CNBC today published an article wherein the founder of Vanguard Group discussed his view on the necessity of investing in equities, which while higher risk, offer the potential for higher reward.

As we kick off the New Year, many companies within our Coverage Universe are showing a positive start to 2011. For example, Canadian biopharmaceutical company Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. (BNC-TSX) recently raised A$12.5 million in Australia. Biotechnology company Xoma Ltd. (XOMA-NASDAQ) signed a development and licensing agreement potentially valued up to $505 million for an anti-inflammatory drug candidate. In addition, Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. ([“ACT”] ACTC-OTC.BB), a regenerative medicine company, announced that the FDA has cleared its Investigational New Drug application (IND) to test a therapy made from embryonic stem cells in patients with macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss. Further, the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) approved the inclusion of Pluristem Therapeutics Inc.’s (PSTI-NASDAQ) ordinary shares on four TASE equity indexes: Tel-Tech, TA Composite, MidCap TA, and Biomed.

News from our coverage universe this week includes Johnson & Johnson’s bid to buy Crucell for $2.3 billion, the distribution of two of Bioniche’s cattle reproduction products in Australia, the latest advances in CEL-SCI’s Multikine^® manufacturing and laboratory operations, and the upcoming release of Peregrine’s 2Q2011 financial results.

Several companies within our Research Library this week reported financial results, including Pro-Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (PRWP-OTC), Authentidate Holding Corp. (ADAT-NASDAQ), Antares Pharma, Inc. (AIS-NYSE Amex), and Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. (BNC-TSX).

Today, Bioniche Life Sciences Inc. (BNC-TSX), a research-based, technology-driven Canadian biopharmaceutical company, announced that it was named among the Top 50 Best Small and Medium Employers in Canada. Ranked 14^th, Bioniche believes that its employees, who are also shareholders, are among the Company’s greatest assets. The rankings were determined using employee opinion surveys, an assessment of organization practices, and perspectives from the leadership team. More than 160 companies across Canada registered to participate in the study, which was conducted by the Queen’s Centre for Business Venturing, the Queen’s University School of Business, and Aon Hewitt.