PLYMOUTH - Esperion Therapeutics announced positive results from a Phase 2 clinical trial for ETC-1002, an LDL cholesterol lowering drug. This small molecule activator of AMP Kinase has demonstrated preclinical and clinical activity as a metabolic regulator of imbalances in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Results were presented Tuesday in an oral presentation at the 2012
ANN ARBOR - MichBio has named Wendy Wendel (formerly Wendy Ventura) as the Director, Marketing & Communications. In this role, she will oversee the planning and execution of the association?s marketing, communications, public relations and social media efforts. Prior to joining MichBio, Wendy served as the Director, Marketing for The Engineering Society of Detroit, a
LIVONIA - Michael Stebbins, PhD, a life sciences and biotech advisor to President Barrack Obama, is the keynote speaker at the MichBio 2012 Annual Business Meeting April 19 at Schoolcraft College. Stebbins is Asst. Director-Biotechnology, Science Division White House Office of Science & Technology Policy Executive Office of the President. He previously served as a
ANN ARBOR - Rubicon Genomics announced that it has selected Kalamazoo-based Velesco Pharmaceutical Services to manufacture the TransPLEX kits it will be supplying for use with Agendia's breast cancer diagnostics. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Velesco is a provider of analytical method development, drug formulation, stability testing and consulting services to biotech and
ANN ARBOR - Molecular Imaging Inc. has closed its Series A financing round, originally targeted for $8.5 million, at $9.9 million. The company said it secured a $2.5 million investment from Beringea, Michigan?s largest venture capital fund, through the $185 million InvestMichigan Growth Capital Fund ? plus another $350,000 from existing shareholders Baird Venture Partners
YPSILANTI - Integrated Sensing Systems and the University of Michigan announced that they have received a $1.5 million National Institute of Health grant to develop a wireless, implantable pressure sensor for congenital heart disease. ?This pressure sensing implant has the potential to greatly improve the care we provide to our most complex patients and will
ANN ARBOR ? Health-care spending in the U.S. in 2011 grew at one of the slowest rates in 50 years, a new study shows. Altarum?s reports provide the first look at full-year 2011, showing health spending at $2.71 trillion. Spending was up 4.4 percent from 2010?the third slowest rate of growth since national health expenditures
GRAND RAPIDS - A recent discovery by Van Andel Research Institute scientists enables the prediction of patient sensitivity to proposed drug therapies for glioblastoma ? the most common and most aggressive malignant brain tumor in humans. The study, published in January in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, investigated glioblastoma models characterized by
KALAMAZOO ? Michigan Economic Development Corp. executive Stephen Haakenson has been named executive director of Western Michigan University's Biosciences Research and Commercialization Center, effective Feb. 6. Since 2006, Haakenson has been a program portfolio manager for the MEDC responsible for managing state investments in Michigan start-up companies. "Over the past eight years, the BRCC has
CLEVELAND - Midwest health care companies attracted $810 Million in new investments across 178 companies in 2011 according to the BioEnterprise Midwest Health Care Venture Investment Report. Sixteen Michigan companies received $30.8 million in investments, ranking the Wolverine state 7th out of 11 surveyed. The total dollars attracted is up by ten percent from 2010;