> Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is hunting for some new biotech prospects in San Francisco. At a meeting hosted by Genentech, Patrick plans to tout the state's new incentive program for the industry. Report
> DiaMedica has named Reginald Bowerman as its new president and CEO. The biotech is developing new therapies for Type 2 diabetes. Release
> Novavax and Vivalis have forged a research license to use the Vivalis proprietary EB66(R) cell line, for the production of Novavax VLP based vaccines. Release
> In news that the market read as ominous, GlaxoSmithKline wouldn't forecast its 2009 numbers. And in news that Glaxo employees must have considered ominous, the company confirmed its intent to cut more jobs--and in the new spirit of withholding info, refused to estimate how many. Report
> Here's a new angle on the Roche-Genentech fracas: Though the Swiss drugmaker saw sales and net income decline--and its stock drop by about one-third--in 2008, CEO Severin Schwan (photo) got a pay boost of almost 50 percent. Report
> A new study has kicked up the argument over hormone replacement therapy. Researchers revisited the medical records of women who participated in the now-infamous Women's Health Initiative study that NIH halted in 2002, warning that Wyeth's Prempro appeared to increase breast cancer, heart attacks and strokes. Report
> Biomedical engineers at Brown University announced that they have successfully grown and assembled complex-shaped microtissues in three dimensional Petri dishes they invented. The findings not only point to ways researchers can mimic organs, but may form the basis for advanced research on tissue engineering for organ transplants and regenerative medicine. Report
> Two heads may be better than one, but two colon cancer inhibitors might be worse. A new study found that adding Eli Lilly's Erbitux to the now-standard treatment of chemo drugs plus Genentech's Avastin actually cut survival time while it boosted adverse reactions. Report
> A group of Japanese researchers are reporting a breakthrough in developing a universal flu vaccine. While current vaccines have to be reengineered every year to match the changing proteins on the surface of the virus, the Japanese team designed a vaccine that targets the proteins inside the virus. Report
> Ritalin, a common treatment for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, may change the brain in the same ways that cocaine does, a new study in mice suggests. Release
And Finally... Bill Gates employed a small swarm of mosquitoes to help him spread the message on the need for a new malaria vaccine. Speaking at a conferece well known for its high-profile group of attendees, Gates said that "malaria is spread by mosquitoes," and released a glass full of the pesky critters. "I brought some," he added. "Here I'll let them roam around. There is no reason only poor people should be infected." Report