Genzyme warned patients of Gaucher-drug rationing
Boston Business Journal – by Julie M. Donnelly
Genzyme Corp. will only ship the Gaucher disease treatment Cerezyme to children and the sickest of adult patients, according to an Aug. 3 letter to patients filed with the Food and Drug Administration. The move follows a disruption to the supply of the drug, caused by the six-week long shutdown of the company’s Allston, Mass., manufacturing plant due to contamination by a virus.
The letter to patients preceded the Cambridge, Mass.-based biotechnology company’s Aug. 10 announcement that it would have to discard 80 percent of the unfinished supply of Cerezyme that was in progress. That production was halted June 16.
A spokeswoman at the National Gaucher Foundation said in an interview that as early as Aug. 4, some patients who did not fit within the three most vulnerable categories, did not receive their medicine. Those categories were children under the age of 18; patients with types 2 or 3 Gaucher disease; or those with life threatening clinical situations.
Patients with Type 1 Gaucher disease, the most common form, are not eligible to receive the drug. The foundation spokeswoman said it was difficult to determine how many Gaucher patients will have their treatment regimens disrupted. Most patients receiving Cerezyme receive doses every two to four weeks, depending on their disease progression.
The spokeswoman said it was also difficult to gauge the impact on the affected patients’ health, because the progression of the disease is different in each patient.
Prior to the letter, patients were being asked to voluntarily forgo doses of Cerezyme if they were able to do so. The National Gaucher Foundation said that while many patients had been willing to observe these guidelines, regulatory restrictions and difficulty transporting the medication, which must be refrigerated, created obstacles.
In its Aug. 3 letter, Genzyme (Nasdaq: GENZ) thanked patients for their conservation efforts but said the company was still “at risk of not maintaining enough product to enable the most vulnerable patients to continue receiving doses through the constraint period.”
Genzyme officials have said the shortage will last until the end of the year.
Gaucher disease results from a specific enzyme deficiency in the body, caused by a genetic mutation received from both parents. The disease involves many organ systems, such as liver, spleen, lungs, brain, metabolism and bone marrow.Worldwide, the diagnosed population of Gaucher Disease patients is approximately 7,000.
Biotechnology Education, Organizations, and Industry
Biotechnology in Massachusetts
EDUCATION
Bay Path College
588 Longmeadow Street
Longmeadow, MA 01106
413-565-1000
Boston University School of Medicine
Biotechnology Program
715 Albany Street, S-410
Boston, MA 02118
617-638-5622
(f): 617-638-5621
Bristol Community College
Biotechnology Program
777 Elsbree St
Fall River, MA 02720
508-678-2811
Bunker Hill Community College
250 New Rutherford Ave
Boston, MA 02129-2925
617-228-3446
Cambridge Biomedical Careers Program
142 Cambridge Street
Charlestown MA 02129
617-242-0562
CityLab (Boston University School of Medicine)
715 Albany Street, S-410
Boston, MA 02118
617-638-5622
(f): 617-638-5621
Holyoke Community College
Biotechnology Program
303 Homestead Avenue
Holyoke, MA 01040
413-552-2398
Just-A-Start, Inc
142 Cambridge Street
Charleston, MA 02129
617-242-0562
Mass Bay Community College
Biotechnology Program
50 Oakland Street
Wellesley Hills, MA 02181
781-239-2232
(f): 781-416-1319
Middlesex Community College
Biotechnology Program
Springs Road
Bedford, MA 01730
978-656-3092
Minuteman Regional High School
Biotechnology Career Academy
758 Marrett Road
Lexington MA 02421-7313
781-861-6500 x694
Mount Wachusetts Community College
444 Green Street
Gardner, MA 01440
978-630-9241
Northeastern University
Bioinformatics Masters Program
Biotechnology Degree Program
University College
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
617-373-2400
North Shore Community College
1 Ferncroft Road
Danvers, MA 01923
978-762-4000 x4320
Quinsigamond Community College
Biotechnology Program
670 Boylston Street, Box 7
Worcester, MA 01606
508-854-4311
Rindge School of Technical Arts
Cambridge Rindge & Latin School
c/o RSTA
459 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-349-6752
Roxbury Community College
1234 Columbus Avenue
Roxbury Crossing, Ma 02120
617-427-0060 x5317
Springfield Technical Community College
One Armory Square
Springfield, MA 01105
413-755-5254
University of Massachusetts Lowell
1 University Ave
Lowell, MA 01854
978-934-3627
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
100 Institute Road
Worcester, MA 01609-2280
508-831-5286
Worcester State College
486 Chandler Street
Worcester, MA 01602
508-929-8000
ORGANIZATIONS
Bioinformatics Organization, Inc
MBIdeas Innovation Center
Worcester, MA
The Bioinformatics Organization, Inc. (Bioinformatics.Org) was founded to facilitate world-wide communications and collaborations between practicing and neophyte bioinformatic scientists and technicians.
Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives
25 Winthrop St
West Entrance
Worcester, MA 01604
508-797-4200
(f): 508-799-4039
Massachusetts Biotechnology Council
One Cambridge Center, Ninth Floor
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-674-5100
(f): 617-674-5101
Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation (MassBioEd)
One Cambridge Center, 9th floor
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-674-5100
(f): 617-674-5101
INDUSTRY
indicates a biomanufacturing facility
AAI/MTRA
Two Vision Drive
Natick, MA 01760
508-650-0085
Abt Associates Clinical Trials AACT
55 Wheeler Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-868-2228
A/F Protein Inc
935 Main Street
Waltham, MA 02154
781-899-7755
(f): 81-899-8482
A/G Technology Corporation
101 Hampton Avenue
Needham, MA 02194
617-449-5774
800-248-2535
(f): 617-449-5786
Aaston Inc
12 Falmouth Road
Wellesley, MA 02181
617-237-3755
Email: Aaston@aol.com
Abbott Bioresearch Center, Inc 
100 Research Dr
Worcester, MA 01605-4314
ABIOMED, Inc
22 Cherry Hill Drive
Danvers, MA 01923
978-646-1488
(f): 978-774-7240
Acambis, Inc
38 Sidney Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-494-1339
Vaccines
Acambis, Inc
90 Shawmut Road
Canton, MA 02021
781-828-3194
Vaccines
ActivBiotics
198 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02139-1902
Acusphere Inc
500 Arsenal Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Aderis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
85 Main Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748
Adnexus Therapeutics
100 Beaver Street
Waltham, MA 02153
781-891-3745
Advanced Cell Technology Inc
One Innovation Drive
Worcester, MA 01605
508-756-1212
(f): 508-756-0931
Advanced Magnetics Inc
61 Mooney Street
Cambridge, MA 10022
617-497-2070
(f): 617 4976927
AdvanDx, Inc.
222 Partridge Lane
Concord, MA 01742
Affymetrix
4 G Crosby Drive
Bedford, MA 01730
781-932-9333
Agencourt Bioscience Corporation
100 Cummings Ctr., Suite 107G
Beverly, MA 01915
Agrenetics
81 Salem Street
Wilmington, MA 01887
978-658-4666
Research and Business Development Company
Alkermes Inc
88 Sidney Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-494-0171
(f): 617-494-9263
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
790 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02142
Alpha-Beta Technology Inc
ABTI
One Innovation Drive
Worcester, MA 01605
508-798-6900
(f): 508-754-2579
Alphatech Inc
50 Mall Road
Burlington, MA 01803
781-273-3388
AltaRex Corporation
1601 Trapelo Rd., Ste. 350
Waltham, MA 02451
781-672-0138
Research and development, and the commercialization of immunotherapeutics for the treatment of cancer.
Altus Biologics Inc
625 Putnam Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-499-0500
(f): 617-499-2480
Amgen, Inc.
One Kendall Sq.
Cambridge, MA 02139
Anadys Pharmaceuticals Inc
610 Lincoln Street
Waltham, MA 02451
781-768-3400
Anika Therapeutics Inc
236 West Cummings Park
Woburn, MA 01801
617-932-6616
(f): 617-935-4120
Anterogen Company Ltd
20 Hampden Street
Roxbury, MA 02119
617-442-7840
Athena Diagnostics, Inc
Four Biotech Park
377 Plantation Street
Worcester, MA 01605
508-756-2886
800-394-4493
(f): 508-753-5601
Antigen Express Inc
100 Barber Avenue
Worcester, MA 01606
508-852-8783
Drug Discovery
Antigenics
3 Forbes Road
Lexington, MA 02421-7305
781-674-4400
(f): 781-674.4200
Aphios Corporation
3-E Gill Street
Woburn, MA 01801
617-932-6933
(f): 617-932-6865
Applied Biosystems
500 Old Connecticut Path
Framingham, MA 01701
508-383-7700
(f): 508-383-7880
Develops and market advanced products for the purification synthesis and analysis of biomolecules.
Apredica
11 Woodland Street
Belmont, MA 02478
617-812-1911
Provides contract research services for the evaluation and optimization of the Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Elimination, Toxicity – (ADME Tox) – and Pharmacokinetic
Archemix Corporation
1 Hampshire Street, 5th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02139
Ares-Serono Group
100 Longwater Circle
Norwood, MA 02061
Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc
26 Landsdowne Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-494-0400
(f): 617-494-8144
Armstrong Pharmaceuticals, Inc
423 La Grange Street
West Roxbury, MA 02132
617-323-7404
(f): 617-323 6940
ArQule Inc
19 Presidential Way
Woburn, MA 01801-5140
781-395-4100
(f): 781-395-1225
ARS, Inc
398 Libbey Parkway
Weymouth, MA 02189
781-659-9489
339-499-6304
(f): 339-499-6306
Artisan Industries Inc
73 Pond Street
Waltham, MA 02254
617-893-6800
(f): 617-647-0143
Ascent Pharmaceuticals Inc
9 Linnell Circle
Billerica, MA 01821
508-667-6300
Astra Research Center Boston
35 Gate House Drive
Waltham, MA 02451
781-839-4000
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca Research Center
128 Sidney Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
(f): 617-576-4668
Associates of Cape Cod
704 Main Street
Falmouth, MA 02540
508-540-3444
Athena Diagnostics Inc
Four Biotech Park,
377 Plantation Street
Worcester, MA 01605
508-756-2886
800-394-4493
(f): 508-753-5601
Aurigene Discovery Technologies, Inc.
Ledgemont Ctr., 99 Hayden Ave.
Bldg. C, Level 200
Lexington, MA 02420
Avant Immunotherapeutics Inc
119 Fourth Avenue
Needham, MA 02494-2725
781-433-0771
(f): 617-433-0262
Avecia Biotechnology, Inc.
155 Fortune Ave.
Milford, MA 01757
Aventis Pharmaceuticals
Cambridge Genomics Center
26 Landsdowne Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
75 Sidney Street, 4th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02139
Averion International Corp
225 Turnpike Road
Southborough, MA 01772
508-597-6000
(f): 508-597-5765
Averion International provides clinical research, and regulatory compliance and validation services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device/diagnostics industries
BD Biosciences
Two Oak Park
Bedford, MA 01730
781-275-0040
Manufactures and sells biochemical reagents.
BG Medicine, Inc
610 Lincoln Street North
Waltham, MA 02451
781-890-1199
(f): 781-895-1119
Biodynamix, LLC
PO Box 135
Sherborn, MA 01770
508-653-3089
Biogen, Idec 
14 Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-679-2000
(f): 617-679-2617
Biohybrid Technologies
Park Nine West
910 Boston Turnpike Road
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
508-842-4460
(f): 508-842-7535
Biomedical Research Models, Inc
10 New Bond Street
Worcester, MA 01606
508-852-0606
BRM develops, produces, and distributes inbred rodent models of human disease.? BRM is a full service research organization.
bioMerieux, Inc
1022 Hingham Street
Rockland, MA 02370
617-871-4442
Biometics Inc
300 Bear Hill Road
Waltham, MA 02451
617-684-8331
(f): 617-684-8335
Biomodels and Affiliates
277 Linden Street, Ste. 201
Wellesley, MA 02482
781-235-3808
(f): 781-235-3811
Bionaut Pharmaceuticals Inc
61 Moulton St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-442-1700
BioPhysics Assay Laboratory, Inc.
80 Webster St
Worcester, MA 01603
BioProcessors
12-A Cabot Road
Woburn, MA 01801
781-935-1400
(f): 781-935-1450
BioPure Corporation 
11 Hurley Street
Cambridge, MA 02141
617-234-6500
BioTrove Inc
620 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-551-3400
BioVest International, Inc.
Biotech Building 4
377 Plantation St.
Worcestor, MA 01605
Blue Sky Biotech, Inc.
MBI Innovation Center
Rose Bldg., West Entrance
25 Winthrop St.
Worcester, MA 01604
800-383-7795
A CRO (Contract Research Organization) in the pharmaceutical R&D market space.
Blue Stream Laboratories
10-N Roessler Road
Woburn, MA 01801
781-932-8400
(f): 781-932-8600
Founded to address the growing need for advanced, innovative product characterization and analytical testing, Blue Stream Laboratories provides sound technical expertise and unrivaled customer service.
Boston Biochem Inc
840 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-241-7072
(f): 617-492-3565
Producers of specialized reagents for drug discovery and basic research in the major intra-cellular signaling/degradation pathways.
Boston Biomedica, Inc BBI
375 West Street
W Bridgewater, MA 02379
508-580-1900
Boston Life Sciences, Inc
Reservoir Place
1601 Trapelo Rd
Waltham, MA 02154
617-890-8263
(f): 617-890-8267
Boston Scientific Corporation
1 Boston Scientific Place
Natick, MA 01760
508-650-8000
Brendan Bioscience, LLC
3A Business Way
Hopedale, MA 01747
508-473-8899
(f): 508-473-8838
Bristol Myers Squibb Medical Imaging
331 Treble Cove Road
Billerica, MA 01862
800-299-3431
(f): 978-436-7501
Caliper LifeSciences
68 Elm Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748
508-435-9500
(f): 508-435-3439
Cambria Biosciences
8A Henshaw St.
Woburn, MA 01801
781-938-1333
Research and Development
Cambridge Biomedical Research Group
1256 Soldiers Field Road
Brighton, MA 02135
617-787-8998
617-787-8977
Cambridge Nutraceuticals
29 Stanhope Street
Boston, MA 02119
617-695-9553
(f): 617-695-9554
Cantata Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
300 Technology Square, 5th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-225-9009
Capralogics, Inc.
PO Box 356
235 Czeski Rd.
Hardwick, MA 01037
413-477-6866
Cato Research Boston
736 Cambridge Street
Brighton, MA 02135
617-783-9181
CBR Laboratories, Inc
800 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
617-731-6470
Cell Essentials, Inc
198 Tremont Street #181
Boston, MA 02116
617-636-2888
Development of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, peptide synthesis and cell culture.
Cell Signaling Technology, Inc
166B Cummings Center, Building 100
Beverly, MA 01915
877-616-CELL
(f): 978-922-7069
Cereon Genomics, LLC
45 Sidney Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-551-8000
Agricultural genomics company devoted to providing new solutions for agricultural problems and using technology to solve important problems in crop biology.
Cetek Corporation
260 Cedar Hill Street
Marlborough, MA 01752
508-229-8900
Cetek Corporation has developed a powerful screening technology, based on capillary electrophoresis, that can quickly discover valuable “hits” in synthetic libraries, natural products or combinatorial mixtures.
Charles River Laboratories
251 Ballardvale Street
Wilmington MA 01887
781-222-6000
877-CRIVER-1
(f) 978-988-9236
Charles River provides essential research products and testing services to help customers accelerate the discovery, development through first-in-human evaluation, and safe manufacture of new therapies for patients who need them.
Charm Bioengineering, Inc
36 Franklin Street
Malden, MA 02148
781-322-4885
Chemgenes Corporation
33 Industrial Way
Wilmington, MA 01887
978-694-4500
(f): 978-694-4504
ChemGenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc
One Kendall Square, BLDG 300
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-374-9090
Chemic Laboratories, Inc.
480 Neponset St. Bldg. 7C
Canton, MA 02021
Chiron Diagnostics Corporation
333 Coney Street
East Walpole MA 02032
508-668-5000
(f): 508-660-4591
Clinical Pharmacy Associates
59 Interstate Drive
West Sprinfield, MA 01089
413-737-4200
CNH Technologies, Inc.
10-A Henshaw Street
Woburn, MA 01801
781-933-0362
Cohesive Technologies Inc.
101 Constitution Boulevard
Franklin, MA 02038
508-528-7989
(f): 508-528-8699
Coley Pharmaceutical Group
Wellesley Gateway
93 Worcester Street, Suite 101
Wellesley, MA 02481
Collaborative Research Inc
100 Beaver Street
Waltham, MA 02154
617-487-7979
(f): 617-487-7960
Collagenesis
500 Cummings Center, Suite 464-C
Beverly, MA 01915
800-411-9440
(f): 978-232-9601
CombinatoRx, Inc
650 Albany St.
Boston, MA 02118
CompuCyte Corporation
12 Emily Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-492-1300
Develops and markets systems for biochemical analysis of cells and virtually every type of cellular sample, based on the company’s proprietary LSC r Laser Scanning Cytometer.
Confluent Surgical Inc
NEMC Surgical Research, 101 A First Avenue
Wallman, MA 02451
781-693-2300
Medical Devices
Corning Inc
45 Nagog Park
Acton, MA 01720
978-635-2200
Copley Pharmaceutical Inc
25 John Road
Canton, MA 02021
617-821-6111
(f): 617-575-1856
Critical Therapeutics, Inc.
675 Massachusetts Ave.
14th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02139
CSS Informatics
84 Sherman Street
Cambridge, MA 02140
800-775-9616
617-868-6878
Expert Pharmaceutical Software & Services for Clinical Data & Drug Safety Systems, including Oracle Clinical, Oracle TMS, Oracle RDC, Oracle AERS, Clintrial, Clintrace, ARISg, Argus Safety, and more.
Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc
65 Hayden Avenue
Lexington, MA 02421
617-576-1999
(f): 617-576-0232
Curis, Inc
45 Moulton Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-876-0086
Cyagra, Inc.
1 Innovation Dr., Biotech 3
Worcester, MA 01605
Cytogen R&D Inc
89 Bellevue Hill Road
West Roxbury, MA 02132
617-325-7774
(f): 617-327-2405
Cytyc Corporation
85 Swanson Road
Boxborough, MA 01719
978-263-8000
Medical Diagnostics
Decision Resources
1100 Winter Street
Waltham, MA 02451
781-487-3700
Delta Search Labs
400 Technology Sq.
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-551-4609
Diagenics
260-262 West Cummings Pk.
Woburn, MA 01801
Diatech Diagnostics Inc
90 Windom Street, PO Box 860
Allston, MA 02134
617-787-1010
(f): 617-787-0315
Domantis, Ltd.
58 Charles St. Suite 302
Cambridge, MA 02141
DUSA Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
25 Upton Drive
Wilmington, MA 01887
978-657-7560
Dyax Corporation
300 Technology Square
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-225-2500
(f): 617-225-2501
Dynogen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
52 Second Ave
Waltham, MA 02451
781-839-5100
EA Bioengineering
46 Joseph Road
Framingham, MA 01701
508-788-9983
(f): 508-788-9983
East Acres Biologicals Inc
P O Box 727
236 Blackmer Road
Southbridge, MA 01550
508-765-9580
(f): 508-765-1288
ECM Pharma
150 Dan Road
Canton, MA 02021
517-575-0775
Eisai Research Institute of Boston, Inc.
1 Corporate Drive
Andover, MA 01810
Elixir Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
One Kendall Sq.
Building 1000, 5th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02139
Elucida Research LLC
PO Box 7100
Beverly, MA 01915
EMD Serono, Inc 
One Technology Place
Rockland, MA 02370
800-283-8088
ENANTA Pharmaceuticals
500 Arsenal Street
Watertown, MA 02472
617-607-0800
Endogen Inc
30 Commerce Way
Woburn, MA 01801
781-937-0890
800-487-4885
(f): 781-937-0891
EnVivo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
480 Arsenal St, Bldg 1
Watertown, MA 02472
617-225-4250
Epic Therapeutics Inc
220 Norwood Park, South
Norwood, MA 02062
617-440-0100
(f): 617-440-0111
EPIX Medical Inc
71 Rogers Street
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-250-6000
(f): 617-250-6031
ESA Laboratories Inc ESAL
22 Alpha Road
Chelmsford, MA 01824
508-250-7171
800-344-3725
800-959-5095
978-250-7000
(f): 978 250-7090
ETEX Corporation
38 Sidney Street, 3rd Floor
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-577-7270
Research and Development
EXACT Sciences Corporation
100 Campus Drive
Marlborough, MA 01752
508-683-1200
(f): 508-683-1201
Exalpha Biological, Inc
5 Clock Tower Place, Suite 255
Maynard, MA 01754
800-395-1137 978-461-0435
(f): 866-924-5100
(f): 978-461-0436
Feinstein Kean Healthcare
245 First Street, 14th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-577-8100
Formatech, Inc 
200 Bulfinch Drive
Andover, MA 01810
877-853-KEYS
(f): 978-970-3435
GelTex Pharmaceuticals, Inc
9 Fourth Ave
Waltham, MA 02154
781-290-5888
Genetic MicroSystems, Inc
34 Commerce Way
Woburn, MA 01801
781-932-9333
(f): 781-932-9433
Genetica Inc
One Kendall Square – Building 600
Cambridge, MA 02139
Genetix Pharmaceuticals, Inc
840 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-491-5601
Pharmaceuticals
Genitrix LLC
160 Second Street
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-441-8765
Research
Genomic Profiling Systems, Inc
One Oak Park Drive, 2nd Floor
Bedford, MA 01730
781-271-1444
(f): 781-271-9905
Development of genetic marker sets for infectious disease diagnostic testing.
Genomic Technologies, Inc.
12 Walnut Hill Drive
Millis, MA 02054
508-376-2541
(f): 508-376-5319
Genomic Technologies specializes in the development of large scale nucleic acid synthesis apparatus for the pharmaceutical and drug discovery markets.
Genzyme
500 Kendall Street
Cambridge, MA 02142
800-326-7002
(f): 617-252-7500
Corporate Headquarters
Genzyme Biosurgery 
55 Cambridge Parkway
Cambridge, MA 02142
Biotherapeutic and biomaterial products
Genzyme Diagnostics 
31 New York Avenue
Framingham, MA 01701
800-332-1042
(f): 800-762-6311
Genzyme Genetics
3400 Computer Drive
Westborough, MA 01581
508-898-9001
800-255-7357
(f): 508-389-5549
Genzyme Oncology
55 Cambridge Parkway
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-761-8777
(f): 617-761-8918
Genzyme Protein Manufacturing 
500 Soldiers Field Road
Allston, MA 02134
617-562-4500
(f): 617-562-4599
Gigahertz-Optik, Inc
5 Perry Way
Newburyport, MA 01950-4009
978-462-1818
(f): 978-462-3677
We manufacture UV-Vis-NIR radiometers, photometers and integrating spheres.
GLSynthesis, Inc
One Innovation Drive
Worcester, MA 01605
508-845-9484
GMP Genetics Inc
200 Prospect Street
Waltham, MA 02454
781-647-2560
GPC Biotech Inc
610 Lincoln Street
Waltham, MA 02451
617-225-0001
Groundwater Technology Inc
100 River Ridge Drive
Norwood, MA 02062
617-769-7600
(f): 617-769-7992
GTC Biotherapeutics, Inc.
175 Crossing Blvd
Po Box 9322
Framingham, MA 01702-9322
Gwathmey Inc
763 Concord Avenue Bldg E
Cambridge, MA 02138
617 491-0022
Contract Research
GulfStream Bioinformatics
99 Hayden Avenue
Lexington, MA 02421
781-676-7000
HemaSure Inc
140 Locke Road
Marlborough, MA 01752
508-490-9500
Histogenics Corporation
830 Winter Street, 3rd Floor
Waltham, MA 02451
781-547-7900
(f): 781-547-4452
Hyaluron, Inc. 
99 S. Bedford Street, Suite 2
Burlington, MA 01803
781-270-7900
Hydra Biosciences, Inc.
790 Memorial Dr.
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-494-5230
(f): 617-494-5245
Hypnion Inc
381 Plantation Street
Worcester, MA 01605
508-438-2800
Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
60 Hampshire Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-995-9905
Idenix Pharmaceuticals is engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative treatments for human infectious diseases. Building on the Company’s expertise in medicinal chemistry and clinical development, Idenix is positioning itself to become a leader in the antiviral pharmaceutical market. Idenix has a robust pipeline focusing on agents that will significantly advance the treatment of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS by improving efficacy, safety and tolerability.
IG Laboratories Inc
Integrated Genetics Inc
5 Mountain Road
Framingham, MA 01701
508-872-8400
(f): 508-820-9742
IGG International Inc
International Gene Group
One Kendall Square, Bldg 300
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-621-3133
(f): 617-621-0902
Ilex Oncology
20 Overland Street
Boston, MA 02215
617-262-6899
Contract Research
Imagenetics
31 NY Avenue
Framingham, MA 01701
Immulogic Pharmaceutical Corporation
610 Lincoln Street
Waltham, MA 02154
781-466-6000
Immune Therapeutics
Cambridge MA 02139
701-232-9575
Immunetics Inc
63 Rogers Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-492-5416
(f): 617-868-7879
ImmunoGen Inc
128 Sidney Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-995-2500
IMPATH-BCP
25 Kenwood Circle, Suite 14A
Franklin, MA 02038
508-520-0588
Indevus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
99 Hayden Avenue, Suite 200
Lexington, MA 02421-7966
Indigene Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
115 Flanders Rd.
Westborough, MA 01581
508-389-1701
(f): 508-389-1709
InfiMed Inc
767 C Concord Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-497-0600
Therapeutics
Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
780 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-453-1000
(f): 617-453-1001
Inotek Corporation
100 Cummings Center, Suite 419E
Beverly, MA 01915
978-232-9600
Biopharmaceuticals
Innovasive Devices
734 Forest Street
Marlborough, MA 01752
508 460-8229
Intercytex Ltd.
175-E New Boston St
Woburn, MA 01801
781-569-0990
(f): 781-569-0166
Interleukin Genetics Inc
135 Beaver Street
Waltham, MA 02452
781-398-0700
Integrated Genetics Inc
51 New York Ave
Framington, MA 01701
617 875-1336
International Biotechnology Labs Inc
MA
617-868-0077
(f): 617-661-6341
International Equipment Company (IEC)
300 Second Avenue
Needam Heights, MA 02494
781-449-8060
Indevus Pharmaceuticals Inc
99 Hayden Avenue, Suite 200
Lexington, MA 02421
781-861-8444
(f): 781-861-3830
IntraImmune Therapies Inc
PO Box 15599
Boston, MA 02215
617-247-5126
Gene therapy and functional genomics company utilizing an antibody-mediated gene delivery technology platform for an array of disease targets.
Invitrogen
111 Locke Drive
Marlborough, MA 01752
508-357-7525
(f): 508-357-7595
IQuum, Inc
700 Nickerson Road
Marlborough, MA 01752
508-970-0099
(f): 508-970-0119
Creation of automated solutions for blood testing and analysis to improve health care on a global basis.
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc
320 Bent Street
Cambridge, MA 02141
617-621-7722
(f): 617-494-0908
Pharmaceuticals
Johnson Matthey Pharma Services
25 Patton Rd.
Devens, MA 01432
978-784-5000
Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc
PMB 318, One Kendall Square, Bldg 600
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-512-6883
KMI/Parexel
200 West Street
Waltham, MA 02451
781-487-9900
(f): 781-768-5512
Validation services.
K O Technology Inc
1 Kendall Square
Cambridge, MA 02142
Koch Membrane Systems Inc
805 Main Street
Wilmington, MA 01887
978-694-7000
Latham Laboratories Inc
Worcester Biotechnology Park
Worcester, MA 01605
Lex Company
178 Lincoln Street
Worcester, MA 01605
Lexigen Pharmaceuticals
45A Middlesex Turnpike
Billerica, MA, 01821
978-294-1100
(f): 978-294-1101
Pharmaceuticals
Lion Bioscience
141 Portland Street 10th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-245-5400
Lonza Biologics, Inc
97 South Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748
508-497-0700
(f): 508-497-0777
Biopharmaceuticals
Lonza Hopkinton, Inc
97 South Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748
508-497-0700
(f): 508-497-0777
Biopharmaceuticals
MacroChem Corporation
110 Hartwell Avenue
Lexington, MA 02421
Marine Biological Laboratory
7 MBL St.
Woods Hole, MA 02543
508-548-3705
Marine Polymer Technologies
159 Lorum Street
Tewksbury, MA 01876
978-640-6926
Manufacturers of the Rapid Deployment Hemostat (RDH)
MassResearch, LLC
42 Weston Street
Waltham, MA 02453
781-647-7200
781-894-7568
(f): 781-894-1101
Mass Micro Laboratories, Inc.
c/o MBI Innovation Center
25 Winthrop Street, West Entrance
Worcester, MA 01604
508-752-0858
Provides non-clinical microbiology testing services to a variety of industries.
Matritech Inc
330 Nevada Street
Newton, MA 02460
617-928-0820
(f): 617-928 0821
MBL International Corporation
15B Constitution Way
Woburn, MA 01801
800-200-5459
(f): 781-939-6963
Medical & Technical Research Associates Inc
110 Cedar
Wellesley, MA 02181
Meiogen Biotechnology Corporation
100 Cummings Center, Suite 431A
Beverly, MA 01915
978-927-0878
(f): 978-927-0878
Mercury Therapeutics, Inc.
2 Gill Street, Suite E
Woburn, MA 01801
781-932-1125
(f): 781-932-8140
Meristem Therapeutics, LLC
210 Broadway St., Ste. 100
Cambridge, MA 02139
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
One Kendall Square
Building 700, 2nd Floor
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-441-1000
(f): 617-491-1386
Metabolix Inc
303 Third Street
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-492-0500
Development of environmentally friendly plastics.
Metasyn Inc
71 Rogers Street
Cambridge, MA 02142
MGI PHARMA Biologics
44 Hartwell Avenue
Lexington, MA 02421
781-274-6500
(f): 781-274-0839
Pharmaceuticals
MICROBIA Inc
320 Bent st.
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-456-3600
Drug Discovery
Microbiotix Inc
One Innovation Drive
Worcester, MA 01605
508-757-2800
Drug Discovery
MicroCHIPS, Inc.
6B Preston Court
Bedford, MA 01730
781-275-1445
MicroTest Laboratories Inc
104 Gold Street, PO Box 848
Agawam, MA 01001
800-631-1680
Middlesex Sciences
100 Foxborough Boulevard
Suite 220
Foxborough, MA 02035
508-543-0010
(f): 508-543-0383
Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc 
40 Landsdown St
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-679-7000
(f): 617-225-0884
Millipore Corporation
80 Ashby Road
Bedford, MA 01730
781-275-9200
Minerva Biotechnologies Corporation
6th Flr Rosenstiel Bldg
415 South St
Waltham, MA 02454
781-736-2421
Development of novel biosensors.
MJ Research Inc
590 Lincoln Street
Waltham, MA 02451
888-729-2165
Modular Genetics, Inc.
65 Cummings Park
Woburn, MA 01801
MOLDYN Inc
955 Massachusetts Avenue, 5th Flr
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-354-3124
Molecular Geodesics
20 Hampden Street
Boston, MA 02119
617-427-0300
Research and Development
Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
160 Second Street
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-492-5554
Biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel agents for use in diagnostic imaging.
Molecular Stimulations Inc
16 New England Executive Park
Burlington, MA 01803
617-229-9800
(f): 617-229-9899
Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
675 West Kendall St
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-491-9700
Mosaic Technologies Inc
1106 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
617-232-7636
Research and Development
Mouse Specifics, Inc.
28 State St. – Suite 1112
Boston, MA 02109
617-573-5020
Myco Pharmaceuticals Inc
1 Kendall Square
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-934-8849
MyoGenics Inc
One Kendall Square, Bldg 200
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-374-1470
Nanosys, Inc.
200 Boston Ave. Suite 4700
Medford, MA 02155
Nantero, Inc.
25-D Olympia Ave.
Woburn, MA 01801
Natural Pharmaceuticals Inc
One Kendall Square, Bldg 700
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-577-9224
Pharmaceuticals
NemaPharm Inc
26 Landsdowne Street, Suite 470
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-494-8701
NEN Life Science Products
549 Albany Street
Boston, MA 02118
617-482-9595
Biochemicals
Neuromedica Inc
99 Erie Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-492-9200
(f): 617-492-9201
New England BioLabs Inc
32 Tozer Road
Beverly, MA 01915
978-927-5054
(f): 978-921-1350
New England Peptide Inc
65 Zub Lane
Gardner, MA 01440
888-343-5974
Pharmaceutical Research
New England Pharmaceuticals Inc
28 Main Street
Brockton, MA 02401
508-238-6910
New World Laboratories
MBI Innovation Center
25 Winthrop Street
Worcester, MA 01604
New World Laboratories’ primary focus is in the area of regenerative medicine. Research focuses on the use of the subject’s own cells for regenerating tissue both in vitro and in vivo.
NISSIN Molecular Biology
20 Overland
Boston, MA 02111
NitroMed Inc
125 Spring St
Lexington, MA 02421
781-266-4000
Nova Biomedical
200 Prospect
Waltham, MA 02154
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research
400 Technology Square, 7th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02139
NUCRYST Pharmaceuticals Corp.
50 Audubon Rd. Suite B
Wakefield, MA 01880
781-224-1444
NuGenesis Technologies Corporation
1900 West Park Drive
Westborough, MA 01581
508-616-9876
Omega PharmServices, Inc.
113 Cedar St. Suite S-6
Milford, MA 01757
508-482-9330
OmniGene Bioproducts Inc
763 D Concord Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-576-1966
Oncogene Science Products
80 Rogers Street
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-492-7289
Diagnostics
Oncolab Inc
36 The Fenway
Boston, MA 02215
617-536-0850
(f): 617-536-0657
One Cell Systems, Inc.
100 Inman Street, Suite 200
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-868-2399
Ontogeny Inc
45 Moulton Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-876-0086
(f):617-876-0866
Opta Food Ingredients Inc
25 Wiggins Avenue
Bedford, MA 01730
781-276-5100
OraVax Inc (Acambis)
38 Sidney Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-494-1339
(f):617-494-1741
Organix Inc
240 Salem Street
Woburn, MA 01801
781-932-4142
(f):781-933-6695
Organogenesis Inc
150 Dan Road
Canton, MA 02021
781-401-1099
Oscient Pharmaceuticals
100 Beaver Street, Suite 2200
Waltham, MA 02451
781-398-2300
OsteoArthritis Sciences Inc
1 Kendall Square, Building 200
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-252-6886
(f):617-252-9096
Owl Scientific Inc
10 Commerce Way
Woburn, MA 01801
617-935-9499
(f):617-935-8499
OXiGENE Inc
One Copley Place, Suite 602
Boston, MA 02116
(f):617-536-4700
Panacos Pharmacuticals
134 Coolidge Avenue
Watertown, MA 02472
617-926-1551
(f): 617-923-2245
Panel Intelligence, LLC
150 Cambridgepark Dr., 7th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02140
617 532 5700
(f)61-532-799
Parallel Solutions, Inc.
763 D Concord Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138
Paratek Pharmaceuticals Inc
75 Kneeland Street
Boston, MA 02111
617-636-2161
Pharmaceuticals
Pavonis Inc
155 King Street
Cohasset, MA 02025
781-383-2212
Development stage genomics company focused on gene discovery and pathway elucidation for complex human traits.
Perbio Science
30 Commerce Way
Woburn, MA 01801
781 225-0055
Peptimmune, Inc.
64 Sidney St., Ste. 380
Cambridge, MA 02139
Periodontix Inc
313 Pleasant Street, 4th Floor
Watertown, MA 02472
617-926-1980
Periodontal disease products
PerkinElmer Life Sciences
549 Albany St.
Boston, MA 02118
800-726-4000
PerSeptive Biosystems Inc
38 Sidney Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
Pfizer Inc
620 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-551-3000
Research and Discovery
Pharmaceutical Peptides Inc
77 Massachusette Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-494-8400
(f): 617-494-8496
Pharmadyne Inc
108 Bay State Road
Boston, MA 02215
617-353-7631
(f): 617-353-6141
PharmaMar USA Inc.
320 Putnam Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-868-3797
PHT Corporation
500 Rutherford Avenue
Charlestown, MA 02129
617-973-1600
Phylonix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
100 Inman St.
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-441-6700
Phylos, Inc
128 Spring Street
Lexington, MA 02421
781-862-6400
Phytera Inc
377 Plantation Street
Worcester, MA 01605
508 792-6800
(f): 508 792-1339
Pintex Pharmaceuticals Inc
313 Pleasant St.
Watertown, MA 02472
617 924-920
Plant Pharmaceuticals Inc
One Innovation Drive
Worcester, MA 01605
Point Therapeutics Inc
-Formerly Immune Therapeutics Inc
125 Summer St
Boston, MA 02110
617-636-0680
(f): 617-636-0675
Whatman-Polyfiltronics
136 Weymouth Street
Rockland, MA 02370
781-878-1133
(f): 781-878-0822
PPD Informatics
84 Sherman Street
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-868-6878
Praecis Pharmaceuticals Inc
One Hampshire Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-494-8400
Pharmaceuticals
Predix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
10K Gill St.
Woburn, MA 01801
781-376-0821
Prime organics Inc
450 Chelmsford Street
Lowell, MA 01851
978-970-1074
Chemical Manufacturer
Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
189 Wells Ave.
Newton, MA 02459
617-559-0033
Procept Inc
840 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-491-1100
ProScript Inc
38 Sidney Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-374-1470
Protein Forest, Inc.
480 Arsenal St
Watertown, MA 02472
617-926-4778
Proteome Systems
14 Gill Street, Suite H
Woburn, MA 01801
781-932-9477
pSivida, Limited
313 Pleasant Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Psychemedics Corporation
1280 Massachusetts Avenue
Suite 200
Cambridge, MA 12138
617-868-7455
Pyrosequencing Inc
2200 West Park Drive, Suite 320
Westborough, MA 01581
508-389-9911
QCB/Biosource International
3 Avenue D
Hopkinton, MA 01748
508-435-2080
Manufacturer of custom peptides and antibodies.
Rapid Micro Biosystems, Inc
One Oak Park Drive, 2nd Floor
Bedford, MA 01730
781-271-1444
(f): 781-271-9905
RepliGen Corporation
41 Seyon St.
Bldg. 1 Suite 100
Waltham, MA 02453
781-250-0111
(f): 781-250-0115
RSP Amino Acid Analogues Inc
87 Squannacook Road
Shirley, MA 01464
978-448-3911
(f): 978-448-2914
SBH Science Inc
4A Strathmore Road
Natick, MA 01760
508-650-6200
Development of cell-based bioassays and efficient cell culture processes for the production of recombinant cytokines and monoclonal antibodies
Schafer Corporation
321 Billerica Road
Chelmsford, MA 02113
978-256-2070
Devices and Techniques and Clinical Research
SelectX Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
44 Hartwell Avenue
Lexington, MA 02421
781-274-9037
(f): 781-274-7096
Bio-medicinal drug discovery and development of natural product-like compounds
Sepracor Inc
84 Waterford Dr
Marlborough, MA 01752
508-481-6700
A research-based pharmaceutical company
SeraCare Diagnostics
25 Birch Street
Milford, MA 01757
508-478-5510
800-282-7879
(f): 508-473-9701
Serono Laboratories
One Technology Place
Rockland, MA 02370
781-681-2552
(f): 781-681-2912
Shire Human Genetic Therapies 
700 Main Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-349-0200
(f): 617-613-4004
Biopharmaceutical company focused on developing products for the treatment of rare diseases
Sigma-Aldrich
1 Strathmore Road
Natick, MA 01760
508-651-8151
Biochemicals
Sontra Medical Inc
10 Forge Parkway
Franklin, MA 02038
508-553-8850
Diagnostics
Sphinx Pharmaceuticals a Divi. of Eli Lilly
840 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-354-8050
(f): 617-354-4043
Stryker Biotech 
35 South Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748
508-416-5200
Surgical and Medical Products
Surface Logix Inc
50 Soldiers Field Place, 2nd Floor
Brighton, MA 02135
617-783-8866
Materials Science and Microfabrication
Symbollon Corporation
37 Loring Drive
Framingham, MA 01702
508-620-7676
(f): 508-620-7111
Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp.
45 Hartwell Avenue
Lexington, MA 02421
781-274-8200
Focused on developing novel drugs for the treatment of cancer and immune disorders.
Syntonix Pharmaceuticals Inc
9 Fourth Avenue
Waltham, MA 02451
781-547-6000
Therapeutics
T Cell Sciences Inc
119 4th Avenue
Needham, MA 02194
617-433-0771
(f): 617-433-0262
Tandem Labs-New England
35R Cabot Road
Woburn, MA 01801
781-933-2769 x 123
(f): 781-933-6808
Technical Innovation Center, Inc.
100 Barber Avenue
Worcester, MA 01606
508-799-6700
Providing TRIZ training, consulting and publishing services. TIC founder and president Lev Shulyak was the first person to teach TRIZ in the United States. TIC specializes in providing an array of comprehensive TRIZ training programs, solution packages and publications
TEI Biosciences, Inc.
7 Elkins Street
South Boston, MA 02127
617-268-1616
A biomedical company that develops and manufactures medical devices and biopharmaceutical agents to repair or replace tissues and organs of the body that have failed due to aging, injury or disease.
TGA Sciences Inc
47 Hall Street
Medford, MA 02155
781-393-6910
The GI Company
1661 Worcester Rd. – Suite 204
Framingham, MA 01701
The Medicines Company
One Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-225-9099
Pharmaceuticals
Therascope, Inc.
790 Memorial Dr. Ste. 101
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-577-0011
Thrasos, Inc.
95 Sawyer Rd. – Suite 130
Waltham, MA 02453
781-891-8888
Tolerx, Inc
300 Technology Square, 4th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-354-8100
Total Compliance Solutions, Inc.
27 Mica Lane, Ste 208
Wellesley MA 02481
781-237-9700
Toxikon Corporation
15 Wiggins Avenue
Bedford, MA 01730
781-275-3330
Contract Research and Testing
TransForm Pharmaceuticals Inc
29 Hartwell Ave
Lexington, MA 02421
781-674-8000
Pharmaceuticals
Transport Pharmaceuticals, Inc
161 Worcester Road, Suite 402
Framingham, MA 01701
508-872-0433
(f): 508-872-0922
TranXenoGen, Inc.
800 Boston Turnpike
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
508-936-4200
Specializing in avian transgenics for the production of high volume therapeutic proteins.
Trine Pharmaceuticals
78 Fourth Ave
Waltham, MA 24510
781-647-5554
United States Biological
PO Box 261
Swampscott, MA 01907
800-520-3011
U.S. Genomics Inc
6 H Gill Street
Woburn, MA 01801
781-937-5550
Genetic Information
Unither Pharmaceuticals/Oncology
15 Walnut St. Ste. 300
Wellesley, MA 02481
781-235-7412
(f): 781-235-7241
Versal Technologies Inc
1505 Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 310
Boston, MA 02135
617-787-9400
Verax Biomedical Incorporated
4 Biotech
377 Plantation Street
Worcester, MA 01605
508-755-7029
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc
130 Waverly Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-577-6000
(f): 617-577-6645
Viacord Inc
131 Clarendon Street
Boston, MA 02116
617-266-3953
Medical Service Company
VICAM L.P.
313 Pleasant Street
Watertown, MA 02472
617-926-7045
Develops and manufactures rapid microbiological testing systems for the food and feed industry
VisEn Medical
2 Gill Street, Suites E & F
Woburn, MA 01801
781-932-6875
Molecular imaging
Welgen, Inc.
25 Winthrop Street
Worcester, MA 01604
888-493-5436
Welgen offers an improved technology to simplify and accelerate the construction of adenoviral vectors, which offer many advantages to investigators who study gene expression or gene silencing in mammalian systems.
Wyeth BioPharma 
One Burtt Road
Andover, MA 01810
978-475-9214
Wyeth Research
35 Cambridge Park Drive
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-876-1170
(f): 617-876-8847
Xanthus Life Sciences, Inc.
300 Technology Square
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-225-0522
Xerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
1 Broadway, Ste. 600
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-621-7123
XTL Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
1 Broadway St. Suite 600
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-621-1570
ZymeQuest Inc
100 Cummings Center, Suite 436H
Beverly, MA 01915
978-232-8370
Discovery, development and commercialization of enzymatic blood conversion products for use in blood transfusion medicine
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Antiviral work helps Idenix buck biotech stock trend
There’s at least one bit of bright biotech news amid all the economic ugliness.
Cambridge-based Idenix Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: IDIX) ended the year with its stock price up 114 percent, compared with the biotech industry that overall by one measure — an analysis by the Biotechnology Industry Organization — was down by a median of 61 percent.
CEO Jean-Pierre Sommadossi said the recipe was simple.
“We set out our goals for the year, and we met every single one of them,” he said in an interview.
Idenix, which employs 180, plans to have big news in the next few weeks — an agreement to outlicense its HIV drug, IDX899, which is in phase 2 clinical trials. The negotiation process began in the spring, and equity analysts say a license agreement is currently being worked out by attorneys.
The company already has one drug on the market — Tyzeka/Sebivo for hepatitis B — that is licensed to Novartis. A report by Standard and Poor’s projects 2009 sales for the company to be $11 million, mostly due to royalties from Tyzeka/Sebivo.
The stock climb came even though the company remains unprofitable and had an operating loss in each of the last four quarters. Standard and Poor’s predicts operating losses for the next few years as the company focuses on expensive research and development activities.
Idenix raised a total $68.5 million in two venture rounds before it went public in 2004. The IPO was worth $140 million and a second offering in 2005 yielded $150 million. The stock closed at $5.70 on Jan. 14, following a high of $10.10 over the last year. Standard and Poor’s projects a 12-month target share price of $7.
The drug candidate up for sale would be part of a cocktail typically taken by HIV patients, and would target drug-resistant forms of the virus.
Up to 15 percent of patients newly diagnosed with HIV are infected with a strain which is resistant to at least one drug currently on the market. Once that deal goes through, the company plans to focus its efforts on developing three drug targets for hepatitis C.
Idenix has just announced it is initiating a proof-of-concept human trial for one of the three, IDX184. The drug target would focus on patients who have not yet received any treatment.
Idenix competitors include Gilead Sciences of California, Bristol-Myers Squibb is in New York and GlaxoSmithKline, all of which have HIV drugs that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Locally, Panacos Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: PANC) in Watertown, a 42-employee startup with research operations in Maryland, wants to be among the first out of the gate with its drug Bevirimat, which is designed to hit an HIV virus target discovered about a decade ago.
Idenix ended 2008 with approximately $46 million in cash and cash equivalents.
Company officials said Idenix would need that money, plus the proceeds from the licensing of the HIV drug, to get through the next year. Sommadossi said the company’s ultimate goal is to become the first biopharmaceutical company in clinical development with hepatitis C drugs from three different classes.
Unless Idenix gets bought first.
“It would be up to the board to decide if the sale of the company would be in the best interests of the shareholders. But the challenge for any deal over the past few months has been valuing the company. Our market cap has varied up to 20 percent to 30 percent in a single day,” Sommadossi said.
Julie M. Donnelly can be reached at juliedonnelly@bizjournals.com.
West Bridgewater hopes to be part of biotech boom
West Bridgewater officials consider easing permitting requirements to lure firms to town
The cure for cancer, AIDS or multiple sclerosis might be discovered in this small town, local officials say, if they can bring in biotech businesses.
Selectmen are enlisting the help of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, a trade association based in Cambridge, to help market West Bridgewater as a place for the state’s 400 biotech companies to do business, a move that would lure good-paying jobs and commercial tax revenue to town.
To make West Bridgewater more appealing, the town is also considering relaxing permitting requirements for biotech companies to come to Manley Street, the town’s commercial and industrial corridor, said Selectman Matthew Albanese, who was appointed as the town’s liaison to the council’s Massachusetts BioReady Communities campaign.
“The idea is to get West Bridgewater on the map in terms of hosting biotech companies,” Albanese said.
Massachusetts is a hub for biotech companies, said Peter J. Abair, economic development director for the biotech council.
Biotech companies generate $5 billion in payroll taxes and $6 billion in exports, a quarter of the Bay State’s exports.There are 1,827 drugs being developed in Massachusetts, more than 7 percent of the global drug pipeline.There were 44,005 Massachusetts biotech jobs in 2006, 30.4 percent more than in 2002. The average salary for biotech workers is more than $100,000.“It’s an industry that’s running counter to the Massachusetts economy, which shed jobs in the first part of the decade, and our industry grew jobs,” Abair said.
To make Massachusetts a biotech leader, Gov. Deval Patrick in July signed a $1 billion life sciences research bill that provides $500 million for new research facilities and labs, $250 million for research grants and $250 million in tax credits for companies in the life sciences industry. Supporters said the measure would create 250,000 jobs.
The Mass BioReady Communities campaign is working with communities interested in hosting biotech companies and rating them based on how well they would support the industry, using a four-point system of bronze, silver, gold and platinum.
For instance, a bronze community offers municipal water and sewer and zoning for biotech by special permit. A platinum community offers buildings permitted for biotech with 20,000 or more square feet, Abair said.
About 40 communities, including West Bridgewater and Weymouth, are seeking ratings, which should be released by March.
Albanese said West Bridgewater, which offers municipal water and zoning for biotech by special permit and has hosted biotech companies in the past, is aiming for a bronze or silver rating.
He said there are buildings in town now where a biotech company could relocate. For instance, Pressure BioSciences Inc., which makes specialized instruments for use in the health care industry, once did business at 321 Manley St., but relocated last March to Easton.
As state aid and tax revenues continue to decline, Albanese said West Bridgewater will face increasing competition from other Massachusetts communities courting biotech.
“It’s going to be Walpole versus West Bridgewater, or Waltham versus West Bridgewater,” he said.
Source: Generex Biotechnology Corp.
Generex Biotechnology Awarded New Drug Delivery Patent
Company Expands Australian Patent Portfolio
WORCESTER, Mass., Oct. 27, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Generex Biotechnology Corporation (Nasdaq:GNBT) (http://www.generex.com), the leader in drug delivery for metabolic diseases through the inner lining of the mouth, announced today that it has received a new patent in Australia.
The Australian Patent Office has granted the Company a patent titled Micellar Pharmaceutical Compositions for Buccal and Pulmonary Application. The patent contains formulation and method claims to a pharmaceutical formulation comprising a macromolecular pharmaceutical agent in mixed micellar form, and metered dose device containing said formulation, for buccal administration.
“We are pleased to include this latest patent to our expanding portfolio,” said Rose Perri, the Company’s Chief Operating Officer. “While we continue to move forward with the regulatory process in major markets, we continue to work on patent submissions for other jurisdictions.”
Generex currently holds an aggregate of 128 patents worldwide (21 of which are United States Patents) and has an aggregate of 134 patent applications pending in various jurisdictions.
About Generex Biotechnology Corporation
Generex is engaged in the research, development and commercialization of drug delivery systems and technologies. Generex has developed a proprietary platform technology for the delivery of drugs into the human body through the oral cavity (with no deposit in the lungs). The Company’s proprietary liquid formulations allow drugs typically administered by injection to be absorbed into the body by the lining of the inner mouth using the Company’s proprietary RapidMist device. The Company’s flagship product, oral insulin (Generex Oral-lyn), which is available for sale in Ecuador and approved for sale in India for the treatment of subjects with Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes, is in Phase III clinical trials at several sites around the world. For more information, visit the Generex website at http://www.generex.com.
The Generex Biotechnology Corp. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3831
Safe Harbor Statement
This release and oral statements made from time to time by Generex representatives in respect of the same subject matter may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by introductory words such as “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “will,” “estimates,” “forecasts,” “projects,” or words of similar meaning, and by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements frequently are used in discussing potential product applications, potential collaborations, product development activities, clinical studies, regulatory submissions and approvals, and similar operating matters. Many factors may cause actual results to differ from forward-looking statements, including inaccurate assumptions and a broad variety of risks and uncertainties, some of which are known and others of which are not. Known risks and uncertainties include those identified from time to time in the reports filed by Generex with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which should be considered together with any forward-looking statement. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future results or events, and one should avoid placing undue reliance on such statements. Generex undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Generex cannot be sure when or if it will be permitted by regulatory agencies to undertake additional clinical trials or to commence any particular phase of clinical trials. Because of this, statements regarding the expected timing of clinical trials cannot be regarded as actual predictions of when Generex will obtain regulatory approval for any “phase” of clinical trials. Generex claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements that is contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act.
CONTACT: CEOcast, Inc.
Gary Nash
212-732-4300
American Capital Ventures, Inc.
Howard Gostfrand
1-877-918-0774
About the MBC
Founded in 1985, we are the nation’s oldest biotechnology trade association. Since our inception, we have been at the forefront of making Massachusetts a better place for biotechnology.
The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council is an association of more than 550 biotechnology companies, universities, academic institutions and others dedicated to advancing cutting edge research. We are the leading advocate for the Bay State’s world premier life science cluster.
We drive innovation by creating a forum for the biotechnology community to come together, educating the public and policy makers, influencing public policy and advancing the economic interests of individual companies, as well as the sector as a whole.
Our public policy collaborations get results.
Recent achievements include:
- The introduction of an ambitious $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative that includes $500 million in capital spending, $250 million in grants and financing and $250 million in tax benefits for the industry.
- New, vital life science facilities at the University of Massachusetts.
- $10 million to recapitalize the Emerging Technologies Fund.
- $34 million for infrastructure development to assist Devens in accommodating the Bristol-Myers Squibb manufacturing center.
Biotechnology From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Insulin crystals Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine. The United Nations
Convention on Biological Diversity defines biotechnology as:
Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for
specific use.
Biotechnology is often used to refer to genetic engineering technology of the 21st century, however the term encompasses a wider range and history of
procedures for modifying biological organisms according to the needs of humanity, going back to the initial modifications of native plants into
improved food crops through artificial selection and hybridization. Bioengineering is the science upon which all biotechnological applications are
based. With the development of new approaches and modern techniques, traditional biotechnology industries are also acquiring new horizons enabling
them to improve the quality of their products and increase the productivity of their systems.
Before 1971, the term, biotechnology, was primarily used in the food processing and agriculture industries. Since the 1970s, it began to be used by
the Western scientific establishment to refer to laboratory-based techniques being developed in biological research, such as recombinant DNA or
tissue culture-based processes, or horizontal gene transfer in living plants, using vectors such as the Agrobacterium bacteria to transfer DNA into a
host organism. In fact, the term should be used in a much broader sense to describe the whole range of methods, both ancient and modern, used to
manipulate organic materials to reach the demands of food production. So the term could be defined as, “The application of indigenous and/or
scientific knowledge to the management of (parts of) microorganisms, or of cells and tissues of higher organisms, so that these supply goods and
services of use to the food industry and its consumers.
Biotechnology combines disciplines like genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, embryology and cell biology, which are in turn linked to practical
disciplines like chemical engineering, information technology, and robotics. Patho-biotechnology describes the exploitation of pathogens or pathogen
derived compounds for beneficial effect.
History
Brewing was an early application of biotechnologyMain article: History of Biotechnology The most practical use of biotechnology, which is still
present today, is the cultivation of plants to produce food suitable to humans. Agriculture has been theorized to have become the dominant way of
producing food since the Neolithic Revolution. The processes and methods of agriculture have been refined by other mechanical and biological sciences
since its inception. Through early biotechnology, farmers were able to select the best suited and highest-yield crops to produce enough food to
support a growing population. Other uses of biotechnology were required as crops and fields became increasingly large and difficult to maintain.
Specific organisms and organism by-products were used to fertilize, restore nitrogen, and control pests. Throughout the use of agriculture farmers
have inadvertently altered the genetics of their crops through introducing them to new environments and breeding them with other plants–one of the
first forms of biotechnology. Cultures such as those in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Pakistan developed the process of brewing beer. It is still done by
the same basic method of using malted grains (containing enzymes) to convert starch from grains into sugar and then adding specific yeasts to produce
beer. In this process the carbohydrates in the grains were broken down into alcohols such as ethanol. Ancient Indians also used the juices of the
plant Ephedra Vulgaris and used to call it Soma. Later other cultures produced the process of Lactic acid fermentation which allowed the fermentation
and preservation of other forms of food. Fermentation was also used in this time period to produce leavened bread. Although the process of
fermentation was not fully understood until Louis Pasteur’s work in 1857, it is still the first use of biotechnology to convert a food source into
another form.
Combinations of plants and other organisms were used as medications in many early civilizations. Since as early as 200 BC, people began to use
disabled or minute amounts of infectious agents to immunize themselves against infections. These and similar processes have been refined in modern
medicine and have led to many developments such as antibiotics, vaccines, and other methods of fighting sickness.
In the early twentieth century scientists gained a greater understanding of microbiology and explored ways of manufacturing specific products. In
1917, Chaim Weizmann first used a pure microbiological culture in an industrial process, that of manufacturing corn starch using Clostridium
acetobutylicum to produce acetone, which the United Kingdom desperately needed to manufacture explosives during World War I.
The field of modern biotechnology is thought to have largely begun on June 16, 1980, when the United States Supreme Court ruled that a genetically-
modified microorganism could be patented in the case of Diamond v. Chakrabarty. Indian-born Ananda Chakrabarty, working for General Electric, had
developed a bacterium (derived from the Pseudomonas genus) capable of breaking down crude oil, which he proposed to use in treating oil spills.
Revenue in the industry is expected to grow by 12.9% in 2008. Another factor influencing the biotechnology sector’s success is improved intellectual
property rights legislation — and enforcement — worldwide, as well as strengthened demand for medical and pharmaceutical products to cope with an
ageing, and ailing, U.S. population .
Rising demand for biofuels is expected to be good news for the biotechnology sector, with the Department of Energy estimating ethanol usage could
reduce U.S. petroleum-derived fuel consumption by up to 30% by 2030. The biotechnology sector has allowed the U.S. farming industry to rapidly
increase its supply of corn and soybeans — the main inputs into biofuels — by developing genetically-modified seeds which are resistant to pests
and drought. By boosting farm productivity, biotechnology plays a crucial role in ensuring that biofuel production targets are met.
Applications Biotechnology has applications in four major industrial areas, including health care (medical), crop production and agriculture, non
food (industrial) uses of crops and other products (e.g. biodegradable plastics, vegetable oil, biofuels), and environmental uses.
For example, one application of biotechnology is the directed use of organisms for the manufacture of organic products (examples include beer and
milk products). Another example is using naturally present bacteria by the mining industry in bioleaching. Biotechnology is also used to recycle,
treat waste, clean up sites contaminated by industrial activities (bioremediation), and also to produce biological weapons.
A series of derived terms have been coined to identify several branches of biotechnology, for example:
Red biotechnology is applied to medical processes. Some examples are the designing of organisms to produce antibiotics, and the engineering of
genetic cures through genomic manipulation.
A rose plant that began as cells grown in a tissue cultureGreen biotechnology is biotechnology applied to agricultural processes. An example would be
the selection and domestication of plants via micropropagation. Another example is the designing of transgenic plants to grow under specific
environmental conditions or in the presence (or absence) of certain agricultural chemicals. One hope is that green biotechnology might produce more
environmentally friendly solutions than traditional industrial agriculture. An example of this is the engineering of a plant to express a pesticide,
thereby eliminating the need for external application of pesticides. An example of this would be Bt corn. Whether or not green biotechnology products
such as this are ultimately more environmentally friendly is a topic of considerable debate. White biotechnology, also known as industrial
biotechnology, is biotechnology applied to industrial processes. An example is the designing of an organism to produce a useful chemical. Another
example is the using of enzymes as industrial catalysts to either produce valuable chemicals or destroy hazardous/polluting chemicals. White
biotechnology tends to consume less in resources than traditional processes used to produce industrial goods. Blue biotechnology is a term that has
been used to describe the marine and aquatic applications of biotechnology, but its use is relatively rare. The investments and economic output of
all of these types of applied biotechnologies form what has been described as the bioeconomy. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field which
addresses biological problems using computational techniques, and makes the rapid organization and analysis of biological data possible. The field
may also be referred to as computational biology, and can be defined as, “conceptualizing biology in terms of molecules and then applying informatics
techniques to understand and organize the information associated with these molecules, on a large scale.”[7] Bioinformatics plays a key role in
various areas, such as functional genomics, structural genomics, and proteomics, and forms a key component in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical
sector.
Medicine In medicine, modern biotechnology finds promising applications in such areas as
pharmacogenomics; drug production; genetic testing; and gene therapy.
Pharmacogenomics
DNA Microarray chip — Some can do as many as a million blood tests at onceMain article: Pharmacogenomics Pharmacogenomics is the study of how the
genetic inheritance of an individual affects his/her body’s response to drugs. It is a coined word derived from the words pharmacology and
genomics. It is hence the study of the relationship between pharmaceuticals and genetics. The vision of pharmacogenomics is to be able to design
and produce drugs that are adapted to each person’s genetic makeup.[8]
Pharmacogenomics results in the following benefits:[8]
1. Development of tailor-made medicines. Using pharmacogenomics, pharmaceutical companies can create drugs based on the proteins, enzymes and RNA
molecules that are associated with specific genes and diseases. These tailor-made drugs promise not only to maximize therapeutic effects but also to
decrease damage to nearby healthy cells.
2. More accurate methods of determining appropriate drug dosages. Knowing a patient’s genetics will enable doctors to determine how well his/ her
body can process and metabolize a medicine. This will maximize the value of the medicine and decrease the likelihood of overdose.
3. Improvements in the drug discovery and approval process. The discovery of potential therapies will be made easier using genome targets. Genes have
been associated with numerous diseases and disorders. With modern biotechnology, these genes can be used as targets for the development of effective
new therapies, which could significantly shorten the drug discovery process.
4. Better vaccines. Safer vaccines can be designed and produced by organisms transformed by means of genetic engineering. These vaccines will elicit
the immune response without the attendant risks of infection. They will be inexpensive, stable, easy to store, and capable of being engineered to
carry several strains of pathogen at once.
Pharmaceutical products
Computer-generated image of insulin hexamers highlighting the threefold symmetry, the zinc ions holding it together, and the histidine residues
involved in zinc binding.Most traditional pharmaceutical drugs are relatively simple molecules that have been found primarily through trial and error
to treat the symptoms of a disease or illness. Biopharmaceuticals are large biological molecules known as proteins and these usually target the
underlying mechanisms and pathways of a malady (but not always, as is the case with using insulin to treat type 1 diabetes mellitus, as that
treatment merely addresses the symptoms of the disease, not the underlying cause which is autoimmunity); it is a relatively young industry. They can
deal with targets in humans that may not be accessible with traditional medicines. A patient typically is dosed with a small molecule via a tablet
while a large molecule is typically injected.
Small molecules are manufactured by chemistry but larger molecules are created by living cells such as those found in the human body: for example,
bacteria cells, yeast cells, animal or plant cells.
Modern biotechnology is often associated with the use of genetically altered microorganisms such as E. coli or yeast for the production of substances
like synthetic insulin or antibiotics. It can also refer to transgenic animals or transgenic plants, such as Bt corn. Genetically altered mammalian
cells, such as Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells, are also used to manufacture certain pharmaceuticals. Another promising new biotechnology
application is the development of plant-made pharmaceuticals.
Biotechnology is also commonly associated with landmark breakthroughs in new medical therapies to treat hepatitis B, hepatitis C, cancers, arthritis,
haemophilia, bone fractures, multiple sclerosis, and cardiovascular disorders. The biotechnology industry has also been instrumental in developing
molecular diagnostic devices than can be used to define the target patient population for a given biopharmaceutical. Herceptin, for example, was the
first drug approved for use with a matching diagnostic test and is used to treat breast cancer in women whose cancer cells express the protein HER2.
Modern biotechnology can be used to manufacture existing medicines relatively easily and cheaply. The first genetically engineered products were
medicines designed to treat human diseases. To cite one example, in 1978 Genentech developed synthetic humanized insulin by joining its gene with a
plasmid vector inserted into the bacterium Escherichia coli. Insulin, widely used for the treatment of diabetes, was previously extracted from the
pancreas of abattoir animals (cattle and/or pigs). The resulting genetically engineered bacterium enabled the production of vast quantities of
synthetic human insulin at relatively low cost[9], although the cost savings was used to increase profits for manufacturers, not passed on to
consumers or their healthcare providers. According to a 2003 study undertaken by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) on the access to and
availability of insulin in its member countries, synthetic ‘human’ insulin is considerably more expensive in most countries where both synthetic
‘human’ and animal insulin are commercially available: e.g. within European countries the average price of synthetic ‘human’ insulin was twice as
high as the price of pork insulin[10]. Yet in its position statement, the IDF writes that “there is no overwhelming evidence to prefer one species of
insulin over another” and “[modern, highly-purified] animal insulins remain a perfectly acceptable alternative[11].
Modern biotechnology has evolved, making it possible to produce more easily and relatively cheaply human growth hormone, clotting factors for
hemophiliacs, fertility drugs, erythropoietin and other drugs.[12] Most drugs today are based on about 500 molecular targets. Genomic knowledge of
the genes involved in diseases, disease pathways, and drug-response sites are expected to lead to the discovery of thousands more new targets.[12]
Genetic testing
Gel electrophoresisGenetic testing involves the direct examination of the DNA molecule itself. A scientist scans a patient’s DNA sample for mutated
sequences.
There are two major types of gene tests. In the first type, a researcher may design short pieces of DNA (probes) whose sequences are complementary
to the mutated sequences. These probes will seek their complement among the base pairs of an individual’s genome. If the mutated sequence is present
in the patient’s genome, the probe will bind to it and flag the mutation. In the second type, a researcher may conduct the gene test by comparing the
sequence of DNA bases in a patient’s gene to disease in healthy individuals or their progeny.
Genetic testing is now used for:
Determining sex Carrier screening, or the identification of unaffected individuals who carry one copy of a gene for a disease that requires two
copies for the disease to manifest Prenatal diagnostic screening Newborn screening Presymptomatic testing for predicting adult-onset disorders
Presymptomatic testing for estimating the risk of developing adult-onset cancers Confirmational diagnosis of symptomatic individuals
Forensic/identity testing Some genetic tests are already available, although most of them are used in developed countries. The tests currently
available can detect mutations associated with rare genetic disorders like cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, and Huntington’s disease. Recently,
tests have been developed to detect mutation for a handful of more complex conditions such as breast, ovarian, and colon cancers. However, gene tests
may not detect every mutation associated with a particular condition because many are as yet undiscovered, and the ones they do detect may present
different risks to different people and populations.[12]
Controversial questions
The bacterium E. coli is routinely genetically engineered.Several issues have been raised regarding the use of genetic testing:
1. Absence of cure. There is still a lack of effective treatment or preventive measures for many diseases and conditions now being diagnosed or
predicted using gene tests. Thus, revealing information about risk of a future disease that has no existing cure presents an ethical dilemma for
medical practitioners.
2. Ownership and control of genetic information. Who will own and control genetic information, or information about genes, gene products, or
inherited characteristics derived from an individual or a group of people like indigenous communities? At the macro level, there is a possibility of
a genetic divide, with developing countries that do not have access to medical applications of biotechnology being deprived of benefits accruing from
products derived from genes obtained from their own people. Moreover, genetic information can pose a risk for minority population groups as it can
lead to group stigmatization.
At the individual level, the absence of privacy and anti-discrimination legal protections in most countries can lead to discrimination in employment
or insurance or other misuse of personal genetic information. This raises questions such as whether genetic privacy is different from medical
privacy.[13]
3. Reproductive issues. These include the use of genetic information in reproductive decision-making and the possibility of genetically altering
reproductive cells that may be passed on to future generations. For example, germline therapy forever changes the genetic make-up of an individual’s
descendants. Thus, any error in technology or judgment may have far-reaching consequences. Ethical issues like designer babies and human cloning have
also given rise to controversies between and among scientists and bioethicists, especially in the light of past abuses with eugenics.
4. Clinical issues. These center on the capabilities and limitations of doctors and other health-service providers, people identified with genetic
conditions, and the general public in dealing with genetic information.
5. Effects on social institutions. Genetic tests reveal information about individuals and their families. Thus, test results can affect the dynamics
within social institutions, particularly the family.
6. Conceptual and philosophical implications regarding human responsibility, free will vis-à-vis genetic determinism, and the concepts of health and
disease.
Gene therapy Main article: Gene therapy
Gene therapy using an Adenovirus vector. A new gene is inserted into an adenovirus vector, which is used to introduce the modified DNA into a human
cell. If the treatment is successful, the new gene will make a functional protein.Gene therapy may be used for treating, or even curing, genetic and
acquired diseases like cancer and AIDS by using normal genes to supplement or replace defective genes or to bolster a normal function such as
immunity. It can be used to target somatic (i.e., body) or germ (i.e., egg and sperm) cells. In somatic gene therapy, the genome of the recipient is
changed, but this change is not passed along to the next generation. In contrast, in germline gene therapy, the egg and sperm cells of the parents
are changed for the purpose of passing on the changes to their offspring.
There are basically two ways of implementing a gene therapy treatment:
1. Ex vivo, which means outside the body Cells from the patient’s blood or bone marrow are removed and grown in the laboratory. They are then
exposed to a virus carrying the desired gene. The virus enters the cells, and the desired gene becomes part of the DNA of the cells. The cells are
allowed to grow in the laboratory before being returned to the patient by injection into a vein.
2. In vivo, which means inside the body No cells are removed from the patient’s body. Instead, vectors are used to deliver the desired gene to
cells in the patient’s body.
Currently, the use of gene therapy is limited. Somatic gene therapy is primarily at the experimental stage. Germline therapy is the subject of much
discussion but it is not being actively investigated in larger animals and human beings.
As of June 2001, more than 500 clinical gene-therapy trials involving about 3,500 patients have been identified worldwide. Around 78% of these are in
the United States, with Europe having 18%. These trials focus on various types of cancer, although other multigenic diseases are being studied as
well. Recently, two children born with severe combined immunodeficiency disorder (SCID) were reported to have been cured after being given
genetically engineered cells.
Gene therapy faces many obstacles before it can become a practical approach for treating disease.[14] At least four of these obstacles are as
follows:
1. Gene delivery tools. Genes are inserted into the body using gene carriers called vectors. The most common vectors now are viruses, which have
evolved a way of encapsulating and delivering their genes to human cells in a pathogenic manner. Scientists manipulate the genome of the virus by
removing the disease-causing genes and inserting the therapeutic genes. However, while viruses are effective, they can introduce problems like
toxicity, immune and inflammatory responses, and gene control and targeting issues.
2. Limited knowledge of the functions of genes. Scientists currently know the functions of only a few genes. Hence, gene therapy can address only
some genes that cause a particular disease. Worse, it is not known exactly whether genes have more than one function, which creates uncertainty as to
whether replacing such genes is indeed desirable.
3. Multigene disorders and effect of environment. Most genetic disorders involve more than one gene. Moreover, most diseases involve the interaction
of several genes and the environment. For example, many people with cancer not only inherit the disease gene for the disorder, but may have also
failed to inherit specific tumor suppressor genes. Diet, exercise, smoking and other environmental factors may have also contributed to their
disease.
4. High costs. Since gene therapy is relatively new and at an experimental stage, it is an expensive treatment to undertake. This explains why
current studies are focused on illnesses commonly found in developed countries, where more people can afford to pay for treatment. It may take
decades before developing countries can take advantage of this technology.
Human Genome Project
DNA Replication image from the Human Genome Project (HGP)The Human Genome Project is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that aims
to generate a high-quality reference sequence for the entire human genome and identify all the human genes.
The DOE and its predecessor agencies were assigned by the U.S. Congress to develop new energy resources and technologies and to pursue a deeper
understanding of potential health and environmental risks posed by their production and use. In 1986, the DOE announced its Human Genome Initiative.
Shortly thereafter, the DOE and National Institutes of Health developed a plan for a joint Human Genome Project (HGP), which officially began in
1990.
The HGP was originally planned to last 15 years. However, rapid technological advances and worldwide participation accelerated the completion date to
2003 (making it a 13 year project). Already it has enabled gene hunters to pinpoint genes associated with more than 30 disorders.[15]
Cloning Cloning involves the removal of the nucleus from one cell and its placement in an unfertilized egg cell whose nucleus has either been
deactivated or removed.
There are two types of cloning:
1. Reproductive cloning. After a few divisions, the egg cell is placed into a uterus where it is allowed to develop into a fetus that is genetically
identical to the donor of the original nucleus.
2. Therapeutic cloning.[16] The egg is placed into a Petri dish where it develops into embryonic stem cells, which have shown potentials for treating
several ailments.[17]
In February 1997, cloning became the focus of media attention when Ian Wilmut and his colleagues at the Roslin Institute announced the successful
cloning of a sheep, named Dolly, from the mammary glands of an adult female. The cloning of Dolly made it apparent to many that the techniques used
to produce her could someday be used to clone human beings.[18] This stirred a lot of controversy because of its ethical implications.
Agriculture
Improve yield from crops Using the techniques of modern biotechnology, one or two genes may be transferred to a highly developed crop variety to
impart a new character that would increase its yield (30). However, while increases in crop yield are the most obvious applications of modern
biotechnology in agriculture, it is also the most difficult one. Current genetic engineering techniques work best for effects that are controlled by
a single gene. Many of the genetic characteristics associated with yield (e.g., enhanced growth) are controlled by a large number of genes, each of
which has a minimal effect on the overall yield (31). There is, therefore, much scientific work to be done in this area.
Reduced vulnerability of crops to environmental stresses Crops containing genes that will enable them to withstand biotic and abiotic stresses may
be developed. For example, drought and excessively salty soil are two important limiting factors in crop productivity. Biotechnologists are studying
plants that can cope with these extreme conditions in the hope of finding the genes that enable them to do so and eventually transferring these genes
to the more desirable crops. One of the latest developments is the identification of a plant gene, At-DBF2, from thale cress, a tiny weed that is
often used for plant research because it is very easy to grow and its genetic code is well mapped out. When this gene was inserted into tomato and
tobacco cells (see RNA interference), the cells were able to withstand environmental stresses like salt, drought, cold and heat, far more than
ordinary cells. If these preliminary results prove successful in larger trials, then At-DBF2 genes can help in engineering crops that can better
withstand harsh environments (32). Researchers have also created transgenic rice plants that are resistant to rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV). In
Africa, this virus destroys majority of the rice crops and makes the surviving plants more susceptible to fungal infections (33).
Increased nutritional qualities of food crops Proteins in foods may be modified to increase their nutritional qualities. Proteins in legumes and
cereals may be transformed to provide the amino acids needed by human beings for a balanced diet (34). A good example is the work of Professors Ingo
Potrykus and Peter Beyer on the so-called Goldenrice(discussed below).
Improved taste, texture or appearance of food Modern biotechnology can be used to slow down the process of spoilage so that fruit can ripen longer
on the plant and then be transported to the consumer with a still reasonable shelf life. This improves the taste, texture and appearance of the
fruit. More importantly, it could expand the market for farmers in developing countries due to the reduction in spoilage.
The first genetically modified food product was a tomato which was transformed to delay its ripening (35). Researchers in Indonesia, Malaysia,
Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam are currently working on delayed-ripening papaya in collaboration with the University of Nottingham and Zeneca
(36).
Biotechnology in cheese production[19]: enzymes produced by micro-organisms provide an alternative to animal rennet a cheese coagulant – and an
alternative supply for cheese makers. This also eliminates possible public concerns with animal-derived material, although there is currently no
plans to develop synthetic milk, thus making this argument less compelling. Enzymes offer an animal-friendly alternative to animal rennet. While
providing comparable quality, they are theoretically also less expensive.
About 85 million tons of wheat flour is used every year to bake bread[20]. By adding an enzyme called maltogenic amylase to the flour, bread stays
fresher longer. Assuming that 10-15% of bread is thrown away, if it could just stay fresh another 5 to 7 days then 2 million tons of flour per year
would be saved. That corresponds to 40% of the bread consumed in a country such as the USA. This means more bread becomes available with no increase
in input. In combination with other enzymes, bread can also be made bigger, more appetizing and better in a range of ways.
Reduced dependence on fertilizers, pesticides and other agrochemicals Most of the current commercial applications of modern biotechnology in
agriculture are on reducing the dependence of farmers on agrochemicals. For example, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a soil bacterium that produces a
protein with insecticidal qualities. Traditionally, a fermentation process has been used to produce an insecticidal spray from these bacteria. In
this form, the Bt toxin occurs as an inactive protoxin, which requires digestion by an insect to be effective. There are several Bt toxins and each
one is specific to certain target insects. Crop plants have now been engineered to contain and express the genes for Bt toxin, which they produce in
its active form. When a susceptible insect ingests the transgenic crop cultivar expressing the Bt protein, it stops feeding and soon thereafter dies
as a result of the Bt toxin binding to its gut wall. Bt corn is now commercially available in a number of countries to control corn borer (a
lepidopteran insect), which is otherwise controlled by spraying (a more difficult process).
Crops have also been genetically engineered to acquire tolerance to broad-spectrum herbicide. The lack of cost-effective herbicides with broad-
spectrum activity and no crop injury was a consistent limitation in crop weed management. Multiple applications of numerous herbicides were routinely
used to control a wide range of weed species detrimental to agronomic crops. Weed management tended to rely on preemergence that is, herbicide
applications were sprayed in response to expected weed infestations rather than in response to actual weeds present. Mechanical cultivation and hand
weeding were often necessary to control weeds not controlled by herbicide applications. The introduction of herbicide tolerant crops has the
potential of reducing the number of herbicide active ingredients used for weed management, reducing the number of herbicide applications made during
a season, and increasing yield due to improved weed management and less crop injury. Transgenic crops that express tolerance to glyphosate,
glufosinate and bromoxynil have been developed. These herbicides can now be sprayed on transgenic crops without inflicting damage on the crops while
killing nearby weeds (37).
From 1996 to 2001, herbicide tolerance was the most dominant trait introduced to commercially available transgenic crops, followed by insect
resistance. In 2001, herbicide tolerance deployed in soybean, corn and cotton accounted for 77% of the 626,000 square kilometres planted to
transgenic crops; Bt crops accounted for 15%; and “stacked genes” for herbicide tolerance and insect resistance used in both cotton and corn
accounted for 8% (38).
Production of novel substances in crop plants Biotechnology is being applied for novel uses other than food. For example, oilseed can be modified to
produce fatty acids for detergents, substitute fuels and petrochemicals.[citation needed] Potatos, tomatos, rice, tobacco, lettuce, safflowers, and
other plants have been genetically-engineered to produce insulin[citation needed] and certain vaccines. If future clinical trials prove successful,
the advantages of edible vaccines would be enormous, especially for developing countries. The transgenic plants may be grown locally and cheaply.
Homegrown vaccines would also avoid logistical and economic problems posed by having to transport traditional preparations over long distances and
keeping them cold while in transit. And since they are edible, they will not need syringes, which are not only an additional expense in the
traditional vaccine preparations but also a source of infections if contaminated.[21] In the case of insulin grown in transgenic plants, it is well-
established that the gastrointestinal system breaks the protein down therefore this could not currently be administered as an edible protein.
However, it might be produced at significantly lower cost than insulin produced in costly, bioreactors. For example, Calgary, Canada-based SemBioSys
Genetics, Inc. reports that its safflower-produced insulin will reduce unit costs by over 25% or more and reduce the capital costs associated with
building a commercial-scale insulin manufacturing facility by approximately over $100 million compared to traditional biomanufacturing
facilities[22].
Criticism There is another side to the agricultural biotechnology issue however. It includes increased herbicide usage and resultant herbicide
resistance, “super weeds,” residues on and in food crops, genetic contamination of non-GM crops which hurt organic and conventional farmers, damage
to wildlife from glyphosate, etc.[23][24]
Biological engineering Main article: Bioengineering Biotechnological engineering or biological engineering is a branch of engineering that focuses
on biotechnologies and biological science. It includes different disciplines such as biochemical engineering, biomedical engineering, bio-process
engineering, biosystem engineering and so on. Because of the novelty of the field, the definition of a bioengineer is still undefined. However, in
general it is an integrated approach of fundamental biological sciences and traditional engineering principles.
Bioengineers are often employed to scale up bio processes from the laboratory scale to the manufacturing scale. Moreover, as with most engineers,
they often deal with management, economic and legal issues. Since patents and regulation (e.g. FDA regulation in the U.S.) are very important issues
for biotech enterprises, bioengineers are often required to have knowledge related to these issues.
The increasing number of biotech enterprises is likely to create a need for bioengineers in the years to come. Many universities throughout the world
are now providing programs in bioengineering and biotechnology (as independent programs or specialty programs within more established engineering
fields).
Bioremediation and Biodegradation Main article: Microbial biodegradation Biotechnology is being used to engineer and adapt organisms especially
microorganisms in an effort to find sustainable ways to clean up contaminated environments. The elimination of a wide range of pollutants and wastes
from the environment is an absolute requirement to promote a sustainable development of our society with low environmental impact. Biological
processes play a major role in the removal of contaminants and biotechnology is taking advantage of the astonishing catabolic versatility of
microorganisms to degrade/convert such compounds. New methodological breakthroughs in sequencing, genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics and imaging
are producing vast amounts of information. In the field of Environmental Microbiology, genome-based global studies open a new era providing
unprecedented in silico views of metabolic and regulatory networks, as well as clues to the evolution of degradation pathways and to the molecular
adaptation strategies to changing environmental conditions. Functional genomic and metagenomic approaches are increasing our understanding of the
relative importance of different pathways and regulatory networks to carbon flux in particular environments and for particular compounds and they
will certainly accelerate the development of bioremediation technologies and biotransformation processes.[25]
Marine environments are especially vulnerable since oil spills of coastal regions and the open sea are poorly containable and mitigation is
difficult. In addition to pollution through human activities, millions of tons of petroleum enter the marine environment every year from natural
seepages.
Despite its toxicity, a considerable fraction of petroleum oil entering marine systems is eliminated by the hydrocarbon-degrading
activities of microbial communities, in particular by a remarkable recently discovered group of specialists, the so-called hydrocarbonoclastic
bacteria (HCB).[26]







