NEWS
BioFocus and Ono Pharmaceutical in CNS drug discovery collaboration BioFocus and Ono
People on the Move
AstraZeneca appoints new CEO
Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd have signed a new collaboration agreement focused on discovering novel drugs in the field of CNS disorders. Under this agreement, BioFocus will use its drug discovery platform to deliver leads and clinical candidates for
Ono.This is BioFocus’ first drug discovery programme with Ono. BioFocus provides integrated drug discovery that delivers preclinical drug candidates in all
therapeutic areas with strong capability in neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory diseases and with a growing track record of delivering candidates against rare and neglected diseases. The company is a subsidiary of Galapagos NV, a mid-size clinical-stage biotechnology company specialised in the discovery and development of small-molecule and antibody therapies with novel modes of action. Ono has been engaged in
drug discovery research based on the application of a range of technologies in the fields of bioactive lipid agonists and enzyme inhibitors such as proteases and kinases. Modulators of membrane transport systems such as ion channels and transporters are also areas of focus for the company based on its expertise in neuroscience, its gene assets and its knowledge of drug discovery targets.
Umicore launches next-generation platinum hydrosilylation catalysts
AstraZeneca has appointed Pascal Soriot as the company’s new chief executive officer. He will take on his new responsibilities and join the AstraZeneca PLC Board as an executive director on October 1 of this year. Simon Lowth will remain as AstraZeneca’s interim chief executive officer until that date At that point, Simon Lowth will resume his responsibilities as chief financial officer and will continue to serve as an executive director on the Board. A French national, 53-year- old Soriot joins AstraZeneca from Roche AG where he has served as COO of the company’s pharmaceuticals division since 2010. Prior to that he was CEO of Genentech, and led the merger between Genentech and Roche. He started his pharmaceutical industry career in 1986 and has worked in senior management roles in the USA, Asia and Europe. He holds an MBA with a major in finance from HEC Paris.
In conjunction with its worldwide licence agreement with Bluestar Silicones France, Umicore is now offering advanced platinum N- heterocyclic carbene catalysts, thus expanding the range of hydrosilylation applications for both the silicone and fine chemical industries. Based on the inventions of Professor István Markó’s group at the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve and of Sébastien Stérin at Bluestar Silicones, the new
New senior scientist at RSSL
Steve Alley has recently joined RSSL as a senior scientist working in the team that provides early-phase method development and method validation services. He joins from Exova (previously known as
catalysts are exclusively licensed from Bluestar Silicones. Combined with Umicore’s proprietary IP, this new type of catalyst offers advantages over conventional hydrosilylation catalysts in terms of selectivity, activity and productivity. Due to the stabilising effect of the strongly binding N-heterocyclic carbene ligand, formation of platinum colloids is avoided and formation of by-products via isomerisation or hydrogenation is
Prova) where he spent 12 years. After joining Prova as a new graduate in the role of analytical chemist, he had various roles up to his most recent as analytical manager. RSSL sees early-phase analytical method development for NCEs as a key service area for its clients, offering the derivation
A rookie at Pharma ChemOutsourcing
Linda Hugl from ChemOvation, a UK-based chemistry services provider, attended her first Pharma ChemOutsourcing conference in Long Branch, New Jersey, USA last week and reports on her experience: “The conference was recommended by one of our customers and instead of meeting just that one customer, I was able to meet many more potential customers. It was an exciting mix of discussions about chemistry in the pharmaceutical industry that involved many
14 sp2 Inter-Active September/October 2012
senior figures in big pharma and smaller biotechs as well as service providers. Of course it was the drug discovery aspect that was most interesting to me, and the various panels tackled (but not necessarily answered!) questions about the factors considered when choosing outsourcing partners; the importance of location (or not); whether size matters; integrated services or stand-alone expertise; how to share the risk with the outsourcing partner (!) and more. “There was also a huge
suppressed. The new (NHC)Pt(vs) catalysts
complement the existing portfolio of (NHC)Pd complexes (the Umicore CX series) and (NHC)Ru complexes (the Umicore M series). The new catalysts are Umicore HS425 (IPr)Pt(vs) and Umicore HS427 (ICy)Pt(vs). Additional technical information can be obtained from the technical datasheets which are available online at
www.chemistry.umicore.com
of robust stability indicating HPLC methods coupled with the latest column technologies to provide a platform for subsequent stability and release testing of API and drug products. He holds a BSc (Hons) Degree in Pharmaceutical Science from Kingston University, UK.
presence from the various service providers with their large booths and multitude of freebies and it was interesting to talk with them but more importantly I was able to talk to potential customers too.
“Despite the glorious weather and the beach being on the doorstop I easily managed to focus on the job in hand and am looking forward to next year!” For more details of Linda’s experience at Pharma ChemOutsourcing, you can read the whole story in the November/December issue of sp2 Inter-Active.
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