Applied Genetics News articles from September 1998

Applied Genetics News archives from September 1998

BIOPROCESSING Gambit Identifies Bacterial Genes
September 1, 1998... Versicor (270 E. Grand Ave., S San Francisco, CA 94080; Tel: 415/635- 0955, Fax: 415/635-0973) has obtained an exclusive license from the Harvard Medical School for the use of "Gambit," a novel method for identification of essential genes in...

Long Read DNA Sequencing
September 1, 1998... Visible Genetics (399 Bathursc, Toronto, Ont. M5T 2S8, Canada; Tel: 416/813-3242) has developed a new long read DNA sequencing technology, known as "LongCel." LongCel is based on VGI's current "MicroCel" cassette, and can read DNA strands up to...

GENOMICS: Mouse Cloning Establishes Reproducibility of Method
September 1, 1998... Dolly, the cloned sheep of a year ago, might have been just a fluke, or even an error, but the latest cloning of mice from adult cells establishes the technique as a scientifically reproducible method for generating multiple copies of a mammalian...

First Antisense Drug Reaches Review
September 1, 1998... The FDA's Ophthalmic Drugs Subcommittee has voted to recommend approval of trademarked Vitravene (fomivirsen) for the treatment of cCytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in AIDS patients. The product is an antisense drug invented by Isis...

Scientists Decipher Syphilis Genome
September 1, 1998... Scientists at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR, 9712 Medical Center Dr., Rockville, MD 20850; Tel: 301/838-0200, Fax: 301/838-0208) have determined the genome sequence of Treponema pallidum, the spirochete that causes syphilis....

IL-1 Gene Has Potential as Anti-Inflammatory
September 1, 1998... Hyseq (670 Almanor Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086; Tel: 408/524-8100, Fax: 408/524-8141) announced the discovery of a new interleukin-1 gene, IL-1Hy273, and the protein it produces. The company believes the protein may have therapeutic applications in...

Immunex Licenses Gastritis Gene
September 1, 1998... Immunex (51 University St., Seattle, Washington 98101; Tel: 206/587- 0430, Fax: 206/587-0606) has obtained an experimentation license for the first molecule from Digital Gene Technologies (DGT, 11149 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037; Tel:...

Team Seeks New Targets
September 1, 1998... Cadus Pharmaceutical (777 Old Saw Mill River Rd., Tarrytown, NY 10591- 6705; Tel: 914/345-3344, Fax: 914/345-3565) and Genome Therapeutics Corp. (100 Beaver St., Waltham, MA 02154; Tel: 617/893-5007, Fax: 617/893-8277) have teamed up in a...

CELL THERAPY: Roche Establishes Transplant Foundation
September 1, 1998... Hoffmann-La Roche, Ltd. has set up the Roche Organ Transplant Research Foundation (ROTRF, Montreal, Canada; Tel: 973/562-2212, Website: www.rotrf.org), dedicated to improving outcomes for organ transplant patients. Roche has pledged 25 million...

Aastrom Wins Grant for Stem Cell Expansion
September 1, 1998... Aastrom Biosciences (24 Frank Wright Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48106; Tel: 313/930-5555) has received a two-year, Phase II Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for $737,000 to advance the...

ANTI-INFECTIVES Magainin Submits Peptide Antibiotic
September 1, 1998... Magainin Pharmaceuticals (5110 Campus Dr., Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462; Tel: 610/941-4020, Fax: 610/941-5399) has submitted a new drug application for its peptide antibiotic, which is based on the Magainin anti-infectives that occur naturally in...

Chiron Sues Gilead and Agouron
September 1, 1998... Chiron (4560 Horton St., Emeryville, CA 94608-2916; Tel: 510/655-8730) has filed a patent infringement suit against Gilead Sciences (353 Lakeside Dr., Foster City, CA 94404; Tel: 415/574-3000,; Fax: 415/578- 9264), to protect its position in the...

HORMONES: Stem Cell Growth Factor OK for Market
September 1, 1998... An FDA advisory committee has recommended approval of the recombinant stem cell growth factor of Amgen (1840 DeHavilland Dr., 1000 Oaks, CA 91320-1789; Tel: 805/447-1000). The product, which has the brand name "Stemgen," stimulates the...

Stroke Treatment Fails U.S. Trial
September 1, 1998... Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories (PO Box 8299, Philadelphia, PA19101; Tel: 610/971-5400, Fax: 610/995-4884), a division of American Home Products (New York, NY) and Scios (2450 Bayshore Pkwy., Mountain View, CA 94043; Tel: 415/966-1550) acknowledge that...

Neurocrine Locks Up CRF Receptor
September 1, 1998... Neurocrine Biosciences (3050 Science Park Rd., San Diego, CA 92121- 1102; Tel: 619/454-3803) has received U.S. Patent 5,796,203) for nucleic acid sequence encoding CRF(2) receptors. Additionally, Neurocrine is the exclusive licensee for U.S....

ANTIBODIES: Anti-RSV MAb Submitted for Europe
September 1, 1998... Abbott Laboratories (1 Abbott Park Rd., Abbott Park, IL 60064-3500; Tel: 847/937-6100, Fax: 847/937-2013) and MedImmune (35 W. Watkins Mill Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878; Tel: 301/417-0770, Fax: 301/417-6289) has submitted for marketing approval in...

Progenics Funded to Pursue Fusion Protein
September 1, 1998... Progenics Pharmaceuticals (777 Old Saw Mill River Rd., Tarrytown, NY 10591; Tel: 914/789-2800) has been awarded $2,730,000 from the National Institutes of Health to support continued clinical evaluation of its Pro-542 and other related therapies...

ENZYMES: Enzyme Market Takes Downturn
September 1, 1998... Novo Nordisk, the number one supplier of industrial enzymes worldwide, provided interim figures for the first1st half of 1998. It said its enzyme business sales increased 6%, to $316.7 million, compared to about $298.6 million for the comparable...

Genencor in China Joint-Venture
September 1, 1998... Genencor International (4 Cambridge Pl., 1870 S. Winton Rd., Rochester, NY 14618; Tel: 716/256-5200, Fax: 716/244-2806) and the Wuxi Bureau of Light Industry have signed a joint-venture agreement for the formation of a new entity to be called...

INDUSTRY NEWS: Recombinant Hirudin Approved for U.S.
September 1, 1998... Hoechst Marion Roussel (10236 Marion Park Dr., Kansas City, MO 64134; Tel: 816/966-5000, Fax: 816/966-3270) has launched its "Refludan" lepirudin (rDNA) for injection, the first product approved in the U.S. to treat patients with thromboembolic...

Thermal Cycler Market Heats Up
September 1, 1998... Perkin-Elmer Corp. (P-E, 761 Main Ave., Norwalk, CT 06859-0001; Tel: 203/762-1000) has filed a patent infringement suit against MJ Research (Watertown, MA; Tel: 617/972-8157, Email: johnh@mjr.com, Website: www.mjr.com). The suit charges violation...

Igen Wins Injunction Against Boehringer
September 1, 1998... Igen International (1530 E. Jefferson St., Rockville, MD 20852; Tel: 301/984-8000, Fax: 301/230-0158) reports that the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Southern Division granted Igen's motion for a preliminary injunction...

Esperion Therapeutics Takes on Athersclerosis
September 1, 1998... A spin-off from Pharmacia-Upjohn, newly formed Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (Ann Arbor, MI) seeks to develop novel drugs for atherosclerosis and related metabolic disorders. The company plans to exploit the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) pathway...

AGN Stock Watch (As of September 1, 1998, 5 PM)
September 1, 1998... This Last Company Symbol Month Month Change Amgen AMGN 61.250 73.437 -12.187 Biogen BGEN 47.500 55.625 ...

CALENDAR
September 1, 1998... October 7-8, Applied Bioinformatics, Philadelphia, PA. Includes genomics, drug discovery, data analysis and data integration. Contact: Strategic Research Institute, 500 5th Ave., New York, NY 10110; Tel: 800/599-4950, Tel: 212/302-1800, Fax:...