BioWorld International articles from October 2002

BioWorld International archives from October 2002

Germany closing Neuer Markt amid mounting losses, scandals.
October 2, 2002... MUNICH, Germany -- Deutsche Boerse AG, the company that operates Germany's most important stock markets, is closing the Neuer Markt as part of a larger restructuring in the company's exchanges. The market was launched in March 1997 to expand...

Cellular immune response clues could aid vaccine development.
October 2, 2002... LONDON -- A glimpse of the secret life of the cytotoxic T cell has suggested new ways of making vaccination more efficient and revealed a potential strategy for boosting the immune systems of people infected with the human immunodeficiency...

Investors hammer Genmab stock following failure of lead drug.
October 2, 2002... Shares in Genmab A/S plunged over 60 percent last week on news that it is terminating its lead development program. Its human monoclonal antibody, HuMax-CD4, failed to show efficacy in a Phase II trial of 155 patients with active rheumatoid...

Cytos going public by way of merger with Swiss company.
October 2, 2002... The IPO window for biotechnology companies may be firmly shut at present, but Swiss firm Cytos Biotechnologie AG has slipped in through the back door and plans to take up a full listing on the Swiss Stock Exchange Oct. 29. The company, which...

Pharming raises 8.2m [euro] in equity, debt, prepares to exit moratorium.
October 2, 2002... Pharming NV, a Dutch firm that specializes in the production of pharmaceuticals in the milk of transgenic animals, is on the brink of exiting its legal moratorium, following overwhelming creditor support for a proposed settlement and new...

Alizyme plc. (Other News To Note).
October 2, 2002... Alizyme plc, of Cambridge, UK, said it completed recruitment of 500 patients in its Phase lib trial of renzapride for the treatment of constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. The study is comparing three doses of renzapride, with a...

Improving processes key for helping companies raise profits. (European Biotechnology Symposium).
October 2, 2002... MUNICH, Germany -- Biotechnology manufacturing and processing faces pressure from all sides to improve its techniques and deliver products that are more complex than ever before with greater reliability and, ideally, lower prices. More...

NicOx grants AstraZeneca exclusive license for Japan.
October 2, 2002... PARIS -- NicOx SA signed an exclusive license agreement with AstraZeneca plc granting it rights to develop and commercialize AZD 3582 and certain other cox-inhibiting nitric oxide-donators (CINODs) in Japan. CINODs are a novel class of...

OGS restructures to focus on storage disorders, oncology.
October 2, 2002... LONDON -- Oxford GlycoSciences plc is restructuring to reduce its burn rate by 3.5 million [pounds sterling] per annum and focus on inherited storage disorders and oncology. The move will see the company reduce expenditures on its flagship...

Red Cross speaks out about potential biotechnology abuse.
October 2, 2002... LONDON -- The International Committee of the Red Cross has appealed to the biotechnology community to ensure that potentially dangerous developments in biotechnology are subject to effective controls. The message from the ICRC is that "it...

Europe steps up campaign to break Myriad's hold on BRCA1.
October 2, 2002... PARIS -- Three French medical establishments are challenging a third patent issued by the European Patents Office to U.S. company Myriad Genetics Inc. for the BRCA1 cancer susceptibility gene, after filing earlier complaints in October 2001 and...

Antisoma plc. (Other News To Note).
October 2, 2002... Antisoma plc, of London, said it completed recruitment of 420 patients in its pivotal Phase III study of pemtumomab in ovarian cancer. The study of the antibody-targeted radiotherapy product began in 1998, and a recent analysis showed it is...

Avlar BioVentures Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, a biotechnology venture capital company, announced that Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., the third largest pharmaceutical company in Japan, will invest in Avlar. (Other News To Note).
October 2, 2002... Avlar BioVentures Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, a biotechnology venture capital company, announced that Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., the third largest pharmaceutical company in Japan, will invest in Avlar. The investment, via its subsidiary,...

Vernalis hoping to break even in 2004 with Frovatriptan success.
October 2, 2002... LONDON -- Shares in Vernalis Group plc rose by 19 pence to 48.5 pence Friday when the company said it was on track to break even in 2004 without the need to raise further funding. That follows better than expected U.S. sales of its migraine...

A-Viral ASA. (Other News To Note).
October 2, 2002... * A-Viral ASA, of Oslo, Norway, said it appointed Hans Petter Danielsen CEO for an initial trial period of six weeks. Danielsen previously was CEO of Natural ASA, of Sandvika, Norway, a listed company focused on the food ingredients, animal...

BioVex Ltd. (Other News To Note).
October 2, 2002... * BioVex Ltd., of Oxford, UK, agreed to a worldwide license deal with the U.S. Public Health Service, giving BioVex exclusive access to the human melanoma antigens MART-1 and gp100, for use in cancer vaccines based on herpesvirus vectors. In...

Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc, of Melbourn, UK, said Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Japan, will license CAT's antibody phage display libraries. (Other News To Note).
October 2, 2002... * Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc, of Melbourn, UK, said Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of Japan, will license CAT's antibody phage display libraries for use in the discovery and development of human monoclonal antibodies. CAT will...

GenOdyssee SA. (Other News To Note).
October 2, 2002... * GenOdyssee SA, of Paris, appointed Jean-Marc Giry vice president of strategic planning, Philippe Remes vice president of investor relations and David Briscoe vice president of business development. Giry and Remes also have become members of...

Genome Express. (Other News To Note).
October 2, 2002... Genome Express, of Grenoble, France, appointed Francois Pons director of business development. Pons was previously business development manager of the Pierre Fabre Immunology Center, of Saint Julien en Genevois in Switzerland, part of the Lyon,...

GW Pharmaceuticals plc. (Other News To Note).
October 2, 2002... * GW Pharmaceuticals plc, of Salisbury, UK, which is developing prescription medicines based on cannabis, announced positive results in a Phase II study in patients with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and other conditions who were...

KS Biomedix Holdings plc. (Other News To Note).
October 2, 2002... * KS Biomedix Holdings plc, of Guildford, UK, licensed in protein trimers from Oxford University as the basis of a drug discovery program. Trimers are natural scaffolds to which other molecules can be attached. KSB believes they can be...

MediGene AG, of Martinsried, Germany, was granted two U.S. patents on its recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAV) technology. (Other News To Note).
October 2, 2002... * MediGene AG, of Martinsried, Germany, was granted two U.S. patents on its recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAV) technology. Based on this technology, the company is developing a vaccine for the treatment of malignant melanoma. MediGene...

Microscience Ltd. (Other News To Note).
October 2, 2002... * Microscience Ltd., of Wokingham, UK, said its novel oral typhoid vaccine began a multicenter Phase I trial in the U.S. The study, involving 60 volunteers, will evaluate safety and immunogenicity of three separate dose levels. The vaccine has...

Peplin Biotech Ltd. (Other News To Note).
October 2, 2002... * Peplin Biotech Ltd., of Brisbane, Australia, raised A$4.3 million (US$2.3 million) from existing shareholders through a 1-for-8 rights issue. Peplin said that the additional funds would finance the company's work on a range of anticancer...

The Australian Federal Parliament. (Other News To Note).
October 2, 2002... * The Australian Federal Parliament's lower house, the House of Representatives, passed with a comfortable majority new laws allowing research using embryonic stem cells. The bill must still pass through the Senate to become law but, as the...

GLSV launches 143m [euro] fund, seeks strong biotech leaders.
October 9, 2002... MUNICH, Germany--Global Life Science Ventures GmbH raised 143 million [euro] for a new fund that will invest in private biotechnology companies in Europe and the U.S. In a difficult market, GLSV secured investments from both institutional...

New schizophrenia gene flags up opportunities for fresh therapies.
October 9, 2002... LONDON -- French researchers are confident that a new therapy to treat patients with schizophrenia will be available within a decade, following their discovery of a previously unknown gene that is mutated in people with the disease. The gene,...

French gene therapy trial halted after adverse event.
October 9, 2002... PARIS -- A gene therapy trial being conducted at the Necker children's hospital in Paris has been put on hold after one subject developed a serious complication. The therapy was being tested to treat severe combined immune deficiency...

Xerion raises 12.3m [euro] to develop antibody, cardiovascular pipeline.
October 9, 2002... MUNICH, Germany -- Xerion Pharmaceuticals AG raised 12.3 million [euro] in its third round of financing, which it closed this week. The company will use the funding to develop its own therapeutic pipeline, particularly in antibodies and acute...

X-SCID treatment to continue in UK despite halting in France.
October 9, 2002... LONDON -- Gene therapy trials in the treatment of X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency disease (XSCID) are being allowed to continue in the UK, despite the suspension of a similar trial in France, after one patient developed leukemia. ...

Baby sister conceived to cure brother's inherited anemia.
October 9, 2002... TEL AVIV, Israel -- For the first time in Israel and the second in the world, a fetus was conceived and selected to cure a sibling with an inherited disorder. The embryo was conceived by in vitro fertilization and screened in a U.S. center...

Etiologics spun out to focus on mouse genetics capabilities.
October 9, 2002... LONDON -- The UK Medical Research Council is spinning out a company, Etiologics Ltd., to commercialize the mouse genetics capabilities developed at its Mammalian Genetics Unit in Harwell. Etiologics has raised 3.5 million [pounds sterling]...

Peptech granted TNF antibody patent; centocor to pay royalties.
October 9, 2002... SYDNEY, Australia -- Investors in Peptech Ltd. are hoping for royalty payments of more than A$27.8 million (US$15 million) a year to start flowing now that the company has gained a key tumor necrosis factor antibody patent in the U.S. ...

Mtm, EMBLEM collaborate in bioinformatics, cancer.
October 9, 2002... MUNICH, Germany -- Mtm laboratories AG signed a wide-ranging cooperation agreement with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory Enterprise Management (EMBLEM), the commercial arm of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). Under...

Burrill & Co. forms alliance with PricewaterhouseCoopers Israel.
October 9, 2002... TEL AVIV, Israel -- Burrill & Co. and PricewaterhouseCoopers Israel have formed an alliance through PwC's Life Sciences Transaction Support unit (LTS) in Tel Aviv to accelerate global collaborations and strategic partnerships with Israeli...

British Biotech plc, of Oxford, UK, announced the start of a Phase I trial of its peptide deformylase (PDF) inhibitor, BB-83698, the first of a potential new class of antibiotics. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... * British Biotech plc, of Oxford, UK, announced the start of a Phase I trial of its peptide deformylase (PDF) inhibitor, BB-83698, the first of a potential new class of antibiotics. PDF and other metalloenzymes are essential for bacterial...

Cellestis Ltd. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... * Cellestis Ltd., of Melbourne, UK, bought exclusive rights to use proteins specific to tuberculosis developed by Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark, for use in a tuberculosis test developed by Cellestis. The terms of the deal have...

CellFactors plc. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... * CellFactors plc, of Cambridge, UK, said it received a notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent Office for its Skeletex bone-repair technology. The patent covers the use of human bone-forming cells to produce the cellular mixture of protein...

Genome of malaria-carrying mosquito fully sequenced.
October 9, 2002... PARIS -- An international consortium led by the French National Sequencing Center, the Genoscope, and the Institut Pasteur announced the complete sequencing of Anopheles gambiae, the mosquito that carries malaria, and of the parasite mainly...

Cerep SA, of Rueil-Malmaison, France, and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, entered a research agreement providing for the Swiss pharmaceutical company to have access to Cerep's proprietary database, BioPrint, and for Cerep to use its BioPrint informatics tools on behalf of Roche. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... * Cerep SA, of Rueil-Malmaison, France, and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, entered a research agreement providing for the Swiss pharmaceutical company to have access to Cerep's proprietary database, BioPrint, and for Cerep to...

Enact Pharma plc. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... * Enact Pharma plc, of Salisbury, UK, said it filed a patent on the use of titanium-based organometallic compounds as antitumor drugs. The compounds overcome the problems of water insolubility and instability normally associated with transition...

GenOdyssee SA. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... * GenOdysse SA, of Paris, announced positive results for its proprietary interferon-alpha variants in the treatment of hepatitis C and cancer. Studies conducted by independent French laboratories found that GenOdyssee's nine variants were up to...

GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, signed an agreement with NeoTherapeutics Inc., of Irvine, Calif., granting GPC Biotech an exclusive worldwide license to satraplatin, an orally administered anticancer agent that is in the late stages of clinical development. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... * GPC Biotech AG, of Martinsried, Germany, signed an agreement with NeoTherapeutics Inc., of Irvine, Calif., granting GPC Biotech an exclusive worldwide license to satraplatin, an orally administered anticancer agent that is in the late stages...

Gyros AB. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... * Gyros AB, of Uppsala, Sweden, which develops CD-based microlaboratories, said it appointed Claes Wilhelmsson, former head of R&D at AstraZeneca pie, of London, as chairman of the board. Wilhelmsson is currently a senior adviser to Investor...

Igeneon AG, of Vienna, Austria, and Novartis AG, of Basel, Switzerland, have signed a worldwide licensing agreement for a vaccine against epithelial cancers. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... * Igeneon AG, of Vienna, Austria, and Novartis AG, of Basel, Switzerland, have signed a worldwide licensing agreement for a vaccine against epithelial cancers. The agreement paves the way for Igeneon to pursue clinical development of the...

KS Biomedix Holdings plc, of Guildford, UK, appointed Medison Pharma Ltd., of Petach-Tikva, Israel, to distribute its TransMID brain cancer treatment in Israel. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... * KS Biomedix Holdings plc, of Guildford, UK, appointed Medison Pharma Ltd., of Petach-Tikva, Israel, to distribute its TransMID brain cancer treatment in Israel. Under the terms of the agreement, Medison will make an undisclosed equity...

Meridian Bioscience Inc., of Cincinnati, said it is continuing pre-acquisition due diligence of diagnostics firm Biotrin Holdings plc, of Dublin, Ireland, and is concurrently negotiating a definitive stock purchase agreement. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... * Meridian Bioscience Inc, of Cincinnati, said it is continuing pre-acquisition due diligence of diagnostics firm Biotrin Holdings plc, of Dublin, Ireland, and is concurrently negotiating a definitive stock purchase agreement. The expected date...

Phytopharm plc. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... * Phytopharm plc, of Godmanchester, UK, announced the successful completion of a Phase I repeat-dose study of P58, an oral treatment for age-related cognitive dysfunction. In the placebo-controlled study of 30 healthy volunteers over 55, the...

The European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... * The European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA), is reducing its budget for 2002 to 65.4 million [euro] from 70.5 million [euro] because of the sharp decrease in the number of new drug applications. Only 25 applications...

The German Association of Biotechnology Industries. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... * The German Association of Biotechnology Industries elected Peter W. Stadler as its new chairman. Stadler is managing director of Artemis Pharmaceuticals GmbH, of Cologne, Germany, which he co-founded in 1998 with Nobel laureate Christiane...

Xenova Group plc, of Slough, UK, said the FDA granted fast-track status to its lead product, tariquidar, for the treatment of multidrug resistance in first-line treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... * Xenova Group plc, of Slough, UK, said the FDA granted fast-track status to its lead product, tariquidar, for the treatment of multidrug resistance in first-line treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer. Tariquidar, which is licensed to QLT...

Xention Discovery Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, entered a two-year collaboration with BioFocus plc, of Sittingbourne, UK, to develop candidate drugs against an ion channel target for atrial fibrillation, the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia. (Other News To Note).
October 9, 2002... Xention Discovery Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, entered a two-year collaboration with BioFocus plc, of Sittingbourne, UK, to develop candidate drugs against an ion channel target for atrial fibrillation, the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia....

Europeans urged to step up pace of biotechnology research. (European Biotechnology Crossroads Conference).
October 16, 2002... LILLE, France -- European Union countries are still spending too little on research, investing no more than 1.9 percent of GNP compared to 2.7 percent in the United States, the European Union's commissioner for research, Philippe Busquin, told...

Researchers: immune response to Alzheimer's vaccine ideal.
October 16, 2002... LONDON -- Cautious optimism again surrounds the development of a vaccine to protect against Alzheimer's disease. A team of researchers in Switzerland analyzed the immune response of patients who took part in a trial of a candidate vaccine...

Arpida, Combio collaborate for antibiotics discovery.
October 16, 2002... Arpida Ltd. and Combio A/S entered a three-year, shared-cost collaboration focused on the development of novel antibiotics. Arpida is engaged in discovery and development of antimicrobial drugs. Combio is a platform technology and discovery...

European union anxious to push biotechnology patent directive.
October 16, 2002... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Europe will fall behind its competitors if intellectual property for biotechnology is not better covered, the European Commission said in a statement Thursday. The Commission was commenting on a new report it compiled on...

Transgene, Mirus report success with gene transfer technology.
October 16, 2002... PARIS -- Transgene SA and Mirus Corp. reported the first successful application of Mirus' gene transfer technology for the delivery of a plasmid-based vector into skeletal muscles in animal models of Duchenne's disease, a form of muscular...

MediGene joins with Evotec on cardiology discovery unit.
October 16, 2002... MUNICH, Germany -- MediGene AG has secured the cooperation of Evotec OAI AG in launching a new company out of MediGene's recently spun off cardiological drug discovery program. The new company will be known as Genovation. MediGene, of...

EU ministers continue debate on acceptable GM food levels. (European Union Roundup).
October 16, 2002... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- European Union agriculture ministers reviewed key proposals for new biotechnology regulation when they met in Luxembourg Monday and Tuesday, but without reaching a decision on some of the most contentious issues. On...

Officials compromise on EU stem cell research. (European Union Roundup).
October 16, 2002... A compromise agreement has at last been reached on European Union backing for stem cell research. The dispute--a complex spat between Italy and other EU member states over the substance, and between the EU Council of Ministers and the European...

Scientists, companies respond to research call. (European Union Roundup).
October 16, 2002... There has been a massive response to the European Union's call earlier this year for expressions of interest in the upcoming research program. European scientists and companies were invited to put forward their ideas on the most promising...

Officials from Denmark, India to sign biotechnology accord.
October 16, 2002... Officials at Denmark's Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and at India's Department of Biotechnology are finalizing the text of a joint accord on biotechnology research the countries expect to sign in India shortly. Merete...

Active Biotech AB. (Other News To Note).
October 16, 2002... Active Biotech AB, of Lund, Sweden, presented new data at the Medicon Valley BioConference in Malmo, Sweden, last week indicating that its candidate oral multiple sclerosis treatment, SAIK-MS (Laquinimod), inhibits progression of the disease in...

Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc, of Melbourne, UK, saw its shares rise by 45 pence last week to 5.45 [pounds sterling] after partner Abbott Laboratories, of Abbott Park, Ill., announced an expanded access program for D2E7, a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment. (Other News To Note).
October 16, 2002... Cambridge Antibody Technology Group plc, of Melbourne, UK, saw its shares rise by 45 pence last week to 5.45 [pounds sterling] after partner Abbott Laboratories, of Abbott Park, Ill., announced an expanded access program for D2E7, a rheumatoid...

Cyclacel Ltd. (Other News To Note).
October 16, 2002... Cyclacel Ltd., of Dundee, UK, said it was awarded 1.2 million [pounds sterling] (US$1.9 million) in government grants to support cell cycle research focused on disrupting mitosis in cancer cells. One grant will fund a collaboration with the...

Enact Pharma plc. (Other News To Note).
October 16, 2002... Enact Pharma plc, of Salisbury UK, said New Opportunities Investment Trust plc, of London, had subscribed for 2.1 million shares at 19.5 pence, raising 400,000 [pounds sterling] (US$620,000). The money will enable Enact to start a Phase I study...

Evotec Technologies GmbH. (Other News To Note).
October 16, 2002... Evotec Technologies GmbH, of Hamburg, Germany, launched a new cell analyzer for high-content analysis of drug activity with subcellular resolution. Called "Opera" by the company, the device combines the resolution of cofocal laser scanning...

KS Biomedix Holdings plc. (Other News To Note).
October 16, 2002... KS Biomedix Holdings plc, of Guildford, UK, said it received approval for a Phase I/II trial of KSB303, a radio-labeled sheep antibody, in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. The trial, in patients with advanced disease, will evaluate safety...

Sciona demonstrates DNA test kit at UK pharmacy conference.
October 16, 2002... LONDON -- Pharmacists in the UK were treated to the first practical demonstration of how the billions spent on the Human Genome Project will change the way health care is delivered, at their annual conference last month. Using his own DNA,...

ML Laboratories plc. (Other News To Note).
October 16, 2002... ML Laboratories plc, of Warrington, UK, is looking for a new CEO following the resignation of the founding executive chairman, Kevin Leech, after he was declared personally bankrupt. Stuart Sim, the current CEO, will take on the post of...

Modex Therapeutics Ltd., of Lausanne, Switzerland, said the FDA granted its autologous skin product EpiDex humanitarian use device designation for a defined chronic wound indication. (Other News To Note).
October 16, 2002... Modex Therapeutics Ltd., of Lausanne, Switzerland, said the FDA granted its autologous skin product EpiDex humanitarian use device designation for a defined chronic wound indication. That will enable the company to achieve accelerated market...

NeuTec Pharma plc. (Other News To Note).
October 16, 2002... NeuTec Pharma plc, of Manchester, UK, said Aurograb, its antibody-based treatment for the hospital superbug, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commenced a multicenter Phase II trial in systemically ill patients. The company believes...

New EuropaBio chief promises progress in science, persuasion.
October 16, 2002... BRUSSELS, Belgium -- "Further explaining to European society the benefits of biotechnology is key," said Feike Sijbesma, the new chairman of EuropaBio, the European biotechnology industry association, on his election Thursday. Sijbesma, a...

Onyvax Ltd., of London, a cancer vaccines specialist, announced a collaboration with Asterand, of Detroit, to produce and distribute Onyvax's prostate cancer cell lines. (Other News To Note).
October 16, 2002... Onyvax Ltd., of London, a cancer vaccines specialist, announced a collaboration with Asterand, of Detroit, to produce and distribute Onyvax's prostate cancer cell lines. While there are only three prostate cancer cell lines in general use,...

Oxxon Pharmaccines Ltd. (Other News To Note).
October 16, 2002... Oxxon Pharmaccines Ltd., of Oxford, UK, said its therapeutic melanoma vaccine has entered Phase II, following a successful Phase I trial showing the product was safe and immunogenic in melanoma patients. The vaccine involves sequential...

Pharming Group NV. (Other News To Note).
October 16, 2002... Pharming Group NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, said the district court in the Hague approved its recently proposed settlement to creditors. The offer fulfills the necessary legal requirements, Pharming said. If no appeals are forthcoming, the...

Wilex AG. (Other News To Note).
October 16, 2002... Wilex AG, of Munich, Germany, began a Phase lb/lla trial of a small molecule that inhibits a system that plays a role in the progression and metastasis of some solid tumors. The compound, WX-UK1, works against urokinase-type plasminogen...

Partnering a survival strategy for cash-strapped companies. (BioPartnering Europe Conference).
October 23, 2002... LONDON -- With the capital markets closed, partnering is the only route to survival for biotechnology companies running out of cash. But doing deals is getting harder, with more due diligence, less interest in platform technologies and early...

HIV receptor may provide good target for ovarian cancer drugs.
October 23, 2002... LONDON -- Scientists at Cancer Research UK are going to test drugs designed to prevent HIV from entering cells to see if the same compounds also can stop ovarian cancer from spreading. The team has identified a chemokine receptor that is...

Newest technologies help drive biotech collaborations. (European Biotechnology Crossroads Conference).
October 23, 2002... LILLE, France -- The potential advantages and pitfalls of technology and discovery/development collaborations between biotechnology companies and third parties were a major theme of the European Biotechnology Crossroads Conference that took...

Serono, Cellular Genomics sign joint kinase discovery program.
October 23, 2002... PARIS -- Serono SA and Cellular Genomics Inc. signed a research collaboration agreement under which CGI will apply its chemical genetics technologies to four undisclosed target kinases selected by Serono. CGI, of Branford, Conn., will...

Amaxa GmbH. (Other News To Note).
October 23, 2002... Amaxa GmbH, of Cologne, Germany, restructured and laid off 20 percent of its staff, reducing the number of employees to 80. The company will concentrate on further development and marketing of Nucleofactor, its nonviral gene transfer...

GeneScan Europe AG. (Other News To Note).
October 23, 2002... GeneScan Europe AG, of Freiburg, Germany, made AgriQuality, a state-owned enterprise based in Auckland, New Zealand, its exclusive licensee in Oceania for its genetically modified organism testing technology. AgriQuality is a regional market...

Immuno-Designed Molecules SA, of Paris, signed an agreement with San Diego-based Epimmune Inc. granting it an option to develop several of the U.S. company's antigenic peptides for use in its products. (Other News To Note).
October 23, 2002... Immuno-Designed Molecules SA, of Paris, signed an agreement with San Diego-based Epimmune Inc. granting it an option to develop several of the U.S. company's antigenic peptides for use in its products. IDM, which is developing cell therapies...