BioWorld International articles from November 2001

BioWorld International archives from November 2001

Wellcome Trust funds program to determine gene function.
November 7, 2001... LONDON -- The Wellcome Trust implemented a 300 million [pounds sterling] (US$438 million) program of "post-genomic" research that aims to translate the gene sequence data generated by the Human Genome Project into real health care benefit. ...

Altana strengthens GPC Biotech through EUR34.2M investment.(Altana Industrie-Aktien und Anlagen AG)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... BORNHEIM, Germany -- Altana AG invested about EUR34.2 million (US$30.7 million) in GPC Biotech AG, or 8.3 percent of the company. Altana, of Bad Homburg, Germany, said its purchase of 1.69 million shares underlines its belief in GPC...

New tests, drugs possible from Salmonella genomes.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... LONDON -- Scrutiny of the genomes of two species of Salmonella bacteria -- one the cause of typhoid, the other responsible for a common type of food poisoning--is likely to yield new insights into what makes typhoid a killer. Analysis of...

EU continues refining strategy on vision for biotechnology.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union's long march toward an overall strategy on biotechnology continues. As Erkki Liikanen, the European commissioner responsible for business affairs, admitted Tuesday to the Assobiotech Conference on...

London exchange launches market focused on health care.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... LONDON -- The London Stock Exchange launched a new market for emerging health care companies called techMARK mediscience, which includes 48 London-listed companies and is supported by an FTSE International index to track the market. ...

Angle Technology.(bioinformatics incubator)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... * Angle Technology, of Guildford, UK, was chosen by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority in Northern Virginia to design and run the region's first bioinformatics incubator. The incubator, which is due to open in 2002, will house up...

Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc, of Melbourne, UK, now has six products in the clinic, following the announcement that partner Human Genome Sciences Inc., of Rockville, Md., commenced clinical trials of LymphoStat-B (formerly Anti-BlyS) in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... * Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc, of Melbourn, UK, now has six products in the clinic, following the announcement that partner Human Genome Sciences Inc., of Rockville, Md., commenced clinical trials of LymphoStat-B (formerly...

CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc of Cambridge, UK, said it is terminating the development and license agreement with Bioglan Pharma plc for the development of a sublingual opiate spray product for the treatment of pain, as a result of Bioglan's failure to comply with its obligations.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... * CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc, of Cambridge, UK, said it is terminating the development and license agreement with Bioglan Pharma plc for the development of a sublingual opiate spray product for the treatment of pain, as a result of Bioglan's...

ExonHit enters first U.S. deal through allergan collaboration.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... PARIS -- The Paris-based functional genomics company ExonHit Therapeutics SA entered a collaboration with Allergan Inc., giving the U.S. company access to its target identification technology, Signal-Hit. Allergan, an Irvine, Calif.-based...

EU ministers refuse to lift unofficial moratorium on GMOs.(European Union)(genetically modified organisms)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union failed again last week to resolve its long-running row over authorization of genetically modified organisms. EU environment ministers refused to lift the unofficial moratorium they imposed in 1998 as...

DrugAbuse Sciences Inc.(injectable technology )(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... * DrugAbuse Sciences Inc., of Paris and Los Altos, Calif., said it was issued a U.S. patent for the extended-release injectable technology developed for the delivery of the substance abuse drug naltrexone. Known as LACTiz, the delivery system...

IsoTis BV.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... * IsoTis BV, of Bilthoven, the Netherlands, launched its first product, CellActive Skin, an autologous epidermal skin for the treatment of severe burns. CellActive initially will be available at 12 hospitals in Germany, Switzerland and Austria....

LION bioscience AG.(chief information officer)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... * LION bioscience AG, of Heidelberg, Germany, appointed Reinhard Schneider chief information officer. His responsibility includes development and advancement of LION's knowledge management and information technology solutions. Schneider...

Merlin Biosciences of London, entered a strategic collaboration with the German investment group BioConnect AG, based in Frankfurt, extending Merlin's reach into continental Europe.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... * Merlin Biosciences, of London, entered a strategic collaboration with the German investment group BioConnect AG, based in Frankfurt, extending Merlin's reach into continental Europe. Merlin, a venture capital company, has taken a significant,...

Oxxon Pharmaccines.(hepatitis B vaccine trials)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... * Oxxon Pharmaccines, of Oxford, UK, said its hepatitis B vaccine entered Phase I trials. This is the company's second product in the clinic, joining a melanoma vaccine, which began Phase I in February. Oxxon's vaccines involve sequential...

ReGen Therapeutics plc.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... * ReGen Therapeutics plc, of London, said it acquired full ownership of Colostrinin, a treatment for Alzheimer's disease, from its inventors at the Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute in Poland for US$160,000. ReGen gained partial rights in 1997 when it...

Starpharma Pooled Development Ltd.(influenza drug testing)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... * Starpharma Pooled Development Ltd., of Melbourne Australia, announced results from animal tests showing positive activity against influenza for a compound it is developing. The compound, one of the dendrimer compounds in which the company...

Xenova Group plc.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2001... * Xenova Group plc, of Slough, UK, said it expected the anticancer agent XR11576 to enter Phase I/II trials before the end of 2001, when it released preclinical data on this and related compound, XR5944, at an American Association of Cancer...

Vernalis, Elan gain approval in U.S. to sell migraine drug.(Vernalis Group PLC; Elan Corporation PLC)
November 14, 2001... LONDON -- Vernalis Group plc joined the elite band of UK biotech companies with a U.S.-approved product when the FDA gave its seal to frovatriptan for acute treatment of migraine. CEO Robert Mansfield told a teleconference, "This is not...

Lorantis adds to second round, closes financing at 16.2M [pounds sterling].
November 14, 2001... LONDON -- Lorantis Ltd. announced the final closing of its second-round fund raising at 16.2 million [pounds sterling] (US$23.4 million), after taking a further 4.7 million [pounds sterling] since the first closing of 11.5 million [pounds...

Mitochondrial DNA illuminates the path of the body of St. Luke.
November 14, 2001... LONDON -- Relics of innumerable saints are spread far and wide throughout the Catholic churches and cathedrals of Europe, and venerated by the faithful. Exactly whom these skulls, ribs, finger bones and other body parts once belonged to is...

Germany grants researchers EUR10.8M for proteome work.
November 14, 2001... BORNHEIM, Germany -- A consortium of proteome researchers from academia and biotech companies in Germany received a three-year, EUR10.8 million (US$9.5 million) granted by the German Research Ministry. The money is expected to fuel...

Glycominds raises $7.1M to advance program in glycans.
November 14, 2001... ZICHRON YA'AKOV, Israel -- Despite the drought in venture capital money funds, biotechnology start-up Glycominds Ltd. raised $7.1 million in a private placement led by Tel Aviv-based Millennium Materials Technology Fund LP and Germany-based...

UK industry association sets up task force on terrorism.(BioIndustry Association creates BioDefense task force)
November 14, 2001... LONDON -- The BioIndustry Association has set up the BioDefense task force to coordinate the expertise of the industry and work with the UK government on measures to detect, prevent and manage any attacks by bioterrorists. The task force...

CeNeS closing U.S. subsidiary in another move to save money.(CeNes Pharmaceuticals PLC closes Cambridge Neuroscience Inc.)
November 14, 2001... LONDON -- CeNes Pharmaceuticals plc said it is closing its U.S. subsidiary, the former Cambridge Neuroscience Inc. in Boston, with the loss of 17 jobs, and will transfer the assets to the UK. Cambridge Neuroscience Inc. was acquired by...

Cerep, Sepracor enter 5-year agreement around BioPrint.
November 14, 2001... PARIS -- Cerep and Sepracor Inc. entered into a five-year research and development collaboration that gives the U.S. company access to the former's BioPrint datable in support of its drug discovery program. BioPrint is a database that...

Bresagen Ltd.
November 14, 2001... * Bresagen Ltd., of Adelaide, Australia, said it will develop treatments in central nervous system disorders using its stem cells lines. The development will be overseen by Steve Dalton, newly appointed scientific director of the company's cell...

Genmab A/S.
November 14, 2001... * Genmab A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, said its HuMax-CD4 therapeutic antibody exhibited a 30 percent. reduction in the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) as compared to placebo, in an initial analysis of data from its Phase II psioriasis...

Inpharmatica Ltd., of London, entered a deal with Celera Genomics, of Rockville, Md., to jointly develop and commercialize a new version of Biopendium, Inpharmatica's target and drug discovery system.
November 14, 2001... * Inpharmatica Ltd., of London, entered a deal with Celera Genomics, of Rockville, Md., to jointly develop and commercialize a new version of Biopendium, Inpharmatica's target and drug discovery system. The new product, called Celera Edition...

Oxford BioMedica.
November 14, 2001... * Oxford BioMedica, of Oxford, UK, disclosed positive preclinical data for ProSavin, its treatment for Parkinson's disease, showing it leads to the production of dopamine in brain cells previously unable to produce the neurotransmitter, and...

Phytopharm PLC.
November 14, 2001... * Phytopharm plc, of Godmanchester, UK, said it started a Phase I/II trial of P58, an oral treatment for dementia. The study will recruit healthy volunteers older than 55. The first stage will evaluate safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics...

Scil Biomedical GmbH, of Martinsried, Germany, initiated Phase Ib trials to evaluated SMART Anti-L-Selectin in patients suffering from moderate to severe, eruptive, plaque-type psoriasis.
November 14, 2001... * Scil Biomedicals GmbH, of Martinsried, Germany, initiated Phase Ib trials to evaluated SMART Anti-L-Selectin in patients suffering from moderate to severe, eruptive, plaque-type psoriasis. Scil said the drug might improves the patients'...

Trasgene.
November 14, 2001... * Transgene, of Strasbourg, France, Confirmed that it expect to embark on two more clinical trials before the end of the year. One will be a Phase II study of its MVA-Mucl-IL2 vaccine for the treatment of various Mucl-positive cancers, while...

Trinity Biotech PLC, of Bray, Ireland, said it is acquiring the assets and goodwill of the Biopool hemostasis division of Xtrana Inc. of Broomfield, Colo., in a US$6.25 million cash deal, comprising an up-front payment of US$3.6 million and additional payments over 36 months.
November 14, 2001... subject to Xtrana shareholder approval will be accretive to Trinity's earnings in 2002, the company said. The Biopool Hemosta is line comprises some 50 test kits for assessing and diagnosing disorders of blood coagulation, thrombotic risk...

Wilex AG, of Munich, Germany, entered into a license, sublicense and option agreement with Bayer Corp.'s diagnostics group in Tarrytown, N.Y. Wilex obtained certain rights under Bayer's patent portfolio covering the tumor-associated antigen "MN" (also known as CAIX).
November 14, 2001... * Wilex AG, of Munich, Germany, entered into a license, sublicense and option agreement with Bayer Corp.'s diagnostics group in Tarrytown, N.Y. Wilex obtained certain rights under Bayer's patent portfolio covering the tumor-associated antigen...

Government moves to ban cloning after legal decision.(Brief Article)
November 21, 2001... LONDON - The UK government will legislate this week to ban human reproductive cloning, after a surprise legal judgment that implied it would be legal to clone humans in the UK, and at the same time threatened to undermine the legal framework...

Arakis, Penwest collaborate; focusing on pain indications.(Brief Article)
November 21, 2001... LONDON - Arakis Ltd. entered a three-year deal with Penwest Pharmaceuticals Co., of Patterson, N.Y., to develop up to six pain treatments. The work will involve combining Penwest's oral drug delivery capability with Arakis' ability to enhance...

Mutant hemoglobin gene guards against malaria, declares report.(Brief Article)
November 21, 2001... LONDON - The discovery that a particular variant of the gene encoding the hemoglobin molecule provides malaria protection to more than nine out of 10 people who have a double copy of it could lead to new drugs. Studies to elucidate how the...

TVM Venture fund: EUR336M closing above target amount.(Brief Article)
November 21, 2001... BORNHEIM, Germany - Techno Venture Management, of Munich, Germany, closed its V Life Science Ventures fund at EUR336 million, (US$151.8 million), significantly above the original EUR250 million target. From this fund, TVM plans to make...

Circadian spins off Antisense, enters deal with U.S. company.(Brief Article)
November 21, 2001... SYDNEY, Australia - Circadian Technologies Ltd., of Melbourne, will spin off one of its companies, Antisense Therapeutics Ltd., and plans to raise up to A$13 million (US$6.73 million) in an initial public offering, with Antisense also forming...

Synt:em signs with IBM for high-throughput work.(Brief Article)
November 21, 2001... PARIS - Synt:em, a biotechnology company specializing in the development of new therapies for diseases of the central nervous system, entered into a technological collaboration with IBM for undertaking virtual ultra-high-throughput screening of...

Industry maturing, integrated, declares BIA CEO Kirkman.(Brief Article)
November 21, 2001... LONDON - The European biotechnology industry is maturing becoming more integrated and starting to repay investors' faith, a change expected to be reflected at the CEO and Investor Conference in London, sponsored by the UK BioIndustry...

Jerini AG's second financing gets EUR20M for peptide work.(Brief Article)
November 21, 2001... BORNHEIM, Germany - Jerini AG, in its second financing round, raised EUR20 million (US$17.7 million). "We will use the proceeds to accelerate the transformation of Jerini into a drug discovery and development company," Jerini's CEO, Jens...

Parliament urges genomics cuts; pushes cancer, diabetes focus.(Brief Article)
November 21, 2001... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Parliament voted Nov. 14 for a cut in the funding for genome research in the European Union's research program for 2002-2006. The initial plan - proposed by the European Commission earlier this year - aims to...

Wallstrom calls for big changes in culture, behaviors of industry.(Brief Article)
November 21, 2001... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Biotechnology is not only a big challenge for the legislator, but requires a fundamental change in the culture and in the behavior of the biotechnology industry and the scientific community, said Margot Wallstrom, European...

UK biotechnology going strong in mainland Europe, report says.(Brief Article)
November 21, 2001... LONDON - UK biotechnology is "streets ahead" of mainland Europe and more than holding its own against other high-tech sectors, according to the latest report on the European life sciences industry, released this month by Ernst & Young. ...

Actelion gains FDA approval of Tracleer for PAH indication.(pulmonary arterial hypertension)
November 28, 2001... Swiss biopharmaceutical firm Actelion Ltd. reached a significant milestone last week, receiving its first FDA approval as it gained marketing clearance for Tracleer (bosentan) in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The decision also...

Private companies should secure funding while the money is there. (BIA European CEO and Investor Conference).
November 28, 2001... LONDON - The cycle of biotechnology and health care does not bear any relationship to general economic cycles. "It has its own cycle and companies have to master it regardless of what is going on elsewhere in the economy," Paul Haycock,...

Unique metabolism of parasite could yield drugs, diagnostics.(Encephalitozoon cuniculi)
November 28, 2001... LONDON - The genome of a single-celled parasite that afflicts immunosuppressed people, as well as many pets, was published last week, opening the door for the development of new drugs and diagnostic tool to tackle it. Researchers in France say...

Parliament prepares for another broad debate on biotechnology.
November 28, 2001... BRUSSELS, Belgium - The context for biotechnology research in Europe is going to get yet and her shake from a debate to be held in the European Parliament later this week. After a year of preparatory work in a special committee, the Parliament...

Progen expanding PI-88 plan, moving into leukemia trials.(Progen Industries Ltd.)
November 28, 2001... SYDNEY, Australia - With a Phase II trial of a treatment for advanced skin cancer under way in the U.S., Progen Industries Ltd. in Brisbane is starting a Phase II trial using the same molecule as a treatment for a form of bone marrow cancer....

Cerep, Aventis Pharma join to push kinase inhibitors.
November 28, 2001... PARIS - The French drug discovery company Cerep SA entered into a scientific collaboration with Aventis Pharma, of Strasbourg, France, aimed at accelerating the optimization of certain drug candidates being developed by Aventis. The...

Germany fuels brain proteome work through DM20.5M grant.
November 28, 2001... BORNHEIM, Germany - The German government fueled a project on the human brain proteome with a three-year, DM20.5 million (US$9.2 million) grant. Three biotech companies and nine academic groups will work on the project. The proteome is the...

Genfit enters collaborations with French pharma companies.
November 28, 2001... PARIS - Genfit SA, which aims to discover new therapeutic targets by identifying the impairments in gene function behind certain common diseases, signed collaboration agreements with two French pharmaceutical companies, BioMerieux-Pierre Fabre...

Peptor vaccine shows promise in study of Type I diabetics.(DiaPep277)
November 28, 2001... ZICHRON YAAKOV, Israel - Just one injection every two months might be able to replace the multiple injections needed daily for juvenile-onset diabetes patients, with the vaccine DiaPep277 This experimental vaccine was shown to arrest...

Pieris `Anticalin' library offers alternatives to antibody work.(Brief Article)
November 28, 2001... BORNHEIM, Germany - Pieris Proteolab AG, of Freising, disclosed a library of what it calls anticalins that contains more than 10 billion structures. Anticalins have antibody-like functions, but are much smaller than antibodies and can be...

CAT contracts with Lonza for manufacture of antibodies.(Cambridge Antibody Technology Group PLC)
November 28, 2001... LONDON - Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc said it has signed a long-term agreement for the supply of its antibody drugs in the face of concerns that there is not enough manufacturing capacity to meet demand. Medical Director David...

NeuroSearch spin-off targets lung disease, allergies, more.(NeuroSearch A/S; Poseidon Pharmaceuticals A/S)
November 28, 2001... NeuroSearch A/S spun off a new biopharmaceutical firm, Poseidon Pharmaceuticals A/S, to continue development of existing programs in lung disease, allergy and immunosuppression. This marks the Ballerup Denmark-based company's fourth spin-off in...

Galapagos, Pharmacia in deal for gene target identification.(Galapagos Genomics N.V.)
November 28, 2001... PARIS -- Galapagos Genomics NV signed a three-year agreement with Pharmacia Corp., of Peapack, N.J., for a broad-based functional genomics collaboration [Text unreadable in original source.] the identification and validation of drug targets and...

Antisoma plc.(Brief Article)
November 28, 2001... * Antisoma plc, of London, said new research shows its vascular targeting agent DMXAA is able to enhance the impact of radiotherapy on tumors in animal models without increasing radiation damage to normal skin. The compound reduces blood flow...

Atugen AG, of Berlin, signed an evaluation agreement with the pharmaceutical company Byk Gulden GmbH, of Constance, Germany, to investigate the efficiency and specificity of atugen's proprietary Gene-Bloc technology for the validation of novel cancer targets.(Brief Article)
November 28, 2001... * Atugen AG, of Berlin, signed an evaluation agreement with the pharmaceutical company Byk Gulden GmbH, of Constance, Germany, to investigate the efficiency and specificity of atugen's proprietary Gene-Bloc technology for the validation of...

ACE BioSciences, LION's first database product due in spring.(Brief Article)
November 28, 2001... Start-up functional proteomics firm ACE BioSciences A/S, of Odense, Denmark, plans to launch its first product, a database detailing microbial protein interaction networks by next spring, said CEO Ejvind Mortz. This will be the first outcome of...

Israeli government puts $250M toward boosting biotechnology.(Brief Article)
November 28, 2001... JERUSALEM - The Israeli government has designated biotechnology as an Israeli national project for the period 2002 to 2007, designating $250 million in hopes to stem the flow of human and investment capital out of the country. Matan...

Oxford Gene gets positive ruling from patent office.(Brief Article)
November 28, 2001... LONDON - Oxford Gene Technology Ltd. said it would renew its search for licensees of its DNA microarrays after the European Patent Office (EPO) found in its favor following a six-year opposition to its European patent. The patent was...

BioProspect Ltd.
November 28, 2001... * BioProspect Ltd., of Brisbane, Australia, says that it now has access to about 10 percent of the world's flowering plant species, after signing an agreement for access to all types of biota in the state of Queensland. The listed company says...

Biotissue AG, of Freiburg, Germany, announced the first successful transplantation of a bone substitute derived from a patient's own (autologous) tissue.(BioTissue Technologies AG)
November 28, 2001... * Biotissue AG, of Freiburg, Germany, announced the first successful transplantation of a bone substitute derived from a patient's own (autologous) tissue. A research team at BioTissue Technologies AG, the Freiburg University Medical Center and...

Cambridge Antibody Technology PLC.
November 28, 2001... * Cambridge Antibody Technology plc, of Melbourn, UK, announced six-month follow-up results of a Phase II trial of CAT-152, an anti-TGF-beta2 human antibody in patients who have had surgery for glaucoma and cataracts. Intraocular pressure was...

Celltech Group PLC.
November 28, 2001... * Celltech Group plc, of Slough, UK, announced further data from the Phase II trials of CDP 870 for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, showing that the highest dose of 400 mg given every four weeks acted more quickly and was more effective...

CeNeS Pharmaceuticals PLC, of Cambridge, UK, said it has agreed to a deal with Wyeth-Ayerst Research worth US$1.2 million, for the use of its proprietary automated ion channel drug discovery technology.
November 28, 2001... CeNeS Pharmaceuticals plc, of Cambridge, UK, said it has agreed to a deal with Wyeth-Ayerst Research worth US$1.2 million, for the use of its proprietary automated ion channel drug discovery technology. Patch clamping, the chief method of...

GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, signed a development and manufacturing agreement with ICOS Corp. of Bothell, Wash., for GPC's anti-MHC class II anti-bodies.
November 28, 2001... * GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, signed a development and manufacturing agreement with ICOS Corp. of Bothell, Wash., for GPC's anti-MHC class II anti-bodies. The agreement includes a nonexclusive license to ICOS's mammalian cell...

Immuno-Designed Molecules SA.(Brief Article)
November 28, 2001... * Immuno-Designed Molecules SA, of Paris, reported promising results in Phase I/II trials of its IDM-2 therapy for bladder cancer. The product, which entails the delivery of monocyte-derived activated killer (MAK) cells, significantly reduced...

MPB Cologne GmbH, of Cologne, Germany, and ATO BV, of Wageningen, the Netherlands, are cooperating in pilot-scale protein purification from industrial tubers, which produce desired proteins.(Brief Article)
November 28, 2001... * MPB Cologne GmbH, of Cologne, Germany, and ATO BV, of Wageningen, the Netherlands, are cooperating in pilot-scale protein purification from industrial tubers, which produce desired proteins. ATO is expected to develop a large-scale...

M-phasys GmbH, of Tubingen, Germany, and Princeton, N.J., and Medarex Inc., of Princeton, N.J., said they will collaborate to develop and commercialize fully human antibody therapeutics, which target G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs).(Brief Article)
November 28, 2001... * M-phasys GmbH, of Tubingen, Germany, and Princeton, N.J., and Medarex Inc., of Princeton, N.J., sad they will collaborate to develop and commercialize fully human antibody therapeutics, which target G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). GPRCs...

Neurotech SA.(Brief Article)
November 28, 2001... * Neurotech SA, of Paris, appointed Bernard Davitian as administrative and finance director. Between 1995 and 2000 Davitian held a similar position at the Strasbourg-based gene therapy company Transgene.

Provalis plc, of Deeside, UK, sold two of its drug delivery technologies, HALO and Capricorn, to PII Drug Delivery LLC, a subsidiary of Pharmaceutics International Inc., for an undisclosed fee.(Brief Article)
November 28, 2001... * Provalis plc, of Deeside, UK, sold two of its drug delivery technologies, HALO and Capricorn, to PII Drug Delivery LLC, a subsidiary of Pharmaceutics International Inc., for an undisclosed fee. Phil Could, CEO of Provalis, said the sale would...

Scil Proteins GmbH, of Halle, Germany, was granted DM2.3 million (US$1.03 million) by the German Research Ministry.(Brief Article)
November 28, 2001... * Scil Proteins GmbH of Halle, Germany, was granted DM2.3 million (US$1.03 million) by the German Research Ministry. The money is expected to fuel development of innovative, biotechnological processes for the affordable, industrial production...

SR Pharma PLC of London, entered a deal with Genesis Research and Development Co., of Auckland, New Zealand, to merge their existing eczema programs.
November 28, 2001... * SR Pharma plc, of London, entered a deal with Genesis Research and Development Co., of Auckland, New Zealand, to merge their existing eczema programs. Both companies are testing eczema candidates based on the soil bacterium Mycobacterium...

Transgene S.A.(appoints Michel Hubert vice president, business development)
November 28, 2001... * Transgene SA of Strasbourg, France, appointed Michel Hubert vice president, business development. Hubert previously spent 11 years with the Dijon-based pharmaceutical company Laboratories Fournier, where he became executive director, business...