepreneurs would be well served. Understandably, hospitals and universities who have not engaged in spin-out activities do not want to make fools of themselves, and often boot the decision to the board of directors. Using templates that are tried and true gets them out if that jam. For free! View in LinkedIn