China and India are forecasted as the most exciting prospects for
European pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Despite having
over a third of the world's population, Asia accounts for only one
fifth of global pharmaceutical...
GE Healthcare announced the launch of two new purification tools
designed to meet growing industry needs for the advancement of
monoclonal antibody (MAbs) research and development. The tools
become the latest offering in the chromatography...
Metabolex has announced positive clinical trial results for its
oral insulin sensitiser for type 2 diabetes, which is primarily
designed to eliminate the dose-limiting side effects of the
currently marketed sensitisers.
According to a new report, the growth in molecular diagnostic
technologies is a driving factor leading major pharmaceutical
companies to incorporate a new category of medicine, theranostics,
into their drug development.
Varian has announced the availability of new software that enables
automated high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method
development and validation. This increase in sample throughput
makes it suitable for pharma and biotech...
A team of researchers have discovered how a key enzyme involved in
repairing DNA is put together and how it works, a development that
opens up new drug therapies for making cancer cells more vulnerable
to attack.
According to a recent survey, Apple, Cisco Systems, Dell, IBM and
Microsoft are best qualified to implement new technologies that
will advance genomics research.
Avidex has announced the publication of data that demonstrates the
potential of new immunotherapeutics based on the T cell immune
response, which has so far been largely unexplored.
The UK government intends to purchase a stockpile of anti-flu drugs
to treat 14.6 million people over the next two years as part of the
UK's preparedness for an influenza pandemic.
Neurocrine Biosciences has announced positive Phase I clinical
trial results with its proprietary, orally active small molecule
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) receptor antagonist that
could diminish bone demineralisation.
Sigma-Aldrich has completed the acquisition of JRH Biosciences
division (JRH) for $370 million (€282 million) in cash, extending
its presence in the cell culture product sector and consolidating
its position in the burgeoning functional...
VIRxSYS report the results of its latest clinical trial, testing
VRX496, a HIV-derived lentiviral vector that could represent a
novel HIV gene therapy. The trial results also showed patients with
multiple-drug resistant HIV responding...
Hamilton Life Science Robotics has taken Invitrogen's Gateway
Technology one step further by creating an automated cloning system
that monitors and tracks each plate undergoing various processes.
The system aims to further refine...
Pfizer is to acquire Idun Pharmaceuticals in an agreement, which
includes a new technology platform with potential applications in
liver disease, inflammation and cancer.
Researchers have found a protein, which plays a significant role in
colorectal carcinoma. The protein blocks the ability of tumours to
activate a natural self-destruct mechanism that would clear the
cancer from the body.
Nanotechnology for molecular targeting and drug delivery is set to
become a trillion-dollar industry, fuelled by the pharmaceutical
industry, which faces increasingly challenging market conditions.
This has lead to an intensified...
New statistics released today show that total US investments in
R&D made by the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry
topped $38.8 billion (€29.3 billion) during 2004. This beats the
$34.5 billion total set in 2003 and demonstrates...
Cyclacel has received a US patent that covers a novel series of
pyrimidine small molecules shown to inhibit the progress of cells
through the cancer cell cycle. The patented compounds may be useful
as therapeutics for cancer, inflammatory...
ITI Life Sciences and CXR Biosciences together with Artemis
Pharmaceuticals have entered into a £5.5 million (€7.9 million)
R&D programme to develop new screening and safety models to
more accurately predict the effects of drug...
According to a recent report, projected sales for the worldwide DNA
sequencing and proteomics markets are expected to rise at an
average annual growth rate of 17.6 per cent from $7.8 billion (€5.9
billion) in 2004 to $17.5 billion...
According to a latest study, only half of all patients receive
appropriately administered antimicrobial infection medication
within one hour of major surgery. The figure emphasises just how
much patients are at risk from surgical...
Novartis, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant has acquired two companies
as it aims to expand its generics drug portfolio and increase its
presence in the generics sector. The strategic move is expected to
make Novartis the world's...
Researchers in the US have shed light on how tumours acquire
resistance to kinase inhibitors. The discovery may help explain the
acquired resistance observed in chemotherapy, which currently
blights existing cancer treatments.
A crystallised form of a new molecular machine may lead to new
drugs to combat human diseases by using a technique that removes
any malfunctioning genes. The thinking is that normal genes can
take over without actually changing the...
Cyclacel researchers and collaborators have solved the 3-D atomic
structure of human Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA), a
protein involved in cancer. The discovery should prove crucial in
designing and developing drugs that...
Millenium Pharmaceuticals has announced final results from a
clinical trial of MLN2704, a novel antibody intended for the
chemotherapeutic treatment of advanced hormone-refractory prostate
cancer.
The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the 'new' EU
countries are rapidly expanding, presenting considerable potential,
although parallel imports remain a challenge.
A report into the therapeutics market for diabetics has identified
the need for new drug therapies. In addition the report identified
significant interest in Amylin's/Lilly's Exenatide and the
Thiazolidinedione (TZD) therapeutic...
Researchers have presented findings, which go some way in
understanding a communication pathway inside of cells that
contributes to development of brain and prostate cancers. The
discovery may present drug makers with a significant...
The Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA) has praised the Food
and Drug Administration for validating the science of generic
biopharmaceuticals and making significant progress in establishing
requirements to approve these medicines.
DOR BioPharma has announced the initiation of drug design program
to identify oral, small molecule drugs to counter the effects of
botulinum toxin exposure. Currently, there are no clinically
acceptable drugs that either slow or reverse...
Researchers have built and demonstrated a prototype for a new class
of miniature devices to study synthetic cell membranes in an effort
to speed the discovery of new drugs for a variety of diseases,
including cancer.
Affinium Pharmaceuticals announced today it has selected a drug
candidate, which may represent a potential breakthrough as the
first antibiotic to a newly targeted bacterial pathway in 40 years.
US officials attempted to restore the reputation of the
pharmaceutical industry by announcing plans to introduce an
independent board, which aims to monitor the safety of drugs on the
market.
A new report reveals that large pharmaceutical companies are
investing in less money and people in nanotech than other
industries, despite pressure to replace fading blockbuster drugs.
Researchers in the US have identified several promising drug
compounds, which when combined, show the potential to treat
Huntingdon's and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Sigma-Aldrich introduces the TargeTron gene knockout system, a tool
that is set to feature prominently in functional genomics and
systems biology. It incorporates technology that exploits the
retrohoming ability of group II introns,...
The first documented case of drug resistant HIV has prompted calls
to step up HIV drug research after the victim developed full-blown
AIDS in just three months.
The UK education system is failing to provide sufficient high
calibre scientists needed for the research-based pharmaceutical
industry. The concern is that financial targets have meant
university science departments becoming increasingly...
US scientists have demonstrated that by knocking out two key
signals in liver cells causes diabetes. These findings pave the way
for drug strategies to boost these two different signals and treat
the different metabolic components...
As the cost of commercialising drugs continues to spiral, results
from a trial evaluating the concept of human microdosing is set to
offer great potential in drug development. The pharmaceutical
industry is placing importance in finding...
Genetix Limited has launched the ClonePixFL, a mammalian cell
imaging and picking instrument that builds upon the success of the
ClonePix adding fluorescent capabilities to its clone picking
abilities.
High rates of antibiotic resistance in South and East Europe are
higher than in northern Europe because the regions have high rates
of antibiotic use, according to a study published in this week's
issue of The Lancet.
Genomic Solutions have launched its plate arraying technology on
the BioRobotics MicroGrid II and the GeneMachines OmniGrid Accent.
This technology allows the production of DNA and protein
microarrays in 96 and 384-well microplates...
Researchers have developed a new structural understanding of how
the two key subunits of kinases, one of the most important classes
of enzymes, work together. kinases have increasingly become prime
targets for drugs to treat an array...
A €10 million grant from the EU has allowed researchers throughout
Europe to advance their research in the field of 'biological
crystallography,' which aims to create precise, 3-D "architectural"
models of biological...
Invitrogen announced it is to acquire Dynal Biotech, the molecular
separation and purification technology company. The deal will
provide Invitrogen with bead-based isolation technologies that
targets key medical research issues.
According to a recent survey, leading pharmaceutical firms claim
that despite the decline in R&D productivity, scientists are
working harder and completing more projects.
ITI Life Sciences launches the first R&D programme to develop
3-dimensional cell-based assays with fluorescence lifetime
detection technology that aims to address a significant bottleneck
in the drug discovery and development...
