News Feature in 2006

Where combinatorial chemistry and genomics have stalled, could an exploration of untapped sources usher in a second golden age of antibiotic discovery? Cormac Sheridan investigates.

Despite growing commercial interest in antimicrobial strategies that rely on antibodies, recent clinical trial failures suggest they are a work in progress.

For South Africa's sparkling biotech sector not to fizzle, it must win over risk-averse investors, exploit local strengths, focus on simple business models and look to the East. Sabine Louët reports.

Companies making proteins in plants are cooking along, while the agbiotech continues to give itself a black eye. Jeff L. Fox reports.

As the first 'systems biology' companies achieve some measure of success, the question remains whether systems biology can provide a viable business model. Karl Thiel investigates.

Clinical trial databases are sprouting like weeds, but do they provide the information the public needs? Aaron Bouchie investigates.

With an emphasis on diagnostics tools, the independently funded C-Path Institute aims to have a significant role in helping the FDA better oversee innovation. Mark Ratner reports.

Researchers have been able to miniaturize elements of potential diagnostics, but what will it take to put them together into a workable device?

Consumers can pay a couple of hundred dollars to find out their ancestry or a couple of thousand dollars to find out their cancer risk. Not everyone agrees that this is a good idea.

Ariad Pharmaceuticals's victory against Lilly on NF-κB patent infringement has drug companies and legal experts wondering about the future of biotech patenting. Ken Garber reports on the aftermath of the surprising decision.

As equine cloning becomes a commercial reality, what will be the likely impact on the elite world of horse breeding and racing? Stephanie L. Church investigates.

Just as human-animal chimeras are beginning to provide tantalizing insights into fundamental scientific questions about human disease and consciousness, conservative US legislators and President Bush are launching a blistering moral attack. Christopher Thomas Scott investigates.

Recent turnover of the staff at the US Biotechnology Industry Organization following the appointment of a politician to head it up suggests a new role for the organization. How does the industry view these changes? Jeff L. Fox investigates.

It was US investors that largely bankrolled the biotech industry over the past 25 years. Is all that about to change? Michael Fitzgerald investigates.

Biotech companies will be facing particular ethical challenges as their products enter the marketplace. How is the industry preparing? Ken Wilan investigates.

Cancer drugs targeting signaling pathways have been hampered by problems of efficacy and tumor resistance. Will the next generation of kinase inhibitors fare better than the first? Ken Garber investigates.