A team of researchers at Switzerland's Novartis and Rigel
Pharmaceuticals in the USA have created a method for discovering
molecules that are involved in signalling pathways, according to a
report in the Journal of Biology.
New products this week include: a kit for isolating RNA from blood;
a DNA microarray for cytogenetics and cancer research; an automated
mammalian cell picker; and a reagent dispenser for a microplate
reader.
The axe looks set to fall on Scottish biotechnology company PPL
Therapeutics now that the company put itself up for sale, having
failed to convince investors of a rescue plan.
Bristol-Myers Squibb has taken another step towards building a
franchise in insulin therapy by licensing an inhaled version of the
drug from QDose for $30m.
Argonaut Technologies has released its latest Synthesis and
Purification catalogue, a technical resource for pharmaceutical
chemists and others involved in all phases of drug discovery and
development.
Merck & Co has become the first drug major to make a
significant alliance in the field of RNA interference - one of the
hottest topics in drug discovery - via a deal with Alnylam
Pharmaceuticals.
On 13 October 2003 the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) will
launch a new bioinformatics support network that is tailor-made for
small companies.
NiKem Research says it has developed its ADMET capabilities to such
an extent that it can offer them as a service to customers involved
in drug discovery.
Tecan has launched a new 384-channel pipetting head that is
suitable for high precision dispensing of volumes - from 200nl to
50µl - in a broad range of fluid-handling applications.
Two $500m-plus licensing deals reveal the rewards available to
biotech firms with novel drugs, but also the lengths large
biopharma companies will now go to secure exclusive rights to
promising candidates, even if they are in the...
Zinsser has launched a sample preparation system - the Moss 2002 -
that makes it easier to process the hundreds and thousands of
compounds used in HTS laboratories
A small Korean biotechnology company maps the binding site of
phosphodiesterase-5, the target of Pfizer's Viagra and other drugs
for erectile dysfunction.
An October conference on biogenerics will see research-based
biopharmaceutical companies and their generic rivals battle to win
the hearts and minds of regulators.
Waters has launched a new MALDI-TOF (time of flight) mass
spectrometer, along with a line of porous silicon-coated target
plates and new reference standards,
Companies that supply instruments and consumables to the life
sciences industry have been hit hard by reined in research spending
resulting from the current adverse economic climate. However, one
chief executive believes there are...
Amersham Biosciences has added a mouse genome product in its
CodeLink range, used for drug target identification, pathway
characterisation and drug effect predictions.
Gradipore has reported a 65 per cent increase in sales for the year
ended 30 June, but said that it was disappointed by the figures,
which did not meet its expectations.
Bruker Daltonics has launched a compact, high-performance MALDI
-TOF/TOF mass spectrometer that has an affordable price tag,
requires less laboratory space than rival systems and is geared up
for use in proteomics applications.
Sidec Technologies has entered into a contract research
collaboration with a US research institute to study a receptor
involved in the regulation of blood pressure.
MiraiBio is to act as a distributor of Gentra Systems' Autopure LS
automated large sample nucleic acid purification system and related
consumables in the USA and certain other regions of the Americas.
Italian researchers suggest that patients with atrial fibrillation
may have a genetic predisposition linked to expression of
pro-inflammatory proteins.
Chiron's headquarters is hit by two homemade bombs, with an animal
rights group claiming responsibility. The blasts caused no
casualties and only minor damage to property, but represent an
alarming escalation in the tactics used...
Aventis has licensed a drug for Alzheimer's disease and other forms
of dementia from Japan's Dainippon; AC-3933 is claimed to have a
completely novel mechanism of action.
Alex Matter is to direct the Novartis Institute for Tropical
Diseases (NITD) in Singapore after his retirement as Novartis
oncology chief later ths month.
Leading CRO says it has seen a marked increase in the number of
trials it has been asked to work on in Central Europe, and believes
the trend is set to continue.
IBM has introduced its new InsightLink software, an application to
help pharma companies create searchable online databases that will
enable more sharing of research knowledge.
Transgenic plant technologies could lead to a revolution in vaccine
production and manufacture; should plant-based vaccines prove
effective in clinical trials, this will drive licensing activity
between key vaccine players and companies...
US pharmaceuticals major Pfizer is considering moving some of its
activities in Germany to the UK due to government health reforms;
meanwhile, Merck & Co has shelved plans to open a new R&D
facility in the country.
A new report suggests that pharmaceutical companies reap much
greater rewards from licensing in products than they do in
conducting their own in-house research.
Researchers have uncovered evidence that the first time that
neurotoxic peptide assemblies known as ADDLs are responsible for
Alzheimer's disease in humans.
Clariant has announced plans to establish a Technology Centre in
Germany that will support the pharmaceutical industry in the
commercialisation of new drugs.
The lead compound in Merck and Karo Bio's selective oestrogen
receptor modulator collaboration has been dropped after toxicity
emerged preclinical tests.
A new-generation smallpox vaccine developed by Acambis may be less
neurovirulent than a rival registered in the USA, while still
providing equivalent immunogenicity.
BioProgress of the UK, which specialises in delivery mechanisms for
the pharmaceutical oral dosage markets, has sold the first two
machines in its line of systems for tablet coating based on its
proprietary coloured cellulose film.
Fisher Scientific has extended its SK5.3 billion (€573m) offer for
Perbio Science after failing to win the support of more than 90 per
cent of Perbio's investors.
A new report from Datamonitor predicts the end of the
pharmaceutical industry's blockbuster product model, pointing to a
dramatic shortfall in growth rates for billion dollar-plus products
out to 2008.
US antisense specialist Genta has agreed to acquire Salus
Therapeutics, a specialist in small interfering RNA, for up to $30
million in cash and stock. The terms of the agreement call for
Genta to issue $13 million in stock at closing.
A fluorescence imaging technology developed by Siemens promises to
improve the in vivo imaging of molecular processes in drug
discovery and disease research
Abingworth Management, a UK venture capital group, has raised a
$350 million investment vehicle in a move that lends further weight
to suggestions that the funding crisis hitting the biotechnology
sector may be nearing its end.
