Former Amira BD chief tapped to run Panmira; AZ, Forest plot late-stage program for superbug drug;

@FierceBiotech: Third Rock bets $35M on new start-up in risky CNS market, former Lilly R&D head on team. Report | Follow @FierceBiotech

@JohnCFierce: MiRagen lands $352M microRNA development pact with Servier. (Yes, Michael, I was referring to miRagen and Sage). News | Follow @JohnCFierce

@RyanMFierce: In case you missed it, BBC has neat piece on status of bio batteries that run on water and sugar in the body. Report | Follow @RyanMFierce

@MaureenFierce: Disgraced South Korean scientist claims to have cloned coyotes, wants to apply tech to endangered species. Story | Follow @MaureenFierce

> San Diego-based Panmira Pharmaceuticals named Hari Kumar as its new CEO. Kumar had been the business development chief at Amira, which was sold to Bristol-Myers Squibb ($BMY) at a significant markup over the amount of investment capital which had gone into the biotech. Release

> AstraZeneca ($AZN) and Forest Laboratories ($FRX) say they plan to launch an ambitious slate of 5 late-stage trials to test the effectiveness of ceftazidime/avibactam against superbug infections. The collaborators are shooting for regulatory approval in 2014. Story

> Shares of Halozyme spiked on the news that a subcutaneous injection of Herceptin demonstrated the same results among women with HER2 positive breast cancer as the IV infusion. Report

Pharma News

@FiercePharma: India's Natco inks mAb-sourcing deal with Swiss co., planning to develop 4 biogenerics for India, other Asian markets. More | Follow @FiercePharma

> Lilly, Amylin win NICE nod for Bydureon. Story

Biotech Research News

> An old drug spurs investigators to think in new ways. Article

> Stem cell pioneer recognized for drug R&D breakthrough. Report

> Harvard project takes aim at improving drug development odds. Item

Manufacturing News

> GSK site pulls out all stops in plant-investment competition. News

> Senate bill would ease FDA conflict-of-interest rule. Report

And Finally... A group of scientists in Japan says it extracted neural stem cells from the brains of diabetic rats and successfully transplanted them into their pancreases, where they began to produce insulin. This animal study indicates that stem cell therapies like this could provide diabetic patients one day with a virtual cure of the disease--a hot focus in academic research circles. Report