biotechnology stocks

A secluded sector of biotechnology -- DNA sequencing and genetic analysis -- is hot once again on Wall Street. Leaders in the sector, like Ilumina, Life Technologies, and Human Genome Sciences, outscored most other biotechs last year.

If you've been to a supermarket lately, you've probably noticed that food prices are soaring. And that spells an opportunity for investors. Asset-management expert John Stephenson offers tips for small investors aiming to tap into the agricultural market.

This little-known biopharmaceutical outfit has signed not just one but seven partnership pacts with Big Pharmas to help develop some of its products. Micromet's No. 1 appeal: It's developing novel antibody-based drugs to treat cancer, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

Paris-based pharma Sanofi-Aventis has pushed back its offer deadline for Massachusetts-based biotech Genzyme by six weeks. All other terms, including the $69 per share bid, remain unchanged. So far, very few shareholders have responded.

As part of its efforts to expand into the biotech market, Johnson & Johnson is making a long-anticipated bid for Dutch vaccine maker Crucell -- in spite of Crucell's recent manufacturing troubles.

Much like Dendreon, which has a promising prostate cancer drug, ImmunoCellular is developing a cancer drug. In this case, it battles brain cancer, and a Phase I trial turned in remarkable results. But unlike Dendreon, ImmunoCellular is still pretty much an unknown.

At a recent life-sciences conference in Stockholm, execs of several U.S. and foreign biotechs clashed with Big Pharma in a lively debate on the merits of their respective goals and products. The result, however, was a stand-off.

There's a new plot twist in the takeover battle between French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis and U.S. drugmaker Genzyme. A regulatory filing made by Genzyme on Thursday claims Sanofi may be willing to go much higher than its current $69 bid -- a claim the French company disputes.

Several biotech stocks were on the move Monday after Deutsche Bank started rating them. The bank's analyst, Robyn Karnauskas, took a generally wary view on the biotech sector, putting buy ratings only on Gilead and Dendreon.

ZIOPHARM has enticed several major institutional investors to put their money in it. And it has an all-star group of cancer scientists joining its committee to design Phase 3 clinical trials for its chief product, Zymafos, a cancer treatment.