Breaking News on Drug Discovery
All news articles > June 2006
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29-Jun-2006
Protherics' cash injection bodes well for biotechnology
BioPharmaceutical company Protherics, were on hand at the PiperJaffray conference providing pipeline and company updates to a audience of investors and analysts. The company are coming off the back of a successful deal with Astrazeneca for its CytoFab treatment.
New CRO on the Phase I scene
A new Phase I clinical services company, Roanoke Clinical Research (RCR), has been formed to relieve pressure in the biopharma industry as it continues to face bottlenecks in early stage research and struggles to move forward fast enough.
PDS expand post-mortem software licensing options
Software provider, PDS Pathology Data Systems have announced it can now provide Internet access to its specialised post-mortem functionality system to users that include University research departments, CROs, Biotechs and smaller Toxicology and Pathology work groups.
Vertex provides update at Piper Jaffray conference
Vertex Pharmaceutcals was one of a number of pharma and biotech companies to attend the PiperJaffray healthcare conference in London last week, which gave international companies the opportunity to provide pipeline updates.
US government grants Samaritan benzodiazepine receptor patent
Samaritan Pharmaceuticals has announced the issuance of a patent relating to its work on peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptor associated proteins, an emerging drug target that has found function in cancer progression and Alzheimer's disease pathology.
28-Jun-2006
Roche provides update on Oncology pipline
Roche took the opportunity to reassure investors and analysts as it outlined its plans to deal with the impending threat to Avastin and Herceptin. Roche's new indications for cancer treatments suggest that its oncology portfolio will show strong growth for many years.
27-Jun-2006
Peakdale scales new heights with new services and facilities
Peakdale Molecular has taken the opportunity to expand its capabilities and capacity extending the services it can provide to further support customers' drug discovery challenges.
Nalgene introduces new disposable flasks
Nalgene introduces its sterile disposable shaker flask that incorporates a larger volume capacity for single-use. Its design aims to reduce the risk of cross contamination.
Asterand and Rubicon collaborate to improve cancer diagnostics
Asterand has announced the formation of a partnership with Rubicon Genomics to develop new cancer diagnostic tests that identify the DNA methylation mechanism that causes cells to become cancerous making the assignment of treatment easier.
Analytik Jena contributes to China's analytical instrument sector
Analytik Jena has started production of its first analytical apparatus to be made entirely in China representing a new venture for the company as it aims to advance into a market that has experienced unprecedented growth in the analytical instrument sector.
26-Jun-2006
EntreMed encouraged by rheumatoid arthritis lead compound
EntreMed has produced hard data demonstrating antiangiogenic activity of its lead compound against the devastating effects of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The results pave the way to developing therapeutics for the cancer and inflammatory treatment.
Applied Biosystems shines a light on metabolite ID
Applied Biosystems (AB) has given drug researchers a new software application in thier quest to more quickly and accurately screen drug candidates, which can be further developed into promising new treatments.
Drug firm marketing practices deceive consumers, claims report
A new report has blasted pharmaceutical companies for its use of unscrupulous marketing practices, accusing the drug producers of misleading physicians of a drug's effectiveness and convincing consumers of the drug's importance.
Toxic plant extracts form basis of stroke treatments
A toxic group of plant extracts has been found to protect animal tissue against the lack of blood that occurs in stroke giving rise to a new direction in the development of stroke treatment.
23-Jun-2006
Chinese scientists uncover leukaemia trigger point
Chinese scientists think they might have discovered what activates the development of Leukaemia signalling a novel direction in which new therapies can result to treat a disease that afflicts millions worldwide.
QPS launches CRO drug R&D services at AAPS and DIA.
Quest Pharmaceutical Services (QPS) has announced the launch of its new Molecular Biology Services that aims to integrate pharmacogenomics into drug development programs to deliver more effective compounds to the market quicker.
22-Jun-2006
Acquisition adds Eastern Europe LabConnect presence
Laboratory service provider, LabConnect has announced its intentions to expand into Central and Eastern Europe by adding Synevo Medicover Laboratory Services to its LabConnect network, becoming the first US-based central laboratory to do so.
21-Jun-2006
Odyssey Thera granted pathway-based drug discovery patent
Odyessa Thera has announced it has been granted a US patent for its single-and multi-colour protein-fragment complementation assays (PCA), which can be applied to high throughput drug discovery.
Study warns excess fish farming drug use promotes resistance
A recently published report has highlighted the use of antibiotics in the rearing of fish could promote bacterial resistance leading to the evolution of resistant strains of bacteria in humans as well as the fish themselves.
20-Jun-2006
Pliva's Indian R&D centre gets Government welcome
Pliva's venture into the Indian subcontinent received a boost as it was revealed the Governor of Goa would inaugurate the newly built research and development facility of Pliva Research, India.
Vical's avian flu vaccine meets NIH funding criteria
Preclinical data from Vical's avian flu DNA vaccine program has resulted in the company coming one step closer to $2.6m (€2m) in funding for further development of the vaccine under a grant awarded by the US government.
Sanofi lets Novozymes buy Delta Biotechnology
Danish biotechnology firm Novozymes has acquired Delta Biotechnology from sanofi-aventis, looking to strengthen its bioprocessing expertise in enzymes and microorganisms with Delta's ability to manufacture recombinant proteins from baker's yeast.
GlaxoSmithKline extends Cytokinetics cancer collaboration
GlaxosmithKline (GSK) has agreed to continue its collaboration with CytoKinetics, which focused towards the mitotic kinesin, centromere-associated protein E (CENP-E) that has evolved to become a novel and viable drug target.
19-Jun-2006
Spain muses over possibility of 'human' rights for apes
Following a recent report that predicted the use of apes in animal testing would be unavoidable in the future, Spain could become the first country worldwide to give some primate species fundamental rights that are granted to human beings.
Study suggests blocking transcription factors aids treatment
Drug companies have been encouraged by recent studies that suggest that by blocking the binding of transcription factors may be a way to short-circuit the harmful effects of diseases.
Asthma drug effectiveness dependent on genes
Researchers believe that the effectiveness of from a commonly used asthma medicine may be compromised by a gene variation, which is present in around 13 per cent of the city's population.
Teva invests $6M in CureTech's cancer drug
CureTech has revealed it has wrapped up a deal in which Teva Pharmaceuticals will invest $6m (€4.7m) in CureTech, for the development of a revolutionary cancer drug, based on the company's potential value of $64m.
16-Jun-2006
Alzheimer's vaccine represents 'best hope'
A vaccine that has been developed for Alzheimer's disease, which targets the DNA, without any side effects, has produced promising results in mice.
Pharma-biotech alliances to get riskier, says report
According to a new report, key trends that are occurring within pharma-biotech alliances, as well as within biotech-biotech alliances, are having to grapple with safety concerns and efficacy, which have made biotech a high-risk area for investment.
Nanogen releases new Enterovirus reagent
Nanogen introduces its latest enterovirus reagent, which employs hybridisation technology designed to detect enteroviruses-associated sequences. Enterovirus infections cause a wide spectrum of diseases and are the most common cause of aseptic meningitis.
15-Jun-2006
Covance scores biggest-ever contract
World-leading clinical research organisation (CRO) Covance has scored what it says is the biggest contract in its history - a dedicated space agreement worth a minimum of $187m (€149m).
14-Jun-2006
US leads attack on EU's chemicals bill
Galvanised by the US, thirteen of the EU's major trading partners have called for a reconsideration of the EU's draft chemicals legislation, calling it "potentially disruptive" to world trade.
Cambrex and Cytori Therapeutics enter stem cell agreement
The Cambrex Corporation and Cytori Therapeutics have formed a collaboration that aims to provide adipose-derived stem cell products globally for use in basic and translational bioresearch.
Galapagos' DPI acquisition places firm in top three
Galapagos are to acquire the drug discovery service operations of Discovery Partners International for $6.4m in a move that cements Galapagos' BioFocus division as a top three provider in drug discovery services worldwide.
Tripos releases Benchware 3D Explorer updated version
Tripos has announced the release of the latest version of its visualisation platform that allows laboratory scientists to make better informed decisions based on the three-dimensional molecular information it produces.
13-Jun-2006
Anachem provides green solution to plastic waste
Liquid handling specialists Anachem has made available a recycling programme for the waste polypropylene racks produced by its new range of high quality robotic tips designed to fit Tecan, Qiagen, Beckman or Gilson Robotic Platforms.
Invitrogen and Solexa enter genome analysis deal
Invitrogen has formed a collaboration to supply reagents for Solexa's Genome Analysis System, a sequencing technology that has the potential to generate over a billion bases of DNA sequence data per run.
12-Jun-2006
Velocity11 gets to grips with new accessory
Velocity11 has made available globally, a gripper accessory for its Bravo Liquid Handling Platform that enables a broader range of fully automated applications to be achieved by the compact Bravo platform.
New oestrogen receptor opens up drug possibilities
A study that has uncovered core functional differences between a new oestrogen receptor could form the basis of novel and potentially more effective treatments of breast cancer as researchers sought to utilise this therapeutic target.
Protein factory could lead to new drug treatments
A membrane protein factory, which represents over half of all known drug targets could lead to new and improved pharmaceutical treatments for a broad range of illnesses such as depression, heart disease, addictions and cystic fibrosis.
PerkinElmer launches antibody-free kinase assay technology
PerkinElmer has launched a new antibody-free kinase assay technology that is set to play a major role in drug discovery by allowing researchers to perform direct measurements of kinase activities on full-length protein substrates where no antibody is available.
Invitrogen's Scottish investment bodes well for region
Invitrogen has announced the opening of a new research facility to be located in Scotland. The decision adds to the investment influx within the region, which has seen 20 per cent of the UK's biotech companies set up research capacities there.
09-Jun-2006
BTG's pipeline additions signify fortune turnaround
Medical innovations company BTG, continued its progress on the strategy it implemented last May by revealing its operating highlights that has seen six new programmes added to its product pipeline.
Applied Biosystems expand microRNA assay range
Applied Biosystems (AB) make available a wider range of microRNA assays, expanding the selection to 300 individual assays that are ideal for cell differentiation, developmental biology, stem cell and cancer research.
EpiStem install imaging system to expand services
Contract research company, EpiStem have announced the successful installation of an automated imaging system that now enables the firm to expand the range and throughput of its services in immunohistochemistry (IHC) and histometric analysis.
New drug class adds to HIV treatment arsenal
Scientists believe they have made a breakthrough in the fight against HIV drug resistance by developing a drug that is the first in a new class of HIV drug candidates called Maturation Inhibitors.
AstraZeneca provides update on product pipeline strengthening
AstraZeneca sought to reassure investors this week by providing an update on progress made in strengthening its product pipeline, a worry for industry analysts who believe its existing products cannot underpin earnings growth for much longer.
07-Jun-2006
Biovitrum creates largest CRO in the Nordic region
Biopharma company Biovitrum has purchased iNovacia making it the Nordic region's largest contract-research organization (CRO) in early drug discovery.
BTG posts profits after litigation ordeal
Medical innovations firm BTG reported a full year pre-tax profit, driven by growing recurring revenues and litigation settlements that threatened to dissolve into a long running legal dispute.
Neurodegenerative protein role revealed as drug target
New research has suggested that that pharmacological inhibition of a protein's role in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cancer research could be key to either preventing or promoting cell death.
Genevac launches automated evaporators to enhance productivity
Pharmaceutical companies looking to eliminate manual handling of samples to enhance productivity may want to look at Genevac's new automated centrifugal evaporators.
New breast cancer drug improves on current treatments
A new class of drug that targets breast cancer by blocking production of oestrogen and reducing serious side effects for many more, could eventually become the gold-standard for cancer treatment.
05-Jun-2006
Effectively allocating R&D resources
Effective resource allocation and portfolio designs are vital to a drug company's financial survival as backing the wrong product can waste millions of dollars and vital development time.
deltaDOT provides low-cost DNA sequencing solution
deltaDOT launches a unique capillary-based DNA sequencer that has been specifically developed to provide a low-cost rapid throughput DNA sequencing solution in numerous drug discovery applications.
Future testing on apes unavoidable, claims report
According to a new report the use of apes in animal testing could be unavoidable in the future, as the government could not rule out the prospect of experimentation on these primates.
Pall vows to make proteomics easier
As demand for protein-based drugs increases, Pall has introduced a new type of first mixed-mode chromatography sorbents that make protein purification faster and cheaper.
SAFC unveils new proligo reagents
SAFC Supply Solutions has introduced new phosphoramidites and ancillary reagents for oligonucleotide (oligo) synthesis, promising consistent quality, tight specifications and reliability.
02-Jun-2006
Novartis seeks next generation of malaria drugs
Determined to eradicate a disease that takes the lives of more than one million people worldwide each year, Novartis has announced it will participate in a new public-private partnership which aims to discover more potent drugs to combat malaria.
Thermo adds enhancements to Galileo LIMS
Thermo Electron has announced the availability of further enhancements to its Galileo LIMS, which aims to provide additional capabilities for high throughput ADMET experiments that facilitate lead optimisation in drug discovery.
01-Jun-2006
China the "land of opportunity" for stem cell research
China could be the first country to conduct human stem cell trials and presents a significant opportunity for Western companies who are brave enough to use this risky destination as a place to pursue this potentially lucrative sector of the biotech industry.
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