one was bluebird bio with results on treatments for blood diseases and myeloma, a one-time treatmenthat uses the patient's own immune cells to fight cancer and the results so far offer hope to those who have exhausted all other options. >> it's exciting in the sense that in myeloma, we're seeing something that hasn't been seen before, transformality for patients that are really considering hospe and sort of how to get their affairs in order. then they get a one-time treatment that fundamentally is changing the potential of their lives. >> r bluebird and sell gene are starting a larger trial that they hope will support regulatory approval of the therapy. it also brought treatments in hemophilia, gene thera that looks to fix the underlying di treatment. biotech company biomarin soared at the conference while spark therapeutics sans update disapp investors, though the results were in just four patients. >> keep in mind, these are patients that today have to take infusions on a regular basis chronicall life, and i think gene therapy has tremendous potential for a single dose to not only

does it have something to do with the fact that he had multiple myeloma before and got certain treatments related to that? we just don't know. but put that information together across a national database of cancer patients and it can be really valuable. >> reporter: five years since its launch, the company says 2500 oncology clinicians use and contribute to its database, which currently has almost two million patients. that's one out of every eight cancer patients in the country. with the effort to bolster cancer research and data ongoing, not just in new york but in places like louisiana as well, the hope is new treatments will emerge sooner. >> you know, what i'm thinking is what i went through and the treatment, maybe sometime, five, 10, 15 years in the future, somebody else will get this, and what i helped to discover along the way would keep them from an early death, keep them living longer, keep their quality of life longer. if i was guinea pig for that, that's, you know, you can't ask for much more than that in life? >> sreenivasan: earlier this year on newshour weekend we brought

glaxosmithkline says it has generated promising data from the study of a potential treatment of multiple myelomait is encouraged by the response rate in patients and is ramping up development of the drug >>> we continue to follow the developing story out of southern california crews are desperately working to contain a string of massive wildfires. officials say the thomas fire, the largest in the area, has burned more than 231,000 acres of land, that's more than 850 structures being destroyed totalling $48 million in damage. >> reporter: in the hills of santa barbara county, firefighters making a stand. >> you could feel like you're trying to put out a blowtorch with a squirt gun. >> reporter: many entering their eighth day of this fire. hot and tired and still putting everything on the line mave is a mother of three. married to a firefighter she just learned she won't be home for christmas >> we tell them mommy and daddy have to be there to help other people >> so many lives and homes this their hands. >> you see the flames? >> reporter: people like the cooneys waiting for firefighters to tell

glaxosmithkline says it has generated promising data from the study of a potential treatment of multiple myelomaat's a cancer that affects blood cells in the bone marrow it is encouraged by the response rate in patients and is ramping up development of the drug i think it's a crowded field but could always use a better drug, obviously. >>> some other stocks to watch, carl icahn plans to launch a new board fight at xerox in its attempt to shake up management icahn says xerox has potential but it will go the way of kodak if changes are not made. his representative on the board resigned yesterday clearing the way for icahn to nominate a new slate of directors >>> verizon's ceo has stepped down from general electric's board. in an s.e.c. filing, he said while he's supportive of ge's ceo, john flannery, he no longer has enough time to serve on the board. >>> iron mountain plans to buy the u.s. operation of io data centers for 1.3 billion. the deal includes land and buildings in several states. iron mountain will pay $60 million based on io's future performance. >>> small business optimism near an all