This Week’s Biotech Highlights

With our friends south of the border still reeling from a turkey-induced hangover, it was a quiet week. Still, there was plenty to be thankful for.

Proponents of personalized medicine were thankful for several developments that show this trend is picking up speed: CVS followed Medco’s example in expanding pharmacogenomic testing, while biotech and pharma companies, as well as the National Cancer Institute, stepped up their investment in the field.

I am thankful to be following a new trend for 2010: synthetic biology, i.e. attempts to create novel organisms. This week, I weighed in on the search for the smallest genome that could constitute a living organism, noting that the most popular candidate seems to be proving itself to be a red herring.

Finally, I am thankful for Richard Chan, our science writer, who has taken over responsibility for the Friday Science Review, and for Jacob Cawker, who provides research support for the Monday Biotech Deal Review. Thanks guys – I couldn’t do it without you!