The Big Red Biotech Blog

Gotta Love Derek on Open Source Discovery in Pharma

Derek Lowe writes the very very good and very highly read In the Pipeline blog.  Derek has a way of getting right to the point with a nice blend of bluntness and sardonic humor without being mean spirited.  Sometimes his posts just make me smile.  Here's one such post from today on the topic of Open Source discovery.

I'm actually a backer of the concept and think that companies really should try to explore its potential  -- by testing and operationalizing it. However, Derek makes a good point in his blog.  Too often proponents on the topic - provide a lot of talk but don't seem to be able to deliver the concrete actions or proof of concepts. 

Maybe this post hit home a bit more as I received the following note from a colleague commenting on a current discussion on "open innovation" in one of the innovation groups that I participate in. My colleague wrote:

To me it's unbelievable how little capability to analyze things have most of the people who are posting comments on that discussion group!!! They got "stuck" into that Soft skills topics they can read in books of Change management, Leadership, etc, but when it comes to Hard skills and concrete innovation they do bla-bla-bla...

Presumably it is hard to articulate the "hard innovation ideas" as they are hidden in the ball of fuzz that Derek refers to in his post.  Maybe we need to contact Rush to help us find the answer as he seems to know a lot about Fuzzballs.

Posted by  Bruce Lehr July 29th 2010.

Score ONE for Raw Material Detectives!

 In the last installment of the Raw Materials Detectives - The Case of the Fouled Filters - I described a medium filtration problem. 

In this investigation, it was determined that PVA was causing the filtration issue and that the problem was related to variation in the degree of hydrolysis seen with the raw PVA. 

Subsequent discussions (our data in hand) with the manufacturer eventually convinced them there was a change in the product performance resulting from the hydrolysis effect.  It was then determined that an equipment change might be related to this observation. 

The manufacturer went back to the old equipment and produced a lot of PVA for SAFC's Raw Material Detectives to test.  Lo and behold!  The material resulting from the old equipment was more soluble and showed much better filterability.  We now have agreements in place to secure only material produced in this manner & thus can make media again with PVA that filters well.

Score ONE for the Raw Material Detectives.

Posted by Bruce Lehr July 21st 2010.

Good Luck to USA vs Ghana

The USA will play Ghana today in a knock-out match with hopes of reaching the Quarter finals in World Cup play.  The game starts at 1:30 pm Central time (where I live) from Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. The US side has fared well here in previous matches vs Egypt and the UK. 

Good luck to the Team this afternoon.  I hope we can cope with Ghana's quickness and no doubt will be battling strong home town African support.  This is our chance to reverse the outcome of the 2006 game vs Ghana.

US fans are stoked.  Football (soccer) is top of mind right now for many and networks are expecting to top the record 13.7 M viewers set during 1994 loss to Brasil. 

Prediction: US 2 Ghana 1.  No PKs please!

Posted by Bruce Lehr June 26th 2010.

The Innovator's Paradox

I like articles on Innovation.  This is a good one by Scott Anthony in the HBR blog.  I pass it on as a cautionary tale that really can be applied to any big successful company in any industry. Those of us who have spent careeers in large organizations can recognize a few of these observations and behaviors - I hazard to submit.

 

This might be a good time (if not already too late) for executive leadership teams throughout pharma to ponder some of these weighty questions.

Posted by Bruce Lehr June 24th 2010.  

The Raw Material Detectives - Case #2 - The Fouled Filters Part 2

It was now an overcast day as we return to our story.

What next? The RMDs reviewed all the lot numbers of the PVA from above average, average and below average filtering lots of customer media at large scale. This review indicated a temporal correlation between good and poor filtering lots of PVA used in the media. It became apparent that lots of PVA manufactured prior to Feb 2007 on average filtered better than subsequent lots of material.

Turbidity Assay

The Raw Material Detectives decided to look at selected PVA lots along the time continuum, with known good or poor filterability, in a turbidity assay. In this assay, 6 grams of PVA were dissolved in 100 ml of water with stirring for 60 minutes. Turbidity was measured using a Hach 2100N Turbidimeter and reported in NTU.

Data for the turbidity assay appears in the Table 1 below. PVA lots are arranged chronologically by date of manufacture. Results show a strong correlation between turbidity and filterability. Lots with turbidity below 10 NTU filter above average.  Lots with turbidity measurments greater than 20 NTU filter below average.

In the Table the lot numbers have been altered to protect the innocent. The altered lot numbers depict month and year of manufacture. Note, two lots were used in multiple batches of medium and in some cases exhibited above average filtering characteristics - even with the high turbidity number.

 Table 1.

PVA Lot	Turbidity (NTU)	Filterability
Lot 08-2005	4.9	Above Avg.
Lot 09-2005	4.7	Above Avg
Lot 04-2006	3.5	Above Avg
Lot 06-2006	2.8	Above Avg
Lot 01-2007	9.6	Above Avg
Lot 02-2007	4.1	Above Avg
Lot 05-2007	25.0	Below Avg.
Lot 02-2008	14.9	Below Avg
Lot 02-2008 (2)	28.4	Below & Above Avg
Lot 04-2008	32.0	Below & Above Avg
Lot 01-2009	36.5	Below Avg
Lot 05-2009	130	Below Avg
Lot 07-2009	26.9	Below Avg

The RMDs had some evidence to support their hypothesis that a change occured in the manufacturing process after Feb 2007 but wanted more.

Pellet Analysis

The PVA lots hydrated at 6% for the turbidity assay were placed in a centrifuge at 3200 rpm.  The pellet was dried and weighed. The percentage of PVA in the pellet was calculated. The correlation was high between PVA in the pellet and the turbidity values.  Data from 3 of the above lots is shown below in Table 2.

Table 2.

PVA Lot	Turbidity (NTU)	% PVA in Pellet
Lot 01-2007	10	1.8
Lot 01-2009	47	9.5
Lot 05-2009	173	18.5

Enough already! Haven't we shown that the PVA is the issue?  It wasn't enough for the Raw Material Detectives. They needed to know why?

Hydrolysis & MW Determination

It was time to analyze the insoluble material in the pellets. The pellets and the supernatants from the above experiment were sent to Chemir Analytical Services for NMR, DSC and GPC (see previous post for more info).  The data is summarized below in Table 3.

Table 3.

PVA Lot	Sample	% Hydrolysis	Tm C	MW (Da)
Lot 01-2007	Pellet	86	192	13,374
Lot 01-2007	Supernatant	84	193	11,436
Lot 01-2009	Pellet	95	197	20,906
Lot 01-2009	Supernatant	83	192	10,479
Lot 01-2009	Pellet	91	216	21,663
Lot 01-2009	Supernatant	83	196	11,440
Lot 05-2009	Pellet	87	190	20,687
Lot 05-2009	Supernatant	84	189	11,965

*Two different batches of lot 01-2009 were sent to Chemir for analysis

The % PVA hydrolysis seen in the pellets was higher than seen in the supernatants. All of the % hydrolysis figures for both the pellets and the supernatants fell outside the specification range of 87-89%. But, the mix apparently met the release specification.

The MW's in the supernatants were lower with a primary peak around 11,000 Da.  The pellets were of much higher MW with a primary peak around 21,000 Da.  The melting point data did not really show a difference except with one of the pellets in the first 01-2009 lot.  We appear to have two subpopulations of PVA.

Smoking Gun Test

The Raw Material Detectives hypothesize that the increased insoluble material found in lots post Feb 2007 resulted in lower filterability -- and set out to reproduce it.

The RMD compared customer CHO media prepared with PVA as normal with media prepared with PVA after the insoluble material had first been removed. Data appears below in Table 4 for the 3 lots previously described. 

Table 4.  

PVA Lot	Untreated PVA (Vmax L/m2)	PVA Treated Supernatant (Vmax L/m2)
Lot 01-2007	624	1120
Lot 01-2009	218	834
Lot 05-2009	185	859

Thus removal of the insoluble material from the raw PVA resulted in higher filterability. The insoluble material is a subpopulation within the PVA with a higher MW and a greater percentage of hydrolysis. The Raw Material Detectives have identified this as the root cause of the filtration problem.

The Smoking Gun test confirms (as if you are a scientist - you perhaps prefer application of Koch's Postulate).

 

Acknowledgement: Raw Material Detectives Mike Wathen (old guy pictured center), Steve Wilson, Ben Cutak, Jodi Zobrist (pictured front with mustache) of SAFC Cell Science & Development and Analytical Research & Development groups.

Posted by Bruce Lehr June 14th 2010.

 

 

Raw Material Detectives - Case #2 - The Fouled Filters Part 1

It was a dark and gloomy night (just like last time).

This time two customers contacted the Global Technical Service (GTS) group with complaints of poor filterability of their lastest batches of a custom serum-free CHO medium, being used in large scale production of a commercial biopharmaceutical.  This formulation contained about 70 components including soy hydrolysate.  We put in a call to the Raw Material Detectives (RMD).

A review of the raw material lot numbers, used in the medium, by the GTS staff identified an association with a specific lot number of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) CAS 9002-89-5 and poor filtering lots of medium. Thus a clue!  The Raw Material Detectives started with the PVA vendor.

Editor's Note: PVA is used primarily in industries like food, paper, adhesives and textiles. Cell culture is a very minor use application by comparison -- i.e. and therefore has reduced influence on the manufacturer/ supplier. PVA is produced by the polymerization of vinyl acetate to produce polyvinyl acetate. This is then hydrolyzed with sodium hydroxide to yield PVA.  Possible impurities in PVA would include sodium acetate, methanol, and methyl acetate. PVA should be readily soluble in water but requires heating. Degreee of hydrolysis , molecular weight, particle size distribution, and particle crystalline structure all affect solubility. Optimal solubility occurs at 87-89% hydrolysis, a fine particle size (< 80 mesh), 3.5-4.5 cps viscosity with a 4% solution at 20 C.

Vendor PVA lots were evaluated for D90 particle size, viscosity of 4% solution, and percent hydrolysis of PVA to look for correlation with customer poor filterability results. There was no obvious correlation.

Vmax Assay

SAFC worked with its customers to develop a scaled down Vmax assay that correlated with the filter difficulties seen at large scale. The following reference was developed.

• Vmax <1000 L/m² were correlated with below average filterability
• Vmax >2000 L/m² were correlated with above average filterability
• Vmax 1000-2000 L/m² generally were above average but not 100%

Based on the above assay, it was decided to to analytically characterize multiple PVA lots with different filterability results in an attempt to explain the poor filtration characteristics.

Analytical Testing

PVA powders associated with know above and below average filtering lots at large scale were sent to Chemir Analytical Services (Maryland Heights, MO) for the following tests:

• Gel permeation chromatography - compares MW properties
• Glass capillary viscometry (GCV) - compares intrinsic viscosities
• Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) - compares base chemistry
• Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-NMR) - compares backbone chemistries
• Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) - compares thermal properties
• X-ray particle diffraction (XRPD) - compares crystalline structures
• Laser diffraction - gives particle size determination

Four lots were sent for analysis from the current vendor - 4 above average filtering lots and 4 below average filtering lots. Additionally, the Raw Material Detectives came up with 2 addtional lots from 2 addtional vendors to also test.

Pretty slick set of analytical assays - huh? Unfortunately, there were no significant differences in the physical properties of the various PVA lots tested that were identified by any of these seven assays. WOW!  Time to quit? Never. The Raw Material Detectives always get their Man (so to speak). Read the next post for the Rest of the Story.

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr June 14th 2010.

Raw Material Detectives Coming Soon - Case No. 2

Be on the alert for the next installment of the Raw Material Detectives this month!  Our detectives continue their work unraveling mysteries with raw materials used in cell culture.  It's part of their ongoing mission to better characterize and control critical raw materials used in biopharmaceutical processes.

   

Posted by Bruce Lehr June 9th 2010.

Biosimilars - They're Here....................

I saw this article in Future of BioPharma (PharmaTimes).  Sandoz' Omnitrope is the 1st biosimilar to be recommended for use by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the National Health Service.

Omnitrope is a follow on biologic to Pfizer's Genotropin (somatotropin) and the first biosimilar to gain approval in Europe to treat growth problems in children.

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr June 1st 2010.  

May Recipe of Month

My daughter eats a lot of vegetarian items and many of these in some way, shape or form involve the use of squash - usually with fine results. With that in mind, I present Butternut Squash Quinoa Cranberry Salad.

• 1 cup of quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 medium butternut squash peeled, diced in 1/4 in cubes
• 1/2 medium red onion diced
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar

In sauce pan, bring quinoa and vegetable broth to a boil and then simmer for 25 min.  Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Add all other ingredients except the vinegar to a baking dish.  Coat ingredients with olive oil, sea salt and butter.  Roast for 20 min. until the squash is soft. 

Remove from oven and add vinegar.  Serve baked squash mixture over quinoa.  Eat with mixed greens on side.

Posted by Bruce Lehr May 31st 2010.

Giving Back to the Community & Promoting Science Education

I'd like to pass on kudos to several of my colleagues at SAFC Biosciences who have volunteeered to participate in the Shawnee Mission West Signature Progams in Biotechnology. In particular, I need to do a shout out for Lynn Davis - one of our Senior Scientists with an extensive background in cell engineering and mammalian cell culture at bioreactor scale.  

Lynn has been a lead participant in the program since September 2008.  The program is geared toward high school students from grade 10-12 and is designed to expose/begin early preparation for students  to  career options in biotechnology.  Students learn not only about career options, but educational requirements, current trends, and legal responsibilities (is this available for some of our industry CEOs?) through research and guest speakers (like Lynn). 

Students learn hands on research skills and techniques through doing an original research project and by onsite experiences at area biotechnology companies. At SAFC for example, we allow students to "job shadow" over the course of four 2hr sessions in a calendar year.  The students can learn to make media and aseptic technique, how to passage cells, and are afforded the opportunity to tour our large scale continuous milling manufacturing area.

Other students have learned how to do PCR reactions, assemble bioreactors, sample bioreactors, and put that aseptic technique to the the test. Our current students are bringing cells out of thaw, passaging cells and plotting growth curves.  Soon they will be learning to measure IgG levels produced from these cultures on a Fortebio instrument. These students have also toured the QC labs in addition to the milling manfacturing areas.

Students in their own research are doing things like extracting DNA from various cereal grains and examining their GMO status.  The program has been very successful.  It has grown from 11 students in its inception to 30 for next year.

We're proud to have someone like Lynn on our staff - as well as other team members including Chad Stewart, Brenda Hogan, Barb Martinez, Sandy McNorton and a number of our Cell Sciences and Development group, Rebecca Ball and Katie Hernandez. 

It's a pleasure having colleagues who make it their business to give back to education and through whose efforts we are able to provide some "real world" experience and perspective to students who are interested in pursuing careers in biotechnology.  It is a great program and it benefits our Staff just as much as the Students who participate - and we're glad we do!

If you want to check out more information - www.smsd.org/students/signature.htm

Samuel Johnson paraphrased

"Your Big Red Biotech Blog is both good and original; but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good."

April Recipe of the Month

Today we have an oldie but goodie from Chicago's Pump Room - a recipe I've used since 1991!  This was originally the Pump Room's contribution to a hunger-relief benefit called Taste of the Nation. 

Without further adieu, the Pump Room's "Spicy Mediterranean Shrimp Gazpacho" as published in Chicago Tribune, April 21st, 1991.

Six servings

• 6 ounces small (60 count) cooked shrimp
• 1 medium red bell pepper
• 1 medium green bell pepper
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper

as you can see, lots of color is always good.  but I digress.

• 2 or 3 medium, ripe tomatoes
• 1/2 cup tomato juice
• 1 small red onion
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1/2 small jalapeno pepper, or to taste
• 12 black olives, Kalamatas are best
• 1 tbl spn lime juice
• 1 tbl spn lemon juice
• 1/2 tspn granulated sugar
• 1/4 tspn cracked black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbl spn extra-virgin olive oil

Here we go, time to put it all together.  Then we can eat.

• Peel shrimp and place in large glass bowl
• Stem and seed all 3 color peppers.  Cut into fine dice.
• Halve, seed and dice tomatoes.
• Add peppers, tomatoes and tomato juice to shrimp in the bowl.
• Peel the onion and cucumber. Dice the onion.
• Cut cucumber in half lengthwise, remove seeds and dice flesh.
• Add onion and cucumber to the bowl

Almost there, we're making progress after all the slicing and dicing (no fingers please!)

• Seed jalapeno and dice.
• Pit the olives and finely dice.
• Add olives and jalapeno to the bowl.
• In cup, combine lemon & lime juices. Stir in sugar to dissolve.
• Add black pepper, salt and olive oil to cup. Stir it all up again. Pour contents in bowl.
• Stir thoroughly in bowl to combine all ingredients. Cover bowl & refrigerate for 6 hrs.
• Serve in chilled bowls or soup plates. 
• Optional: Serve with crusty bread and red wine of your choice.

Enjoy!

Posted by Bruce Lehr May 2nd 2010.

New Feature - "The Raw Material Detectives" Series

Coming soon to a Big Red Biotech Blog near you! 

I will soon begin a new series called "The Raw Material Detectives" that will describe unusual cases of raw material misbehavior and how the Raw Material Detectives (our heroes) investigated and resolved the issues.  This will hopefully reinforce the need to have good raw material characterization and traceability on products that you are using in the manufacture of your biological drugs.

Now let's give it up for Elvis Costello and the Attractions singing "Watching the Detectives"

Posted by Bruce Lehr April 18th 2010.

Cool Site II

 

 

I picked this site up from a tweet by AndrewSpong this morning.  It is a scientific animation site and has some really cool videos/animations (duh!).  I highly recommend visiting the XVIVO site.

Posted by Bruce Lehr April 5th 2010.

March - Recipe of the Month

For some reason, I just realized this morning that I forgot to post a March recipe on March 31st - perversely I post on the last day of the Month.  As always, simple things are best.  This meal often looks more elegant than it really is and is easy to prepare.  My guests always seem to enjoy it.

Pork Tenderloin

I really discovered virtues of pork tenderloin when I moved to St. Louis about 20 years ago. It is a really good, tender cut of meat with lots of flavor and low fat.  Even the chicken and fish eaters in the house, don't have any problem crossing over for this one.

Let's make it simple and cook this on the barbecue.  I'll provide two choices of marinade.

# 1 Orange-Soy Marinade

Orange juice 1 1/2 cups

Soy Sauce 2 tbsp

Fresh, chopped ginger 1-2 tsp (I buy minced ginger in a tube)

Mix ingredients in a 1 gallon plastic bag.  Add a 2 lb pork tenderloin.  Refrigerate 2-3 hrs.

# 2 Balsamic Vinegar-Oil

Balsamic vinegar 1/2-1 cup

Cannola (or vegetable) oil 1/4 cup

Fresh, chopped ginger 1-2 tsp

Fresh Thyme 1 tsp (or fresh sprigs from garden)

Mix ingredients in a 1 gallon plastic bag. Add a 2 lb pork tenderloin. Refrigerate 2-3 hrs.

Cooking

Place coals in heap on one side of the grill.  It's best to cook the pork over indirect heat - especially when using the balsamic vinegar marinade as the suger in it will otherwise tend to burn.  I start cooking as soon as fire in coals has subsided and coals are nice and hot. 

Place tenderloin on opposite side of grill and cover. I tend to turn every 10 minutes or so.  Depending on thickness of pork & heat of grill, cooking time varies from 20-30 minutes. I like pork to retain pinkness in the center (approx 155-160 degress).  If you like it more done, leave it on longer.  If you take it off too soon for your tastes, put it back!    Don't overcook though, you ruin the flavor.

If your family is like mine, you will  have individuals who like their pork from medium (or medium rare - me!) to more medium well.  The beauty of this cut of meat is that it is a long cylinder.  You can actually put part closer to the coals and part further away and achieve both temperatures at opposite ends of the cut.  Then everyone is happy.

Serve

We cut the meat into 1/4 inch thick slices and arrange on a platter for serving.  That way guests may choose which level of doneness they prefer.  We serve with mixed greens/cherry tomato salad and fresh green beans (boiled but still crispy).  You can also add rice pilaf, cooked according to package instructions.

Serve with a red wine like pinot noir, merlot or shiraz.  You pick.

Posted by Bruce Lehr April 4th 2010.

 

Kentucky finishes Me with a Bang!

Despite all the carnage in the NCAA brackets this year, I was still in second place in my pool, only 1 point out of first going into yesterday's games.  However, I had Kentucky winning their Regional and going on to WIN the Championship.  Needless to say that blew up in my face in Syracuse yesterday afternoon. 

WVU 73 KY 66.

Visual evidence below.
 

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr March 28th 2010.

Look at My NCAA Bracket's Now!

This video details exactly how my selections have fared so far in the NCAA Tournament (one less shining moment in my  case).  If you'd like detailed game by game results, check out my update to my post of March 18th below.  Yes, I'm breaking the bloggers code by altering that post with updates!

View of my Brackets follows:
 

Hilarious video chronicling Kansas' demise in tournament on YouTube.

 Posted by Bruce Lehr March 21st 2010.

My One Shining Moment Before All Goes Dark - on my NCAA picks!

I've been travelling all week during Spring break touring colleges with my son - who is a junior.  We've visited engineering programs at Rice, RIT and Georgia Tech. It' s been enlightening - wow - there is a lot of technology out there!

In the meantime, I've been unable to post anything to this blog and in particular I have been unable to share my wisdom with regard to the NCAA tournament.  That could be a good thing for me if I wish to stave off embarassment - but I shall stride daringly forward [at risk] and reveal my picks.  As Mark Twain once observed,  "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt" I shall broach the latter approach.

MidWest Region - Rd #1 - Winners = Kansas, N. Iowa, Michigan St., Maryland, SD State, Georgetown, Oklahoma St. , Ohio St.

Rd #2 - Winners = Kansas, Michigan St., Georgetown, Ohio St.

Rd #3 - Winners = Kansas, Georgetown; Rd #4 - Winner = Kansas on to FF

East Region - Rd #1 - Winners = Kentucky, Texas, Temple, Wisconsin, Marquette, N. Mexico, Missouri, West Virginia

Rd #2 - Winners = Kentucky, Temple, Marquette, West Virginia

Rd #3 - Winners = Kentucky, West Virginia; Rd #4 - Winner = Kentucky on to FF

West Region - Rd #1 - Winners = Syracuse, Gonzaga, Butler, Vanderbilt, Xavier, Pitt, BYU, Kansas St.

Rd #2 - Winners = Syracuse, Butler, Xavier, Kansas State

Rd #3 - Winners = Syracuse, Kansas State; Rd #4 - Winner = Syracuse (2:3 zone) on to FF

South Region - Rd #1 - Winners = Duke, Louisville, Texas A&M, Purdue, ODU, Baylor, Richmond, Villanova

Note: Richmond losing late in their contest. Also  note, Digger crying in his green beer - once again shows he is as poor a prognosticator as he is a Coach. Recruit Matt Caple (fell into Bill Self "genius" trap & picked KU to win it all easily) if you need an up & coming Division 1 coach.

Rd #2 - Winners = Duke, Purdue (shaky pick), Baylor, Villanova (will come back to them)

Rd #3 - Winners = Duke, Villanova; Rd #4 - Villanova on to FF.

Note:Villanova was a whisker from busting my bracket today against Robert Morris (oy!).  Is Jay really really really sure he wants 96 teams in tournament now?  Should've been knocked out by Robert Morris!

Final Four -Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky and Villanova

1st Semi-final game - Winner = Kansas; 2nd Semi-final game - Winner = Kentucky

National Champion - drum roll please - Kentucky! (total points 143).

John Calipari avenges loss toBill Self from a couple years ago (even though Bill Self is a former genius - solved 2:3 zone didn't he?).

Maybe I should stick to NIT.  Let's Go Carolina Blue (one of my alma maters)!

Hilarious video chronicling Kansas demise in NCAA tournament on YouTube.

Posted by Bruce Lehr March 18th March 21st 2010.

Bloggers Should Remain Humble

I shared with a colleague of mine that I had been selected by Samantha Miller as one of the"50 Best Biotech Blogs for Students".  Certainly, I am thrilled to be singled out by any group for recognition as I've only been doing this a couple of months.  However, to keep me grounded he reminded me of the following:

"The only thing that might burst your bubble is to find out that there are 52 blogs in existence and 51 is Hoss's 4 B ( big bonanza biology blog) which focuses on the epigenetic differences between Hoss and Little Joe Cartwright and # 52 Marmoset magic."

Despite such naysaying, I am still grateful to Samantha for the mention and will always consider this to be my first "Major Award"

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr March 18, 2010 

 

The New Blog Ratings are Here. I am Somebody!

Samantha Miller recently created a list of the "50 Best Blogs for Biotech Students" and The Big Red Biotech Blog managed to receive a ranking of 28!  I appreciate the mention and hope it generates more traffic to the site.  I'm always looking to expand readership.  And, I'm happy that it may be students in the biotech field who will be visiting more in the future.  Biotech is an exciting field in a period of rapid change.  There is lots to learn and changes to follow. 

I'm as excited as Steve Martin's character in The Jerk. 

The new phone book's here! The new phone book's here! This is the kind of spontaneous publicity I need! My name in print! That really makes somebody! Things are going to start happening to me now.

 

Posted by Bruce Lehr March 18, 2010

Will It be Hello or Bye-Bye Byetta LAR?

We're all anxiously(especially Eli LIlly, Amylin and Alkermes) waiting word from the FDA tommorrow on fate of Byetta LAR the new once a week form of Byetta for the treatment of diabetes.  Maureen Martino, Fierce Biotech, describes 4 possible outcomes ranging from approval with a standard warning through the most dire "complete response" letter which would result in a lengthy delay in the drug's approval.  Should the worst case scenario occur, be prepared for both Amylin and Alkermes stock to take a plunge. Should the news be good - the companies could be looking at as much as $3 B in sales by 2015. 

 Bets are the agency will require a minor data submission that will still allow for ultimate approval of the therapy in 2010.  So, will it be Hello or Bye-Bye to the new approval? 

Posted by Bruce Lehr March 11, 2010

Site I Think is Cool

I like educational sites.  If it is an education site that talks about science that is germane to my job - even better.  If it also has cool graphics and brings the science to the people - even even better.  I just happened across a site like this that is sponsored by Genentech called Biooncology.

The site speaks to research areas in oncology that Genentech is pursuing.  This site provides a host of educational resources intended for physicians and patients detailing various cancer pathways, modes of action, and mechanisms.  Of course, the site also showcases therapies that GT may be developing (or has) to battle these conditions.

I think the graphics are very good and the science is explained in an accessible way.  There are also good references provided to readers who wish to delve deeper.  You have my endorsement.

Posted by Bruce Lehr March 3, 2010

February - Recipe of the Month - Hearty Tortellini Soup

I'm not even going to pretend that I'm really making this from scratch.  These is an easy soup that takes full advantage of prepared ingredients that you can buy at the local grocery store.  However, it is a hearty, delicious soup in my view and is easy, easy, easy to prepare and enjoy. 

Hearty Tortellini Soup, by Ronald Sutton

1 lb lean ground beef  

2 cans (19.5 oz) Progresso ministrone soup   

1 can (10.5 oz) beef broth 

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce 

1 bag (12 oz) frozen cheese tortellini

Parmesan cheese

Brown ground beef, drain off fat.  In 2 qt pan, mix together beef, soup, broth, ketchup & Worcestershire.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.  Meanwhile, cook frozen cheese tortellini according to package instructions; drain. Fill bottom of 4 to 6 bowls with tortellini. Ladle soup over tortellini and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.  Serve with crusty french bread.  Pair with hearty red wine - I like Chianti or Shiraz - but you can pick your own.

Posted by Bruce Lehr Feb 28, 2010

Celebrate! Celebrate!

In a joyous moment of self-congratulatory ecstasy, I've received my 1000 page view this morning since beginning this blog.  While I'm sure there are bloggers out there, who receive this type of traffic daily, if not hourly, allow me to pat myself on the back.  Please don't burst my bubble - at least for now.  And for those of you who contributed views, thanks!

Posted by Bruce Lehr Feb 12, 2010

Blog Musings

If it isn't already evident, I'm just trying to figure out how to best blog.  I've discovered that it is a lot harder than one thinks.  If you want to do it well, and I do, it requires a great deal of background work to research topics of interest and then still write about them from an interesting perspective.  And, to do it on a regular basis.  Tough.

I've read two good books on blogging that I'd recommend The Corporate Blogging Book by Debbie Weil and Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel. Both are good, solid primers on blogging and provide a wealth of additional resources one can consult.  Despite the qaulity of both book, and the fact that they are only 2-4 years old, they are becoming somewhat old given the speed with which blogging has progressed.

You really cannot read a book on blogging without coming across names like Mark Cuban or Robert Scoble.  He's Microsoft's chief blogger & his site scobleizer.com/ is pointed to as a paragon of blogging.  In reading his posts, you quickly realize what a world class blogger is capable of writing.  He's not only prolific, he's incredibly interesting.  It's obvious he is an industry expert - and what's fascinating is that he comments on his products & company, competitors & competitor products, how the two compare favorably or unfavorably, who's strategy appears to be better, etc.  It's quite provocative.

My goal is to eventually be half as good in my industry as Robert is in his.  It will take me years to get there. But, at least I can aim high.

Posted by Bruce Lehr Feb 9, 2010