US Chinese Anti Cancer Association facilitated liver metastasis biomarkers cooperation between Peking University & Aushon BioSystems

Aushon BioSystems and Peking University Cancer Hospital Collaboration to Focus on Predictive Diagnostic Biomarkers for Liver Metastases of Colorectal Cancer

Feb 8, 2011 Aushon BioSystems, Inc., a leading provider of multiplex immunoassay products and services announced that it has signed a letter of intent to enter into a diagnostic development collaboration with Peking University Cancer Hospital ("PUCH"), Beijing, China. The primary goal for the collaboration is to develop predictive diagnostic markers for liver metastases of colorectal cancer utilizing Aushon's proprietary suite of protein biomarker detection technologies, and stratification biomarkers for radio-chemotherapy patients. As part of this collaboration, PUCH and Aushon will further negotiate an agreement to grant Aushon exclusive rights In North America and Europe to certain intellectual property generated from the collaboration for diagnostic applications. The research will be conducted under the leadership of Dr. Jin Gu, MD, FACS, Peking University Cancer Hospital, Peking University. Prof. Gu is a world-renowned expert and clinician on colorectal cancer and liver metastasis. He leads a team of scientists and physicians investigating the mechanisms of colorectal cancer metastasis including the identification of biomarkers to predict which patients may develop metastatic disease in liver. Dr. Gu has established a vast library of patient samples, as well as extensive clinical and post-surgery follow-up data that he and his staff have accumulated over the past several years. "We look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with Aushon on this critical clinical research program," said Dr. Gu. "Aushon's technology has already received widespread market acceptance with leading pharmaceutical companies due to its proven reliability and performance in late stage clinical trials, and has the key attributes we identified for a multiplex diagnostic platform. We are very optimistic that this partnership will lead to the discovery and development of predictive diagnostic markers for primary colorectal cancer metastases in liver, and establishment of new treatment strategies to improve outcomes for our patients." "We're extremely excited that Dr. Gu and his exceptional team at the Peking University Cancer Hospital have selected Aushon as a partner for their project," said Joe Blanchard, COO of Aushon. "We believe Aushon's technology and expertise are ideally suited for this diagnostic development program and expect that this will be the first of several such technical collaborations with Peking University Cancer Hospital and other leading research institutions in Asia". The collaboration was initiated and facilitated by the US Chinese Anti-Cancer Association (USCACA). "This collaboration marks another important milestone for USCACA in promoting US-China collaborations in cancer research, drug development, and patient care," remarked Dr. Li Yan, Managing Director of USCACA and adjunct professor at PUCH. "I am thrilled to see PUCH taking a leadership position in the area of personalized medicine, and look forward to the successful results of their collaboration with Aushon." Aushon also recently announced its partnership with LightArray Biotech, a drug development service company located in Wuxi, China. This partnership enables Aushon to provide its multiplex biomarker products and services to pharmaceutical clients in China.

US Chinese Anti Cancer Association facilitated liver metastasis biomarkers cooperation between Peking University & Aushon BioSystems

Aushon BioSystems and Peking University Cancer Hospital Collaboration to Focus on Predictive Diagnostic Biomarkers for Liver Metastases of Colorectal Cancer

Feb 8, 2011 Aushon BioSystems, Inc., a leading provider of multiplex immunoassay products and services announced that it has signed a letter of intent to enter into a diagnostic development collaboration with Peking University Cancer Hospital ("PUCH"), Beijing, China. The primary goal for the collaboration is to develop predictive diagnostic markers for liver metastases of colorectal cancer utilizing Aushon's proprietary suite of protein biomarker detection technologies, and stratification biomarkers for radio-chemotherapy patients. As part of this collaboration, PUCH and Aushon will further negotiate an agreement to grant Aushon exclusive rights In North America and Europe to certain intellectual property generated from the collaboration for diagnostic applications. The research will be conducted under the leadership of Dr. Jin Gu, MD, FACS, Peking University Cancer Hospital, Peking University. Prof. Gu is a world-renowned expert and clinician on colorectal cancer and liver metastasis. He leads a team of scientists and physicians investigating the mechanisms of colorectal cancer metastasis including the identification of biomarkers to predict which patients may develop metastatic disease in liver. Dr. Gu has established a vast library of patient samples, as well as extensive clinical and post-surgery follow-up data that he and his staff have accumulated over the past several years. "We look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with Aushon on this critical clinical research program," said Dr. Gu. "Aushon's technology has already received widespread market acceptance with leading pharmaceutical companies due to its proven reliability and performance in late stage clinical trials, and has the key attributes we identified for a multiplex diagnostic platform. We are very optimistic that this partnership will lead to the discovery and development of predictive diagnostic markers for primary colorectal cancer metastases in liver, and establishment of new treatment strategies to improve outcomes for our patients." "We're extremely excited that Dr. Gu and his exceptional team at the Peking University Cancer Hospital have selected Aushon as a partner for their project," said Joe Blanchard, COO of Aushon. "We believe Aushon's technology and expertise are ideally suited for this diagnostic development program and expect that this will be the first of several such technical collaborations with Peking University Cancer Hospital and other leading research institutions in Asia". The collaboration was initiated and facilitated by the US Chinese Anti-Cancer Association (USCACA). "This collaboration marks another important milestone for USCACA in promoting US-China collaborations in cancer research, drug development, and patient care," remarked Dr. Li Yan, Managing Director of USCACA and adjunct professor at PUCH. "I am thrilled to see PUCH taking a leadership position in the area of personalized medicine, and look forward to the successful results of their collaboration with Aushon." Aushon also recently announced its partnership with LightArray Biotech, a drug development service company located in Wuxi, China. This partnership enables Aushon to provide its multiplex biomarker products and services to pharmaceutical clients in China.

 

About Peking University Cancer Hospital (PUCH) PUCH is one of China's largest and most renowned hospitals focusing specifically on cancer research and treatment. It has 790 hospital beds, 26 clinical departments and 13 medical technological departments. PUCH has been engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of various tumors, including breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, gastric cancer, esophageal carcinoma, malignant lymphoma, gynecological cancer, tumor of head and neck, tumor of urological system, bone tumor and melanoma. The hospital advocates the cooperation of multiple disciplines, integrates the medical sources of all departments, and has established different cooperative groups for mono-disease including breast cancer, gastric cancer, lymphoma, and liver cancer, to provide normalized and individualized combined treatment for the patients. The hospital is also a member of the national base for clinical pharmacology. From 2000 to 2007, our hospital has completed 76 clinical trials, of which 52 were domestic clinical trials, 10 international multi-center clinical trials, and 14 clinical trials for medical equipment. There are currently 35 domestic clinical trials, 11 international multi-center clinical trials, and 4 clinical trials for medical equipment taking place at PUCH.

 

About Aushon BioSystems Aushon BioSystems provides a comprehensive suite of microarray instruments, consumables and services to leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology, academic and diagnostic clients worldwide. Our unique combination of advanced microarray printing technology, robust biomarker content and innovative multiplex immunoassay development and detection systems delivers exceptional performance, quality and reliability that accelerate pre-clinical and clinical biomarker research. Our customers trust us to provide the most reliable protein biomarker data available, which lowers costs and improves research productivity. For more information, please visit www.aushon.com.

 

About US Chinese Anti Cancer Association (USCACA), USCACA is a non-profit professional organization founded in 2009. With a broad membership base spanning academia, industry and government agencies, USCACA facilitates collaborations among cancer researchers and physicians from the United States and China in the areas of cancer research, cancer drug R&D, as well as patient care and support. One of the organization's current focuses is on safely expediting novel cancer drug development by fostering global clinical trial collaborations, sharing best practices and knowledge of clinical trials, and providing education and training opportunities. USCACA collaborates with Chinese Anti-Cancer Association (CACA), Chinese Society for Clinical Oncology (CSCO), and other professional associations. Our mandate is to improve cancer treatments through research, education, and collaboration. For more information, please visit www.uscaca.org

中國直銷業務: 哈藥集團難以掌握 !

鄭鳳強出走 人員轉給三生 哈藥終結直銷業務？ 2011年01月20日 21:16  南方都市報　　去年此時，國內首家上市藥企哈藥以3億元啟動資金和152億元的哈藥品牌價值謀求100億直銷份額的誓言猶在耳畔，而今，這一目標似乎已煙消雲散。記者昨日獲悉，被譽為"中國最具潛力直銷企業C E O"的哈藥顧問鄭鳳強已正式離職，哈藥則在去年10月就與寧波三生達成戰略合作協議，成為國內首單拿牌公司之間的整合案例。 "去年11月初哈藥的資料庫就對三生開放了，20多款下架，只剩2款產品和另外2款三生產品可以報單。加上本月鄭鳳強走，這種所謂的自然過渡我們當然理解為哈藥直銷業務已經終結了。"哈藥經銷商嚴生(化名)向本報記者表示。

哈藥直銷併入三生？  "去年10月，在沒有任何徵兆的情況下，哈藥組織全體經銷商高層在上海開會，與三生共同宣佈進行戰略合作。11月資料庫對三生開放，20多款產品下架，PV值(積分)也從0.8調整為0.5，即獎金下調了37.5%。"在嚴生的看法中，顯然如果以後三生產品的PV值高，就可以誘使經銷商把這部分產品推向哈藥的直銷員。 哈藥方面對此的官方答復為，不同於市場兼併，也不存在誰吞併誰，本次戰略合作是兩企業在行銷管道、行銷人員、銷售產品、生產研發四方面合作。而據記者瞭解，具體到操作形式，哈藥現有直銷員可自願擁有三生會員資格，自主運作，三生業務可按三生制度計算相應獎金；新直銷員可自由選擇在其中一家公司報單。 "我已經正式離開哈藥，現仍為三生顧問。"曾任安利高級業務營運經理、天獅集團中國區總裁、三生大中華區執行總裁及富迪顧問的原哈藥顧問鄭鳳強對記者表示，其目前角色不便評價哈藥與三生合作的實質是否就是哈藥中止直銷業務。記者同時瞭解到，哈藥直銷高管團隊其實在鄭鳳強離職之前已群體跳槽至富迪。

今年或迎整合大潮  "直銷是我們新增的一種銷售方式，也是我們不可能放棄的一種銷售方式。"哈藥股份董秘孟曉東此前曾如是對媒體表示。記者瞭解到，2008年11月哈藥正式拿牌，但此後陷入沉寂，直至2009年12月迎來鄭鳳強的加盟，才在去年1月提出宏大目標。不具名業內人士稱，哈藥身為國企，雖然已確定了生物工程、疫苗和直銷為三大支柱產業，直銷板塊也曾提高到與哈藥三精、哈藥六廠平起平坐的位置，但試水之後負面不斷，面臨巨大風險，企業不願冒著損失品牌的風險下賭，因此有意砍掉直銷業務，但怕經銷商不同意，才有把團隊轉讓給三生的想法。而據記者瞭解，財大氣粗也未能在水深莫測的直銷領域一帆風順的並非只有哈藥。房產巨頭僑鑫集團也曾在2009年發力直銷，旗下全資子公司東方藥林吸納直銷大佬邱錦雲，稱前期投資便高達1.5億美金，後期還有2億美金追加，卻始終未能如願拿牌，隨後邱錦雲跳槽中脈，東方藥林也悄然凍結直銷業務。 世界華人直銷促進會秘書長禹路分析，哈藥原先的直銷戰略定位不清晰，分配制度適合快速啟動市場，很容易將同行的團隊吸收過來，但容易造成不滿，構成壓力。"未來哈藥或許並不會完全放棄直銷，而是轉為電子商務、連鎖店、直銷相結合的三網合一模式。"其同時透露，由於直銷牌照是絕對稀缺資源，市場沒牌的直銷公司有一兩千家，無牌公司向有牌公司靠近將成為常態。今年直銷業界勢必將迎來新一輪的並購整合大潮。

中國生物醫療電子龍頭 (深圳邁瑞; Mindray) 西安研發中心

全球醫療電子巨頭邁瑞研發中心落戶西安

2011年01月12日 昨日下午，深圳邁瑞生物醫療電子公司與高新區舉行公司研發中心暨西北區域總部專案簽約儀式。省委常委、市委書記孫清雲出席簽約儀式並會見邁瑞公司總裁李西廷。市委常委、市委秘書長楊殿鐘，市委常委、高新區管委會主任岳華峰參加會見和簽約儀式。孫清雲首先對深圳邁瑞生物醫療電子公司研發中心暨西北區域總部專案落戶西安表示祝賀。他說，邁瑞公司作為知名醫療器械公司，近年來通過自主創新打造醫療品牌，在國際金融危機衝擊中仍佔據較大市場份額，凸顯出較強的成長性和生命力。孫清雲指出，西安高校和科研院所眾多，科技研發實力雄厚，為生物醫藥企業發展奠定了堅實的人才和技術支撐。西安市將大力支持邁瑞公司的發展，希望加快項目落戶步伐，並圍繞醫療器械生產研發搞好產業配套，延伸產業鏈條，促進西安生物醫藥產業發展壯大。李西廷對我市給予邁瑞公司的大力支持表示感謝。他說，公司十分看重西安的人才優勢，特別是西安市高效快捷的政務服務環境給邁瑞公司留下深刻印象。他表示，邁瑞公司將加快專案建設進度，爭取早日達產，並拓展業務領域，努力為西安經濟社會發展貢獻力量。據悉，深圳邁瑞生物醫療電子公司在中國乃至全球醫療電子設備領域享有盛譽，2006年作為中國首家醫療設備企業在美國紐交所上市。公司研發中心暨西北區域總部專案計畫投資8億元，建成後實現年銷售收入超過10億元，將進一步提升西安醫療設備產業競爭力，並會帶動更多的醫療行業龍頭企業到西安投資發展。

私慕與創投全力鎖定醫療健康產業中國

醫療健康產業基金蜂擁而上 PE機構欲轉身做VC

2011年01月20日 15:28來源：南方網  轉發剛剛過去的2010年，醫療健康產業名列IPO數量最多的四個行業之一，而以截至創業板上市一周年的資料來看，各行業企業IPO平均帳面投資回報率最高的行業是醫療健康，平均投資回報率為18.68倍。各類醫療健康產業基金先後成立，專案爭奪戰硝煙四起。在醫療健康產業進入白熱化爭奪戰的關口，該如何投資？"我們去年完成了三個醫療健康產業項目的投資，投資金額接近兩億，項目前移，專注細分行業同時不放棄後端項目。"前日上午，深圳市高特佳投資集團董事長蔡達建接受南都記者專訪時認為，多做VC，做專業化的VC。

醫療產業需求還將進一步放大  按照ChinaVenture投中集團統計的資料，從行業分佈來看，2010年IPO中國企業分佈於19個行業，案例數量最多的四個行業分別是製造業、IT及能源行業和醫療健康。創業板一周年的資料顯示，醫療健康和TM T最受投資者關注，V C／PE背景企業所占比例分別為76.9%和72.5%。"我們從2003年就開始對健康產業進行佈局了。"蔡達建說，除了投資醫療器械的邁瑞醫療外，僅在2010年，公司就投資了三家醫療健康產業的公司。截至去年年底，深圳市高特佳投資集團已在醫療健康領域投資了7家企業。蔡達建認為，隨著醫改方案的出臺，中國老百姓在醫療方面的潛在需求被釋放後，醫療產業的需求會被進一步放大，這個行業的增長空間還很大。此前，建銀醫療基金有關人士也表示，非常看好全國性和區域性的藥品流通龍頭企業，將支持它們通過兼併重組等方式繼續做大做強，向下延伸銷售網路，實現基層網路的有效覆蓋。"我們的戰略是，專注於行業研究和產業鏈的打通，發現企業，培養企業，但同時不會放棄後端項目的投資。"蔡達建告訴南都記者，公司去年投資了6個億的後期項目，今年也不會少於這個數字，但主要的精力則放在行業研究和細分機會的挖掘上。在跟蹤了長達三年之後，去年10月，深圳市高特佳投資集團約4000萬投資了醫療服務企業深圳市眾安康後勤服務有限公司。據介紹，這是一家1999年成立的綜合性現代後勤管理服務專業機構，主要從事醫院後勤管理服務，已經接管了數十家大型醫院，能夠把醫院的後期服務全部帶下來，也可以專門外包某一塊業務。

醫療三子行業受關注  "這周跑了五個城市，得出結論如下：1)不分南北，每個城市的天氣都很冷。2)不分東西，每個城市的投資都很熱。3)不分早晚，每個城市的項目都很貴……"業內人士不久前在微博中的一段話正是對當前投資領域的真實寫照。2010年的中國，想找一個比創投更熱的行業似乎很難，PE這碗飯不好吃了，怎麼辦？蔡達建給出的答案是多做V C，做專業化的V C。蔡達建特別看好醫療器械、生物制藥與中藥行業。醫療改革政策出來之後，大家都知道行業有好的機會，但如何去把握？蔡達建認為，從創投的思路來看，比較集中的是兩個方面，一方面主要是後期項目的爭奪；一方面是做V C的角色，培育項目。"過去幾年生物制藥的複合增長率達到了40%左右，中成藥30%左右，仿製藥也有了20%以上，這都是最市場化的一些細分。"蔡達建說。2010年，深圳市高特佳投資集團投資的另外一家醫藥企業是深圳市貝斯達醫療器械有限公司。貝斯達主要生產核磁共振為主的醫療設備，"我們投資了約6000萬"，蔡達建介紹，投資邁瑞醫療之後，公司對醫療器械行業的關注增多，有10多名專門的團隊成員進行研究。具體到中藥類企業，蔡達建強調，首先要有獨到的品種，技術方面門檻不高，但是行銷管道、品牌形象很重要。拿2010年投資的海南一家制藥有限公司為例，"市場非常重要，對中藥企業來說，相比而言，生物制藥則對技術要求高很多。"

創投進入分化期  事實上，"專業專注"這在金融危機前夕就一直是創投行業一直在說的話題，創業板開啟後，眾多資本一湧而上，項目的爭奪戰激烈啟動。在白熱化中，後期項目擠壓的空間越來越小，項目前移被迫提前。"未來是一個行業分化的時期，PE與VC的劃分將更加明確，對PE的資金要求更高一些，V C則越來越強調專業化。"蔡達建告訴南都記者，公司的做法是，更多的精力花在行業主題專案的研究與選擇。依靠這樣的策略，深圳市高特佳投資集團在2010年投資了16個專案，鄭煤機[41.77 0.65%]、山東礦機[23.95 0.55%]掛牌上市且分別取得了近10倍的收益。"專注前期但不放棄後期專案的投資是目前比較明智的選擇，但我們長遠的規劃主要在中前期專案相關的主題基金的佈局。"蔡達建說。事實上，已經有眾多機構開始佈局主題基金，關注專業領域的機會，如九鼎投資于2009年底成立關注民營醫藥行業的投資基金，達晨創投的文化產業基金等等。ChinaVenture指出，對於VC／PE機構而言，成立專業化基金，能夠以更專業的團隊、更關注的投資戰略形成在某個細分行業的競爭優勢；對企業而言，則能夠利用專業化基金有效地整合產業鏈，以增強企業競爭力及塑造品牌。專業化基金將成為未來股權投資基金尤其是創投基金市場的一個重要發展趨勢。