(Chapel Hill, N.C.) PharPoint Research, Inc., a leading drug development service provider offering biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies expertise in project management, clinical monitoring, data management and biostatistics services, announces that it is expanding and has relocated their Chapel Hill, NC operations to new office space on Miami Boulevard in Durham, NC in the heart of the Research Triangle Park. (more…)

(Washington, D.C. & Raleigh, N.C.) The 2011 BIO International Convention, one of the most influential global tradeshows for biotechnology, wrapped-up its recent run in Washington, D.C. It boasted an attendance of 15,626, up slightly from 15,322 a year ago and 14,352 in 2009. International competition for developing business opportunities was tough: Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Korea, Belgium, China, Japan, Spain and Australia all sent large delegations to make important connections. The U.S. countered with many states — including North Carolina — hosting centralized pavilions at the event to generate publicity and drive partnering meetings for multiple exhibitors and sponsors. So how did North Carolina fare? (more…)

(Washington, D.C. and Raleigh, N.C.) Campbell Alliance and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) have released preliminary results of the 2011 Dealmakers’ Intentions Survey and the BIO Business Forum Partnering Report. The Campbell Alliance Dealmakers’ Intentions Survey and the BIO Business Forum Partnering Report are the leading forward-looking measures of deal-making activity in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. While there are many quality sources of information that look historically at past deal trends, these data offer a prospective view of the partnering and licensing landscape for the year ahead. (more…)

(Washington, D.C.) Major announcements from North Carolina companies were few and far between at the first full day of exhibits at the BIO International Convention 2011 in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. Foot traffic overall seemed to be down from previous BIO International events, including at the North Carolina pavilion which featured many familiar faces and just a handful of new companies. While no major announcements were coming from the NC pavilion, several other states across the country were pushing hard to drive the spotlight to new and emerging life sciences operations. (more…)

(Raleigh, N.C.) Ajinomoto AminoScience LLC (AAS) announced it is exhibiting at the 22nd American Peptide Symposium, June 25-30 in San Diego, California. The company will be showcasing its AjiPhase™ liquid phase peptide synthesis service at booth #54. The Symposium brings together investigators of varying backgrounds, with the goal of stimulating discussion, and catalyzing multidisciplinary collaborations in order to push the frontiers of peptide science. The theme of this year’s meeting “Building Bridges” symbolizes the important role that peptide science currently plays in so many other disciplines and explores the potential impact peptides can make in scientific fields that have yet to realize the utility of these molecules. (more…)

(Research Triangle Park, N.C.) BioResource International, Inc. (www.briworldwide.com), a North Carolina agricultural biotechnology company, announces today its sponsorship of the North Carolina Pavilion at the 2011 BIO International Convention to be held June 27-30, 2011 in Washington, DC. The convention is the largest global event for the biotechnology industry. Organized by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in conjunction with the North Carolina Department of Commerce, more than 90 companies will be participating as part of the delegation from the state. The pavilion area will be located in tradeshow space # 3519. (more…)

(Washington, D.C.) Industrial biotechnology improves production of building block chemicals used in everyday products, saving energy, lowering costs, and reducing pollution from manufacturing. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today congratulated member companies Genomatica Inc. and BioAmber Inc on receiving Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards. (more…)

(Cary, N.C. and Chicago, Ill.) Facing growing financial, regulatory, and research challenges, the life sciences industry continues to grow its decades-long reliance on SAS, the leader in business analytics, for breakthrough innovation. SAS’ unique data integration and advanced analytics solutions for life sciences have proven crucial for companies coping with data growth, increasingly sophisticated analytical requirements, and the growing need for cross-industry partnerships. (more…)

(Kannapolis, N.C.) The David H. Murdock Research Institute in Kannapolis is buying out a small research group that set up shop there in the summer of 2010 to study the human immune system. The Murdock organization is paying $250,000 in cash and absorbing the non-profit Immune Tolerance Institute’s six employees already working at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis. (more…)

(Washington, D.C.) High-level members of the Obama Administration will gather with leaders from the biopharmaceutical and global health communities at the Partnering for Global Health Forum on June 27 to discuss ways to speed the development of new medical tools — drugs, vaccines and diagnostics — to address the most persistent challenges in global health. Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, will deliver a keynote address on how ground-breaking innovations in biotechnology can save lives in the world’s poorest countries. Leading panelists from around the world will also offer insights on how life-saving products are transformed from ideas in the world’s laboratories to new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for patients in developing countries. Speakers include Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator of USAID, Dr. Regina Rabinovich, Director of the Infectious Diseases Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Dr. Hassan Mshinda, Director General of the Tanzanian Commission for Science and Technology. (more…)

(Washington, D.C.) Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood released the following statement on President Obama’s trip to North Carolina to meet with members of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness: “BIO is honored that the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness has included our member company Biogen Idec in its visit to North Carolina to discuss job creation and economic growth. The biotechnology industry has been an engine for economic development and job creation across the country, especially in North Carolina, which is a national leader in biosciences. (more…)

(Asheville, N.C.) Jonathon Lawrie, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Western Carolina University College of Business’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, has joined the North Carolina Biotechnology Center as executive director of the Western Office. Lawrie is an educator, entrepreneur and scientist whose career has included R&D and management at major pharmaceutical companies as well as the co-founding of several biotechnology companies. (more…)