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— Things have looked a bit shaky for stem cell research in New Jersey over the past year, but the state got a boost yesterday with the announcement of a $27 million contract from US National Institutes of Health for the Coriell Institute for Medical Research. The five-year contract is designed, among other things, to help the institute introduce induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) into a national biobank. (Philadelphia Business Journal)

— The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which runs free clinics around the world, has announced that it will no longer allow sales representatives from Merck to visit its sites because of what it views as unreasonable drug pricing by the pharmaceutical giant. The dispute focuses specifically around the drug Isentress, which costs about $13,000 a year for each patient. (Pharmalot)

— Following moves by politicians in other states, New York governor David Patterson has proposed to ban drug companies for giving gifts such as flowers and sporting event tickets to doctors. However, under Patterson’s plan there is still such a thing as ‘free lunch’: docs can still share sandwiches with sales reps. (WSJ)

— Genome Wide Association studies (GWAS) often point to small changes in the DNA thought to be associated with disease. But experts have voiced increasing concern that such changes, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), are red herrings. Now, a new study in PLoS Biology suggests that researchers should consider looking up to two million units of DNA beyond these SNPs to find the real genetic culprits behind disease. Far out! (NYTimes)

Image by CPStrom via Flickr Creative Commons