Breaking News on Drug Discovery

Jubilant Organosys eyeing up European acquisitions

Indian pharma services provider Jubilant Organosys is looking to buy up European contract research organisations (CRO) and contract research and manufacturing services (CRAMS) and it has got $100m to spend, according to a report in The Economic Times.

'Technology Pioneers' elected to World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum has announced this year's 'Technology Pioneers', firms which have developed a life-changing technology innovation that has the potential for long-term impact on both business and society.

Xenome and Amylin team up to poison metabolic diseases

Xenome, which specialises in extracting therapeutic peptides from the venom of poisonous animals has penned a deal with Amylin Pharmaceuticals to find drugs that tackle metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

Astellas snaps up cancer antibody specialists Agensys

Japanese drugmaker Astellas has agreed to acquire US biotech firm Agensys as part of its plan to ramp up antibody research, especially in the field of cancer.

Nano-flares light the way for in-cell mRNA detection

Researchers have developed a nanoparticle signalling system that can be used as cellular 'nano-flares' that enable the visualisation and quantification of RNA in living cells.

Private equity firm puts crores into Indian CRO

GVK Bio has reinforced its claim to be India's top contract research organisation with a 100-crore ($25m) push from a private investment company. The funds will be used to expand its drug discovery services and push further into preclinical and clinical development.

ERC to provide 4bn Euros for 'far-reaching research'

The European Research Council (ERC) has announced it will fund Europe's very best research projects to the tune of €4bn in a bid to improve Europe's position at the frontiers of research.

Exploring protein interactions in 'technicolour'

A triple-colour bioluminescent assay has been developed that promises to speed-up high content screening (HCS) analysis by enabling multiple-target monitoring.

Weekly Comment

Paediatric drugs and testing highlighted

The importance of paediatric drug formulations and clinical trials in children was highlighted at this month's American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) conference in San Diego.

Preclinical services news in brief

In this week's review of activity within the preclinical research services arena, news has emerged involving ChemDiv, SRI International, ShangPharma, Ranbaxy and Xceleron.

Targeted Genetics restarts trial after death

The US Food and Drug Administration has allowed Targeted Genetics to restart testing its arthritis gene therapy after deciding the drug wasn't at fault when one person died in the original clinical trial.

Pharma should keep outsourcing in mind

The pharmaceutical industry is backward when it comes to outsourcing, industry experts said at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) conference in San Diego last week.

Mr Gene designs and orders constructs in minutes

Geneart has launched the first fully on-line gene construct design and ordering system, dubbed Mr Gene, which is targeting the emerging 'low-price' segment of the synthetic biology market.

New research offers CRO market snapshot

New research from Frost & Sullivan provides a snapshot of biopharma spending trends on contract research organisations (CROs), along with forecasts for industry growth.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 36

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.

Merck, Vertex halt aurora kinase cancer trial

Merck & Co. and its partner Vertex Pharmaceuticals have stopped enrolling cancer patients to the clinical trial of its aurora kinase trial after one patient suffered heart problems.

Take off immune system brake to improve cancer vaccines

The discovery of a new molecule that can act as a brake for the immune system could lead to new therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases such as diabetes.

Evolution study finds 300 new genes

A supercomputer designed to root out genes that have been conserved over millions of years of evolution has discovered 300 new human genes.

Men get the heads up on possible oral contraceptive

It might be years away yet, but men could be the ones popping a pill for contraception if GTx has anything to do with it.

Weekly Comment

No embryo required: human stem cells from the skin

A startling breakthrough has allowed scientists to create human stem cells from just reprogrammed skin cells, with no embryo and thus, perhaps no ethical dilemma.

Cisbio licenses 'universal' kinase assay platform

Cisbio has licensed BellBrook Labs' ADP immunodetection technology for use in its HTRF screening system that will enable researchers to study the activity of any protein kinase.

Covance rescues Eli Lilly's forgotten facility

Covance has acquired a partially constructed facility from Eli Lilly and plans to invest $175m (€118m) to convert it into a drug development laboratory to meet demand from its biopharmaceutical customers.

Kids' vaccine market set to quadruple

A recent report suggests that the market for paediatric and adolescent vaccines is set to grow four-fold over the next decade, spearheaded by Wyeth's Prevnar as the first blockbuster vaccine.

Cancer antibody marches on quoths Raven Biotechnologies

Raven Biotechnologies have announced positive initial clinical trial results for their anticancer antibody that causes tumour cells to swell up and die.

Cystatin C can wash away Alzheimer's plaques

Scientists have discovered that a protein called cystatin C can prevent damaging Alzheimer's plaques from forming by keeping their constituent protein water soluble.

Simultaneous measurement of multiple cytokines

Researchers at Randox, UK, have developed a biochip that enables the simultaneous measurement of 12 human cytokines from human serum samples enabling cytokine studies to be conducted faster.

Merck turns to India for latest R&D partnership

Merck & Co. has turned to India's Nicholas Piramal (NPIL) for its latest research collaboration, as the preclinical offshoring trend persists.

Weekly Comment

South Africa 'underutilised' for clinical trials

While India, the Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe and Latin America are all gaining recognition as potential new hot spots, South Africa remains 'underutilised as a clinical trial destination,' according to a prominent industry figure.

Pfizer saves Coley with $164m buyout

After a clinical hiccough five months ago set Coley Pharmaceutical's drug development funding back several years, Pfizer has stepped in to save the day, snapping up the biotech for $164m.

Russia's clinical biz showing signs of recovery after biologics ban

Russia's clinical trials industry appears to be making a gradual recovery from a setback earlier this year when the government imposed an unexpected ban on biologic exports.

Pipeline match following Celgene's $2.9bn acquisition of Pharmion

Celgene has agreed to pay $2.9bn for Pharmion in the hope of becoming a 'global leader in the haematology and oncology field', but do the company's pipelines match up well together?

Caliper launches combo drug testing services

Caliper Life Sciences has launched new testing services that will help researchers weed out unsuitable combination drug therapies in the preclinic.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 35

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.

Preclinical services news in brief

In this week's review of activity within the preclinical research services arena, news has emerged involving GATC Biotech, NextGen Sciences and Genedata.

Stem cell breakthrough avoids the embryo controversy

US researchers have developed a way of creating primate embryonic stem cells that avoids the need to use fertilised embryos, potentially leading to more ethical ways of curing degenerative diseases.

Icahn invests in Genzyme, prompts takeover rumours

The man often credited with causing Biogen Idec to be put up for sale, billionaire corporate raider Carl Icahn, has invested in Genzyme and promptly started industry tongues wagging about a takeover.

Targeted lupus treatment on the horizon

Researchers have uncovered some of the underlying causes of lupus, and have even suggested certain targeted therapies to tackle the autoimmune disease.

Ventana reluctantly opens up to Roche in a bid to boost offer

In the latest twist in Roche's fight to acquire diagnostics expert Ventana, the companies have signed a confidentiality agreement that will enable the pharma giant access to Ventana's books.

Accelrys offers academics its scientific operating system for free

Accelrys is offering its SciTegic scientific operating system to academics for free to enable them to create software applications and share them with both academic and commercial communities.

Evotec's metamorphosis erodes profit

Evotec's bid to distance itself from being a services business and eventually morph into a fully fledged pharma company has been felt on the company's balance sheet during the third quarter.

Nanogen scraps microarray business in favour of PCR assays

Nanogen has decided to pull the plug on its microarray business after not finding any 'financially meaningful opportunities' for it, reducing staff by 20 per cent in the process.

AstraZeneca in 'serious trouble', say analysts

An analyst report released yesterday identified AstraZeneca as being in 'serious trouble' and branded it as potentially the 'worst [large cap] performer in [the] entire sector' over the next eight years.

Applied Biosystems and BioTrove form HT genotyping alliance

Applied Biosystems and BioTrove have signed a licensing and collaboration agreement to commercialise an analysis platform for high-throughput (HT) genotyping applications.

Giving lung cancer a Smac

A small molecule version of a protein called Smac can turn the survival signal for a variety of tumour cells into a death signal and could be effective as a new class of drug, especially for lung cancer patients.

BAC looks to enhance laboratory purification with new antibody toolkit

Bio Affinity Company (BAC) has launched a new antibody purification toolbox based on its successful industrial-scale technology to provide researchers with a simpler purification route.

New drug safety model unveiled as Merck shells out for Vioxx

A new 3D model of the human liver that even has its own blood supply could pump new life into drug safety tests by predicting problems earlier and cut down on animal experiments.

China CRO attracts $30m US investment

China's second largest contract research organisation (CRO) ShangPharma has attracted $30m (€21m) from US private investment firm TPG as the Asian pharma market continues to simmer.

WHO talks on research strategy for developing world diseases stall

Talks between World Health Organization (WHO) member states and the drug industry over how to narrow the health gap between rich and poor countries have stalled.

Tripos lands Schering-Plough deal

Tripos Discovery Research (TDR) has risen from the ashes surrounding the liquidation of its previous owners Tripos, Inc. to land a 'library enrichment' deal with Schering-Plough.

Aveo strategy ups chances of cancer drug success

US-based Aveo Biopharmaceuticals is hoping to prove its R&D strategy can buck high industry failure rates when trying to design new cancer drugs and it seems to be working after its lead drug has passed a first-in-man trial with flying colours.

The sweet taste of analysing biological drugs

Researchers from Amgen have published results detailing a method that improves the analysis of the sugar groups attached to monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and proteins.

Merck HIV vaccine failure puts cold virus on trial

Merck & Co's failed HIV vaccine may actually increase the risk of infection and the latest data raises questions over whether the cold virus used as a delivery technique was at fault.

'World's first' NanoImaging service centre opens

NanoImaging Services has opened what it claims is a first of its kind fee-for-service imaging business to enable structural characterisation and validation of biological drugs throughout the development pipeline.

Drugs moving into the clinic: 34

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.

Sanofi pushes on with cell culture flu shot

Sanofi Pasteur has kicked off Phase II trials of its cell culture-based seasonal flu vaccine in the US, part of a five year project with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Merck flexes muscle with GTx deal

Merck & Co has inked a deal potentially worth over $507m (€346m) with GTx over a new class of drugs to treat muscle loss conditions, especially those caused by cancer.

Biomarker market predicted to 'explode'

The global market for biomarkers is expected to more than double over the next 5 years to reach an estimated $12.8bn (€8.7bn), according to a new market research report.

AstraZeneca CEO hacks at pipeline to up profits

AstraZeneca's CEO has said the company will stop research in a number of diseases as it continues to cut costs and restructure in the face of falling sales.

Preclinical services news in brief

In this week's review of activity within the preclinical research services arena, new deals have emerged involving MDS Pharma Services, Bruker Biospin and Expression Analysis.

Mass spectrometry weighs in for genotyping applications

Commonly the domain of the microarray, mass spectrometry is becoming an increasingly viable alternative for high throughput genotyping with recent research promising to advance its adoption.

Charles River sails through Q3

Charles River Laboratories sailed through its third quarter, with comfortable gains in both revenue and profits.

Tecan and GE join forces to aid HT protein purification

Tecan and GE Healthcare Life Sciences division are collaborating to simplify high throughput (HT) protein purification by increasing the speed and reliability of expression screening programmes.

Apitope vaccine stops MS in its tracks

UK biopharmaceutical firm Apitope has developed a vaccine that could halt multiple sclerosis in its relentless march to destroy nerve cells.

Why Pfizer's torcetrapib failure might not thwart other CETP inhibitors

It was supposed to keep Pfizer at the top of the cardiovascular drug tree, but when torcetrapib failed, other pharma firms developing similar drugs looked on nervously to see if their drugs were also doomed. A new study suggests they might have nothing to worry about.

Mixed results dampen expectations for Eli Lilly's prasugrel

When it comes to choosing between anti-blood clot medicines, clinicians could be stuck between a rock and a hard place following mixed trial results for Eli Lilly's prasugrel.

Pretender to Avastin throne poised to enter clinical trails

BioInvent and ThromboGenics' new anticancer antibody is poised to enter clinical trials and could prove a serious rival to VEGF-blocking drugs, due to fewer side-effects and less drug resistance.

Sigma-Aldrich halves miRNA preparation times

Sigma-Aldrich has continued its push into the RNAi field with the launch of its new mirPremier miRNA (microRNA) isolation kit that promises to speed up miRNA preparation while removing all large, unwanted RNA.

EU considers Afghan poppy pilot

A proposed pilot programme to divert Afghanistan's infamous and illegal opium supply for legal use in analgesics has been backed by the European Parliament but is facing fierce criticism elsewhere.

Weekly Comment

Pharma must 'reinvent' itself to survive

With IMS Health's annual forecast for the pharma industry predicting slower approvals, more black box warnings and the continuation of the 'wave of genericization,' the shift by pharma firms to refocus and reinvent themselves will need to move on apace in order to secure their position in a changing market.

Cells caught in a 'tractor beam'

US researchers have developed a 'tractor beam' that that can pick up, hold and move individual cells around a microchip surface - paving the way for more sensitive biological devices.

GSK blocks new patent rules

Just a day before they were due to come into force, GlaxoSmithKline has won a court case to block controversial changes to patent rules.

Treating cancer as infectious disease yields results

For the first time, scientists have found a way to target viral antigens deep inside a cancer tumour, and the result is a new therapy that could treat or even prevent the disease.

Nikon halves imaging time with new integrated microscope

Nikon has launched a new inverted microscope range that promises to more than half the time of an imaging experiment while enabling more simultaneous applications.

Gene Logic drops genomics and name for drug repositioning

After selling of its genomics business to Ocimum Biosolutions, Gene Logic is to change its name to Ore Pharmaceuticals as it looks to mine out new indications for drugs.