The New York Genome Center And IBM Watson Group Announce Collaboration To Advance Genomic Medicine

NEW YORK, March 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The New York Genome Center (NYGC) and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced an initiative to accelerate a new era of genomic medicine with the use of IBM's Watson cognitive system. IBM and NYGC will test a unique Watson prototype designed specifically for genomic research as a tool to help oncologists deliver more personalized care to cancer patients.

NYGC and its medical partner institutions plan to initially evaluate Watson's ability to help oncologists develop more personalized care to patients with glioblastoma, an aggressive and malignant brain cancer that kills more than 13,000 people in the U.S. each year. Despite groundbreaking discoveries into the genetic drivers of cancers like glioblastoma, few patients benefit from personalized treatment that is tailored to their individual cancer mutations. Clinicians lack the tools and time required to bring DNA-based treatment options to their patients and to do so, they must correlate data from genome sequencing to reams of medical journals, new studies and clinical records -- at a time when medical information is doubling every five years.

This joint NYGC Watson initiative aims to speed up this complex process, identifying patterns in genome sequencing and medical data to unlock insights that will help clinicians bring the promise of genomic medicine to their patients. The combination of NYGC's genomic and clinical expertise coupled with the power of IBM's Watson system will enable further development and refinement of the Watson tool with the shared goal of helping medical professionals develop personalized cancer care.

The new cloud-based Watson system will be designed to analyze genetic data along with comprehensive biomedical literature and drug databases. Watson can continually 'learn' as it encounters new patient scenarios, and as more information becomes available through new medical research, journal articles and clinical studies. Given the depth and speed of Watson's ability to review massive databases, the goal of the collaboration is to increase the number of patients who have access to care options tailored to their disease's DNA.

"Since the human genome was first mapped more than a decade ago, we've made tremendous progress in understanding the genetic drivers of disease. The real challenge before us is how to make sense of massive quantities of genetic data and translate that information into better treatments for patients," said Robert Darnell, M.D., Ph.D., CEO, President and Scientific Director of the New York Genome Center. "Applying the cognitive computing power of Watson is going to revolutionize genomics and accelerate the opportunity to improve outcomes for patients with deadly diseases by providing personalized treatment."

First Watson Application in Genomic Research
Watson will complement rapid genome sequencing and is expected to dramatically reduce the time it takes to correlate an individual's genetic mutations with reams of medical literature, study findings, and therapeutic indications that may be relevant. The intention is to provide comprehensive information to enable clinicians to consider a variety of treatment options that the clinician can tailor to their patient's genetic mutations. It will also help NYGC scientists understand the data detailing gene sequence variations between normal and cancerous biopsies of brain tumors.

"As genomic research progresses and information becomes more available, we aim to make the process of analysis much more practical and accessible through cloud-based, cognitive innovations like Watson," said Dr. John E. Kelly III, Senior Vice President and Director of IBM Research. "With this knowledge, doctors will be able to attack cancer and other devastating diseases with treatments that are tailored to the patient's and disease's own DNA profiles. If successful, this will be a major transformation that will help improve the lives of millions of patients around the world."

The goal is to have the Watson genomics prototype assist clinicians in providing personalized genomic analytics information as part of a NYGC clinical research study. The solution has been under development for the past decade in IBM's Computational Biology Center at IBM Research.

New York State's Investment in Genomic Medicine
New York State is at the forefront of advancing medical science and commercialization. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recently proposed $105 million to fund a partnership between NYGC and the University at Buffalo's Center for Computational Research to advance genomics research. This investment to enhance the state's genomic medicine capabilities, together with NYGC's acquisition of Illumina's state-of-the-art HiSeq X Ten whole human genome sequencing system, will accelerate the availability of valuable genomic information in New York.

"New York State's investment in cutting-edge innovative industries is creating jobs and growing the economy in Western New York and across our state," said Governor Cuomo. "This collaboration between the New York Genome Center and IBM will help make the region a new hub for the growing bio-tech industry."

IBM is NYGC's Founding Technology Member and will advance the organization's goals of translating genomic research into clinical solutions for serious disease through the collaboration of medicine, science and technology. As biology increasingly becomes an information science, the promise of genomics is closer to reality with the help of data-driven analytics methods and more powerful computing systems. IBM and NYGC's computational biology experts are renowned for accelerating life sciences discoveries using deep analytical approaches and next generation information technologies.  

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For additional perspectives on this story, please watch this video.

To join the social conversation on Twitter use the hashtag #NYGCWatson. 

Journalists and bloggers can download broadcast video, b-roll and photos about the Watson and New York Genome Center collaboration at http://bit.ly/1dcWlZF. The video is available in HD, standard definition broadcast and streaming quality.

About the New York Genome Center
The New York Genome Center (NYGC) is an independent, nonprofit at the forefront of transforming biomedical research and clinical care with the mission of saving lives. As a consortium of renowned academic, medical and industry leaders across the globe, NYGC focuses on translating genomic research into clinical solutions for serious disease. Our member organizations and partners are united in this unprecedented collaboration of technology, science, and medicine. We harness the power of innovation and discoveries to improve people's lives - ethically, equitably, and urgently. Member institutions include: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, American Museum of Natural History, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Columbia University, Cornell University/Weill Cornell Medical College, Hospital for Special Surgery, The Jackson Laboratory, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, The New York Stem Cell Foundation, New York University, North Shore-LIJ, The Rockefeller University, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Stony Brook University. For more information, visit: www.nygenome.org.

About IBM Watson
Named after IBM founder Thomas J. Watson, Watson was developed in IBM's Research labs and is now being accelerated into market by the new Watson Group. Watson represents a new class of software, services and apps that think, improve by learning, and discover answers and insights to complex questions from massive amounts of Big Data. Watson's ability to answer complex questions posed in natural language with speed, accuracy and confidence is transforming decision-making across a variety of industries, including health care, financial services and retail. IBM has advanced Watson from a game-playing innovation into a commercial technology. Using natural language processing and analytics, Watson processes information akin to how people think, representing a major shift in an organization's ability to quickly analyze, understand and respond to Big Data. Now delivered from the cloud and able to power new consumer and enterprise services and apps, Watson is 24 times faster, smarter with a 2,400 percent improvement in performance, and 90 percent smaller – IBM has shrunk Watson from the size of a master bedroom to three stacked pizza boxes. IBM is investing $1 billion to introduce a new class of cognitive computing services, software and apps, and investing $100 million to spur innovation for software application providers to develop a new generation of Watson-powered solutions. Learn more about IBM Watson at www.ibmwatson.com. Learn more about IBM Research at www.research.ibm.com.

Learn more about IBM healthcare at ibm.com/smarterhealthcare.

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Kimberly-Clark Health Care and 3M Announce U.S.-Based Infection Prevention Solutions Agreement

Kimberly-Clark Health Care. (PRNewsFoto/Kimberly-Clark Health Care)jwplayer.key="2kY/GKwZ2uQZmDlQ9VYArfZt2b4+KhHX3+DM4zisgtE=";ROSWELL, Ga. and ST. PAUL, Minn., March 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Kimberly-Clark Health Care and 3M Infection Prevention Division today announced a unique alliance to deliver best-in-class surgical and infection prevention solutions to hospitals and healthcare facilities in the U.S.

"At Kimberly-Clark, we have long admired 3M's track record of innovation. This relationship presents the opportunity to offer a more extensive surgical product portfolio with the latest healthcare technology to help customers tackle their foremost challenges including infection prevention and hospital readmissions," said Chris Lowery, Global VP, Health Care Sales & Marketing, Kimberly-Clark. "Together, Kimberly-Clark and 3M will leverage our respective expertise to bring forward solutions that address our customers' most critical needs in the operating room."

"Kimberly-Clark offers tremendous experience and long-standing relationships built around a consultative approach in the operating room and we are thrilled to work together. 3M's history of innovative products, paired with Kimberly-Clark's expertise, will create an exceptional offering for our healthcare customers," added Silvia Perez, Global Business Vice President, Infection Prevention Division, 3M. "By working with a like-minded company equally committed to addressing current healthcare challenges, we are harnessing our collective capabilities to improve surgical outcomes."

With the launch of the collaboration, Kimberly-Clark Health Care will offer 3M™ Steri-Drape™ fabric and plastic specialty drapes, featuring drapes with and without 3M™ Ioban™ 2 Antimicrobial Incise Film, which provides excellent adhesion throughout the surgical site and helps reduce the risk of wound contamination. The addition of the 3M drape line rounds out Kimberly-Clark Health Care's surgical and infection prevention offering.  All 3M Steri-Drape surgical drapes will be available through the same distribution and surgical pack manufacturing channels as they are today.

About 3M
3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Its culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $31 billion in sales, 3M employs 89,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.

About 3M Health Care
3M Health Care offers solutions in the medical, oral care, drug delivery, food safety and health information markets. We have an unparalleled ability to connect people, insights, science and technology to think beyond today, solve problems, and make better health possible. Our culture of collaboration empowers us to discover and deliver practical, proven solutions that enable our customers to protect and improve the health of people around the world.

About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark Corp. (NYSE: KMB) and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Every day, nearly a quarter of the world's population trust K-C's brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex®, Scott®, Huggies®, Pull-Ups®, Kotex® and Depend®, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the Company's 142-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.  

Kimberly-Clark in the Healthcare Environment
Around the world, medical professionals turn to Kimberly-Clark for a wide portfolio of solutions that improve the health, hygiene and well-being of their patients and staff. As part of their healing mission, caregivers rely on Kimberly-Clark to deliver clinical solutions, hygiene & cleaning offerings, and educational resources that they can depend on to prevent, diagnose and manage a wide variety of healthcare-associated infections. A global enterprise of more than $1 billion, Kimberly-Clark Health Care holds the No. 1 or No. 2 market share position in several categories, including infection control solutions, surgical solutions, pain management, hygiene solutions, digestive health and respiratory health. And throughout the care continuum, patients and staff alike trust Kimberly-Clark medical supplies and devices, KLEENEX® tissues, KLEENEX® & SCOTT® skin care products and SCOTT® towels for day-to-day needs. For more information, visit  http://www.kchealthcare.com and http://www.kcprofessional.com.

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Biogen Idec and Sangamo BioSciences Announce Global Collaboration to Develop Treatments for Hemoglobinopathies

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and RICHMOND, Calif., Jan. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) and Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: SGMO) announced today an exclusive worldwide collaboration and license agreement focused on the development of therapeutics for hemoglobinopathies, inherited conditions that result from the abnormal structure or underproduction of hemoglobin. The agreement will enable Biogen Idec to further enhance its expertise in non-malignant hematology by leveraging Sangamo's proprietary genome-editing technology platform to develop treatments targeting sickle cell disease (SCD) and beta-thalassemia.

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"Our collaboration with Sangamo is expected to help us expand our capabilities to develop treatments for people with serious, inherited hematologic conditions," said Douglas E. Williams, Ph.D., Biogen Idec's executive vice president of research and development. "Building upon emerging science related to fetal hemoglobin regulation, we intend to develop Sangamo's novel gene-editing technology to create a single approach that has the potential to functionally cure both sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia."

Sangamo's proprietary zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) genome-editing technology enables multiple pathways to treat SCD and beta-thalassemia. The technology can be used to precisely target and knock out key regulators of gene expression, or can be used to precisely insert a new corrective gene to replace the defective copy.

"We are delighted to partner our hemoglobinopathies programs with Biogen Idec," said Edward Lanphier, Sangamo's president and chief executive officer. "Biogen Idec is a leader in drug development and has a history of successfully translating cutting edge science into treatments that provide life-changing clinical benefit for patients. This alliance is further validation of our ZFP platform as a transformative technology and accelerates our goal of developing a novel class of therapeutics which has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of genetic diseases."

Under the terms of the agreement, Sangamo is responsible for all research and development activities through the first clinical proof of concept trial in beta-thalassemia, and both companies will perform activities to enable submission of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for SCD. Biogen Idec will be responsible for subsequent worldwide clinical development and commercialization of products arising from the alliance. Sangamo retains an option to co-promote any licensed product to treat SCD and beta-thalassemia in the United States.

Biogen Idec will provide Sangamo with an upfront payment of $20 million and will reimburse Sangamo for its internal and external research and development program-related costs. Sangamo may also receive additional payments of approximately $300 million based on the achievement of certain development, regulatory, commercialization and sales milestones, as well as double digit royalties on product sales.

The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies and is subject to customary closing conditions including expiration of the applicable waiting period under the Hart–Scott–Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 in the United States.

About Sangamo's ZFN Therapeutic Approach to Hemoglobinopathies

Sangamo's proprietary ZFN genome-editing technology enables multiple approaches to the correction of SCD and beta-thalassemia. Both diseases manifest after birth, when patients switch from producing functional fetal gamma-globin to a mutant form of adult beta-globin, which results in their condition. Naturally occurring increased levels of therapeutic fetal hemoglobin have been shown to reduce the severity of both SCD and beta-thalassemia disorders in adulthood. In hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), Sangamo's genome editing can be used to precisely disrupt key transcriptional regulators to reverse the switch from expression of the mutant adult beta-globin back to the production of functional fetal gamma-globin, or the technology can be used to precisely insert a new corrected beta-globin gene to replace the defective copy. Data from this program were recently presented at the 55th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

A bone marrow transplant (BMT), of HSCs from a "matched" related donor (allogeneic BMT) is curative for both diseases. However, this therapy is limited due to the scarcity of matched donors and the significant risk of Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD) after transplantation of the foreign cells. By performing genome editing in HSCs that are isolated from and subsequently returned to the same patient, an autologous HSC transplant, Sangamo's approach eliminates both the need for a matched donor and the risk of acute and chronic GvHD. The ultimate goal of this approach is to develop a one-time curative treatment for SCD and beta-thalassemia.

In May 2013, Sangamo was awarded a $6.4 million Strategic Partnership Award from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to develop this potentially curative ZFP Therapeutic for beta-thalassemia. The four-year grant provides matching funds for preclinical work that will support an IND application and a Phase 1 clinical trial in transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia patients, which will be carried out at Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland, and City of Hope.

About Hemoglobinopathies

Mutations in the genes encoding beta-globin, a subunit of the oxygen-carrying protein of red blood cells, lead to the hemoglobinopathies SCD and beta-thalassemia. The mutation in beta-globin that gives rise to SCD causes the red blood cells to form an abnormal sickle or crescent shape making them adherent, fragile and less able to deliver oxygen to tissues, and they can become lodged in small blood vessels and interrupt healthy blood flow. These problems further decrease the amount of oxygen flowing to body tissues. Almost all patients with SCD have painful episodes (called crises), which can last from hours to days, and have progressive organ damage, resulting in shortened lifespan. Current standard of care is to manage and control symptoms, and to limit the number of crises. Current treatments, including blood transfusions, iron-chelation therapy and administration of hydroxyurea, pain medications and antibiotics, do not address the underlying cause of disease, and life expectancy remains substantially reduced in patients with SCD. The CDC estimates that there are currently 90,000 to 100,000 Americans living with SCD which occurs in approximately 1 out of every 500 African-American births and 1 out of every 36,000 Hispanic-American births.

There are several forms of beta-thalassemia caused by mutations in the beta-globin gene; broadly the disorder results in excessive destruction of red blood cells leading to life-threatening anemia, enlarged spleen, liver and heart, and bone abnormalities. Beta-thalassemia major is a severe form of thalassemia that requires regular, often monthly, blood transfusions and subsequent iron-chelation therapy to treat iron overload. The CDC estimates that 2,000 people have beta-thalassemia in the United States, and an unknown number carry the genetic trait and can pass it on to their children. Thalassemia is most common among people of Mediterranean descent and is also found among people from the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Africa, Southeast Asia and Southern China.

About Biogen Idec

Through cutting-edge science and medicine, Biogen Idec discovers, develops and delivers to patients worldwide innovative therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, hemophilia and autoimmune disorders. Founded in 1978, Biogen Idec is the world's oldest independent biotechnology company. Patients worldwide benefit from its leading multiple sclerosis therapies, and the company generates more than $5 billion in annual revenues. For product labeling, press releases and additional information about the company, please visit www.biogenidec.com.

About Sangamo

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. is focused on research and development of novel DNA-binding proteins for therapeutic gene regulation and genome editing. The company has ongoing Phase 2 and Phase1/2 clinical trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a novel ZFP Therapeutic® for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. As part of its acquisition of Ceregene Inc., Sangamo acquired a fully-enrolled and funded, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial to evaluate NGF-AAV (CERE-110) in Alzheimer's disease. Sangamo's other therapeutic programs are focused on monogenic diseases, including hemophilia, Huntington's disease and hemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia. Sangamo's core competencies enable the engineering of a class of DNA-binding proteins known as zinc finger DNA-binding proteins (ZFPs).Engineering of ZFPs that recognize a specific DNA sequence enables the creation of sequence-specific ZFP Nucleases (ZFNs) for gene modification and ZFP transcription factors (ZFP TFs) that can control gene expression and, consequently, cell function. Sangamo has entered into a strategic collaboration with Shire AG to develop therapeutics for hemophilia, Huntington's disease and other monogenic diseases and has established strategic partnerships with companies in non-therapeutic applications of its technology including Dow AgroSciences and Sigma-Aldrich Corporation. For more information about Sangamo, visit the company's website at www.sangamo.com. ZFP Therapeutic® is a registered trademark of Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.

Biogen Idec Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about Biogen Idec's expectations and goals to develop treatments for people with serious, inherited hematologic conditions, including sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia, through its collaboration with Sangamo. These forward-looking statements may be accompanied by such words as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "will" and other words and terms of similar meaning. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements, including uncertainty inherent in the regulatory review process and satisfaction of the other closing conditions of the transaction, risks and uncertainties associated with drug development and commercialization, Biogen Idec's dependence on third parties over which it may not always have full control, and the other risks and uncertainties that are described in the Risk Factors section of Biogen Idec's most recent annual or quarterly report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.These statements are based on current beliefs and expectations and speak only as of the date of this press release. Biogen Idec does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements.

Sangamo Safe Harbor Statement

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on Sangamo's current expectations. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, references to the research and development of novel ZFNs, potential therapeutic applications of the ZFN technology for the treatment of hemoglobinopathies, SCD and beta-thalassemia and potential milestone, royalty and other payments under the collaboration agreement. Actual results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including technological challenges, uncertainties and risks relating to clinical trials, compliance with regulatory and other requirements, the ability of Sangamo to develop commercially viable products and technological developments by our competitors. See the SEC filings, and in particular, the risk factors described in Sangamo's Annual Reports on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Sangamo does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this press release.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Biogen Idec

Todd Cooper

Corporate Communications, Public Affairs

Ph: (781) 464-3260

INVESTOR CONTACTS:

Biogen Idec

Carlo Tanzi, Ph.D.

Director, Investor Relations

Ph: (781) 464-2442

SOURCE Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.

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