Testing, Testing: Analyst Kevin DeGeeter on Five Good Bets in Cancer Diagnostics
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (11/29/12)
Because margins in diagnostics and life sciences tools tend to decline over time, the industry is all about scale. The goal is either to develop novel products or tests with high profit potential, or to acquire them. Another strategy is to develop economies of scale through consolidation. In this interview with The Life Sciences Report, Kevin DeGeeter, senior analyst and director of healthcare research for Ladenburg Thalmann, has singled out five important companies with exciting business models or products. More >

Personalized Diagnostic Medicine Coming of Age
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (11/29/12)
As little as a decade ago we were all thinking in terms of one blood draw being the be-all and end-all of diagnostics. With the first human genome sequenced, it would only require a panel of genetic, epigenetic, proteomic and small molecule metabolic markers. That was all we needed, we thought. Today it's clear that we got ahead of ourselves. Yes, the search is still on for the right biomarkers, but it’s going to be more about organizing the data and tying it together with history of present and past illness to render more definitive diagnostics. I spoke with Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Director of Health Care Research Kevin DeGeeter about this very topic. More >

As Pharmas Seek Innovation, Biotechs Eye Bigger Stick
Source: Marie Powers, BioWorld  (11/26/12)
"Pharmas have a five- to eight-year period to 'maximize the molecule' by translating their R&D programs into value in the marketplace or risk obsolescence. That's an area where biotechs can potentially enhance the return on investment, particularly in technologies such as therapeutic vaccines, stem cells and tissue replacement." More >

One (Biotech) Ring to Rule Them All
Source: John Mauldin, Investor Insight.com; Patrick Cox, Breakthrough Technology Alert  (11/17/12)
"We are just at the beginning of a biotech revolution that will astound and amaze. Enough said." More >

Analyst Scott Power Finds the Upside in Biotech Down Under
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (11/8/12)
If you're looking for fresh international names in biotech and medtech, but need the comforts of end markets on U.S. soil, the best ideas of RBS Morgans Ltd. Senior Analyst Scott Power might be for you. In this interview with The Life Sciences Report, Australia-based Power makes a case for important life science names with Australian origins and a U.S. presence that could present investors with huge upside. More >

Election Roundup: News from the Healthcare Front
Source: Tracy Salcedo-Chourre of The Life Sciences Report  (11/8/12)
With the reelection of President Barack Obama, the biggest reforms to hit healthcare in nearly a century are positioned to come online. Some provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) have already taken effect, but those remaining are likely to have significant impacts on the business of life science. Whether the reforms bode good or ill for biotech and medtech investors has yet to be seen. We've provided a few beats of the media and blog pulse below, and will keep you informed as developments unfold. More >

10 Top Women in Biotech 2012
Source: Fierce Biotech  (11/8/12)
"Too few female professionals rise to senior executive roles in the biopharma industry, making the accomplishments of these women all the more exceptional." More >

A Capital-Efficient Prescription for New Drugs: Raghuram "Ram" Selvaraju
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report   (11/1/12)
The small biotech companies that have survived the last five years have learned to be lean, mean and efficient with shareholder capital. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, Aegis Capital's Managing Director and Head of Equity Research Raghuram "Ram" Selvaraju discusses companies that have mitigated risk by giving new life and higher margins to products previously relegated to the dustbin of commoditized generics. He also highlights some very new and exciting developments in the realm of stem cell technologies and monoclonal antibodies that engage never-before-targeted molecules. More >

Our Next President and Healthcare Policy
Source: BioSpace, Karl Thiel  (10/30/12)
"Both candidates paint this as a vitally important election between leaders with starkly different views of policy and governing. So if the fate of the life sciences potentially hangs in the balance, what are we likely to see in the months ahead?" More >

The Age of Personalized Medicine Is Near
Source: Chris Wood, Casey Research  (10/29/12)
"Biomarkers have the potential to accelerate product development and cut costs because they can help identify those drug candidates that are likely to fail sooner, and can predict drug efficacy faster than conventional clinical endpoints—giving life to the concept of 'fail early, fail cheap.'" More >

Adult Stem Cells: Cashing in on the New Fountain of Youth
Source: Michael Robinson, Money Morning  (10/22/12)
"I believe we are not far from the day when we could all live to 100. . .and, more to the point, enjoy it." More >

Q3 Biotech Venture Investing Makes a Boisterous Leap
Source: FierceBiotech, John Carroll  (10/19/12)
"Using the figures provided by Thomson Reuters, the quarterly report concluded that total life sciences venture deals topped $1.7B in 181 deals in the third quarter—a bit more than a quarter of all investments tracked during the period." More >

Personalized Genomic Medicine: How Much Can It Really Empower Patients?
Source: ScienceDaily  (10/15/12)
"Genomic medicine's stakeholders—including direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies, private research centers, and the National Institutes of Health—are deeply invested in promoting how this information will benefit patients." More >

3-D Printing Has Now Reached Critical Mass
Source: Michael Robinson, Money Morning  (10/8/12)
"The U.S. remains the clear leader in 3-D printing. The technology will help everyone live longer and healthier lives, and it will transform manufacturing as it brings jobs back to the U.S." More >

Silk-Based Electronics Dissolve on Cue for Vanishing Medical Implants
Source: Scientific American, Katherine Harmon  (9/27/12)
"A flexible device that is just nanometers thick can fight post-surgical infections or even capture images—until its work is done, when it vanishes." More >

Three New Findings Change Our View of the Brain
Source: Michael Robinson, Era of Radical Change   (9/21/12)
"By solving the brain puzzle, we will rid mankind of many cruel diseases while making our physical world smarter and more in tune with the way our minds work." More >

'Cyborg' Tissue Blurs the Line Between Man and Machine
Source: Michael Robinson, Money Morning  (9/17/12)
"We're getting very close to the day in which we augment robots with 'smart' human tissue. We'll grow tissue in labs and equip it with onboard electronics made possible by nanotech circuits." More >

Fact-Checkers Find Few Flaws in Clinton's Healthcare Claims
Source: The Hill, Sam Baker  (9/6/12)
"Self-proclaimed fact-checkers have drawn plenty of criticism from both parties, as well as neutral observers, and many individual assessments of 'fact' are highly debatable. In the aggregate, though, the fact-checkers haven't found much to complain about in Clinton's healthcare comments." More >

Medtech Deals Buoyed by Cost Pressures, Device Tax
Source: Reuters, Debra Sherman and Soyoung Kim  (9/5/12)
"Medical device mergers look poised to take off in 2013 as the industry compensates for shrinking reimbursements, a new U.S. tax and executive shake-ups at its biggest companies." More >

Four Important Biotech Stocks Targeting Unmet Needs
Source: George S. Mack, The Life Sciences Report  (9/1/12)
Biotech rallies need catalysts to be sustained. Market moving events include drug approvals, such as a couple of obesity products from Vivus Inc. and Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc., as well as a product to help control serum lipids from Amarin Corp. Plc (AMRN:NASDAQ). But the major diagnostic feature of a market that might be putting it all together is merger and acquisition (M&A) activity. The theory is that if fully integrated, major drug developers want products and platforms. You can bet they've done their due diligence and that market conditions are nearly perfect. Even retail investors begin to pay attention. More >

Analyst Bets on Extraordinary Science and Clinical Data: Greg Wade
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (8/30/12)
Managing Director Greg Wade of Wedbush Securities doesn't use a cookie-cutter approach to picking biotechnology stocks. He directs investors to companies with strong science, well-executed clinical studies and data that point toward future success. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, Wade shares his favorite names and the compelling stories behind each company. More >

Gemoscan Sets Aggressive Expansion Plan
Source: BioTuesdays, Leonard Zehr  (8/28/12)
"The company is planning expansion in the U.S., Europe, Asia and India, with a growth objective of 10,000 locations by 2014." More >

Russian Biotechs Emerging from Behind Iron Curtain with Innovation
Source: Michael Harris, BioWorld  (8/24/12)
"A handful of strong, yet relatively new, Russian biopharma companies, led by R-Pharm and Pharmstandard, are poised to exploit Russia's BRIC status as a premier emerging drug market as they expand their ranges, hoping to conquer the international biotech market." More >

Fearing Anchors Away After M&A
Source: Alex Philippidis, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News  (8/24/12)
"Big pharma's growing M&A appetite threatens to give two of the nation's largest biotech clusters heartburn over the next few months, as they await the future of homegrown 'anchor' companies recently acquired by some of the world's largest drug developers." More >

Top 10 Pharma Firms
Source: Alex Philippidis, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News  (8/21/12)
"Companies earned a spot in the top 10 based on market cap at the end of Q2/12 and Q2/11." More >