— I spy with my little eye something that could lead to new breast cancer treatments. Companies are partnering with government and non-profit groups for I-SPY2, a clinical trial that will evaluate five in-development drugs — one by Abbott and two each by Pfizer and Amgen. Patients will be genotyped and matched to a drug, making the study a large step for personalized medicine as well. (Reuters)

— Canada might reintroduce some competition — not for the Olympics, but for its vaccine supply. After signing a contract in 2001 to make GlaxoSmithKline the country’s sole vaccine supplier, government officials are reviewing the deal as it nears expiration. Previously, officials had feared that other countries with vaccine manufacturers would close their borders in a pandemic; those fears were proved false with swine flu last year. (Globe and Mail)

— Researchers are arguing that Myriad Genetics’ US patent on the breast cancer gene BRCA1 is too broad. Specifically, a 15-base pair sequence claimed under the patent was found in 80% of publically available genomes in the GenBank database. The claim adds fuel to an ongoing trial over the patent’s validity. (Reuters)

— Steve Nissen, the famed cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, criticized the American Heart Association’s (AHA) financial ties at a meeting yesterday of the American College of Cardiology. One problem, however: Nissen accused the AHA of being swayed by Coca-Cola, which he said was sponsoring the organization’s ‘Go Red for Women’ campaign. Actually, Coke sponsors a different campaign, ‘The Heart Truth’ by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. (WSJ)

Image by Dominic’s pics via Flickr Creative Commons