US researchers have revealed the results of a study that show an
enzyme that normally alters the activity of other protein molecules
in cells may also help prevent lung cancer.
Agilent Technologies has launched what it claims is the industry's
first fully automated, high-throughput 'lab-on-a-chip system' for
basic life science research and drug discovery. The Agilent 5100
Automated provides...
Researchers have used engineered stem cells to zero in on tumours
to become part of the supporting tissue. They can then act as
vehicles for drugs that are pumped into the cancer, sparing normal
tissue.
According to a report, it takes 7-10 years to develop and market a
drug with costs exceeding $800 million (€625 million). This
revelation is set to add to the pressure already facing
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies which...
MatriCal has introduced its SonicMan sonication system to the
European compound management market with versions that can handle
384- as well as 96-well microwell plate formats.
UK company MicroScience has completed a Phase I study of a new
therapeutic vaccine for patients carrying the hepatitis B virus,
raising the hope of a new approach to tackling this
life-threatening infection.
US drug giant Pfizer, has signed a license agreement to market a
specific class of non-hormonal drugs to treat the hot flushes
associated with menopause. The new drug,currently in development,
is set to become the first of its kind...
A recent exhibitions on anti-infectives means that antibiotics and
other drugs for other infectious diseases feature strongly in
DrugResearcher's periodic round-up of new compounds entering the
clinic.
Charles River Laboratories third quarterly performance in the third
quarter of 2004 reflected the current market climate for products
and services that support the drug discovery and development
process, with notable increases in...
A team at Purdue University in the US is developing a virtual 'data
cave' for scientific discovery that uses high-performance computing
and artificial intelligence software to display information and
interact with researchers.
A new therapeutic technique based on a small molecule working in
tandem with a larger protein has been shown to block accumulation
of the brain-clogging amyloid protein seen in Alzheimer's disease,
raising the possibility of...
Invitrogen, which supplies reagents, services and software for the
life science market, has continued its acquisitive streak with the
announcement that it is paying $35 million (€27.5m) for a UK firm -
DNA Research Innovations - specialising...
Accelrys has reported a decrease in revenue in the second quarter
of the year. Revenues were slightly down but the company saw a
substantial increase in net loss for this year, which it attributed
to 'change in revenue recognition.'
Bruker Daltonics, has launched a new MALDI-TOF and TOF mass
spectrometer that offers improved sensitivity, resolution and mass
accuracy of TOF/TOF systems for expression proteomics, quantitative
proteomics and biomarker discovery.
Pharmasset of the US could receive funding of $168 million
(€131.8m) in upfront and milestone payments - with the prospect of
receiving more - after licensing its preclinical hepatitis C drug
programme to Swiss drug giant Roche.
Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced the sudden death of James
Palmer, aged 51, the firm's chief scientific officer and
president of the Pharmaceutical Research Institute. His death
occurred after undergoing surgery. Elliot Sigal,...
Researchers have identified a protein that protects the brain from
the destructive effects of Alzheimer's disease, protecting brain
cells by blocking another toxic protein that contributes to the
disease process
A report focusing on the pharmaceutical and biotechnology markets
in Europe has singled out high throughput screening (HTS) as an
approach that will provide mechanistic insights and new drug leads
with improved efficiency whilst reducing...
Germany's MWG Biotech has said it will slash nearly two thirds of
its workforce in a further effort to reduce costs, prompting
speculation about the long-term future of the company in its
present state.
US life science company Serologicals' decision to enter into a
€167.6 million merger with cell signalling specialist Upstate looks
to have been the right one as its third quarter performance
indicates its increasing presence...
US target discovery company Psychiatric Genomics has shed new light
on the mechanisms behind schizophrenia, pointing to a possible new
cellular target that does not rely on modulating the levels of
neurotransmitters in the brain.
Regen Therapeutics (ReGen) announced it had entered into an
agreement to acquire Guildford Clinical Pharmacology Unit Limited
(GCPUL) confirming its strategy to develop its medical service
revenue generating business and developing...
QTL Biosystems announced the introduction of its QTL LightSpeed
Kinase platform and four new kinase Activity Assays, which uses a
unique polymer technology that does not require antibodies or
radioactive labels, providing a distinct...
Tecan Europe has made available the LabCD, a centrifugally driven
microfluidics disc platform which the makers say will provide a
seamless in vitro method for ADMET applications in the drug
development process.
A class of drug, which is currently used to fight respiratory tract
infections, has demonstrated pharmacological features and potential
antibacterial drug activity that may prove effective against
Tuberculosis, which is currently...
German biotech company Evotec OAI posted decreased third quarterly
revenues of €16.1 million, down 26 per cent compared to 2003.
Evotec's performance reflects the difficult operating environment
for companies supplying drug discovery...
Drug company Merck, has presented data this week showing its latest
arthrirtis drug, Arcoxia, a treatment in the same class as its
recently withdrawn Vioxx, displays no significant difference in the
number of serious side effects...
Bristol-Myers Squibb has reported encouraging data from two
late-stage trials of a new drug for rheumatoid arthritis,
abatacept, the first in a new class of T cell costimulation
modulators.
The road to a new treatment for stroke is littered with the remains
of failed projects, so any data suggesting that a drug has activity
in this indication should be greeted with cautious optimism at
best. But AstraZeneca has joined...
Biopharmaceutical company, Insmed, are to commence clinical
development of a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which
has demonstrated anti-tumour activity in preclinical studies of
breast, lung, pancreatic and prostate tumours.
Magellan Biosciences' expressed interest in the life science,
research and clinical diagnostics market turned to action after the
life sciences company confirmed the acquisition of Dynex
Technologies.
Researchers in the US believe the discovery of a technique, which
once applied to an enzyme that degrades anti-cancer drugs in
humans, may improve such drugs' design and effectiveness.
Applied Biosystems has launched a new system for carrying out
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiments in 96-well plates that
can dramatically cut the time it takes to carry out the procedure.
Researchers writing in the British Medical Journal have argued that
drug companies must disclose all adverse events encountered during
drug development ahead of licensing.
Children around the world at risk of malaria took a step closer to
having a protective vaccine with the reporting of encouraging new
data on a candidate developed by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals.
Research into the causes of muscle wasting in diseases such as
cancer and diabetes have thrown up a new potential drug target,
according to US researchers, who report their findings in Cell (15
October issue).
Asthma research company Synairgen, has announced plans to seek a
listing on London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) to raise
funds for the research and development of chronic bronchitis (COPD)
and asthma.
Australia's Benitec, a specialist in gene silencing technologies
based on RNA interference (RNAi), has broadened its patent estate
by licensing a technology from Stanford University in the US that
could overcome the problems...
Leading instrument company Beckman Coulter has launched new
software for its Cytomics FC 500 MPL flow cytometer which it
enables users to automate instrument set-up and data acquisition,
which could help the process of identifying...
UK-based Avecia has been awarded a $50.7 million (€41m) contract by
the US government for the development of a recombinant plague
vaccine. The contract provides funds for pilot lot manufacture,
release, testing and initial human clinical...
Fuji Photo Film has entered the worldwide nucleic acid extraction
marketplace with a product which it claims can deliver DNA whole
blood samples in as little as six minutes.
Italian pharmaceuticals company Zambon has linked up with France's
ObeTherapy Biotechnology in a project to screen low-molecular
weight drugs against a novel target in the treatment of metabolic
disorders such as dyslipidaemia,...
AstraZeneca has suffered another disappointment in its late-stage
pipeline, with the news that the filing for approval of Galida
(tesaglitazar), its new drug for diabetes, will be delayed by the
need to carry out more studies.
Medical diagnostics company Fujirebio is to combine its microarray
platform with Carna Biosciences to create a series of new products
for kinase studies.
A report that focuses on Alzheimer's Disease and the crop of new
drugs to treat it, cites neuroprotection as a potential treatment
that may become more effective than the host of symptomatic
treatments currently available.
Germany's febit has filed for insolvency, just nine months after
launching its first product, the geniom one DNA analysis
instrument, into the life science sector.
Japanese pharmaceutical company, Takeda, has entered into
collaboration with Bionumerik Pharmaceuticals, with the intention
of marketing Bionumerik's Tavocept (dimensa), a chemoprotective
drug that relieves the neurotherapy commonly...
A report cites an emerging trend within the pharmaceutical industry
that focuses on the human proteome and in turn, gene expression.
The findings are certain to play a future in the discovery of
protein-based biomarkers and hence...
Efforts to improve the efficacy of cancer therapy by blocking
cellular mechanisms that underlie resistance to cytotoxic drugs
have promised much but delivered little to date. Now, a team of
researchers in the US believe they have...
