Breaking News on Drug Discovery

Gene therapy could protect against HIV infection

A team of US researchers have become the first to completely suppress a gene that is crucial to HIV infection, paving the way to a protective gene therapy.

Aptuit Laurus to feed off preclinical growth in India

Aptuit Laurus, the newly formed joint venture between Aptuit and Laurus Labs in India, will focus on an expected rise in the demand for preclinical and Phase I research and development services as part of its growth plan in India.

Waters filters out the matrix

Waters has combined its award winning Synapt MS with a MALDI ionisation source to broaden the number of applications the instrument can be used in - including MALDI imaging.

Prototype biosensor screens drugs without killing cells

The worlds of biochemistry and electronics have collided after scientists successfully developed a biosensor that can measure a drug's effectiveness without killing the cells it is trying to analyse.

Teva licenses drug that could shut down allergic reactions

Teva Pharmaceuticals has licensed a drug that could offer new hope for both treating and preventing allergic reactions, according to its award-winning developers.

Nuvelo restarts alfimeprase development but Bayer bails out

Six months after a couple of failed Phase III trials, Nuvelo has reinstated clinical development for its blood clot dissolving drug, but it will have to go it alone after Bayer decided enough is enough and pulled out of the collaboration.

CellASIC's microfluidic tumour model

US microfluidics company CellASIC has developed a device that enables the effects of anticancer drugs to be studied in an environment that mimics a real cancerous growth.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 20

The latest 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.

Asterand job cuts 'not connected' with Russian ban

Asterand said it is to slash 10 per cent of its total workforce in a cost-cutting strategy although it is not a knock-on effect of the recent ban on export of human samples from Russia.

New class of diabetes drugs going strong

A new class of diabetes drugs is showing promising clinical results, with the big players in the field all scrapping it out for a slice of the potential rewards.

FRAME aims for animal alternatives

Research into new tools that will remove the need to use animals in medical research has received a £240,000 (€356,000) boost at the University of Nottingham.

Roche 'takes off its gloves' in fight to acquire Ventana

Pharma giant Roche has gone public in its fight to acquire tissue-analysis instrument and reagent expert Ventana Medical Systems for $3bn (€2.2bn).

Preclinical services news in brief

In this week's review of recent activity within the preclinical research services arena, news has emerged involving Gendata, Achaogen, NiKem Research and Verona Pharma.

Virtual cell could 'revolutionise' TB drugs

A virtual version of the microbe that causes tuberculosis could help 'revolutionise' TB treatment by unlocking the key to how a few cells remain resistant to drugs.

New miRNA tumour supressors identified

Researchers have discovered three potential microRNA (miRNA) tumour suppressor genes using real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) techniques.

Anacor's boron-based drug stops the rot

An unusual drug that contains a crucial boron atom can effectively treat fungal infections, and could also prove invaluable in the effort to counter antibacterial drug resistance.

Roche signs $370m deal for Phase I arthritis drug

Roche has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to an early-phase rheumatoid arthritis drug, a move that is indicative of big pharma's increasing tendency to license earlier phase compounds.

Parexel talks Tegenero and Phase I future

Parexel talks to Outsourcing-Pharma about Phase I trials, touching on trends and growth opportunities, future plans for India and lessons learned from Tegenero.

Genzyme pens deal for Parkinson's gene therapy

Genzyme has put pen to paper on a licensing deal for Ceregene's Parkinson's drug, as a rival gene therapy for the same disease shows promise in initial clinical trials.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 19

The latest 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.

Finnish CRO dives into metabolomics sea

Finnish CRO Technical Research Center (VTT) has spun-off Zora Biosciences, which becomes the only company in the Nordic region to provide metabolomics services to pharma companies - a market with high potential.

Faster gene mutations hold key to drug development

Scientists have developed a faster means of searching non-gene DNA for mutations that cause disease, paving the way for faster and cheaper drug development.

Thermo Fisher Scientific launches RNAi services laboratory

Thermo Fisher Scientific has opened a new RNAi Discovery and Therapeutics Services Laboratory to help pharmaceutical companies in their quest for new drugs.

Fluidigm miniaturises the time and cost of PCR genotyping

US-microfluidics expert Fluidigm has launched a new dynamic array for its BioMark instrument that increases the efficiency of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genotyping while reducing the amount of costly equipment and reagents needed.

EU and US agencies bolster bonds

European and US regulatory bodies have revamped their relationship to ease administrative burdens and improve communication, as well as implementing new measures directed specifically at paediatric drug products.

Russians left in the dark despite lifted export ban

Despite a lift of the ban on biological sample transportation out of Russia, the country's clinical research industry is still in the dark on the new rules to control export of such materials.

Farfield lights up membrane protein analysis

Farfield Scientific has teamed up with Monash University, Australia to create biosensor chips that will enable researchers to unravel how membrane proteins function and interact with drug molecules.

'Theory of Everything' for stem cells

A team of Canadian scientists have identified which genes help decide a stem cell's fate; a discovery that one day could lead to drugs that invoke their regenerative power.

New strategies to treat neurological disorders

Experts from around the world have gathered this week to discuss the best emerging therapies for a number of neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and stroke.

Teva gets in on protein kinase B act

Teva Pharmaceuticals has licensed some protein kinase B technology, including preclinical drug candidates, adding to the buzz around this up-and-coming cancer target.

Bayer cuts swathe through pipeline

In the inevitable reshuffle that comes after a major acquisition, Bayer's healthcare division has today announced plans to cut 30 per cent of its drug pipeline.

Diamyd tries to salvage something from clinical wreck

Diamyd Medical will continue with a clinical trial of its gene therapy designed to protect insulin-producing cells in diabetes patients, despite major errors invalidating the study.

The sound of separation?

Swedish researchers have developed a method of separating a continuous flow of (bio)particles based on their size and density using acoustic forces.

Three-pronged approach identifies new cancer target

US researchers have developed a three part screening process to find new cancer genes and used it to identify a new gene associated with about a third of all breast cancers.

GSK's Revolade works, but why?

GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) new drug to treat a rare form of bleeding disorder has shown good results in trials so far, but while experts remain mystified as to why it works, a true cure will remain elusive.

GSK's Revolade works, but why?

GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) new drug to treat a rare form of bleeding disorder has shown good results in trials so far, but while experts remain mystified as to why it works, a true cure will remain elusive.

ThalesNano makes hydrogenation reactions 'academic'

ThalesNano Nanotechnology has launched a new version of its H-Cube flow reactor for use in higher education laboratories - the H-Cube Tutor.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 18

The latest 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.

Nicholas Piramal opens second research site

Nicholas Piramal India (NPIL) has opened its second clinical research facility and is eyeing the growing area of biopharmaceutical testing.

Weekly comment

Corrupt Chinese drug official appeals death penalty

The former director of the country's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) has lodged an appeal against the death penalty slapped on him after a corruption conviction.

Pfizer invests $300m in Korean R&D

Pfizer is to plough $300m (€226m) into South Korean research and development over the next five years, while it's CEO is planning to visit North Korea tomorrow.

Melting DNA in microfluidic devices

German researchers have developed a microfluidic device that greatly increases the efficiency of measuring the melting temperature of DNA double strands.

Brain energy boost slows Alzheimer's

A drug that provides the brain with an alternative energy source to glucose is helping to roll back the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Identifying the connections between cancer pathways

Researchers have used a protein lysate array to profile and classify multiple components of aberrant cell signalling pathways in 90 cancer cell lines.

Asterand outlines action for profitability

Asterand has announced a restructure and changes to its operational model in a bid to grasp hold of profitability.

GSK reveals details of $2bn antibody

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) outlined more details on the mechanism of its anticancer drug ofatumumab - an antibody that was the subject of the biggest ever pharma licensing deal.

Pharma industry 'better off' under new REACH rules

Pharmaceutical companies are actually set to benefit from reduced testing requirements now that the new European chemicals regulation is in place, however, some bulk manufacturers and ingredients suppliers could face increased burdens.

Hunting for drug candidates on Kinase SARfari

BioFocus DPI has released a new informatics system that can combine chemical and biological data from various sources to optimise protein kinase inhibitor candidate selection.

3M sells another chunk of pharma biz

Diverse manufacturer 3M has agreed to sell off another chunk of its pharmaceuticals business, fourteen months after it decided to give up on the 'very competitive' industry.

Blood pressure drug also 'rejuvenates brain' in Parkinson's

A drug that is popularly used to treat high blood pressure and stroke could also be used to rejuvenate dopamine neurons in the brain, according to US scientists.

Histological studies validate Rexin-G as targeted gene therapy for cancer

Histological evidence of tumour destruction has confirmed the promise of Epeius Biotechnologies' Rexin-G as an effective targeted gene therapy platform for metastatic cancer.

Cancer biotherapy market set to boom

While traditional cancer treatments currently have the lion's share of the market, a new wave of immunological and biotherapy treatments are set to take the industry by storm, predicts new market research.

The most innovative drugs from cancer expo

This year's American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference is over and as 45,000 scientists head home, DrugResearcher.com looks at some of the most innovative drugs that were on show.

Agilent reduces the noise in proteomics experiments

Agilent has launched a new tool that removes the 14 most abundant proteins found in blood plasma and serum to speed up the discovery and identification of low-abundance proteins and biomarkers.

Bsx molecule could be new target for obesity drugs

A molecule that links spontaneous physical activity such as fidgeting and food intake could be a promising new target for drugs to control diet-induced obesity, researchers from Europe and the US suggest.

Biologicals ban could halt the rush on Russia for clinical trials

Just as the clinical trials sector in Russia is starting to take off, the industry has been dealt a severe blow with the sudden and indefinite banning of biological sample exports.

IDBS launch latest electronic lab notebook

IDBS look to speed up laboratory research by enabling more efficient knowledge transfer with its latest electronic lab notebook (ELN) suite, E-WorkBook 7.0.

AMT gains orphan designation for LPL therapy

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics (AMT) lead candidate AMT 011, a Lipoprotein Lipase (LPL) Deficiency treatment has received Orphan Drug Designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Merck KGaA drug blasts aggressive brain tumours

A new drug from Merck KGaA could be the first in a new type of anticancer therapy that works by starving the tumour of its blood supply.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 17

The seventeenth 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.

Journal-compliant clinical trial requirements updated

The number of clinical trial registries that drug companies and researchers can use if they want to have their results later published in prominent medical journals has been increased. Meanwhile, as of July next year, Phase I trials will also have to comply with the registration requirements.

Oxigene's Zybrestat cuts tumour blood flow

Oxigene's potentially first-in-class cancer drug is showing promising clinical results and could rival a drug Novartis' recently spent nearly a billion dollars on.

'Living fossil' stops HIV in its tracks

Scientists have successfully used ribozymes - considered by some to be the 'living fossils' of a time when life was based on RNA - to prevent the spread of HIV in the body.

Nanodots take the matrix out of MALDI-MS

Japanese researchers have developed a way to increase protein sequence coverage by removing the need for organic matrices that can mask low weight analytes during MALDI-MS experiments.

deltaDOT lets fly with new drug discovery tool

DeltaDOT has been given a government grant to commercially develop a new tool to allow researchers to reduce dramatically the time it takes to weed out unsuitable drug candidates.

More Phase 0 studies needed to sway 'conservative pharma'

Phase 0 studies have a great potential in selecting drug candidates early in the drug development but the pharma industry will stay sceptical until more research has been done, said Prof. Colin Garner, CEO of microdosing service firm Xceleron.

Third time lucky for Parkinson's drugs?

Newly-formed Brane Discovery has licensed a Parkinson's research programme to become the third company in three years to own the potentially first-in-class drug candidates.

Thermo launches new proteomics MS

Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced a range of powerful new mass spectroscopy products at the 55th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry currently being held in Indianapolis, US.

Revolutionary Phase I trial design speeds up development

A new approach to Phase I clinical trials could revolutionise drug development, enabling innovative drugs to get to market faster and cheaper.

'Free drugs', but only if they don't work, proposes drug firm

In a groundbreaking decision, Janssen-Cilag has offered to give the UK government their money back if its expensive new bone cancer treatment does not work on patients.

High throughput screening of Alzheimer's inhibitors

Japanese researchers have developed a high throughput method for screening the activity of beta-amyloid protein aggregation inhibitors that should speed up the discovery of new Alzheimer's therapies.

Improved image analysis in proteomics research

Analysing the images from protein separation experiments, such as 2D gel electrophoresis (2DGE), is not only time consuming but can often miss 'hits' and give false positives. But it doesn't have to be that way, according to Swedish company Ludesi.

Wyeth unveils clinical data for first-in-class cancer drug

Wyeth has presented more clinical data for its first-in-class cancer drug, which was approved for use in the US last week.

Novel therapies unveiled at ASCO

The world's biggest cancer conference kicked off this weekend with drug companies from around the world keen to showcase their new therapies.