Life sciences firms raised $1.4 billion in second quarter

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August 16, 2012 BIO China is an exciting opportunity for your company to explore business prospects in China's emerging biotech industry. Learn more about BIO China on BIOtechNOW. The news summaries appearing in BIO SmartBrief are based on original information from news organizations and are produced by SmartBrief, Inc., an independent e-mail newsletter publisher. The information is not compiled or summarized by BIO. Questions and comments should be directed to SmartBrief at bio@smartbrief.com.   Today's Top Story  Life sciences firms raised $1.4 billion in second quarter The life sciences industry secured $1.4 billion in venture capital investments during the second quarter with 174 deals, a 39% decline from the same period last year, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers report. Of the total VC amount, $697 million went to the biotech sector. MedCityNews.com (8/15), American City Business Journals/Atlanta/AtlanTech blog (8/15)      How to turn money you already spend into points you can use: The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN, designed to earn Membership Rewards® points faster: 3X on airfare. 2X on advertising, gas & shipping. 1X on everything else. Use points to pay for travel, Amazon.com purchases, Facebook ads, and more. LEARN MORE & APPLY   Health Care & Policy  Biovest and FDA discuss registration of cancer vaccine BiovaxID Biovest International held a clinical-guidance meeting with the FDA to identify a path for registration of BiovaxID, a personalized vaccine for follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The agency requested a second late-stage study to confirm data and the completion of drug development to support a biologics-license application, the drugmaker said. American City Business Journals/Tampa, Fla. (8/14)      Amgen's Xgeva is tied to fewer skeletal events in breast cancer A randomized study showed that women with metastatic breast cancer had fewer skeletal-related events when treated with Amgen's bone drug Xgeva, or denosumab, rather than Novartis' bone-strengthening treatment Zometa, or zoledronic acid. Xgeva was also tied to enhanced health-related quality of life. MedPage Today (free registration) (8/14)      Study: Embryos frozen for 18 years can be source of ESCs Human embryos frozen for 18 years were able to produce viable human embryonic stem cells, according to researchers from Chulalongkorn University and Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. "The importance of this study is that it identifies an alternative source for generating new embryonic stem lines, using embryos that have been in long-term storage," said Jane Taylor from the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. ZeeNews.com (India)/Asian News International (8/14)        Company & Financial News  Alzheimer's drug developer Sonexa raises $2M Sonexa Therapeutics secured $2 million from six investors in a funding round, according to a securities filing. The firm specializes in treatments for Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. MedCityNews.com (8/15)        Industry Deals  AstraZeneca and Regulus team up to develop microRNA drugs AstraZeneca and Regulus Therapeutics formed a strategic alliance to discover, develop and market microRNA therapeutics against three specified targets involving cancer and cardiovascular and metabolic conditions. Regulus will be in charge of preclinical development while AstraZeneca will lead and finance clinical development and market launch. The deal entitles Regulus to $28 million in cash and equity investment plus milestone fees and sales royalties. PharmaTimes (U.K.) (8/15), Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (8/15)      ZZ Biotech and Laureate collaborate on ischemic stroke drug Laureate Biopharma Services and ZZ Biotech teamed up on process development and manufacturing of ischemic stroke treatment 3K3A-APC. The drug is a form of activated human protein C, and its molecular structure was modified to eliminate a bleeding side effect. Pharmaceutical Business Review Online (8/14)        Featured Content    One Tax Court Ruling Your Finance Department Will Like  Courtney Rubin Technology is Making You Sick. Here's the Cure. Barry Moltz How to Accomplish More by Doing Less John Bradberry Welcome Aboard: The New Hire Guide - Part 3 Erik Rhey How to Develop an Internal Mentoring Program Katie Morell   Food & Agriculture  Biotech rice could help fight vitamin A deficiency, study suggests A biotech rice modified to produce beta-carotene -- a vitamin A precursor -- in the edible part of the crop was more effective than spinach and works as well as beta-carotene supplements in raising vitamin A levels in children, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. "While further study is needed, our results suggest that Golden Rice could be one useful way to combat vitamin A deficiency in areas where rice is a staple food crop and where vitamin A deficiency is still common," Tufts University researcher Guangwen Tang said. Reuters (8/15)        Industrial & Environmental  New process boosts energy recovery in ethanol, researchers say Researchers from Michigan State University say they've developed a new method for processing biofuel that increases the amount of energy that can be harvested from ethanol by 2,000%. The process relies on a type of fermentative bacteria that can generate a great deal of energy while producing little waste. HydrogenFuelNews.com (8/15)        News from BIO  Ship with FedEx FedEx is now offering member companies discounts of up to 35% off select FedEx services, both U.S. and international services. The BIO program with FedEx is one of the many cost-savings programs offered by BIO through its Business Solutions program. There is no charge for BIO member companies to participate in any of the BIO Business Solutions programs -- it is a benefit of membership. 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