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Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News | GENengnews.com | AUGUST 2016 | 17 There is much promise for using extremely sensitive viability assay technologies. Assays such as the CellTiter-Glo ® Lumi- nescent Cell Viability Assay for ATP detec- tion can enable miniaturized screening of known chemotherapeutic drugs and drug combinations using cells derived from pa- tient biopsies. Completion of clinical trials will likely support the hypothesis that tu- mor cells isolated from an individual more accurately predict the in vivo therapeutic re- sponse of that individual. Dr. Horton With the escalating cost of healthcare, the ability to design personalized treatment options is going to be instrumen- tal in curbing healthcare expenses while still improving patient outcomes. The ability to leverage cell-based assays on patient-derived cellular models will allow healthcare pro- fessionals to intelligently design customized treatment options that will have the greatest chance of success. Cellular assays are never going to be a direct replacement for the real thing. They do, however, present an attractive balance between cost and speed in their ability to provide predictive treatment options in days, as opposed to the months or years necessary for animal studies. www.biotek.com For long term cell assays, there's nothing like BioSpa ™ 8 Automated Incubator. It keeps cells healthy and runs the entire process. BioSpa links liquid handling, reading and imaging together for flawless full workflow automation – all while in the protection of a controlled environment. And with convenient 24/7 monitoring, nothing gets between you and your success. Take control of your cell assays. Visit www.biotek.com/biospa. It's late. You're tired. And tomorrow's another long day. Have the Cell-Confidence to Walk Away. i n c u b a t e w a s h d i s p e n s e re a d i m a g e DRUG DISCOVERY > Vertex, Moderna Launch Cystic Fibrosis Collaboration Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Mod- erna Therapeutics will work to dis- cover and develop new cystic fibrosis (CF) treatments based on Moderna's class of messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA) Therapeutics™. Moderna could generate up to $315 million through the 3-year col- laboration, which will focus on using mRNA therapies to treat the underly- ing cause of CF by enabling cells in the lungs to produce functional cop- ies of the cystic fibrosis transmem- brane conductance regulator protein. Vertex agreed to pay Moderna $20 million cash upfront, and will take an ownership stake in Moderna by investing $20 million. Vertex will also pay Moderna up to $275 million in payments tied to achieving develop- ment and regulatory milestones—in- cluding $220 million in approval and reimbursement milestones—as well as tiered royalties on future sales. > AstraZeneca Inks Tralokinumab, Brodalumab Licensing Deals with Leo Pharma AstraZeneca has inked licensing agreements covering two of its drug can- didates with Leo Pharma, giving it global rights to skin disease indications for tralokinumab as well as European rights to brodalumab for psoriasis. The licensing deal for tralokinumab alone could gener- ate more than $1 billion for AstraZeneca. Tralokinumab is an anti-interleukin-13 (IL-13) monoclonal antibody that has completed a Phase IIb trial for the treat- ment of patients with atopic dermatitis. In return for gaining exclusive tralokinumab rights for dermatology indications, Leo Pharma agreed to pay AstraZeneca $115 million upfront, as well as up to $1 billion in payments tied to achieving commercial milestones, and up to mid-teen tiered percentage royalties on product sales. > Carmot to Use Lead- Identification Technology in Collab with Genentech Carmot Therapeutics inked a drug discovery collaboration and license agreement with Genentech. Carmot will apply its lead-identification technology, Chemotype Evolution, to discover novel drug hits. Carmot and Genentech will work together to identify lead candidates, while Genentech will be solely respon- sible for lead optimization, preclinical and clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization activities. n News Discovery & Development