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The molecular mechanism used by many bacteria to kill neighboring cells has redundancy built into its genetic makeup, which could allow for the mechanism to be expressed in different environments, say researchers at Penn State and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Their new study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of competition among bacteria. "Many organisms, including humans, acquire bacteria from their environment," said Tim Miyashiro, a biochemist and molecular biologist at Penn State and the leader of the research team. "These bacteria can contribute to functions within the host organism, like how our gut bacteria help us digest food. We're interested in the interactions among bacteria cells, and between bacteria and their hosts, to better understand these mutually beneficial symbiotic relationships." Cells of the bioluminescent bacteria Vibrio fisheri take up residence in the light organ of newly hatched bobtail squid. At night, the bacteria produce a blue glow that researchers believe obscures a squid's silhouette and helps protect it from predators. The light organ has pockets, or crypts, in the squid's skin that provide nutrients and a safe environment for the bacteria. "When the squid hatches, it doesn't yet have any bacteria in its light organ," said Miyashiro. "But bacteria in the environment quickly colonize the squid's light organ." Some of these different bacteria strains can coexist, but others can't. "Microbial symbioses are essentially universal in animals, and are crucial to the health and development of both partners," says Irwin Forseth, a program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Integrative Organismal Systems, which funded the research. "The results from this study highlight the role small genetic changes can play in microbe interactions. Increased understanding will allow us to better predict organisms' performance in changing environments."

Image credit: Andrew Cecere

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Scientists have recovered the first genetic data from an extinct bird in the Caribbean, thanks to the remarkably preserved bones of a Creighton's caracara in a flooded sinkhole on Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. Studies of ancient DNA from tropical birds have faced two formidable obstacles. Organic material quickly degrades when exposed to heat, light and oxygen. And birds' lightweight, hollow bones break easily, accelerating the decay of the DNA within. But the dark, oxygen-free depths of a 100-foot blue hole known as Sawmill Sink provided ideal preservation conditions for the bones of Caracara creightoni, a species of large carrion-eating falcon that disappeared soon after humans arrived in the Bahamas about 1,000 years ago. Florida Museum of Natural History researcher Jessica Oswald and her colleagues extracted and sequenced genetic material from the 2,500-year-old C. creightoni femur. Because ancient DNA is often fragmented or missing, the team had modest expectations for what they would find –- maybe one or two genes. But instead, the bone yielded 98.7% of the bird's mitochondrial genome, the DNA most living things inherit from their mothers. The mitochondrial genome showed that C. creightoni is closely related to the two remaining caracara species alive today: the crested caracara and the southern caracara. The three species last shared a common ancestor between 1.2 and 0.4 million years ago. "This project enhanced our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary implications of extinction, forged strong international partnerships, and trained the next generation of researchers," says Jessica Robin, a program director in National Science Foundation's Office of International Science and Engineering, which funded the study.

Image credit: Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

Tradeshift, a supply...

Source: Streetwise Reports   05/01/2020

Seattle Genetics Inc. (SGEN:NASDAQ) yesterday announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020.

The company also provided an update on commercial results achieved in the quarter for its lead medicines including ADCETRIS® (brentuximab vedotin) and PADCEV^™ (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval and launch of TUKYSA^™ (tucatinib).

The company's President and CEO Clay Siegall, Ph.D., commented, "We have had a remarkable start to 2020, delivering record product sales in the first quarter that are now coming from both ADCETRIS and PADCEV. Notably, strong PADCEV sales in the first full quarter of launch reflect the unmet need among patients with metastatic bladder cancer...With the recent approval of TUKYSA for patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, we have now launched our third product just four months after our second...We are also preparing for European commercial operations and have hired general managers in major European markets ahead of potential ex-U.S. approvals of TUKYSA. With two new products, growing revenues, and an advancing pipeline of novel cancer programs, we have exciting prospects for future growth."

The company highlighted that ADCETRIS net sales in the U.S. and Canada increased by 22% to $164.1 million in Q1/20, compared to $135 million in Q1/19. The firm indicated that PADCEV net sales in the U.S. reached $34.5 million in Q1/20, which was its first full quarter of commercialization. The company added that royalty revenues in Q1/20 were $20.4 million and collaboration and license agreement revenues in Q1/20 totaled $15.6 million.

The firm reported a net loss for Q1/20 of $168.4 million, or $0.98 per diluted share, compared to net loss of $13.3 million, or $0.08 per diluted share for Q1/19. The company explained that "the net loss in Q1/20 included a net investment loss of $59.1 million primarily associated with its common stock holdings in Immunomedics, which are marked-to-market, compared to a net investment gain of $38.1 million in Q1/19."

The company advised that its TUKYSA was approved by the FDA for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who have received one or more prior anti-HER2 regimens in the metastatic setting. The firm mentioned that it also expects to be able to report topline data in late Q2/20 or Q3/20 for the innovaTV 204 pivotal trial of tisotumab vedotin in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic cervical cancer who have relapsed or progressed after standard of care treatment.

The company noted that it is regularly monitoring the effects of the COVID-19 situation and is maintaining its business outlook estimates for FY/20 that it provided previously on February 6, 2020. For FY/20 it expects ADCETRIS net product sales of $675–700 million, royalty revenues of $105–115 million and collaboration and license agreement revenues of $30–50 million. The firm advised that for FY/20 it expects that R&D expenses will range from $860–950 million with SG&A expenses of $475–525 million.

Seattle Genetics is headquartered in Bothell, Wash., and is a global biotechnology company focused on discovering and commercializing cancer medicines.

Seattle Genetics has a market capitalization of around $23.7 billion with approximately 172.5 million shares outstanding. SGEN shares opened 2.75% higher today at $141.00 (+$3.77, +2.75%) over yesterday's $137.23 closing price and reached a new 52-week high price this morning of $157.00. The stock has traded today between $140.05 and $157.00 per share and is currently trading at $148.51 (+$11.28, +8.22%).

Disclosure:
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( Companies Mentioned: SGEN:NASDAQ, )

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