Abraxis makes seal for USC biomarkers: company can develop and market anti-cancer technology.LAST week's agreement granting Abraxis BioScience Inc. exclusive development and commercialization rights to a portfolio of cancer biomarkers developed at the University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission marks a significant milestone for both institutions. A biomarker biomarker /bio·mark·er/ (bi´o-mahr?ker) 1. a biological molecule used as a marker for a substance or process of interest. 2. tumor marker. bi·o·mark·er n. 1. is a substance whose detection can indicate a possible disease, and access to the intellectual property enables Los Angeles-based Abraxis to delve more deeply into the still experimental realm of personalized medicine  The external links in this article or section may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies. .
That's a treatment approach in which doctors can more accurately predict which drugs may work best on a patient, based on the individual's unique genetic makeup. Personalized medicine is a special interest of Abraxis Chief Executive Patrick Soon-Shiong, a surgeon and former UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX researcher. His own research led to the formation of two companies in the mid-1990s that last year merged to create Abraxis, maker of the cancer drug Abraxane. "Part of our program is identifying scientists and technologies that not only can help us develop new drugs but also use existing ones better," Soon-Shiong said. In January, Soon-Shiong donated $35 million to Santa Monica's St. John's Health Center. A portion of the gift is earmarked to create a translational sciences Translational science is scientific research that is motivated by the need for practical applications that help people. The term is used mostly in the health sciences and refers to things like the discovery of new drugs that directly help improve human health. center that may one day give patients early access to cutting-edge genetic medicine. Meanwhile, the USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. agreement--terms of which were not disclosed--marks the first significant announced deal since the private university's technology transfer activities were expanded in March with formation of the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation. The institute goes beyond the usual patent licensing to link innovative faculty members with potential investors to commercialize their research. A team led by Dr. Heinz-Joseph Lenz, a colorectal cancer colorectal cancer Malignant tumour of the large intestine (colon) or rectum. Risk factors include age (after age 50), family history of colorectal cancer, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, benign polyps, physical inactivity, and a diet high in fat. researcher at Norris Cancer Center, has been working on the genetic cancer biomarker project for ,several years. While the biomarkers Abraxis obtained focus on colorectal cancer, the research also can help develop biomarkers for other cancers. "The challenge has been to keep up with all the new drugs that are now used to create (treatment) cocktails," said Lenz, who also is an associate professor of medicine at the Keck v. i. 1. To heave or to retch, as in an effort to vomit. [ imp. & p. p. os> r>; p. pr. & vb. n. os> n. 1. An effort to vomit; queasiness. School of Medicine. "That's why it becomes so important to know which are most likely to work and create the least toxicity." Staff Reporter Deborah Crowe can be reached at (323) 549-5225, ext. 232, or at dcrowe@labusinessjournal.com. |
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