Applied Genetics News articles from November 1999

Applied Genetics News archives from November 1999

BIOMANUFACTURING: Transgenic Cows Make Human Serum Albumin.
November 1, 1999... Pharming Group N.V. (Niels Bohrweg, 11-13, 2333 CA, Leiden, The Netherlands; Tel: +31 71 524 74 00, Fax: +31 71 521 65 07, Website: pharming.com), and Genzyme Transgenics Corp. (Five Mountain Rd., Framingham, MA 01701; Tel: 508/620-9700, Fax:...

Membrane Systems for Protein Purification.
November 1, 1999... Proteins that are surrounded by an electrically charged "salt cloud" can avoid slipping through molecular filters, which may make it easier to purify and separate them from other proteins, reports engineers from Genentech (1 DNA Way, South San...

BASIC RESEARCH: Evolution of Sex Chromosomes.
November 1, 1999... Millions of years ago, sex was probably determined not by sex chromosomes, but by some environmental factor, like the temperature of the water at which the egg incubated (Sex determination still occurs this way in some animals like crocodiles...

New Neurons Are Sexually Responsive.
November 1, 1999... Brain cells that are produced in adult mammals respond to sexual stimuli, according to a team of biologists at the University of Massachusetts (UM, Amherst, MA). Liyue Huang, a postdoctoral researcher, Benjamin Lawrence, an undergraduate...

GENOMICS: Major Histocompatibility Complex Sequenced.
November 1, 1999... A paper in the Oct. 28 issue of the journal Nature authored by members of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) sequencing consortium describes the genomic sequence of the MHC, a region on chromosome 6 essential to the immune system. The...

Polymorphisms Related to Disease States.
November 1, 1999... Gemini Research, Ltd. (162 Science Park, Milton Rd., Cambridge Cambs CB4 4GH, U.K.; Tel: 01223 424260, Fax: 01223 435301, Email: info@gemini- research.co.uk), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gemini Holdings, Plc., presented two papers to the...

GENE THERAPY: NGF Repairs Nerve Damage.
November 1, 1999... In new studies of two different animal models, University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA) investigators have shown that a modified herpes virus shuttles a therapeutic nerve growth factor (NGF) gene not only to neurons but also to non-neuronal...

Effective Therapy for Muscular Dystrophy.
November 1, 1999... Animal muscles crippled by a form of muscular dystrophy can be repaired, both in size and strength, through gene therapy according to a team of investigators from the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and the University...

Gene Switch Marketed.
November 1, 1999... Valentis, Inc. (863A Mitten Rd., Burlingame, CA 94010; Tel: 650/697- 1900, Fax: 650/652-1990) today announced the commercial launch of Valentis' proprietary GeneSwitch gene regulation system to the life sciences research market by Invitrogen...

ANTISENSE: Mode of Action Modeled.
November 1, 1999... A model to define the mechanism of action for antisense will be included in a chapter of the newest edition of "Methods in Enzymology." Academic Press published the book, which focuses on antisense technology, Oct. 15. In the book...

G3139 on the Fast Track.
November 1, 1999... The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast-track designation to the bcl-2 antisense compound, G-3139, from Genta, Inc. (3550 General Atomics Court, San Diego, CA 92121; Tel: 619/455-2700, Fax: 619/455-2712) for use in...

ANTIBODIES: Treatments for Staph Infection.
November 1, 1999... Inhibitex, Inc. (8996 Westside Pkwy., Alpharetta, GA 30004; Tel: 678/336-2600, Fax: 678/336-2626, Website: inhibitex.com) and the Red Cross Foundation Central Laboratory, a foundation of the Swiss Red Cross will collaborate on the development...

Antibody Phage Display Patented.
November 1, 1999... Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT, Melbourn, England) has been granted a U.S. patent covering the display of antibody fragments on phage. The patent, U.S. No. 5,969,108, is entitled "Methods for Producing Members of Specific Binding Pairs."...

Monoclonal Auctioned on Internet.
November 1, 1999... It had to happen sometime. E-pawn, Inc. (Website: e-pwninc.com), an Internet auction site, is offering to auction a commercial license to a murine monoclonal antibody. Investigators Gunther Bastert and Sepp Kaul developed the antibody for the...

CELL THERAPY: Xenotransplants for Spinal Injuries.
November 1, 1999... A number of recent developments suggest that pig cells can be used successfully to treat injuries and degenerative diseases of the nerve system. Alexion Pharmaceuticals, in collaboration with Harvard Medical School researchers have reported...

Nexell Patents Neutrophil Precursors.
November 1, 1999... Nexell Therapeutics, Inc. has received U.S. Patent 5,955,357 covering the composition of in vitro-derived human neutrophil precursor cells. The Nexell patent covers the generation of neutrophil precursors, cells that differentiate into...

VACCINES AND ANTI-INFECTIVES Drug Resistant TB Spreads.
November 1, 1999... Deadly strains of drug resistant tuberculosis are spreading rapidly and threaten to spiral out of control, according to "The Global Impact of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis", a report released by Harvard Medical School's program on infectious...

U.S. Trial of VaxGen HIV Vaccine Begun.
November 1, 1999... VaxGen, Inc. (1000 Marina Blvd., Suite 200, Brisbane, CA 94005; Tel: 650/624-1000) has inoculated more than 5,000 volunteers, completing enrollment in the U.S. portion of the North American trial of AIDSVAX, a vaccine designed to prevent...

INDUSTRY NEWS: Genzyme Acquires Cell Genesys.
November 1, 1999... Genzyme General (One Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA 02139-1563; Tel: 617/252-7500, Fax: 617/374-7368, Website: genzyme.com) and Cell Genesys (342 Lakeside Dr., Foster City, CA 94404; Tel: 650/425-4400, Fax: 650/358-0803) have entered into a...

Millenium Acquires LeukoSite, Inc.
November 1, 1999... Millennium Pharmaceuticals (640 Memorial Dr., Cambridge, MA 02139; Tel: 617/679-7000, Fax: 617/374-9379, Website: mlnm.com) will acquire LeukoSite, Inc. (215 First St., Cambridge, MA 02141; Tel: 617/621-9350, Fax: 617/621-1826) in a stock-...

Ambryx Obtains Sensor Technology.
November 1, 1999... Ambryx, Inc. (4365 Executive Dr., Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92121; Tel: 858/404-0740, Fax: 858/404-0750, Website: ambryx.com) has signed agreements with Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University regarding enabling technology and molecules...

HORMONES AND CYTOKINES: Bone Morphogen Aids Spinal Fusion.
November 1, 1999... Orquest presented data at the North American Spine Society in Chicago on its Healos/MP52 product, which combines morphogenic protein 52 (MP52), a novel member of the BMP family, and Healos bone graft substitute, Orquest's proprietary...

Osteogenic Protein-1 May Treat Parkinson's.
November 1, 1999... Creative BioMolecules, Inc. (45 South St., Hopkinton, MA 01748; Tel: 508/782-1100, Fax: 508/435-0992, Website: creativebio.com) announced today new data in support of the company's development of a therapy to treat Parkinson's disease. The...

AG-BIO: Forest Biotech Institute Considered.
November 1, 1999... Every year, according to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the average American uses an amount of paper and wood products equivalent to a 100-ft. tall tree, 16 in. in diameter. That demand is projected to rise, while pressures to...

Time to Terminate Terminator Technology?
November 1, 1999... The American Corn Growers Association (ACGA) has met with Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman to encourage the Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) to abandon the research and development of the Terminator technology. USDA holds a co-patent for this...

Agreement to Discover Insecticides.
November 1, 1999... FMC Corp.'s Agricultural Products Group (200 East Randolph Dr., Chicago, IL 60601; Tel: 312/861-6000, Fax: 312/861-5902) and Devgen N.V. (Technologiepark 9, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Ghent, Belgium; Website: devgen.com) will initiate a collaborative...

Industrial Biotech to Take the Lead.
November 1, 1999... The controversy surrounding the use of genetic engineering in food has diverted attention from what will ultimately be the most important impact of biotechnology on agriculture, says Barbara Wheat, chair of the consulting firm Bowditch Group,...

Two Collaborate on Agrochemicals.
November 1, 1999... 3-Dimensional Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (3DP, 665 Stockton Dr., Suite 104, Exton, PA; Tel: 610/458-8959, Fax: 610/458-8258, Website: 3dp.com) and Hoechst Schering AgrEvo GmbH, GmbH (Postfach 27 06 54, D-13476 Berlin, Germany; Tel: 49(030)43908-0,...

USDA Launches GM Food Website.
November 1, 1999... "The coming battle over biotechnology and genetically modified organisms may just make beef hormones look like the minor leagues," prophesizes Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agricultural. With that in mind, the USDA has launched a new website...

CALENDAR.
November 1, 1999... November 30-December 1, 1999 Genome Targets to Drug Candidates, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Contact: IBC USA Conferences, Inc.; Tel: 508/481-7400, Fax 508/481-7911. Dec 2-3, 1999, Outsourcing Strategies for Drug Discovery & Pre- Clinical...