A production facility operated by Sigma-Aldrich was rocked by a
serious explosion on Monday. There were no casualties, but the
facility itself has been 'largely destroyed'.
The US market for media, sera and reagents used in cell culture is
expected to nearly double in value to reach $1.7 billion (€1.48bn)
in 2008, according to a report.
Contract research organisation (CRO) revenues have been growing
strongly as a result of drug developers' need to reduce R&D
costs while shortening product evaluation times. However, as demand
for more efficient preclinical...
Quinacrine could provide the first drug treatment for
prion-associated disorders such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease,
according to new research presented at ICAAC.
Roche forges an alliance with ParAllele to discover genes that
contribute to type 2 diabetes, aimed at identifying potential new
medicines and diagnostics for the disease.
Next week's Society for Biomolecular Screening annual meeting will
once again be a showcase for dozens of new products in the drug
discovery arena. We preview some of the highlights.
Genevac of the UK has introduced a high performance Model HT-4X
centrifugal evaporator for scientists in the drug discovery and
medicinal chemistry sectors.
Sweden's Nanoxis has secured a financing deal that will help it
develop nanoanalytical platforms - so-called proteinchips - for the
identification of proteins in drug discovery.
Peptide and antibody specialist AnaSpec has acquired HiLyte
Biosciences, which makes bioanalytical research reagents and kits
designed for scientists engaged in life science research and drug
discovery.
The first in a new class of antibiotics has been approved in the
USA for the treatment of complicated skin and soft structure
infections, including those caused by methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
A team of researchers at Switzerland's Novartis and Rigel
Pharmaceuticals in the USA have created a method for discovering
molecules that are involved in signalling pathways, according to a
report in the Journal of Biology.
New products this week include: a kit for isolating RNA from blood;
a DNA microarray for cytogenetics and cancer research; an automated
mammalian cell picker; and a reagent dispenser for a microplate
reader.
The axe looks set to fall on Scottish biotechnology company PPL
Therapeutics now that the company put itself up for sale, having
failed to convince investors of a rescue plan.
Bristol-Myers Squibb has taken another step towards building a
franchise in insulin therapy by licensing an inhaled version of the
drug from QDose for $30m.
Argonaut Technologies has released its latest Synthesis and
Purification catalogue, a technical resource for pharmaceutical
chemists and others involved in all phases of drug discovery and
development.
Merck & Co has become the first drug major to make a
significant alliance in the field of RNA interference - one of the
hottest topics in drug discovery - via a deal with Alnylam
Pharmaceuticals.
On 13 October 2003 the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) will
launch a new bioinformatics support network that is tailor-made for
small companies.
NiKem Research says it has developed its ADMET capabilities to such
an extent that it can offer them as a service to customers involved
in drug discovery.
Tecan has launched a new 384-channel pipetting head that is
suitable for high precision dispensing of volumes - from 200nl to
50µl - in a broad range of fluid-handling applications.
Two $500m-plus licensing deals reveal the rewards available to
biotech firms with novel drugs, but also the lengths large
biopharma companies will now go to secure exclusive rights to
promising candidates, even if they are in the...
Zinsser has launched a sample preparation system - the Moss 2002 -
that makes it easier to process the hundreds and thousands of
compounds used in HTS laboratories
A small Korean biotechnology company maps the binding site of
phosphodiesterase-5, the target of Pfizer's Viagra and other drugs
for erectile dysfunction.
An October conference on biogenerics will see research-based
biopharmaceutical companies and their generic rivals battle to win
the hearts and minds of regulators.
Waters has launched a new MALDI-TOF (time of flight) mass
spectrometer, along with a line of porous silicon-coated target
plates and new reference standards,
Companies that supply instruments and consumables to the life
sciences industry have been hit hard by reined in research spending
resulting from the current adverse economic climate. However, one
chief executive believes there are...
Amersham Biosciences has added a mouse genome product in its
CodeLink range, used for drug target identification, pathway
characterisation and drug effect predictions.
Gradipore has reported a 65 per cent increase in sales for the year
ended 30 June, but said that it was disappointed by the figures,
which did not meet its expectations.
Bruker Daltonics has launched a compact, high-performance MALDI
-TOF/TOF mass spectrometer that has an affordable price tag,
requires less laboratory space than rival systems and is geared up
for use in proteomics applications.
Sidec Technologies has entered into a contract research
collaboration with a US research institute to study a receptor
involved in the regulation of blood pressure.
MiraiBio is to act as a distributor of Gentra Systems' Autopure LS
automated large sample nucleic acid purification system and related
consumables in the USA and certain other regions of the Americas.
Italian researchers suggest that patients with atrial fibrillation
may have a genetic predisposition linked to expression of
pro-inflammatory proteins.
Chiron's headquarters is hit by two homemade bombs, with an animal
rights group claiming responsibility. The blasts caused no
casualties and only minor damage to property, but represent an
alarming escalation in the tactics used...
Aventis has licensed a drug for Alzheimer's disease and other forms
of dementia from Japan's Dainippon; AC-3933 is claimed to have a
completely novel mechanism of action.
Alex Matter is to direct the Novartis Institute for Tropical
Diseases (NITD) in Singapore after his retirement as Novartis
oncology chief later ths month.
Leading CRO says it has seen a marked increase in the number of
trials it has been asked to work on in Central Europe, and believes
the trend is set to continue.
IBM has introduced its new InsightLink software, an application to
help pharma companies create searchable online databases that will
enable more sharing of research knowledge.
Transgenic plant technologies could lead to a revolution in vaccine
production and manufacture; should plant-based vaccines prove
effective in clinical trials, this will drive licensing activity
between key vaccine players and companies...
US pharmaceuticals major Pfizer is considering moving some of its
activities in Germany to the UK due to government health reforms;
meanwhile, Merck & Co has shelved plans to open a new R&D
facility in the country.
A new report suggests that pharmaceutical companies reap much
greater rewards from licensing in products than they do in
conducting their own in-house research.
