Breaking News on Drug Discovery
All news articles > February 2007
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28-Feb-2007
Cell preservation technology could reduce animal experiments
A technology designed to preserve living cells for longer could significantly reduce the number of animals used in medical research, according to its creators Abcellute.
No go for Novo's potential stroke therapy
A drug already used to stem bleeding in haemophiliacs cannot be used to the same effect to treat brain haemorrhages that can cause strokes, according to its developer Novo Nordisk.
Preclinical services news in brief
In this week's review of activity within the preclinical research services arena, new deals have emerged involving SeqWright, ChemDiv and Accium BioSciences.
26-Feb-2007
Frost & Sullivan honours best European healthcare firms
A host of budding drug discovery firms were bestowed with recognition for their performances during a recently-held 2006 Frost & Sullivan European Healthcare awards ceremony.
Drug could improve learning in Down's syndrome
A chemical that has historically been used to study epilepsy could also improve the learning ability of people with Down's syndrome, according to US scientists.
New Alzheimer's target a Notch above the rest?
Scientists have discovered a new potential target for Alzheimer's drugs that could reduce symptoms of the disease without interfering with other crucial bodily processes.
23-Feb-2007
AlphaSniffer prepares to launch new biosensor
A new biosensor developed by AlphaSniffer can detect viruses, bacteria, proteins, nucleic acids and aptamers in minutes leading to faster and more efficient analyses, according to the US company.
FDA still under fire
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been coming under increased scrutiny over its approval process and funding mechanism.
Biochemical chip solves cell-mating puzzle
Scientists have used a biochemical chip to explain the important role a certain protein plays in the mating habits of yeast cells. The finding could lead to new cancer drugs with fewer side effects.
Thousands of ways to tackle flu
A milestone in the fight against both human and bird flu could help scientists develop new vaccines and therapies against the virus, preparing the world in case of a pandemic.
22-Feb-2007
Pharmas to lose $100bn to generics
A report to be published next week predicts that US and EU pharmas will lose up to $100bn in revenues over the next five years as generic products take advantage of major branded products losing patent protection.
Novartis sees trust as path to profit in Asia
Novartis is utilising several innovative techniques to engender feelings of trust and respect in emerging Asian markets. These include researching locally endemic diseases and selling drugs at cost price.
21-Feb-2007
BTG takes advantage of pharma refocus
As much of the pharma industry looks to refocus its research and development, speciality companies can take advantage of compounds dropped in the reshuffle.
UK pays too much for drugs, claims report
The UK's Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has released a report claiming that the UK's National Health Service (NHS) pays too much for drugs.
New breast cancer target identified
New research suggests that partial inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) may be a safe and effective breast cancer therapy.
Schizophrenic genes located
Calcineurin cascade genes linked to schizophrenia revealing new therapy targets.
India to take off as preclinical services player
Preclinical and early-phase drug discovery will be the next service area to take off in India, Dr. Reddy's CEO GV Prasa predicted at a conference yesterday.
19-Feb-2007
Key step in formation of malignant growths discovered
The p53 gene has been shown to suppress the movement of malignant growths providing new targets for anticancer therapies.
Funding shortage shuts cancer trials
Up to 95 clinical trials testing experimental anticancer drugs may have to be delayed or closed altogether because of federal funding cuts, according to the Cancer Cooperative Groups.
Preclinical services news in brief
In this week's review of activity within the preclinical research services arena, new deals have emerged involving VASTox, Rottapharm, Vitalea, Asuragen and Illumina.
Pharmacopeia tout 2-for-1 cardiovascular drug
Scientists at Pharmacopeia have stitched together the active parts of two molecules to form a single drug, which it claims could treat several cardiovascular diseases more effectively, including kidney disease caused by diabetes.
New link between inflammation and obesity
Researchers have identified a chemical pathway that causes overeating and weight gain in mice, providing a potential new target for obesity drugs.
16-Feb-2007
Drugs moving into the clinic: 5
The fifth 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.
Lpath gain patent protection for anticancer therapy
Lpath's anticancer therapy gains patent protection due to its novel lipid-targeting mechanism.
Next generation DNA microarray to aid drug discovery
The new 'whole' DNA microarray promises to lower the cost and increase the speed of drug discovery processes.
15-Feb-2007
Pharma continue to go 'green' with Materia's catalysts
Materia's metathesis platform continues to excite the pharmaceutical industry as they follow their recent license to Merck with a license to Aileron Therapeutics.
Invitrogen sells 'beleaguered' BioReliance
Invitrogen has decided to sell BioReliance, the 'beleaguered' pharmaceutical services arm of its business, for less than half the price they paid for it just three years ago.
14-Feb-2007
Albany Molecular Research dips further into the red
Albany Molecular Research (AMRI) has slipped again in the fourth quarter of 2006 recording an operating loss of $2.5m (€1.9m) - six per cent worse than the same quarter the previous year - despite encouraging revenue growth in its contract business.
Sanofi unveils new antidepressant
Sanofi-Aventis has announced promising clinical trial data for a new antidepressant drug that works in a different way to others currently available.
ESA Metabolomics system eases biomarker discovery
The new Metabolomics system from ESA promises to speed up biomarker discovery and reduce the overwhelming amounts of data often associated with these studies.
Thrombogenics and Bioinvent trial anticoagulant
ThromboGenics and Bioinvent's new anticoagulant antibody therapy that could last a month with just one dose has entered Phase I trials.
Beta-proteins better than Nature's choice?
Scientists have shown it is possible to mimic the complex stable structure of natural proteins using a different type of amino acid building block, potentially opening the door to more effective, longer-lasting biologic drugs.
12-Feb-2007
Possible anti-aging drug
Scientists have discovered a new method of enhancing the activity of a protein that can dramatically extend lifespan, opening up the possibility of a new 'anti-aging' drug.
Systems biology research needs more funding, now
Systems biology research, a groundbreaking approach to drug development, is not being given the financial backing it deserves by the UK government, according to a new report.
Start-up to form early-phase umbrella group
A new start up company in the UK has been formed with ambitions to shape itself into a global early-phase drug development services group through an acquisition-based strategy.
Antibody therapy for psoriasis
A Phase II study has demonstrated the efficacy of an interleukin-12/23 monoclonal antibody in psoriasis.
Genetic test for Type II diabetes moves closer
Scientists have mapped the most important genes associated with the risk of developing Type II diabetes, bringing a genetic test to identify those most at risk a step closer.
09-Feb-2007
'Microsieve' sorts biomarkers faster
Scientists have developed a microchip system that can sieve through biomolecules, such as proteins, in search of the tell-tale signs of disease.
Exploiting natural HIV defence
A naturally occurring molecule helps protect the immune system from being destroyed by HIV and could open up a new way of fighting the effects of the virus, according to new research.
Drugs moving into the clinic: 4
The fourth 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.
Sinking gold atoms filmed with real time nano-imaging
Recent rapid advances in nanotechnology have allowed scientists, for the first time, to film gold atoms sinking into a surface in real time.
07-Feb-2007
Preclinical services news in brief
In this week's review of activity within the preclinical research services arena, new deals have emerged involving Immunicon, Novartis, Southern Research Institute and Absorption Systems.
Roche revamps R&D for speed
Roche is the latest large pharma company to restructure its research and development into smaller disease-specific divisions to help get drugs on the market faster.
Wyeth boosts pipeline with three deals
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals is expanding its research into small molecules schizophrenia drugs and biopharmaceuticals to treat haemophilia, having announced three deals in a day earlier this week.
AstraZeneca taps Regeneron for antibody technology
AstraZeneca has continued to rapidly refocus and bolster its biologics pipeline through collaboration deals, this time with a deal for antibody producing technology.
05-Feb-2007
Bridge links China and US
Bridge Pharmaceuticals has just launched a new training scheme between its facilities in the US and China to enable its employees to cross train in both labs - a potential competitive advantage for a contract research organisation (CRO).
Pharma giants grab piece of RNAi pie
As SR Pharma and Quark Biotech start clinical trials of a drug that uses a Nobel Prize winning technique to 'silence' disease-causing genes, the largest pharma firms are keen to grab a piece of the action.
Spying on possible polonium therapies
In the light of the death of former Russian security agent, Alexander Litvinenko, pharma companies developing anti-radiation drugs are increasingly under the spotlight.
02-Feb-2007
Predictive tool could save pharma billions
A tool that predicts which experimental drugs will ultimately be approved for release could cut development costs by nearly 40 per cent, saving pharma companies hundreds of millions per new drug.
Pfizer pfurther diabetes research
Pfizer has overcome potential competition by buying out BioRexis, a company developing similar drugs that could prove to be powerful new diabetes treatments.
AstraZeneca cuts jobs but invests up to $1bn in obesity and antiviral drugs
Amid 3,000 job cuts, AstraZeneca has invested in hepatitis, obesity and pulmonary disease drugs as part of a continuing effort to restructure its business.
New products, acquisitions and lab automation award for Thermo Fisher
After acquisitions and new products to speed up drug discovery, winning an award was the icing on the cake for lab automation specialist Thermo Fisher.
01-Feb-2007
MorphoSys beefs up antibody research biz
MorphoSys has just opened new UK headquarters for its antibody-focused business unit, giving the company expanded capacity for its antibody production - a rapidly growing market in the UK.
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