January 2008

Cephalon: Twenty Years of Building a Life Sciences Enterprise In 1987, a young researcher decided to seize the opportunity to build on the promise of molecular biology that had helped to create a critical mass of companies in the biotech arena. At that time, research into central nervous system disorders was in its infancy and Cephalon founder, scientist and CEO, Frank Baldino, Jr. PhD envisioned creating a different kind of company that would be a hybri

Introduction from Regional CEOs Dear Readers: As the CEOs of leading life science companies located in Greater Philadelphia, we are proud to be a part of this publication that showcases the rapidly growing life sciences industry in our region. The Greater Philadelphia region, which encompasses 11 counties in three states - southern New Jersey, southeastern Pennsylvania, and northern Delaware - is home to an unparalleled combination of resources supporting biopharmaceutic

Introduction from James C. Greenwood Dear Readers: As the president and CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), it is my privilege to represent an industry that is saving and improving the lives, health, and well-being of billions of people around the world. Innovative biotechnology products are transforming the fight against disease, hunger, and pollution. I am proud to be associated with the dedicated men and women who make up the biotechnology industr

COOL CONNECTIONS "Somehow, suddenly, Philadelphia got cool." This quote comes from a travel magazine but it applies equally well to the life sciences in Greater Philadelphia. The city has been transformed "to a place teeming with stellar restaurants, comfortable cafes, world-class museums and some stunning architecture." Likewise, the region has an abundance of top-drawer academic institutions, a heavyweight pharma presence, a developing biotech base, and an impre

Drexel University: Basic Research, Inspired by Use Drexel University is a comprehensive national research institution in Philadelphia that has grown substantially in the past 10 years. In 2004, the Drexel University College of Medicine (formerly MCP Hahnemann College of Medicine) was consolidated into Drexel University, and in 2006 the Drexel University College of Law was established. During this period, Drexel experienced significant growth in its research enter

Did you know? ARTICLE EXTRAS A Region Defined A Rich Life Science Cluster Greater Philadelphia's Big Pharmas A Robust Support Infrastructure Barbara Schilberg: Champion for the region Bridging the Gap Brenda Gavin: Making a venture capitalist Investment Momentum Building Update Those Resumes Creating Roots Ramping Up Tech Transfer

Covance: The Friendly Giant By Kathryn Ward Louis Gutierrez ARTICLE EXTRAS A Region Defined A Robust Support Infrastructure The infrastructure ECRI Laureate Pharma Quest Pharmaceutical Immunicon Fox Chase Cancer Center Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Coriell Paragon Chemical InstaMed Covance is a goliath of a company, both in the Greater Philadelphia region and worldwide. Headquartered in Princeton, NJ, and with an office in

InstaMed: Streamlining Healthcare Payments By Kathryn Ward ARTICLE EXTRAS A Region Defined A Robust Support Infrastructure The infrastructure ECRI Laureate Pharma Quest Pharmaceutical Immunicon Fox Chase Cancer Center Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Covance Coriell Paragon Chemical Some of the most complex issues in healthcare today involve healthcare payments, and Philadelphia’s InstaMed is working to address these issues.

Paragon Chemical: A China Connection By Kathryn Ward Fereydon Abdesaken ARTICLE EXTRAS A Region Defined A Robust Support Infrastructure The infrastructure ECRI Laureate Pharma Quest Pharmaceutical Immunicon Fox Chase Cancer Center Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Covance Coriell InstaMed “Paragon” means “a model of excellence,” and Paragon Chemical Technologies, located just north of Philadelphia in Horsh

A Robust Support Infrastructure By Kathryn Ward An impressive group of companies service the life sciences in the Greater Philadelphia region. This infrastructure "is another essential ingredient of the region's life sciences sector," according to The Milken Institute. The region's support infrastructure is ranked second in the nation. If employment figures are any indication, (growing from 310,200 in 2003 to 327,000 in 2004), this support, which undergirds the region's

Laureate Pharma: A Company on the Rise By Kathryn Ward Michiel Ultee ARTICLE EXTRAS A Region Defined A Robust Support Infrastructure The infrastructure ECRI Quest Pharmaceutical Immunicon Fox Chase Cancer Center Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Covance Coriell Paragon Chemical InstaMed In January 2007, Laureate Pharma announced record growth for 2006, with 14 new agreements signed and a business backlog increase of more than 240

Quest Pharmaceutical: A Global CRO By Kathryn Ward ARTICLE EXTRAS A Region Defined A Robust Support Infrastructure The infrastructure ECRI Laureate Pharma Immunicon Fox Chase Cancer Center Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Covance Coriell Paragon Chemical InstaMed T. Ben Hsu Quest Pharmaceutical Services is in pursuit of excellence. This contract research organization (CRO) - a provider of bioanalytical services for pharm

Barbara Schilberg By Anne Harding A champion for the region DUSTIN FENSTERMACHER / WONDERFUL MACHINE RELATED ARTICLES A Region Defined Did You Know? A Rich Life Science Cluster Greater Philadelphia's Big Pharmas A Robust Support Infrastructure Bridging the Gap Brenda Gavin: Making a venture capitalist Investment Momentum Building Update Those Resumes Creating Roots Ramping Up Tech Transfer When Barbara Schilberg was wrapping up her

The Skinny Fat FRANKLYN RODGERS / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY All Fat Cell images courtesy of Patrick Seale What if you could make fat cells burn energy rather than store it? By Bruce Spiegelman Related Articles Energy-burning baby fat Two paths for a preadipocyte From an outsider's perspective, obesity seems like a simple problem to solve: Eat less, exercise more. But, the body regulates food intake and feelings of satiety as part of a tightly regulated home

Energy burning baby fat Related Articles The skinny fat Two paths for a preadipocyte Click here or on the image to launch the flash infographic.

Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania By Mike May ARTICLE EXTRAS A Region Defined Bridging the Gap First State Innovation Keystone Innovation Zones NJIT's Enterprise Development Center Rowan University's CIE The Science Center In 2004 Charles Picardi attended a biomedical conference arranged by Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/SEP) in Philadelphia. As the chief tec

Bridging the Gap By Mike May Getting technology out of a lab - or even a scientist's mind - and on the market takes a wide range of resources, from a productive business plan and management team to office space and funding. In the Greater Philadelphia region, a variety of groups and organizations aim specifically at helping beginning entrepreneurs to bridge this gap. The following pages detail just a few of these firms. A Region Defined Bridging the Gap Be

First State Innovation By Mike May ARTICLE EXTRAS A Region Defined Bridging the Gap Ben Franklin Technology Partners Keystone Innovation Zones NJIT's Enterprise Development Center Rowan University's CIE The Science Center Although well-known companies such as DuPont and AstraZeneca call Delaware their home, the state has lacked a reputation as a high-tech area. Consequently, Delaware has not always attracted new life science companies. "It s

Keystone Innovation Zones By Mike May ARTICLE EXTRAS A Region Defined Bridging the Gap Ben Franklin Technology Partners First State Innovation NJIT's Enterprise Development Center Rowan University's CIE The Science Center Innovation comes from more than flashes of insight. A few years ago, Denise Polacek began experiencing hot flashes, which sparked the birth of an innovative solution for this widely encountered problem. "Far fewer women ar

Climate change and the biosphere © Momatiuk - Eastcott / Corbis From corals to human disease, scientists watching the effects of global warming are convinced: It's time to act. By F. Stuart Chapin Related Articles: 1 Global warming spells danger for Earth's biomes, which in turn play an important role in climate change. On the following pages, you will read about some of the specific changes, from fruit flies to microbes, that scientists have observed. The ef

1 The career ladders document the types and levels of positions in each job family - discovery research, clinical development, regulatory, quality, product/process development, manufacturing, and facilities - a supervisory pathway, required education and experience, and a typical salary range. Cassie also recommends getting about six to 10 years of Big Pharma experience before moving to a smaller company, "or else you won't bring much to the party. A scientist coming from Merck will bring d

A Sensitive Reaction Global warming could speed up decomposition, but how much might decomposition speed up global warming? By Kerry Grens 1 "In a sense there's some kind of natural break in the system that would bring this positive feedback to a halt," says Jerry Melillo at the Marine Biological Laboratory. For example, in a 10-year study Melillo led in the Harvard Forest, the response to warming, as measured in carbon flux, jumped an average of 28% in each of the firs

Shielding from the Storm Courtesy of Russ Hopcroft Scientists search for genes that help calcifying organisms weather the effects of climate change. By Alla Katsnelson The pteropod Limacina helicina, sometimes referred to as a sea butterfly, has a translucent shell and a pair of swimming wings called parapodia, and is plentiful in polar seas. Climate change focus Climate change and the biosphere A sensitive reaction Modeling with model organisms Compromis

1 Getting students to the region is not so much the issue as is keeping them here after graduation. To that end, the region's academic institutions are taking steps to counter any trend of brain drain. The partnership, Campus Philly, seeks to match students with local employment opportunities and maintains Careerphilly.com, where students can find information on jobs and internships in the region. "We work with the Life Science Career Alliance (a local organization that promotes workforce

Modeling with model organisms Eye of Science / Photo Researchers, Inc Fruit fly genetics may help us understand how organisms can - or can't - adapt to climate change. By Andrea Gawrylewski Related Articles: 1 Hoffman's team reported that on the East Coast of Australia, the classical latitudinal genetic clines of Drosophila have shifted over the past 20 years an equivalent of 4 degrees latitude (some 400 km), which means that genetic clines are now found in f

Compromising Coral Immunity Increasing oceanic temperatures are driving epidemics of coral disease. By Edyta Zielinska Related Articles: Climate change focus Climate change and the biosphere A sensitive reaction Shielding from the storm Modeling with model organisms Compromising coral immunity Slideshow: Climate change and corals The hole is disease modeling Hot Papers: Climate change and frog deaths In the summer of 1983, hundreds of square meters of grac

1 The report, conceived by the venture capital working group of the region's CEO Council for Growth, compares the Greater Philadelphia area to peer regions with strong life science industries and suggests strategies for advancing the region's commercialization potential. With so many excellent universities and research institutes in the area, more innovations should be ending up in the hands of entrepreneurs who can develop them into products, the report finds. In response, business leader

Rutgers University - Camden: Anchoring Bioscience Research in Camden and the Delaware Valley The early home of recorded sound and the birthplace of technological innovations that changed the world, the City of Camden is establishing a new role for itself as a thriving center for the biosciences in the metro Philadelphia region and the State of New Jersey. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, anchors that growing reputation. Respected internationally for

Collaboration Brings Research Breakthroughs Lisa Staiano-Coico, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs At Temple University, interdisciplinary collaboration plays a vital role in the success of research programs. Seventeen schools and colleges, along with specialized research centers and institutes, make Temple an excellent place for investigators to exchange ideas, assist one another in the design of joint projects, and benefit from the existen

Mark Tykocinski By Karen Pallarito Open doors lead a scientist to his calling. RELATED ARTICLES Successful Strategies Margaret Foti: Devoted to cancer research The Launch and the Exit Entrepreneurs Boldly Break New Ground Shire Pharmaceuticals: A Study in Exponential Growth Many Happy Returns: Cephalon celebrates its 20th year Creative Collaboration DUSTIN FENSTERMACHER / WONDERFUL MACHINE In the summer of 1971, Yale undergraduate Mar

Many Happy Returns By Charles Q. Choi Cephalon marks its 20th year RELATED ARTICLES Successful Strategies Margaret Foti: Devoted to cancer research The Launch and the Exit Entrepreneurs Boldly Break New Ground Mark Tykocinski: Open doors lead a scientist to his calling Shire Pharmaceuticals: A Study in Exponential Growth Creative Collaboration Cephalon, the leading independent biotechnology firm in Pennsylvania and the Greater Philadelphia region

Creative Collaboration By Clare Kittredge Teaming up to move science forward. RELATED ARTICLES Successful Strategies Margaret Foti: Devoted to cancer research The Launch and the Exit Entrepreneurs Boldly Break New Ground Mark Tykocinski: Open doors lead a scientist to his calling Shire Pharmaceuticals: A Study in Exponential Growth Many Happy Returns: Cephalon celebrates its 20th year THE CHOP - WISTAR INSTITUTE - MERCK PARTNERSHIP In 1

Innovative Technology All three states in the Greater Philadelphia region - Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware - are homes to institutions and companies performing outstanding R&D. This section contains a sampling of some of the science in area pipelines and the people behind the bench. Innovative Technology Daniel Skovronsky: Scientist and leader Turning Tobacco into Therapies Biofuel: The Potential Magic Bullet Britton Chance: Still searching

Daniel Skovronsky By Anne Harding A physician-scientist and business leader. RELATED ARTICLES Innovative Technology Turning Tobacco into Therapies Biofuel: The Potential Magic Bullet Britton Chance: Still searching for answers Art Caplan: Penn's renowned ethicist Technology Roundup DUSTIN FENSTERMACHER / WONDERFUL MACHINE Imagine spotting the pathology of a disease - say, the amyloid plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's or the death of pan

Turning Tobacco into Therapies By Jeffrey M. Perkel RELATED ARTICLES Innovative Technology Daniel Skovronsky: Scientist and leader Biofuel: The Potential Magic Bullet Britton Chance: Still searching for answers Art Caplan: Penn's renowned ethicist Technology Roundup The Delaware Technology Park in Newark just may be the site of the next revolution. There, in a two-story building aptly named "9 Innovation Way," the Fraunhofer USA Center for Mo

Magnets in Medicine By Jack Lucentini ARTICLE EXTRAS Innovative Technology Technology Roundup Greater Philadelphia Innovation --> Bristol Myers-Squibb Rutgers-Camden Institute Temple University Absorption Systems University of Pennsylvania Tengion Kimmel Cancer Center Orphagenix BioNanomatrix The technique of treating sick people with magnets might not seem ripe for Food and Drug Administration approval, given that its m

Testing Transporters By Jack Lucentini ARTICLE EXTRAS Innovative Technology Technology Roundup Greater Philadelphia Innovation --> Bristol Myers-Squibb Rutgers-Camden Institute Neuronetics Temple University University of Pennsylvania Tengion Kimmel Cancer Center Orphagenix BioNanomatrix FDA expectations for preclinical drug testing as part of new drug applications are growing. That promises good business for Exton, Pa.-b

Building a Better Bladder By Jack Lucentini ARTICLE EXTRAS Innovative Technology Technology Roundup Greater Philadelphia Innovation --> Bristol Myers-Squibb Rutgers-Camden Institute Neuronetics Temple University Absorption Systems University of Pennsylvania Kimmel Cancer Center Orphagenix BioNanomatrix When children with the spine malformation, spina bifida, develop a serious bladder failure, they have one, somewhat unsa

Drano for the Arteries By Jack Lucentini ARTICLE EXTRAS Innovative Technology Technology Roundup Greater Philadelphia Innovation --> Bristol Myers-Squibb Rutgers-Camden Institute Neuronetics Temple University Absorption Systems Tengion Kimmel Cancer Center Orphagenix BioNanomatrix If it works as hoped, it could be the next blockbuster drug: one that shrinks artery-clogging atherosclerotic plaque, the leading cause of the

Credit: Dirk Goldhahn" /> Credit: Dirk Goldhahn CLIMATE AND BIOLOGY >> In this issue, we explore the ways that climate change might be having an impact on the biosphere. Read about ways to mitigate the consequences of global warming in the latest report, published this month, from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. To order, click here. HEART HEALING >> Last year, Doug Bergman enrolled in a clinical trial testing whether stem cells could repair

In case you didn't realize it, biology is built on an oral tradition.

Biologists agree that amphibian populations are undergoing massive extinctions - they just can't agree on why.

Credit: Kenneth Eward / Photo Researchers, Inc" /> Credit: Kenneth Eward / Photo Researchers, Inc The paper: S. Shenoy et al., "β-Arrestin-dependent, G protein-independent ERK1/2 activation by the β2 adrenergic receptor," J Biol Chem, 281:1261-73, 2006. (Cited in 50 papers) The finding: In 2005, while screening for G protein-independent arrestin signaling on the widely studied ERK pathway, Robert Lefkowitz's group at Duke University

Credit: Courtesy of Fawzi Razem" /> Credit: Courtesy of Fawzi Razem The paper: F.A. Razem et al., "The RNA-binding protein FCA is an abscisic acid receptor," Nature, 439:290-4, 2006. (Cited in 82 papers) The finding: Scientists searched for the receptor for abscisic acid hormone in plants for almost 45 years until Robert Hill at the University of Manitoba and colleagues used antibodies to find it. They identified a candidate protein called

Credit: Left: David Hall / Photo Researchers, Inc" /> Credit: Left: David Hall / Photo Researchers, Inc The paper: F. Delsuc et al., "Tunicates and not cephalochordates are the closest living relatives of vertebrates," Nature, 439:965-8, 2006. (Cited in 116 papers) The finding: Using a data set of 146 nuclear genes, including tunicate data from the Oikopleura dioica genome project, Frédéric Delsuc and his colleagues from the Univers

Helicos' Bill Efcavitch is confident that he can produce a machine that can sequence a genome for $1,000 in ten days. It hasn't been an easy road.

Why aren't there many women in the top spots in academia?

An histology slide of US President Ulysses Grant's squamous cell carcinoma from 1885. Credit: Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP, Photo: © Jason Varney | Varneyphoto.com" />An histology slide of US President Ulysses Grant's squamous cell carcinoma from 1885. Credit: Otis Historical Archives, National Museum of Health and Medicine, AFIP, Photo: © Jason Varney | Varneyphoto.com In 1885, pathologist George Elliott was looking through his micr