The Supreme Court declined to hear a lawsuit by CareDx over organ-rejection tests made by Natera and Eurofins Viracor, turning down another request to revisit the contentious issue of patent eligibility. The justices turned away CareDx’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling that invalidated patents that the Brisbane, California-based company had accused its medical diagnostics rivals of infringing. (Reuters)
Cooler Screens sued Walgreens, claiming the pharmacy chain obstructed an agreed-upon nationwide rollout of the internet-connected doors and demanded their removal from stores. Walgreens, meanwhile, says the technology from Cooler Screens didn’t work and ended its agreement with the vendor in February. (The Wall Street Journal)
Genetic test developer Invitae said the Food and Drug Administration greenlit its Invitae Common Hereditary Cancers Panel, a first-of-its-kind test to identify cancer-related genes. The in vitro diagnostic test can also help detect cancer-associated genetic variants in people who have already been diagnosed with cancer. (Seeking Alpha)
After a large study failed in January, there is only one late-stage HIV vaccine trial ongoing and it uses older vaccine designs that some experts doubt will do much. Researchers have been forced back to lab benches and small-scale trials to test what strange, new idea might finally tame the craftiest virus humanity has ever seen.(STAT News)
Syros Pharmaceuticals announced it will cut 35% of its staff as the biopharmaceutical company tightens its focus on key drug candidate tamibarotene. The company, which currently has 117 employees, said it will end further investment in the development of SY-2101 for the treatment of newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia, as well as in its preclinical and discovery-stage programs. (MarketWatch)
