ChanTest has received private equity financing by Ampersand
Ventures to enable the company to expand its library of ion
channel-expressing cell lines for drug screening.
UK researchers have published results linking the beta amyloid
protein associated with Alzheimer's disease to glaucoma, opening up
a much needed new target for glaucoma therapies.
Pfizer has initiated a Phase I study for its gastro oesophageal
reflux disease (GORD or GERD using the US spelling) therapy that it
licensed from Kosan Biosciences, in a deal worth up to $250m
(€181m).
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has opened the flood gates into the world of
personalised medicine with the world's first ever approved genetic
test, which predicts a life threatening side effect of one of its
antiretroviral drugs.
MDS Pharma Services has announced it is expanding its development
and regulatory services (DRS) business in Europe while its
bioanalytical operations are still struggling.
The latest in a series of periodic roundups of drugs that have
moved from preclinical research into clinical testing via the
announcement of a Phase I trial or an application for a trial to
industry regulators.
UK-based microdosing specialist Xceleron has announced its
expansion with the takeover of a new facility in the US, two years
after setting up a business base in the region.
US-based biopharma company BioWa has found a way of increasing an
antibody's ability to initiate the complement immune system and
blow holes in tumour cells.
As pharma firms disclose their financial results for the second
quarter of the year, AstraZeneca (AZ) and Bristol-Myers Squibb
(BMS) have announced more job cuts.
Aperio has released a new software tool that not only speeds up the
analysis of tissue microarray (TMA) images but also allows
researchers to access images remotely.
The UK government has been ordered to review the assessment system
it uses to classify and grant permission for animal experiments
following a court ruling handed down last week.
Australian biotech company, Benitec, is about to start dosing
patients in the first ever human trial of its RNA therapy, which
attacks HIV on three separate fronts.
Cell Therapeutics has acquired oncology expert Systems Medicine
(SMi) in a deal worth up to $35m (€25.5m) that includes
worldwide rights to brostallicin that belongs to a new class of
cancer drugs.
WuXi PharmaTech, the biggest Chinese contract research organisation
(CRO), has put an end to weeks of speculation by officially
announcing it plans an initial public offering (IPO) on the New
York Stock Exchange.
Applied Biosystems (ABI) has launched its TaqMan microRNA (miRNA)
assays in array format to help researchers search for miRNA
biomarkers more efficiently from smaller samples.
MedImmune has announced that interim Phase I results for its new
monoclonal antibody (MAb) suggest that it is well tolerated and
shows biological activity in adults with asthma.
UK researchers have shown that high fluid flow rates in
microfluidic devices used for cellular assays can affect cell
signalling channels and potentially interfere with drug screening
results.
Swedish researchers have solved the crystal structure of the enzyme
that plays a pivotal role in the asthma biocascade, providing
information that could lead to more efficient asthma therapies.
Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) has launched a new kit for
cloning libraries of small RNAs from any primary RNA source to
enable the discovery of new small RNA molecules.
Immune Targeting Systems (ITS) has received £4m (€5.9m) to aid in
its development of synthetic peptide vaccines for mutating viruses
such as influenza, HIV and Hepatitis C.
Sigma-Aldrich is to collaborate with Sangamo BioSciences to develop
zinc finger DNA-binding proteins to create knock-out cell lines and
cell lines with enhanced protein production performance.
Covance is again at the centre of controversy as opponents of the contract research organisation (CRO) filed a lawsuit against a city in Arizona, aimed at stopping the firm from building a new drug-testing facility there.
AstraZeneca (AZ) and Roche have became the latest big pharma firms
to invest in RNA interference (RNAi), having penned separate
licensing deals with two of the industry's leading specialists in
the field.
A UK biopharma firm's lead drug candidate has now shown good
preclinical results for rheumatoid arthritis, adding to its
clinical efficacy in Alzheimer's.
UK-based NanoBioDesign has received further investment to aid in
its commercialisation of a tool for testing drugs on P450 liver
enzymes, which could dramatically speed up drug toxicity testing.
In a refreshingly honest interview with a Danish newspaper, the
Lundbeck CEO has admitted his company is in crisis and needs to
restock its pipeline to avoid making it any worse.
The latest in a series of periodic roundups of drugs that have
moved from preclinical research into clinical testing via the
announcement of a Phase I trial or an application for a trial to
industry regulators.
Procter & Gamble (P&G) Pharmaceuticals has penned a deal
worth up to $511m (€375m) for a class of potential osteoporosis
drugs already well established as asthma therapies.
Belgian biopharma Ablynx has announced its lead miniature antibody
has shown good interim results in a first-in-man trial, leaving it
one step ahead of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
The worlds of biochemistry and electronics have collided after
scientists successfully developed a biosensor that can measure a
drug's effectiveness without killing the cells it is trying to
analyse.
Teva Pharmaceuticals has licensed a drug that could offer new hope
for both treating and preventing allergic reactions, according to
its award-winning developers.
Aptuit Laurus, the newly formed joint venture between Aptuit and
Laurus Labs in India, will focus on an expected rise in the demand
for preclinical and Phase I research and development services as
part of its growth plan in India.
Six months after a couple of failed Phase III trials, Nuvelo has
reinstated clinical development for its blood clot dissolving drug,
but it will have to go it alone after Bayer decided enough is
enough and pulled out of the collaboration.
A new class of diabetes drugs is showing promising clinical
results, with the big players in the field all scrapping it out for
a slice of the potential rewards.
Asterand said it is to slash 10 per cent of its total workforce in
a cost-cutting strategy although it is not a knock-on effect of the
recent ban on export of human samples from Russia.
In this week's review of recent activity within the preclinical
research services arena, news has emerged involving Gendata,
Achaogen, NiKem Research and Verona Pharma.
Roche has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to an
early-phase rheumatoid arthritis drug, a move that is indicative of
big pharma's increasing tendency to license earlier phase
compounds.
An unusual drug that contains a crucial boron atom can effectively
treat fungal infections, and could also prove invaluable in the
effort to counter antibacterial drug resistance.
Genzyme has put pen to paper on a licensing deal for Ceregene's
Parkinson's drug, as a rival gene therapy for the same disease
shows promise in initial clinical trials.
Thermo Fisher Scientific has opened a new RNAi Discovery and
Therapeutics Services Laboratory to help pharmaceutical companies
in their quest for new drugs.
In the inevitable reshuffle that comes after a major acquisition,
Bayer's healthcare division has today announced plans to cut 30 per
cent of its drug pipeline.
GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) new drug to treat a rare form of bleeding
disorder has shown good results in trials so far, but while experts
remain mystified as to why it works, a true cure will remain
elusive.
The latest in a series of periodic roundups of drugs that have
moved from preclinical research into clinical testing via the
announcement of a Phase I trial or an application for a trial to
industry regulators.
German researchers have developed a microfluidic device that
greatly increases the efficiency of measuring the melting
temperature of DNA double strands.