Daily Archives: August 26, 2020

Combined Company Positioned to Offer Best-in-Class and Innovative Drug Discovery Solutions

RUTHERFORD, NJ and MAPLE GROVE, MN, Aug. 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cancer Genetics, Inc. (the Company) (Nasdaq: CGIX), and StemoniX, Inc., today announced the entry into a definitive merger agreement. Cancer Genetics is a leader in drug discovery and preclinical oncology and immuno-oncology services. StemoniX, a privatecompany, isa leader in developing high-throughput disease-specifichuman organoid platforms integrated withleading-edge data science technologies. Under the terms of the merger agreement, StemoniX will merge with a newly formed subsidiary of Cancer Genetics in an all-equity transaction. Upon shareholder approval, the combined company expects to remain listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. StemoniX will retain its name and become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cancer Genetics.

The transaction will position the combined company to harness the synergies between two critical modalities of drug discovery and development - advanced animal models and relevant human high-throughput organoid platforms. The resulting integration of scientific and technology-based expertise, skilled management teams, and ability to offer customers an end-to-end platform will de-risk and accelerate development of preclinical and clinical pipelines for biopharma partners as well as for the proprietary pipeline of the combined company. In combination, Cancer Genetics and StemoniX currently enjoy partnerships and R&D relationships with dozens of global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

"The process of discovering and developing a new drug candidate takes years and comes with a price tag of hundreds of millions - or even billions - of dollars. However, we are at unique time in the drug discovery industry as the convergence of technological innovations in both biology and software will transform conventional workflows in time and accuracy. To convert the time-consuming and labor-intensive process of developing a drug for market, we now look to supplement traditional discovery and drug approval mechanisms to include humanized cell-based assays with artificial intelligence (AI) along with our core vivoPharm business. Given that our strategy and approach are strongly aligned with those of StemoniX, we are pleased to have moved forward with this proposed transaction," stated Jay Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of Cancer Genetics.

The pharma industry and society are at a critical pivot point. Viral pandemics and diseases lacking treatments require a new way of innovation. The proposed merger expects to expand our ability to engage with a larger audience of potential partners and expand our internal capabilities as we deliver on our mission to rapidly discover the safest and most effective therapeutics on behalf of our partners and our shareholders. The mission will stay consistent - allow scientists to quickly and economically conduct high-throughput toxicity and drug development studies in ready-to-assay plates containing functional microOrgans, stated Ping Yeh, Chief Executive Officer of StemoniX.

ABOUT THE TRANSACTION

Pursuant to the merger agreement, Cancer Genetics will acquire all of the outstanding capital stock of StemoniX in exchange for a number of shares of its common stock which will represent approximately 78% of the outstanding common stock of Cancer Genetics, subject to certain adjustments and prior to the effects of the financing referred to below, with the current equity holders of Cancer Genetics retaining 22% of the common stock immediately following the consummation of the merger.

The Boards of Directors of both companies have approved the proposed merger, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020, subject to the approval of the shareholders of both Cancer Genetics and StemoniX, financing and other customary closing conditions.

H.C. Wainwright & Co. is acting as financial advisors to the Board of Directors of Cancer Genetics, and Lowenstein Sandler is acting as its legal counsel. Northland Securities, Inc. is acting as financial advisor to the Board of Directors of StemoniX and Taft, Stettinius & Hollister is acting as its legal counsel.

ABOUT CANCER GENETICS

Through its vivoPharm subsidiary, Cancer Genetics offers proprietary preclinical test systems supporting clinical diagnostic offerings at early stages, valued by the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology companies and academic research centers. The Company is focused on precision and translational medicine to drive drug discovery and novel therapies. vivoPharm specializes in conducting studies tailored to guide drug development, starting from compound libraries and ending with a comprehensive set of in vitro and in vivo data and reports, as needed for Investigational New Drug filings. vivoPharm operates in The Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) accredited and GLP compliant audited facilities. For more information, please visit http://www.cancergenetics.com.

ABOUT STEMONIX, INC.

StemoniX is empowering the discovery of new medicines through the convergence of novel human biology and software technologies. StemoniX develops and manufactures high-density, at-scale human induced pluripotent stem (iPSC) cell-derived neural and cardiac screening platforms for drug discovery and development. Predictive, accurate, and consistent, these human models enable scientists to quickly and economically conduct research with improved outcomes in a simplified workflow. Through collaborations with drug discovery organizations, StemoniX tests compounds in-house, creates new cell-based disease models, and operationalizes custom human iPSC disease models at large scale for high-throughput screening. With leading-edge iPSC technologies and data science, StemoniX is helping global institutions bring the most promising medicines to patients. To learn more about how StemoniX products and services are accelerating discoveries, please visit http://www.StemoniX.com.

For more information, please visit or follow CGI at:

http://www.cancergenetics.com

Twitter: @Cancer_Genetics

And StemoniX at:

http://www.StemoniX.com

Forward Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements pertaining to Cancer Genetics Inc.s expectations regarding satisfaction of closing conditions, consummation of the merger, future financial and/or operating results, and potential for our services, future revenues or growth in this press release constitute forward-looking statements.

Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to, statements that contain words such as will, believes, plans, anticipates, expects, estimates) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in our ability to satisfy all closing conditions to the merger, our attempts to adapt to the global coronavirus pandemic, achieve profitability by increasing sales of our pre-clinical services, maintain our existing customer base and avoid cancellation of customer contracts or discontinuance of trials, raise capital to meet our liquidity needs and conditions to the merger, properly evaluate strategic options, and other risks discussed in the Cancer Genetics, Inc. Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, along with other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Cancer Genetics, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Investor Contacts:Jennifer K. Zimmons. Ph.D.Investor RelationsZimmons International Communications, Inc.Email: jzimmons@zimmonsic.comPhone: +1.917.214.3514

Excerpt from:
Cancer Genetics and StemoniX Sign Definitive Agreement to Merge - GlobeNewswire

Thirty-eight McGill research projects have received federal grants through the CFI's John R. Evans Leaders Fund, which will provide them with state-of-the art research infrastructure needed to foster innovation.

The Government of Canada through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) recently announced their funding investment of more than $96 million to support 377 new research infrastructure projects at 55 institutions from coast to coast. The CFI also announced the funding of projects through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) in partnership with the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program, investing $4.6 million in 21 Chairs at 16 institutions to provide them with the innovative tools they need to pursue their valuable work.

Thirty-eight McGill research projects have received a combined total of $9.3M in federal grants through this round of JELF. The fund helps universities attract top talent in diverse fields of research by providing them with the highly specialized research infrastructure they need to be leaders in their field. The recipients will also receive matching funds from the Quebec government for their research endeavours.

ProfessorsJrg Hermann FritzandCorinne Mauriceof the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, andBastien Castagnerof the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, received $352,778 in JELF funding for their project on harnessing microbiota metabolism for human health benefits. The project will focus on the ill-defined relationship between bacteria in the human gut, metabolism and the immune system. The research will help design new, more effective drugs to treat inflammatory bowel diseases, obesity, asthma and other chronic diseases.

One McGill project received $520,000 in JELF funding, in partnership with the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program. ProfessorStephen Lomberof the Department of Physiology and Canada Research Chair in Brain Plasticity and Development, received $520,000 from the JELF and CRC partnership to establish an internationally recognized laboratory with state-of-the-art facilities for the study of brain plasticity and auditory neuroscience. The laboratory will help researchers understand how the brain processes sound, and how to best design therapeutic strategies for the 300,000 Canadians burdened with profound hearing loss.

McGill CRC-JELF recipient:

Hearing Loss and Restoration LaboratoryProfessorStephen Lomberof the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the principal investigator.$520,000 from the CRC-JELF partnership; $520,000 matching provincial funds.

List of McGill JELF recipients:Creation of a Multidisciplinary Sleep Laboratory at the NeuroProfessorsJulien DoyonandBirgit Frauscherof the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, are the principal investigators.$254, 296 from JELF; $254, 296 matching provincial funds.

Harnessing Microbiota Metabolism for Human Health BenefitsProfessorsJrg Hermann FritzandCorinne Mauriceof the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, andBastien Castagnerof the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, are the principal investigators.$352,778 from JELF; $352,778 matching provincial funds.

Multi-scale in Vivo Imaging of Biological SystemsProfessorAbigail Gerholdof the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, is the principal investigator.$271,990 from JELF; $271,990 matching provincial funds.

MAP-PRO: An Electronic Database and Learning Hub for Canadian Early Psychosis ServicesProfessorsSrividya IyerandManuela Ferrariof the Department of Psychiatry, Medicine and Health Sciences, are the principal investigators.$80,000 from JELF; $80,000 matching provincial funds.

McGill Soil Biogeochemistry and Ecology LaboratoryProfessorCynthia Kallenbachof the Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is the principal investigator.$150,000 from JELF; $150,000 matching provincial funds.

Subsurface Hydrogeochemistry and Fluid FlowProfessorMary Kangof the Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$475,360 from JELF; $475,360 matching provincial funds.

Combined Microreactor Mass Spectrometry Infrastructure for Catalyst CharacterizationProfessorJan Kopyscinskiof the Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$120,000 from JELF; $120,000 matching provincial funds.

Fast Scalable Deep Learning for Sensitive Big Data in Healthcare and Social ContextsProfessorsYue Li,William HamiltonandReihaneh Rabbanyof the School of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, are the principal investigators.$120,000 from JELF; $120,000 matching provincial funds.

Click Chemistry for Precision MedicineProfessorNathan Luedtkeof the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, is the principal investigator.$285,000 from JELF; $285,000 matching provincial funds.

Conformational Dynamics of Complex Proteins in Health and DiseasesProfessorGergely Lukacsof the Department of Physiology, ProfessorKalle Gehringof the Department of Biochemistry, andJean-Francois Trempeof the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, are the principal investigators.$592,636 from JELF; $592,636 matching provincial funds.

Antagonistic Inter-bacterial InteractionsProfessorJennifer Ronholmof the Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is the principal investigator.$143,180 from JELF; $143,180 matching provincial funds.

Blood-based Biomarkers for Ageing-related Brain DiseasesProfessorsPedro Rosa-Netoof the Department of Psychiatry,Gerhard Multhaupof the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, andAngela Gengeof the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, are the principal investigators.$417,175 from JELF; $417,175 matching provincial funds.

Infrastructure for Advanced Arctic and Urban Climate Modelling in Support of Climate-resilient Engineering SystemsProfessorLaxmi Sushamaof the Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$135,180 from JELF; $135,180 matching provincial funds.

CoDEx: Computational Design ExploratoryProfessorTheodora Vardouliof the Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$78,807 from JELF; $78,807 matching provincial funds.

Metabolism of Stress-regulated Genes in Health and Disease using Single Molecule ImagingProfessorMaria Vera Ugaldeof the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, is the principal investigator.$200,000 from JELF; $200,000 matching provincial funds.

Drivers of Breast Cancer Progression Identified within Arm-level Somatic Copy Number AlterationsProfessorLogan Walshof the Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the principal investigator.$109,179 from JELF; $109,179 matching provincial funds.

Development of Biodegradable Functional Materials from Low-value Biomass for Food and Agricultural ApplicationsProfessorYixiang Wangof the Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is the principal investigator.$121,500 from JELF; $121,500 matching provincial funds.

The Role of Lipoma Preferred Partner (LPP) in Regulating Breast Cancer ProgressionProfessorsClaire Brownof the Department of Physiology andPeter Siegelof the Departments of Medicine, Biochemistry, and Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, are the principal investigators.$744,304 from JELF; $744,304 matching provincial funds.

Muscle Stem Cell Biology in Health and DiseaseProfessorNatasha Changof the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the principal investigator.$149,582 from JELF; $149,582 matching provincial funds.

NIR Imaging Platform for Biophotonic Technologies Relying on New Dormant Sensors/SensitizersProfessorGonzalo Cosaof the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, is the principal investigator.$172,875 from JELF; $172,875 matching provincial funds.

A Path to Anti-aging DrugsProfessorSiegfried Hekimiof the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, is the principal investigator.$179,196 from JELF; $179,196 matching provincial funds.

Markers to Market: A Platform to Translate Quantitative Genomics Data into Field-ready, Value-added Commodity CultivarsProfessorValerio Hoyos-Villegasof the Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is the principal investigator.$152,062 from JELF; $152,062 matching provincial funds.

Mechanism and Therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorders Associated with Copy Number VariantsProfessorWei-Hsiang Huangof the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the principal investigator.$169,634 from JELF; $169,634 matching provincial funds.

Development of Strategies to Better Understand and Control the Long-term Side Effects of RadiotherapyProfessorJohn Kildeaof the Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the principal investigator.$87,579 from JELF; $87,579 matching provincial funds.

4D Immersive Scene Capture and ProcessingProfessorDerek Nowrouzezahraiof the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$78,020 from JELF; $78,020 matching provincial funds.

Mapping Dopamine Circuits in the Healthy and Diseased BrainProfessorJean-Francois Poulinof the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the principal investigator.$294,592 from JELF; $294,592 matching provincial funds.

UHPLC-MS to Develop Technologies to Control the Presence and Fate of Contaminants in Natural & Engineered Water SystemsProfessorViviane Yargeauof the Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$406,300 from JELF; $406,300 matching provincial funds.

Integrated Facility for Research on Large Animals SpeciesProfessorsVilceu Bordignonof the Department of Animal Science andLuis B Agellon, of the Department of School of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, are the principal investigators.$800,000 from JELF; $800,000 matching provincial funds.

Exercise and Nutrition to Support Skeletal Muscle Heath Across the LifespanProfessorTyler Churchward-Venneof the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Faculty of Education, is the principal investigators.$344,957 from JELF; $344,957 matching provincial funds.

Neuroecology of Spatial Behaviour LabProfessorMlanie Guiguenoof the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, is the principal investigator.$165,000 from JELF; $165,000 matching provincial funds.

Biotechnological Production of High-value CompoundsProfessorCodruta Igneaof the Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$140,000 from JELF; $140,000 matching provincial funds.

Atomic Layer Deposition of Electrochemical Energy Storage DevicesProfessorEmmeline Kaoof the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$260,101 from JELF; $260,101 matching provincial funds.

High Throughput Monitoring of Cell Metabolism using a Modernized Tissue Culture FacilityProfessorRyan Maillouxof the School of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is the principal investigator.$234,500 from JELF; $234,500 matching provincial funds.

Anishinaabe Stories DatabaseProfessorAaron Millsof the Faculty of Law, is the principal investigator.$46,961 from JELF; $46,961 matching provincial funds.

New Computational Techniques for Modeling of Disordered Molecular Systems for Applications in Nano- and Bio- engineeringProfessorYelena Simineof the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, is the principal investigator.$80,000 from JELF; $80,000 matching provincial funds.

Circulating Immune Cells and Interactions in the Nervous SystemProfessorJo Anne Strattonof the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the principal investigator.$141,863 from JELF; $141,863 matching provincial funds.

Heat Transfer in Thermal Energy TechnologiesProfessorMlanie Ttreault-Friendof the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$233,308 from JELF; $233,308 matching provincial funds.

Read CFIs official press release.

This article was first published on 25 August by McGill University.

See more here:
Canada Foundation for Innovation invests $9.3M in McGill highly-specialized research infrastructures - Science Business

SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 24, 2020 / Tribe Public announced today that Dietrich Stephan, Chief Executive Officer of NeuBase Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:NBSE), a biotechnology company developing next-generation antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapies using its scalable PATrOL platform to address genetic diseases, will present at Tribe Public's Presentation and Q&A Webinar Event at 8 am pacific/11 am eastern on Wednesday, August 26th, 2020. During this complimentary, 30-minute event, Dr. Stephan will introduce the NeuBase's next-generation gene silencing technology and discuss the company's progress with treatment candidates in Huntington's Disease (HD) and Myotonic Dystrophy (DM1). A question and answer session will follow the presentation. To register to join the complimentary event, please visit the Tribe Public LLC website: http://www.tribepublic.com, or send a message to Tribe's management at research@tribepublic.com to request your seat for this limited capacity Zoom-based event.

Dietrich A. Stephan, Ph.D. is an industry veteran who is considered one of the fathers of the field of precision medicine, having trained with the leadership of the Human Genome Project at the NIH and then going on to lead discovery research at the Translational Genomics Research Institute and serve as professor and chairman of the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Stephan has identified the molecular basis of dozens of genetic diseases and published extensively in journals such as Science, the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Genetics, PNAS, and Cell. In parallel, Dr. Stephan has founded or co-founded more than ten biotechnology companies and has advised numerous other companies. These companies are backed by top-tier investors such as Sequoia Capital, KPCB, Thiel Capital, and Khosla Ventures as well as corporate partners such as Life Technologies, Pfizer, and Mayo Clinic. Notably, Dr. Stephan founded NeuBase Therapeutics in August 2018, took it public in 2019, and has since grown the company to market capitalization to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. Dr. Stephan received his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and his B.S. from Carnegie Mellon University.

ABOUT TRIBE PUBLIC LLC Tribe Public LLC is a San Francisco, CA-based organization that hosts complimentary worldwide webinar & meeting events in the U.S. Tribe's events focus on issues that the Tribe members care about with an emphasis on hosting management teams from publicly traded companies from all sectors & financial organizations that are seeking to increase awareness of their products, progress, and plans. Tribe members primarily include Institutions, Family Offices, Portfolio Managers, Registered Investment Advisors, & Accredited Investors. Website: http://www.tribepublic.com.

ABOUT NEUBASE THERAPEUTICS NeuBase Therapeutics, Inc. is developing the next generation of gene silencing therapies with its flexible, highly specific synthetic antisense oligonucleotides. The proprietary NeuBase peptide-nucleic acid (PNA) antisense oligonucleotide (PATrOL) platform allows for the rapid development of targeted drugs, increasing the treatment opportunities for the hundreds of millions of people affected by rare genetic diseases, including those that can only be treated through accessing of secondary RNA structures. Using PATrOL technology, NeuBase aims to first tackle rare, genetic neurological disorders. NeuBase is continuing its progress towards developing treatment candidates in Huntington's Disease (HD) and Myotonic Dystrophy (DM1.)

CONTACT:

Tribe Public, LLC. John F. Heerdink, Jr. Managing Partner john@tribepublic.com

SOURCE: NeuBase Therapeutics, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/603092/NeuBase-Therapeutics-CEO-Dietrich-A-Stephan-PhD-to-Present-at-Tribe-Publics-Presentation-and-QA-Webinar-Event-on-August-26-2020

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NeuBase Therapeutic's CEO, Dietrich A. Stephan, Ph.D., to Present at Tribe Public's Presentation and Q&A Webinar Event on August 26, 2020 - Stockhouse

The Federal Circuit has issued a precedential decision in XY LLC v Trans Ova Genetics. Judge Stoll, joined by Judge Wallach and Senior Judge Plager, held that claims directed to a specific improvement to an otherwise-known process are patent eligible under 35 USC section 101. In reversing the district court, the court held that, although the invention applies mathematical equations to effect the claimed improvement, the claims were directed to a specific improvement that separates the invention from the prior art - not to an abstract idea.

The courts decision details several principles underlying the section 101 analysis and offers lessons for litigants addressing eligibility determinations.

XYs 559 patent involves flow cytometry technology for sorting non-human mammalian particles. This technology is particularly useful in animal breeding to guarantee the sex of offspring, allowing sperm cells to be sorted based on whether the cell carries an X or Y chromosome. While conventional flow cytometry technology made it difficult to discriminate between similar particles of different populations, the 559 patent claims an improvement that uses mathematical equations to reconfigure data corresponding to the particles, such as by rotating it, in order to increase spatial separation of data points and make it possible to discriminate between particles. XYs improved methods allow populations to be selected more accurately than in any other prior art system.

The district court decided the 559 patent claims were invalid under section 101. Starting with Alice step one, the court found the claims were directed to the abstract idea of a mathematical equation that permits rotating multi-dimensional data. It reasoned that, although the equation helps to discriminate between particles of different populations, the invention reduces down to applying a mathematical concept. Then, at Alice Step Two, the court held the asserted claims lack an inventive concept because it believed the claims offer nothing beyond the prior art.

Reversing the district court, the Federal Circuit decided on 31st July that the 559 patent claims are directed to a specific improvement to a flow cytometry method, not an abstract idea. Specifically, the court held the claims are directed to an improved method for classifying and sorting particles based on the specific steps set forth in the claims, thereby facilitating classification and sorting of each individual particle more accurately than any prior art method. Although the patent used mathematical equations to implement the improvement, the court found the claims were directed to an improvement to the method itself that so happened to use math. Because the court held that the claims are not directed to an abstract idea at Alice step one, it did not move on to step two.

The courts decision and its section 101 analysis offers several valuable lessons for litigants:

This pattern underscores the need for both patentees and challengers to make their case at Step One. Is it an improvement to an existing technology that so happens to use an abstract idea to implement that improvement, or are the claims directed to an improvement to the abstract idea itself? In XY, the invention improved a known flow cytometry process by applying a mathematical formula. While the court held that claimed improvement passed the Alice test, a claim directed to improving the mathematical formula by itself would likely not be eligible. XY makes clear that it is critical for patentees and challengers alike to define what the claims are directed to, knowing that step one is likely going to make or break the section 101 decision.

It is therefore critical for litigants to articulate, at Step One, what solutions existed in the prior art and why (or why not) the claims represent an improvement to those solutions. XY confirms the courts holding in Thales Visionix v United States that improving the accuracy of a prior art solution can be enough to make the claims a patentable improvement. Moreover, if a party can tie the claimed improvement to a physical process or product, all the better. The XY court found important the fact that the claimed method resulted in separation of physical particles, like the claimed improvement in Diamond v Diehr produced a perfectly-cured synthetic rubber product.

The Federal Circuits decision in XY confirms that claimed improvements to the prior art can be patent-eligible, even if the claims use an abstract idea such as a mathematical formula to execute the improvement. Litigants addressing section 101 challenges should focus on articulating what the claimed invention is, how it relates to the prior art, and how the claims compare to others that courts have already held to be eligible, or ineligible, under section 101.

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Three lessons from the Federal Circuit's recent 101 reversal in XY v Trans Ova Genetics - IAM

Dairy cows could be genetically selected to produce "niche milk to improve human health, including a component that provides some benefits of human breast milk, according to an Agriculture Victoria scientist.

And this technology could deliver the dairy industry a step-change in terms of what it could produce with infant formula.

Agriculture Victoria principal research scientist Jennie Pryce said there was great science behind the opportunity to breed cows to produce human milk oligosaccharides.

They are the same as you would find in the milk of human breast milk and give children or babies protection against pathogenic infections, she said.

They also promote development of the intestine and help the gut microbiome to get going, obviously thats one of the reasons why breast milk is promoted.

Professor Pryce was speaking at a presentation about breeding the socially acceptable cow at the 2020 Genetics Australia online conference.

She said a genetic marker explained about 80 per cent of the genetic variation in the oligosaccharide, which meant it would be simple to aggressively select for these niche milks.

Breeding a socially acceptable cow should also consider the cows impact on the environment, its welfare and sustainability, she said.

Sharing preliminary research data, Prof Pryce showed how selecting for bulls with both a high Balanced Performance Index (BPI) and lower methane emissions was possible without too much compromise in profitability.

Prof Pryce plotted the BPI the dairy industry herd improvement organisation DataGenes economic index against a greenhouse gas index.

It showed if a dairy farmer only selected high BPI bulls with the most favourable greenhouse gas emissions, they would compromise their BPI by about 20 units.

This is down from a mean of 333 BPI if they selected the top 30 BPI bulls without a consideration of emissions.

It doesnt seem like a huge comprise to be able to get that advance in terms of reduced emissions, Prof Pryce said.

She also highlighted how Australia led the world with research on heat tolerance and feed saved both traits with contributed to a socially acceptable cow.

The former Australian Breeding Value enables cows to better handle warming temperatures, the latter ABV increasing their feed-to-milk efficiency.

Prof Pryce said a lot of what the dairy industry was already doing was hugely progressive.

Consumers need to know that we are already breeding for more environmentally friendly, resource efficient cows.

If we focus on profit, welfare and social acceptability we will be more successful in the long term.

Read the original here:
Gains for humans, cows and the environment in breeding a socially acceptable cow - Dairy News Australia

Published Aug 22, 2020 at 8:00 am(Updated Aug 22, 2020 at 6:51 am)

Coming back: Carika Weldon (File photograph by Blaire Simmons)

An expanded government laboratory will be set up at Bermuda College to help train scientists in an amazing achievement for the island, the Premier said.

David Burt revealed that Carika Weldon, a geneticist, will move back home from Britain to set up the enhanced site, which is expected to help tackle the increased number of Covid-19 tests. He said that he was elated that she decided to relocate.

Mr Burt said at the regular Covid-19 briefing on Thursday: We will be establishing and moving the government lab from its temporary facility, which is at an undisclosed location, to a new and expanded facility at the Bermuda College.

That facility at the Bermuda College will not only enable Dr Carika Weldon to establish the lab a government laboratory there but also to expand what is being done there because some of the capacity issues which we are having with the increase of testing is due to the temporary nature of the small space where Dr Weldon and the Molecular Diagnostic Lab is located.

He added: It will enable us to start teaching laboratory science in Bermuda and so this is an amazing accomplishment.

Mr Burt denied a suggestion that Dr Weldon had resigned her post at the MDL.

Dr Weldon was a researcher at the Oxford Genomics Centre, part of Oxford University Hospitals, before she returned to Bermuda to boost the islands coronavirus test capabilities in April.

Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the public works minister, said earlier that Dr Weldon spent her 14-day quarantine period co-ordinating the set-up of the MDL.

She led the work at the laboratory when it launched later that month.

The Premier added: We are moving the lab from its undisclosed location to the Bermuda College, expanding the service which we will offer and making sure that we can expand the training opportunities that are there at the Bermuda College.

I think that this is something that is amazing and Bermuda is very fortunate and Im myself pleased that a doctor who has taught overseas has decided to come back home and to assist us in the work which we are doing.

Dr Weldon told The Royal Gazette in March that she would like to be able to help with Covid-19 testing in Bermuda.

She added then: All the steps of how the test is conducted are what I teach in my science outreach.

This whole situation has really brought to light how urgently Bermuda needs human genetics research on island.

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Returning Weldon to head up full-time lab - Royal Gazette