The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, says it has arrested Lucy Ogbadu, the Director-General of National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), over alleged N23 million fraud. The spokesperson of the commission, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this in a statement he issued on Thursday. Mr. Uwujaren said Ms. Ogbadu was picked up by EFCC operatives in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, following her alleged link with the Bayelsa State Director of Bio-resources Development Centre, Josiah Habu. Mr. Habu, according to him, is being investigated by the anti-graft agency in a case of fraudulent diversion of N75 million. He said investigations by the EFCC revealed that Ms. Ogbadu allegedly received N23 million through a bank account belonging to the wife of Mr. Habu, Esther Habu. The EFCC spokesperson stated that Ms. Ogbadu admitted the transaction in a voluntary statement made to the commissions investigators. Further investigations also revealed that Mrs Habu is one of the contractors with Bio-resources Development Centre, Odi, Bayelsa State. A total of N603 million has been traced to her in different deals involving over 20 directors of the centre across the country. Ogbadus involvement is being investigated. She has been duly served with bail conditions while investigations continue, Mr. Uwujaren … Continue reading →

Genome editing specialist Cellectis has kicked off clinical tests in the US for the very first of-the-shelf CAR-T cell therapy in acute myeloid leukaemia. The company said it enrolled the first patient with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) to be treated with UCART123 at Weill at Cornell Medicine, New York Presbyterian Hospital. UCART123 is a TALEN-genome edited chimeric T cell receptor targeting the CD123/IL3R antigen on the surface of blasts and dendric cells, which is administered on allogeneic donor T cells. The team of Gail J. Roboz will investigate the safety and will collect first indications for efficacy of UCART123 in patients with AML. The Phase I trial is part of a strategic translational research alliance that was formed between Cellectis and Weill Cornell Medicine in 2015. While Novartis AG and Kite Pharma are leading the CAR-T cell therapy development in AML, Cellectis hopes to overtake its competitors. It has the only approach that works with allogenic CAR-engineered T cells that could be centrally pre-manufactured in contrast to the autologous patient T cells. Those need to be isolated, engineered and expanded during the at least 14 day hospital stay of the patients to be treated making the procedure costly, lengthy and … Continue reading →

The new skin care line is expected to be launched in the third calendar quarter of 2017. CBD Biotechnology Co. Ltd. plans to use multiple sales channels to implement its sales plan including Tmall, TaoBao, the Company's official website, broadcasting platforms of internet celebrities, mobile news applications, and a multi-level direct selling system in cooperation with Shangdong Yibao Biologics Co. Ltd. "Following the launch of OptHemp Ultra Premium Hemp Oil by CIIX's wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, ChineseHempOil.com, Inc., I am very pleased to announce the launch of CBD Biotechnology Co., Ltd. non-industrial hemp infused skin care line," says Summer Yun, CEO of CBD Biotechnology Co., Ltd. "CBD Biotechnology Co., Ltd. will be one of the first companies in China to incorporate hemp-based CBD into skin care products, which we believe will spark public interest. "An estimated 55,700 metric tons of industrial hemp are produced around the world each year with China, Russia, and South Korea leading in production, accounting for 70 percent of the world's industrial hemp supply. Although China is one of the leading producers of industrial hemp, the benefits to the human body have not yet been widely recognized in mainland China," says Yun. "As one of the … Continue reading →

Newswise Industrial biotechnology scientists, educators, entrepreneurs and executives from around the globe will be convening on the University of California San Diego campus this summer to explore the latest advances and world-changing innovations heating up the white-hot field of industrial biotechnology with workshops in microbial fermentation and metabolic engineering. UC San Diego Extension will host its annual Industrial Biotechnology Workshops on Aug. 14 through 18. Participants can attend the whole program or attend the workshops on microbial fermentation or metabolic engineering separately. Now in its fifth year, this widely acclaimed educational event creates an informal, intimate environment for robust exchange of knowledge and ideas among world-class academic instructors and leaders of cutting-edge companies of every size from startup to mature, said Hugo Villar, associate dean of Professional & Continuing Education for UC San Diego Extension. Whether from California or China, biotechnology professionals attending these workshops will have a front-row seat to learn about current developments and advanced scientific skills being used to solve some the worlds most difficult problems, Villar said. Microbial Fermentation For the past four years, the workshop focused primarily on microbial fermentation, which is the transformation of feedstocks, such as plant sugars, into useful products, like fuels, … Continue reading →

Bengaluru: The Karnataka IT and Biotechnology department on Wednesday granted Rs 3.18 crore to fund 12 start-ups in the areas of agriculture, biotechnology, security, communications and robotics. "The dozen start-ups have been selected for funding to innovate products and solutions as they have been part of the Idea2PoC (Proof of Concept) scheme of the IT department's Start-up Cell," said an official statement in Bengaluru. The Idea2PoC is a part of the country's first multi-sector start-up policy, unveiled by the state government to encourage entrepreneurs with funding to commercialise their innovation. The start-ups with seed funding are Dr. Live Software (Rs 10 lakh), EasyKrishi (Rs 15 lakh), Lightmetrics (Rs 30 lakh), PiOctave Solutions (Rs 30 lakh), Geeksynergey Technologies (Rs 30 lakh), ispAgro Robotics (Rs 20 lakh), Astrome (Rs 30 lakh), Esyasoft (Rs 20 lakh), Geotraq Safety (Rs 45 lakh), NammaNimma Cycle Foundation (Rs 10 lakh), Sirena Technologies (Rs 48 lakh) and Selfdot Technologies (Rs 30 lakh). "Though Bengaluru is the country's IT hub, we are seeing its start-up culture spreading to other areas, including agriculture, biotechnology, security, communications, robotics and gaming rapidly. Our aim is to mentor and help them to become self-sufficient," said IT & BT Principal Secretary Gaurav Gupta … Continue reading →