Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. (OPXA)

[io_io]

Here's a stem cell deal that sorts of rings a bell -

- it sounds a bit like the technology that they originally made the Novartis deal for last year, so maybe we haven’t heard the last of that.


MRK Acquires SmartCells Inc. for Diabetes Platform—WSJ

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703865004575649270661657104.html

Merck & Co. is expected to announce Thursday a deal to buy a closely held biotechnology company in the early stages of developing a new diabetes treatment, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The deal for SmartCells Inc. would exceed $500 million if various milestones for development, regulatory approval and sales are met, the person said. It's the latest in a string of biotech purchases by major drug makers looking to replace aging blockbuster drugs.

SmartCells, of Beverly, Mass., is developing a form of insulin that aims to address a difficult aspect of treatment: the need to constantly monitor blood-sugar levels and adjust insulin levels accordingly. Usually several times a day, insulin-dependent patients must stick themselves to check their blood sugar and then inject themselves with insulin.

The new approach under development would require as few as one injection a day, with a new form of "glucose-responsive" insulin that would adjust throughout the day to changing blood-sugar levels. This "Smart Insulin," first developed in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology laboratory, hasn't yet been tested in humans, but SmartCells has said the method has shown promise in preclinical testing.