Through a collaboration that could be valued to more than $3 billion, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced it will partner with Adaptimmune to develop and commercialize allogeneic T-cell therapies to treat multiple cancer indications. Under their collaboration Genentech will work with Adaptimmune to develop “off-the-shelf” allogeneic T-cell therapies…

Cancer testing and information services company NeoGenomics, which serves both the clinical and pharmaceutical sectors, announced on Wednesday it would acquire U.K-based liquid biopsy company Inivata. The deal follows NeoGenomics taking a minority ownership position in the company last May at which time it invested $25 million and was granted…

New research led by an investigator at Indiana University may a building block for helping to stem the obesity epidemic via targeted treatments versus today’s methods of healthier eating and exercise. The research shows that a stomach-specific protein plays a critical role in the progression of obesity, and could potentially lead…

Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Biotech will partner with Fate Therapeutics to create cell-based cancer immunotherapies derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), through a collaboration that could generate more than $3 billion for the San Diego cellular immunotherapy developer. Janssen will bring to the partnership its proprietary antigen binding domains,…

In early April, PerkinElmer and Helix announced the launch of a genetic screening test offering clinical-grade DNA sequencing targeting healthy consumers who want to take a more proactive role in their own health. The test, dubbed GenePrism: Action- able Insights and available via the Helix Marketplace, is a clinical-grade DNA…

Four years after it promised to revolutionize healthcare with a wellness paradigm focused on personalized, data-driven, preventive coaching for consumers, Arivale has shut down its operations and laid off all of its approximately 120 employees. “Our decision to do so is attributable to the simple fact that the cost of…

Messenger RNA (mRNA) therapy developer Moderna has raised at least $604.3 million in gross proceeds in the largest initial public offering for a biotech—a figure that could rise as its shares debut for trading today on the NASDAQ Global Select market under the ticker symbol “MRNA.” Moderna last night offered…

At the Clinical Biomarkers and World CDx Conference, held recently in Boston, industry and academic scientists convened to address approaches to enhancing and validating the next generation of predictive biomarkers and promoting the adoption of high-value precision medicines and diagnostic testing worldwide. Basing Prognoses on Measures of Immune Cell Morphology…

NeoGenomics Laboratories said today it has agreed to acquire the clinical oncology laboratory Genoptix for about $140 million cash and stock combined, in a deal designed to expand the buyer’s presence in cancer testing. With headquarters and labs in Carlsbad, CA, Genoptix is a provider of personalized and comprehensive diagnostic…

Agilent Technologies said it has agreed to acquire the remaining shares of Lasergen for $105 million, two years after taking a 48% stake in the developer of DNA sequencing technologies. Agilent shelled out $80 million in March 2016 for its minority stake in Lasergen, which included a two-year “call” option…

Investigators at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and other institutions have just released new data describing how bacteria that reside in the human digestive tract can influence how melanoma responds to immunotherapy, indicating that a probiotic regimen could aid patients receiving an anti-PD-1 immunotherapy for melanoma. Findings…

According to Jose Castro-Perez, Ph.D., director of global markets, Health Sciences with Waters, mass spectrometry today is an underused technology in the clinical lab. But it is one that can play a significant role to help guide early treatment and preventative care, especially diseases that are significantly caused, or influenced,…

Four-year-old genetic testing company Color Genomics has announced its first foray outside the hereditary cancer screening area with the launch of a familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) screening test. FH is an hereditary genetic disorder that manifests in very high levels of cholesterol and elevated levels of LDL—or “bad” cholesterol—in the blood.…

Eleven genetics-focused professional organizations are calling for researchers to use caution in applying CRISPR toward human germline genome editing—but stopped short of calling for a ban—just one day after publication of a landmark study detailing the first-in-the-U.S. use of the technology to repair a germline mutation in human embryos created…

A collaborative group of researchers, led by scientists at City of Hope National Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Broad Institute, and Harvard Medical School addressed in a new study, concerns among health care providers and regulatory agencies regarding direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing. The NIH-funded “Impact of Personal Genomics (PGen)…