Drug Discovery & Technology News articles from October 2000

Drug Discovery & Technology News archives from October 2000

DRUG TARGETS Id2 Levels Elevated in Neuroblastoma.(Cancer gene identified)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, led by Antonio Iavarone and Anna Lasorella, have implicated a specific gene, called Id2, in the development of neuroblastoma. Although the research specifically deals with neuroblastoma,...

Marker Target for Rheumatoid Arthritis.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Scientists led by David Naor, a professor at Hebrew University, have discovered a variant of the CD44 cell surface marker located on synovial cells implicated in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). With this marker now identified,...

RATIONAL DRUG DESIGN Structure of Cathepsin V Solved.(Cancer research)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Axys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (180 Kimball Way, South San Francisco, CA 94080; Tel: 650/829-1000, Fax: 650/829-1001) has solved the three-dimensional crystal structure of Cathepsin V, a cysteine protease associated with certain cancers and...

BASIC SCIENCE Calcium Flux Key to Alzheimer's Treatment.
October 1, 2000... Tae-Wan Kim, Rudy Tanzi, and colleagues from the Massachusetts Genetics and Aging Unit have discovered a link between two cellular abnormalities associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD)- mutations in genes encoding presenilin proteins PS1 and...

ASSAYS: Informatics for Live Cell Assays.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Scimagix, Inc. (3 Lagoon Dr., Suite 180, Redwood Shores, CA 94065- 5155; Tel: 650/508-5155, Fax: 650/508-2269, Website: scimagix. com, Email: info@scimagix.com) has entered into a collaboration with the laboratory of Peter Sorger, associate...

400,000 SNP Assays Available.(single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays (tests for genetic markers))(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Sequenom, Inc. (11555 Sorrento Valley Rd., No. C, San Diego, CA 92121-1331; Tel: 619/350-0345) now has more than 400,000 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays (tests for genetic markers) available for use in genomics research. This...

Assays Performed on Artificial Skin.(Genencor International, Inc, Xgene Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Genencor International, Inc. (4 Cambridge Place, 1870 Winton Rd., Rochester, NY 14618; Tel: 716/256-5200, Fax: 716/244-9988, Website: genencor.com) has expanded its research collaboration with Xgene Corp. (863C Mitten Rd., Burlingame, CA...

Drug Discovery Platform Patented.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (130 Waverly St., Cambridge, MA 02139; Tel: 617/577-6000, Fax: 617/576-2109) has received a patent from the U.S. patent office for a novel technology to screen compounds for activity against hepatitis C virus...

SCREENING: Grant to Develop Fast System.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Mosaic Technologies, Inc. (303 Bear Hill Rd., Waltham, MA 02451; Tel: 617/232-7636, Fax: 617/232-7950, Website: mostek.com) has been awarded $2 million under the Dept. of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST)...

Hi-Res Nucleic Acid Analysis.(LabChip DNA from Caliper Technologies Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... At the Annual International Genome Sequencing and Analysis Conference, sponsored by the Institute for Genomic Research, Caliper Technologies Corp. (1275 California Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94304; Tel: 650/842-1960, Fax: 650/842-1970) introduced a...

Developing Blood Screening Database.(Luminex Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Luminex Corp. (12212 Technology Blvd., Austin, TX 78727; Tel: 512/219-8020 or 888/219-8020, Fax: 512/258-4173, Website: luminexcorp.com) has released details of a major project that will allow the detection and treatment of diseases at...

INFORMATICS: Gene Expression Markup Language.(from Rosetta Inpharmatics, Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Rosetta Inpharmatics, Inc. (12040 115th Ave. NE, Kirkland, WA 98034; Tel: 425/820-8900, Fax: 425/821-5354 Website: rii.com) has announced the availability of a new file format, called gene expression markup language (GEML), to facilitate the...

Software Development Grant Awarded.(computer software for gene-based research)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... 3rd Millennium (125 Cambridge Park Rd., Cambridge, MA 02140-2329; Tel: 617/441-3030) has been awarded a $1.8 million grant from the advanced technology program of NIST. The grant will be used by the company to develop software needed to...

Urinary Tract Bacteria Sequenced.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Genome Therapeutics Corp. (100 Beaver St., Waltham, MA 02154; Tel: 781/398-2300, Fax: 781/398-9535) has sequenced Proteus mirabilis, a gram-negative bacteria, which is a major cause of urinary tract infections, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, an...

PROTEOMICS Awards Encourage Structural Studies.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) (Bethesda, MD) has developed a major new initiative to determine the structures of thousands of proteins over the next decade. Work toward this goal will be divided into two phases: a...

DIAGNOSTICS NIST Wants to Fingerprint Blood.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... SurroMed, Inc. (1060 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, CA 94303-4230; Tel: 650/849-9070) and Quantum Dot Corp. (4030 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303; Tel: 650/812-7390, 650/812-7660) have been awarded a $5.6 million grant from the National...

Vitamin B12 as Imaging Agent.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... The Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota have formed a joint venture called Copharos, Inc. whose mission will be to direct the commercial development of vitamin B12-based imaging and therapeutic agents to be used in the early detection...

NEW COMPOUNDS Receptor Blocker Blocks HIV.(AMD- 8664 from AnorMED, Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Data on a new orally-administered drug candidate with the potential to block HIV from entering and infecting healthy T-cells was presented by AnorMED, Inc. at the 40th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in...

Protecting Ovaries from Radiation.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Scientists from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (1275 York Ave., New York, NY, 10021-6094; Tel: 212/639-6033) and colleagues at other institutions, have found a way to protect ovaries from the damage often caused by radiation and...

Chemo Drugs 1,000 Times as Potent.(Coulter Pharmaceutical, Inc., Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co.,)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Coulter Pharmaceutical, Inc. (600 Gateway Blvd. South, San Francisco, CA 94080; Tel: 650/553-2000, Fax: 650/553-2028, Website: coulterpharm.com) has acquired rights to a class of ultra-potent anti-cancer compounds from Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co.,...

Deformylase Inhibitors Make Good Antibiotics.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Versicor, Inc (34790 Ardentech CT., Fremont, CA 94555; Tel: 510/739-3000, Fax: 510/739-3003, Website: versicor.com) reported on its research progress this week in the company's major discovery programs during the 40th Annual Interscience...

Snake Oil, Sure But Emu Oil?(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... We've all heard of snake oil as the remedy that will cure everything from your corns to your love life. But emu oil? An emu is a large flightless bird that looks a bit like an ostrich. It seems that Aborigines and early Australian settlers...

IND Filed for CF Drug.(investigational new drug application)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... An investigational new drug application (IND) has been filed by Genentech (1275 York Ave., New York, NY, 10021-6094; Tel: 212/639- 6033) and Inspire Pharmaceuticals (4222 Emperor Blvd., Suite 470, Durham NC 27703-8466; Tel: 919/947-9777, Fax:...

Microspheres Block Blood Supply.(Uterine fibroid tumors treated)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... BioSphere Medical, Inc. (1050 Hingham St., Rockland, MA 02370; Tel: 781/681-7900, 800/394-0294, Fax: 781/681-5093, Website: biospheremed) is pioneering the use of bioengineered microspheres to treat hypervascularized tumors and vascular...

COLLABORATIONS: Third Wave Invades England.(Third Wave Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Third Wave Technologies, Inc. (502 Rosa Rd., Madison, WI, 5371- 1256; Tel: 608/273-8933, Website: twt.com) has entered into an agreement with Imperial College, Royal Brompton's Hospital and the U.K., National Health Service Trust. The focus...

Coulter and Cobra Collaborate.(Coulter Pharmaceutical Inc. and Cobra Therapeutics Ltd.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Coulter Pharmaceutical, Inc. (600 Gateway Blvd., South San Francisco, CA 94080; Tel: 650/553-2000, Fax: 650/553-2028, Website: coulterpharm.com) and Cobra Therapeutics, Ltd., the gene therapy subsidiary of ML Laboratories plc (Innovation...

Impath, Bristol-Myers in Cancer Deal.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Impath, Inc. (521 West 57th St., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10019; Tel: 212/698-0300, Fax: 212/698-0305) has signed an agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb (345 Park Ave., New York, NY 10154 ; Tel: 212/546-4000, Fax: 212/546-4020) to provide a...

Trio to Improve Knock-Out Punch.(Sangamo BioSciences, Inc., Exelixis, Inc., Artemis Pharmaceuticals GmbH)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. (Tel: 510/970-6000, Fax: 510/236-8951, Website: sangamo.com), Exelixis, Inc. (200 Littlefield Ave., South San Francisco, CA 94080; Tel: 650/825-2200, Fax: 650/825-2205, Website: exelixis) and Artemis Pharmaceuticals...

Cytomation, Rigel MoFlo Together.(Joint venture drug research)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Cytomation, Inc.(4850 Innovation Dr., Ft. Collins, CO 80525; Tel: 970/226-2200 to 800/822-9902, Fax: 970/226-0107, Website: cytomation.com, Email: infonorthamerica@cytomation.com) will collaborate with Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (250 Grand...

INDUSTRY NEWS: Affymetrix Buys Neomorphic.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Affymetrix, Inc. (3380 Central Expwy., Santa Clara, CA 95051; Tel: 408/731-5000, Fax: 408/481-0422, Web: affymetrix.com) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Neomorphic, Inc., a privately-held, computational genomics company....

Kelley Girls No More.(science professionals recruitment)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... As advances in technology continue to accelerate, the need for qualified and experienced science professionals becomes more critical. Kelly Scientific Resources (KSR), a division of Kelly Services, Inc. (999 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, MI 48084;...

Lupus Alliance Uses Business Approach.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... The Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR, 1270 Ave. of the Americas, Suite 609, New York, NY 10020; Tel: 800/867-1743, Fax: 212/218- 2848, Email: info@lupusresearch. org, Website: lupusresearch.org) has announced a program to cure lupus by...

Third-Parties Pay for More Prescriptions.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2000... Third-party organizations covered 70.4% of retail prescriptions, an increase of 10% over last year, according to Scott Levin Associates' (60 Blacksmith Rd., New Town, PA 18940-1886; Tel: 215/860-0440, Fax: 215/860-5477) source prescription...

PUBLICATIONS IBC Presentations Go On-Line.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... Proving that the Internet does have some utility after all, IBC USA Conferences, part of the Informa Group, has made keynote presentations of its recent Drug Discovery Technology 2000 World Congress available on-line (Website:...

CALENDAR.(biotechnology - conferences)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2000... November 2-3, Nanobiotechnology, Life Extension and the Treatment of Congenital and Degenerative Disease, Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. Contact: Institute of Nanotechnology; Tel: 01786 447520. November 6-8, Partnering in Drug Discovery: Finding...