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Archive for April, 2009

ACRO director speaks his mind

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Had a chance yesterday in Orlando to pick the brain of Doug Peddicord, Ph.D., the executive director of the Association of Clinical Research Organizations. ACRO represents 11 of the worldâ€™s leading CROs, among them Quintiles Transnational, Covance, PPD, Icon Plc., Parexel International, and Kendle. ACRO member companies employ more than ...

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Re-branding, EDC, and swag … oh my!

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Day two at Partnerships with CROs is all but wrapped up. Attendees jumped back and forth between the exhibit hall and some 30 available sessions, ranging in topic from alternative development models to patient safety to globalization and trial complexity. As I head to grab some grub, here are ...

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The race is on for swine flu vaccine

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

With the announcement of the first U.S. death from the swine flu and its spread into Germany, researchers are working hard to make a vaccine. The Associated Press reported that U.S. scientists hope to have a reference strain for the swine flu by May to ship to manufacturers to begin their ...

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CROs converge in Disney

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

Close enough, at least. Orlandoâ€™s Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel, the site of this weekâ€™s 18th Annual Partnerships with CROs conference, is just a wand's throw from Magic Kingdom. I know this, because I see a big roller coaster off in the distance outside my hotel window. Or maybe thatâ€™s part ...

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Researchers take on malaria

Friday, April 24th, 2009

In March I wrote about the fear that the recession may spread infectious disease, including malaria. Fortunately,Â new effort is being put into eradicating that particular disease. Health experts are trying to rid high risk tropical areas, such as Mexico, South Africa, and China of malaria, which they believe will be wiped ...

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Cancer data deluge

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

There have been presentations aplenty at this weekâ€™s American Association for Cancer Research 100th Annual Meeting in Denver. Here is a sampling of a few of them so far, courtesy of my inbox and a fair amount of scouring. Array BioPharma unveiled new findings on several of its cancer candidates, including ...

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Childhood Alzheimer’s hard to fathom

Monday, April 20th, 2009

Iâ€™ve witnessed the ravages of Alzheimerâ€™s disease first-hand; my grandmother, who moved in with my family when I was 13, suffered from the condition in the final years of her long life. With Alzheimer's prevalence growing across the country (see latest figures here), I would venture to guess many of ...

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New trial cuts drug development time

Friday, April 17th, 2009

In an effort to speed up drug development, scientists have come up with the Phase 0 clinical trial. Phase 0 studies would cut down on the cost and lengthy drug development process, providing faster drug delivery to patients. Less patients are also needed in Phase 0 trials, about 10-12, compared ...

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The unstandardized mouse

Friday, April 10th, 2009

Scientists may want to treat their lab rats more as individuals. According toÂ a study, laboratory mice treated as individuals in testing cuts down on inaccurate results, which may result in reduced drug development costs. The practice of limiting environmental variation in laboratory studies increases the chance of faulty results. The study ...

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Going global a necessity

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

Such is the reality for contract research organizations these days if they want to maintain success. Just ask RPS Inc., a self-proclaimed â€œnext generation CROâ€ and provider of integrated clinical research services to the biopharmaceutical industry. In just the last few months, the Pennsylvania-based company, in response to escalating global ...

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