Biotechnology and technology stocks are dominating our charts to watch this week, because they are displaying strong technical momentum. Esperion Therapeutics Inc. ESPR, +3.55% is absolutely rocketing. The clinical-stage biopharma, which is focused on developing drugs that treat cardiovascular disease, popped 29% on Friday in response to good clinical news from Amgen AMGN, +0.25% regarding its own cardiovascular drug. The stock followed through on Monday and then again Tuesday, up $2.48, or 14%, to $20.14 on nearly 3.4 million shares traded. The stock pulled back toward the close, testing the bottom of its rising channel and resting in a tight wedge formation. This formation looks poised to break to the upside, with the next target at the channel top near $22. Exelixis Inc. EXEL, -1.87% also had a strong session on Tuesday, up 54 cents, or 2.7%, to $20.57, on nearly 6.7 million shares traded. The cancer-drug companys stock needs to get through the rising trendline, near $21, connecting the most recent tops from September, December and January. The challenge beyond that would be the mid-channel line at around $22.75, a break through that could accelerate the stock into the high $20s. Finisar Corp. FNSR, +5.46% edged above resistance on … Continue reading →

What happened Cellect Biotechnology (NASDAQ: APOP) stock is up nearly 30% at 12:06 p.m. EST after the company announced that it treated the first patient in the biotech's phase 1/2 trial, dubbed ApoGraft01, testing its stem cell technology ApoGraft in patients with blood cancer. Treating the first patient shouldn't have come as much of a surprise to investors. In November, the company said the Israeli Ministry of Health had given its approval to begin the trial. Perhaps investors are just really happy that the trial is finally starting. Also keep in mind that Cellect Biotechnology has a fairly low market cap, so the relative increase in valuation wasn't that much. Image source: Getty Images. Cellect Biotechnology's ApoGraft attempts to better select stem cells to help prevent graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), which occurs in 25% to 50% of recipients of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. GvHD happens when the donated stem cells produce immune cells that start mistakenly attacking the patients' normal cells because they see it as foreign. GvHD leads to 15% of the deaths that occur after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Continue Reading Below ADVERTISEMENT ApoGraft01 will enroll 12 patients, so it shouldn't take too long for Cellect Biotechnology to fully … Continue reading →

Scientists at the University of Illinois say they have developed a new technique of genetic engineering for basic and applied biological research and medicine. Their work ("Programmable DNA-Guided Artificial Restriction Enzymes"), reported inACS Synthetic Biology,could open new doors in genomic research by improving the precision and adherence of sliced DNA, according to the investigators. "Using our technology, we can create highly active artificial restriction enzymes with virtually any sequence specificity and defined sticky ends of varying length," said Huimin Zhao, Ph.,D., professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, who leads a synthetic biology research group at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at Illinois. "This is a rare example in biotechnology where a desired biological function or reagent can be readily and precisely designed in a rational manner." Restriction enzymes cut DNA at a specific site and create a space wherein foreign DNA can be introduced for gene-editing purposes. This process is not achieved only by naturally occurring restriction enzymes; artificial restriction enzymes, or AREs, have risen to prominence in recent years. CRISPR/Cas9, a bacterial immune system used for "cut-and-paste" gene editing, and TALENs, or transcription activator-like effector nucleases, which are modified restriction enzymes, are two popular examples of … Continue reading →

The last five years have witnessed amazing acceleration of innovation in biotechnology. CRISPR will lead to precision gene editing that could vastly improve food crop yields and provide cures to cancer. Lightning-fast gene sequencing will enable early detection of cancer from a simple blood test. High-speed bulk data transfer allows the entire genomes of millions of people to be compared online in the search for cures to both common and rare diseases. Neuromorphic chips will accelerate the dawn of artificial intelligence, and smart prostheses will allow para- and quadriplegic patients to move, the deaf to hear, and the blind to see. Discovery of synergies in applications that blur the boundaries of traditional science, technology, engineering, and mathematics will continue to fuel this exponential growth of innovation. In spite of this exuberant trend, it is important to remember that innovation and discovery often outpace the regulatory structures that ensure their best and most ethical use in society. The bioethics field traditionally is interpreted as pertaining mainly to the medical interests of humans. It has dealt with five key issues: beneficence, non-maleficence, patient autonomy, social justice, and patient confidentiality. However, with the advent of nanotechnology and other technologies that allow inter-kingdom transfer … Continue reading →

Jon Entine, Executive Director, Genetic Literacy Project,oversaw the assignments and the editing of this series INTRODUCTION: Genetically engineered crops and animals (GMOs) have been a controversial public issue since the first products were introduced in the 1990s. They have posed unique challenges for governments to regulate. Although most working scientists in the field hold the opinion that genetic engineering, for the most part, is part of a continuum of the human manipulation of our food supply thats gone on for thousands of years, critics contend differently. Many crop biotechnology skeptics frame their concerns in quasi-religious terms, as a violation of nature or fears that the increased use of GE foods will lead to a corporate takeover of our seed and food systems, and the adoption of an ecologically destructive industrialized agriculture system. GMOs have become a symbol of the battle over what our global, regional and local food systems should look like going forward. The clout of the food movement that vocally rejects many aspects of conventional farming has exponentially increased since then, promoted by mainstream journalists, scientists and non-profit groups from Michael Pollan to Consumers Union to the Environmental Working Group. Organic leaders and lobbyists, such as Gary Hirshberg, … Continue reading →