Breaking News on Drug Discovery
All news articles > May 2007
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31-May-2007
Rexahn's anticancer antisense cleared for Phase II trials
A US biopharmaceutical has received regulatory clearance to progress its first-in-class antisense drug against multiple cancers into Phase II clinical trials.
Neural data recorder from ADInstruments
ADInstruments has launched its Neuro Amp EX to improve neurological data collection from animals and humans during drug candidate testing by reducing noise and improving ease of use.
Bird flu blood could hold key to new cure
Antibodies from the blood of bird flu survivors could hold the key to developing an alternative prevention and treatment for the deadly H5N1 virus for the 6bn people potentially at risk should a pandemic emerge.
Drugs moving into the clinic: 16
The sixteenth 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.
Germany's boost for systems biology
Systems biology research is getting a €24m boost from the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, with the launch of a new research initiative.
30-May-2007
Personalised cancer therapy draws ever closer
As more and more targeted drugs enter clinical trials, personalised medicine is fast becoming a reality for cancer sufferers worldwide.
Imaging the glutamate system
Researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden and AstraZeneca have developed the first method that allows the glutamate system to be studied in living people.
Drugging the 'undruggable'
Over 50 per cent of proteins in the body are considered too difficult to target with drugs; they are 'undruggable'. Yet it is exactly these molecules US pharma firm Avalon is focussing on.
Ethical reputations of top pharma firms revealed
The latest ethical reputations of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies have been revealed, with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) emerging as big pharma's Mother Theresa, according to a recently-released compilation by Geneva-based ethical-monitoring firm Covalence.
Merck in two-year 'natural product' deal
German drug maker Merck KGaA is pursuing its natural products-derived drug strategy through a new deal signed with drug discovery firm AnalytiCon.
29-May-2007
Increased intelligence through genetic engineering
Scientists who have genetically engineered mice to be more intelligent, claim the results could lead to new treatments for Alzheimer's, post-traumatic stress disorder or drug addiction.
NIST launch proteomics reference materials
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued its first ever reference material to improve the performance and reliability of proteomics research.
China sentences former drug official to death
China has today sentenced to death the former director of its State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), on charges of corruption, according to reports in the Chinese media.
Indian drug maker plans US trial
Shantha Biotechnics is planning clinical trials for a new lung cancer therapy, which could prove to be the first time an Indian company has conducted a trial in the US.
Big pharma swarming to China
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is the latest pharma heavyweight to set up a drug research centre in China.
24-May-2007
Drugs moving into the clinic: 15
The fifteenth 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.
Bird flu is back in UK
Bird flu is back in the UK, following the discovery of a form of the virus on a farm in North Wales, government officials confirmed today.
New hope for Malaria vaccine
Millions of malaria sufferers have been offered new hope after UK scientists not only developed a new antibody against malaria, but also a way to test it.
Nanopoint the way to live cell imaging
Nanopoint has released its cellTRAY imaging system that enables time lapse imaging of individual cells while reducing experiment costs.
Exelixis winning Phase I race
At a time when pharma productivity is declining, anticancer specialists Exelixis has started more Phase I clinical trials this year than any other company.
23-May-2007
'Mini-antibodies' in first-ever clinical trials
'Miniature antibodies' are set to enter clinical trials for the first time ever, potentially paving the way for more effective antibody therapies that are also cheaper to manufacture.
EpiStem's 'plucked hair' technology attracts AstraZeneca
A non-invasive technique that uses hair plucked from cancer patients to guide the development of new chemotherapy drugs has attracted the attention of UK pharma giant AstraZeneca.
First CRO alliance launched in China
The first contract research service alliance (CROSA) in China has been formed between three leading local firms to provide a more exhaustive range of drug development services to pharma companies.
22-May-2007
Arrayjet Sprints into benchtop microarray production
Arrayjet's new Sprint benchtop inkjet microarray spotter promises to allow researchers the ability to design and print their own microarrays and array-based biosensors.
Amgen's US monopoly in EPO drugs may be close to its end
Swiss drug major Roche is facing a delay in bringing its EPO drug Mircera (continuous erythropoietin receptor activator) to market in the US after the Food and Drug Administration sent it an 'approvable' notice for the product.
Ubiquitin signalling projects set to receive new funds
ITI Life Sciences is seeking new drug development projects based on ubiquitin signalling to fund, after in-house analysis found this area of research to be 'unexploited'.
Alzheimer's antibody charging towards Phase III trial
An antibody designed to treat the debilitating symptoms of Alzheimer's disease is being prepared ahead of schedule for a final stage clinical trial.
EU plan to lift R&D to begin in 07
A public-private partnership aimed at boosting new drug development in Europe, the Innovative Medicines Initiative, is on track to come into effect this year, according to European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Federations.
21-May-2007
Evotec takes fragment-based drug discovery services a step further
Anglo-German firm Evotec is taking its fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) services a step further with the launch today of a new innovation centre for FBDD.
BioLineRx unveils 'innovative' antipsychotic drug
BioLineRx of Israel has reported results of a Phase I trial of a first-in-class antipsychotic drug that showed the compound was well tolerated in the treatment of schizophrenia.
MRSA vaccine proves effective in trials
A vaccine against hospital-acquired infections, caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, has shown promising results in early stage clinical trials.
Humanised mouse 'far more useful' to predict side effects
An animal model used to evaluate vaccines could be "far more useful" to predict potential side effects than current methods, according to its developers, AMDL.
17-May-2007
Mechanisms of microRNA gene silencing revealed
Two new studies published this week have revealed how microRNA silences genes and prevents protein production, which could lead to new anticancer therapies.
Ion channel specialist receives innovation award
A company that specialises in designing first-in-class small molecule drugs that modulate ion channels has been given an award for its innovative preclinical research.
ART's new imaging system
Advanced Research Technologies (ART) has launched a new imaging system for studying molecular events in small living animals to further our understanding of disease and treatment mechanisms.
Targeted cancer therapy shows promising preclinical results
Canadian biotech PharmaGap to try and ensure its lead cancer drug is more specific than rivals, and has now announced promising preclinical results.
16-May-2007
Drugs moving into the clinic: 14
The fourteenth 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.
R&D outsourcing set to climb
Outsourced pharmaceutical R&D spending is set to increase at twice the expected rate of general R&D expenditure for the next five years, according to new research published this week.
RNAi cancer therapies set for clinical testing
The race to put the first cancer therapy based on RNA interference (RNAi) technology into clinical trials has heated up with one developer claiming it is almost ready to go.
New DNA damage test could reduce animal experiments
A new tool for checking if drugs damage DNA could reduce the number of animal experiments needed in drug development, and also be cheaper than conventional techniques, according to its designer.
15-May-2007
New HIV tests look to speed up viral load analysis
Abbott Laboratories and Roche Diagnostics have both had HIV-1 tests approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that should allow clinical laboratories to deliver viral load results faster.
A more tailored way of reducing blood vessel inflammation
A team of German scientists have discovered a new drug target that could lead to effective treatments for autoimmune vasculitis - without having to suppress the entire immune system.
14-May-2007
New insights in cancer cell migration
A workshop being held this week in Italy has shed new light on how cancer cells spread around the body, highlighting new strategies for potentially combating the disease.
The future of separating biomolecules?
A new device that allows the separation of complex biological mixtures by the physical properties of its constituents has been developed.
Preclinical services news in brief
In this week's review of activity within the preclinical research services arena, new deals have emerged involving Gene Bridges, Panacos Pharmaceuticals, and GenScript.
Cancer stem cells therapies in clinical trials
Specific stem cells are thought to be the origin of many, if not all, cancers and although there are several drugs in clinical trials, only small companies are currently conducting research in the area.
10-May-2007
Regulators unconvinced by Dendreon's prostate cancer therapy
US drug regulators have requested more proof that Dendreon's prostate cancer treatment works before they will approve it, sending the Seattle-based biotech's shares plummeting.
Charles River sees renewed growth in Q1
Charles River has posted first quarter results that beat analysts expectations after seeing renewed growth in its research models and services segment.
Drugs moving into the clinic: 13
The thirteenth 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.
Lonza plans to commercially produce emerging class of drugs
Lonza is betting on the growth of antibody-drug conjugates as the way-of-the-future cancer treatments by moving to large scale production of the emerging drug class by 2008.
BMS invests in cholesterol-busting compound
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) has agreed to fund Isis Pharmaceuticals' antisense drug development programme aimed at preventing and treating heart disease.
09-May-2007
Novartis' new blood pressure drug no better than the rest?
A first-in-class drug developed to battle high blood pressure might not be the blockbuster success Novartis hoped for after a new study claims it is no more effective than current therapies.
Vibrational spectroscopy reveals Parkinson's biomarkers
US-based Molecular Biometrics has used vibrational spectroscopy techniques to identify biomarkers for Parkinson's disease that, if validated, could speed up the drug discovery process.
UK study sparks additives row
Growing use of natural ingredients in the UK food and drink industry took on greater importance this week in anticipation of a new study again linking widely used additives to behavioural problems in children.
Automatically detecting crucial protein features
A new tool can automatically analyse a protein's structure to detect residues crucial to its function, allowing pharma firms to design better drugs.
Studying reactions in micro-channels
A new microfluidic device has been developed that uses fluorescence lifetime measurement to allow researchers to study the kinetics of molecular processes that are usually too fast to study accurately.
08-May-2007
Enticing cells to 'eat' Huntington's
Scientists have discovered a number of 'promising' compounds that can enhance the ability of cells to discard malformed proteins that can lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's.
Genta pushing hard for antisense approval
US biopharma company Genta has outlined how it hopes to gain approval for its antisense drug with a new clinical trial and multiple appeals against regulators.
Genaera begins human trials of obesity drug
Genaera has started enrolling patients for the first human trial of its new appetite suppressant, which the company hopes could treat obesity and related disorders such as diabetes.
Kendle back in black
Kendle has climbed back into the black in the first quarter of 2007 after another quarter of strong sales although pre-tax profit remains down on 2006.
The missing link between microfluidics and MS
A new device has been designed that could form the link between microfluidic separations and mass spectrometry (MS) based proteomics to give faster results from smaller sample sizes.
03-May-2007
Latest in Covance and GSKs' tussles with animal rights organisations
This week Covance has paid PETA Europe's court costs relating back to a failed legal bid to prevent the broadcast of video footage taken during a covert investigation of its US animal laboratory. Meanwhile, GSK has had a positive result in extending a court order severely restricting protests at its UK premises.
Xceleron to accelerate growth further
Not content with doubling its revenues over the past year, Xceleron is pushing for even more growth by hiring new business development personnel.
Debate rages on innocent McDonalds trial
A decision by juice and smoothie group, innocent, to trial its drinks in McDonalds restaurants has caused debate among the UK firm's consumers.
Outsourcing sector robust, for now
The pharmaceutical outsourcing industry is experiencing a phase of robust growth but remains heavily reliant on the continuation of "dependable" private equity financing.
02-May-2007
Lightweight sample preparation proves popular
Pressure BioSciences (PBI) is set to release a new lightweight version of its pressure cycling instrument to control biomolecular interactions, after a downsized demo model proved surprisingly popular.
Glaxo combats drug-resistant hospital infections
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has initiated new research to fight drug-resistant hospital infections, bucking a big pharma trend to neglect this sector because it is perceived as difficult to profit from.
New 'Holy Grail' of gene-silencing technology
A group of Swedish scientists have discovered a new method of disabling genes that could be used to stop genetic disorders in their tracks, such as Huntington's and some cancers.
UK makes multiple arrests in largest animal extremist crack down
The UK has upheld its promise to crack down on its problem of animal rights extremism, arresting 30 people in dawn raids across the country yesterday as part of 'Operation Achilles'.
Drugs moving into the clinic: 12
The twelfth 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.
01-May-2007
Electroacoustic DNA chip synthesis
A new tool for creating DNA microarrays using a directional acoustic droplet ejector has been developed that circumvents the problem of blocked nozzles when using inkjet printing techniques.
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