http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/biotech/ en-us Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:29:38 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2362463/posts Celebrating Petrobras’ 56th anniversary, CEO José Sergio Gabrielli de Azevedo and the boards of Petrobras and of its subsidiaries held a press conference this Wednesday (10/07) at the company’s main office building, in Rio de Janeiro. snip "We are the world’s only major company that uses most of its production to feed its own refineries, which, in turn, market their products mainly in the domestic market. This characteristic is unique in the world," emphasized the CEO, who highlighted the role the company will play from now on, particularly in the supplier chain. "Petrobras will not only supply oil derivatives, natural... Oil Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2362463/posts#comment Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:29:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2340795/posts Snippets: President Obama's nominee at the Department of Homeland Security overseeing bioterrorism defense has served as a key adviser for a lobbying group funded by the pharmaceutical industry that has asked the government to spend more money for anthrax vaccines and biodefense research. Analysts say the lack of disclosure reflects a potential loophole in the policies for the Obama administration, which has boasted about its efforts to make government more transparent. They also question lobbying laws that allow such a group to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars without the public knowing exactly how much money each of the companies... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2340795/posts#comment Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:53:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2317073/posts SAN FRANCISCO -- The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private philanthropy fund, sold off almost all of its pharmaceutical, biotechnology and health-care investments in the quarter ended June 30, according to a regulatory filing published Friday. The Seattle-based charity endowment, set up by Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates and his wife, sold its total holding of 2.5 million shares in health-care giant Johnson & Johnson in the quarter, according to the filing. wsjmarkets http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2317073/posts#comment Sun, 16 Aug 2009 04:33:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2305091/posts “No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!” —President Ronald Reagan Life Legal Defense Foundation continues to watchdog the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and in doing so found the latest attempt to promulgate embryonic stem cell research by “educating” children. Let us introduce you to Senate Bill 471. Titled “The California Stem Cell and Biotechnology Education and Workforce Development Act of 2009,” the purpose of SB 471 is purportedly to train up a new generation of... California Catholic Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2305091/posts#comment Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:50:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269652/posts KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Where a textile mill once drove the economy of this blue-collar town northeast of Charlotte, an imposing neoclassical complex is rising, filled with fine art, Italian marble and multimillion-dollar laboratory equipment. Three buildings, one topped by a giant dome, form the beginnings of what has been nicknamed the Biopolis, a research campus dedicated to biotechnology. At $500 million and counting, the Biopolis, officially called the North Carolina Research Campus, is a product of a national race to attract the biotechnology industry, a current grail of economic development. Cities like Shreveport, La., and Huntsville, Ala., are also gambling... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269652/posts#comment Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:48:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2249211/posts The Pathway For Biosimilars Act introduced by Eschoo (D-Ca), Inslee ( D-Wa) and Barton(R-Tx) will ensure enough time for companies to recoup their cost of research and development before a generic manufacturer could use the innovators research data. By doing so, companies will have an incentive to continue inventing life saving drugs. Join PRA in supporting H.R. 1548. Property Rights Alliance http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2249211/posts#comment Tue, 12 May 2009 13:48:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2216353/posts (03-26) 13:50 PDT SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO -- Swiss drugmaker Roche said Thursday it completed its acquisition of biotechnology pioneer Genentech Inc. after sweeping up enough shares through a tender offer to gain ownership of more than 93 percent of Genentech's common stock. Roche, which owned 56 percent of the South San Francisco biotechnology leader when it made its first takeover bid in July at $89 a share, eventually reached agreement after months of bargaining with Genentech's board for a friendly takeover at $95 a share. Investors who tendered their shares by Roche's deadline late Wednesday will receive the cash promptly,... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2216353/posts#comment Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:26:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2103115/posts Imagine Africa feeding itself comfortably, instead of being overwhelmed by its own expanding population. Imagine millions of tropical consumers being fed without clearing more forests, thus protecting the wildlife in the very regions where most of the species of the world live and are critically threatened by population pressure. Suddenly, high-yield conservation for the tropics may not be a pipedream. Half of the world's tropic croplands suffer from aluminum toxicity that forces crop plants to shut down their growth. Grains and oilseeds produce meager yields-and scientists haven't even known why. The resulting low yields and food scarcity have stifled the... Right Side News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2103115/posts#comment Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:58:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034211/posts A radical technique for treating diabetes could recruit cells in the gut to make insulin SAN DIEGO — If your pancreas fails you, go with your gut. Inserting a gene into gut cells in mice enabled those cells to take over the pancreas’s job, producing insulin after meals, according to unpublished research announced June 18 in San Diego at the Biotechnology Industry Organization International Convention. The work may offer a novel way to treat diabetes. "This is the first time that we've engineered a tissue that is not the pancreas to manufacture insulin" in animals, says researcher Anthony Cheung, a... Science News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2034211/posts#comment Sat, 21 Jun 2008 04:38:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007150/posts Food: Today's headlines are filled with Americans expressing their fears of food shortages and frustration with spiraling grocery prices. As part of the solution, it's time to give genetically modified crops a try.There's much resistance to overcome, however. In the fall of 2006, Friends of the Earth publicly asked governments in the hungry African countries of Ghana and Sierra Leone to recall American food aid that contained genetically modified rice. Four years earlier, when southern Africa was tormented by famine, the U.S. offered 540,000 tons of genetically modified grain. Though the World Health Organization estimated that nearly 14 million Africans,... IBD http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007150/posts#comment Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:55:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2005820/posts Left: Two rod-shaped, wild type cyanobacteria. Note the conspicuous absence of any cellulose or sugars on the surface of these cells. Right: A genetically altered cyanobacterium that produced highly visible cellulose (marked by cellulase coupled with an electron dense gold marker). Credit: Brown and Nobles, the University of Texas at Austin A newly created microbe produces cellulose that can be turned into ethanol and other biofuels, report scientists from The University of Texas at Austin who say the microbe could provide a significant portion of the nation’s transportation fuel if production can be scaled up. Along with cellulose, the... www.physorg.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2005820/posts#comment Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:27:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995191/posts The Twenty-First Century Challenge to Human Dignity This article is from the October 2006 BreakPoint WorldView magazine. Sign up today to receive the free online edition 10 times a year!In the manifesto on the “Sanctity of Life in a Brave New World” that Chuck Colson and I launched with representative Christian leaders in the spring of 2004, we addressed four key areas for Christian concern at the outset of the “biotech century.” They all converge on one concept: eugenics. Eugenics is the idea that we should weed out the sick and the diseased and favor the strong and healthy.... Breakpoint http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1995191/posts#comment Tue, 1 Apr 2008 23:19:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980823/posts Cholera, 'flu and many more diseases tackled by eating rice A seemingly bizarre experiment in genetically engineering plants has come up with a strain of rice that could make vaccination injections a thing of the past. Researchers working at the University of Tokyo's Institute of Medical Science are working with experts in the fields of drugs, agrobiology and genetics to change the makeup of rice to include cholera proteins. Anti-disease technology When the rice is fed to laboratory mice, it causes them to develop antibodies to cholera in the same way a standard vaccination would work. The implications - if... Tech.co.uk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980823/posts#comment Wed, 5 Mar 2008 18:32:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978300/posts With crop supplies 'dicey,' do we want to roll the dice? By Bruce Freitag With crop supplies 'dicey,’ do we want to roll the dice? Just before giving up his post as interim U.S. agriculture secretary last month, Chuck Conner warned that growing enough corn, soybeans and wheat to meet food, feed and biofuel demands this year is going to be “very dicey.” He thought that we farmers were up to the challenge this year, but many of us are concerned that we will be denied the tools we need for the long run. Renewable fuels are a new challenge.... AG Weekly http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1978300/posts#comment Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:25:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972039/posts Government plans clampdown on vandalism after lobbying from biotech firms Genetically modified crops may be grown in hidden locations in Britain amid fears that anti-GM campaigners are winning the battle over the controversial technology, the Guardian has learned. Officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed they are looking at a range of options to clamp down on vandalism to GM crop trials, after intense lobbying by big crop biotech companies. The firms have warned that trials of GM crops are becoming too expensive to conduct in Britain because of the additional costs of protecting fields... The Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972039/posts#comment Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:57:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1918871/posts SYDNEY, October 30, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a stirring essay on the coming tensions between the secular world and the Catholic Church, Sydney's Cardinal George Pell has outlined threats to the freedom of religion stemming from biotechnology, gay 'rights' and fears of Islamic violence.  The must read piece titled, "Prospects for peace and rumours of war: Religion and democracy in the years ahead," is a serious reflection despite Pell's characteristic use of wit. Beginning on the hopeful note that the Church, despite the desires of certain atheist fanatics, is here to stay; the Cardinal points to trends which have already... LifeSite http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1918871/posts#comment Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:00:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1880070/posts A WORKER has raised concerns about bio-security at the state-owned research complex where the foot and mouth outbreak is believed to have originated. Percy Ravate, a contract worker, was struck down with life-threatening Legionnaires’ disease, which he believes he caught while repairing pipework at the Pirbright complex in Surrey. He said basic health and safety procedures were flouted, he was allowed to roam around laboratories and security measures such as checking visitors were not enforced. [snip] The doors to the labs had swipe cards, but to help the workers they were left open. “They used to leave the doors on... The Sunday Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1880070/posts#comment Sun, 12 Aug 2007 14:03:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1860955/posts The $73.5 billion global biotech business may soon have to grapple with a discovery that calls into question the scientific principles on which it was founded. Last month, a consortium of scientists published findings that challenge the traditional view of the way genes function. The exhaustive, four-year effort was organized by the United States National Human Genome Research Institute and carried out by 35 groups from 80 organizations around the world. To their surprise, researchers found that the human genome might not be a "tidy collection of independent genes" after all, with each sequence of DNA linked to a single... International Harold Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1860955/posts#comment Wed, 4 Jul 2007 22:32:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1854357/posts Alameda, CA (LifeNews.com) -- A leading biotech firm is repeating its claim that it has developed a process that can obtain embryonic stem cells from human embryos without destroying them. The destruction of days-old unborn children has been the main reason why pro-life groups oppose the controversial research. The destruction of life is also President Bush's largest concern and a key factor in his vetoing a bill on Wednesday that would have forced taxpayers to fund the research. Advanced Cell Technology repeated its claims on Thursday that it created a line of human embryonic stem cells without destroying the embryo... LifeNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1854357/posts#comment Fri, 22 Jun 2007 01:21:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1831381/posts I'll just come out and say it. I'm a drug killer. I persuade companies to stop developing uneconomical new medicines. This is part of what my consulting company, Objective Insights, does to help pharmaceutical and biotech companies make good decisions about their business opportunities. Say that a drug company is developing a scientifically exciting new drug for breast cancer. We analyze that drug and tell the company whether it makes economic sense to continue development. In the past, we have suggested that drug companies pull the plug many times. We have helped kill drugs for brain cancer, ovarian cancer, melanoma,... TCS Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1831381/posts#comment Thu, 10 May 2007 16:38:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1817268/posts Anarchists, radical environmentalists and other activists from across the country are gearing up for a “massive week of resistance” in opposition to an international biotechnology conference in Boston next month that likely will mark the largest Hub protests since the 2004 Democratic National Convention. While police resources are already stretched from a spike in street violence, the department is bracing for potentially large-scale protests of the BIO International Convention May 6-9 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The city is in the midst of building a security plan reminiscent of the costly show of force at the DNC. “Obviously,... Boston Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1817268/posts#comment Sat, 14 Apr 2007 14:15:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1804202/posts When Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw founded Biocon India in 1978 with 10,000 rupees (225 US dollars) and an office in a rented car garage, no banker was willing to give her a loan. Back then, no one had heard of biotechnology, which uses micro-organisms such as bacteria or biological substances like enzymes to make drugs and synthetic hormones. Women entrepreneurs were also rare and finding recruits willing to work under a female boss was difficult. Mazumdar-Shaw, hailed in 2004 as India's richest woman with a personal fortune of 21 billion rupees, and Biocon, India's biggest biotech firm with 3,000 employees, have come... The Sydney Morning Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1804202/posts#comment Wed, 21 Mar 2007 10:31:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1800542/posts For a long time now, Americans have been told by the scientists who developed genetically modified (GM) crops and organisms that GM is safe and wonderful. This was done with the blessing of government regulators, such as the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It was alleged that GM crops, such as Bt and Roundup Ready, to use the best known biotech products, are good for biodiversity, increase yields, are resistant to pests, reduce the need for pesticides, are more profitable for the farmers, and less labor intensive. But a close examination of... Epoch Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1800542/posts#comment Wed, 14 Mar 2007 05:37:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1793911/posts Stepping into the middle of a growing debate, a freshman assemblyman has introduced legislation that would make companies developing genetically engineered crops liable for damages if their work results in contamination of other fields. The bill by Assemblyman Jared Huffman also would ban open-field production of genetically engineered crops used in the development of medications. And it would require growers to give county agriculture commissioners at least 30 days notice before engaging in open-field development of other genetically modified plants. Huffman, D-San Rafael, said the measure is needed to protect California farmers against significant losses if their conventional or organic... The Ledger http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1793911/posts#comment Fri, 2 Mar 2007 13:55:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1785703/posts English tabloids are nothing if not colorful, but recently they’ve outdone themselves, splashing images of bizarre genetic mixtures of humans with rabbits and cows across their front pages, derisively dubbed “Franken-bunnies” and “moo-tants” by the headline writers of Fleet Street. The frenzy was triggered by England’s Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, which is pondering the legality of “chimeras,” meaning organisms that carry both human and animal genes. Such creatures may seem like science fiction, but in less spectacular form they’re already common, from cows injected with human stem cells in order to produce a human protein in their milk, which... National Catholic Reporter http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1785703/posts#comment Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:38:16 GMT