BioMarin said it plans to initiate a Phase II trial in the first quarter of 2002. • Cell Genesys Inc., of Foster City, Calif., said that preclinical studies of CV890, an oncolytic virus engineered to target and destroy liver cancer cells, demonstrated significant synergistic antitumor activity in a mouse model when used in combination with doxorubicin, an agent commonly used in the treatment of liver cancer...Connetics retains rights for the rest of Europe. • GeneLogic Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md

It will invest in emerging early and late-stage biopharmaceutical companies developing therapeutics, platform technologies and tools for accelerating development and approvals. • Advanced Pharma, of Gaithersburg, Md., changed its name to Advancis Pharmaceutical Corp...The company plans to use the UK filing, if approved, for filings in additional European Union countries. • Cell-Matrix Inc., of Los Angeles, said that data confirming the antitumor effects of its lead antibody therapeutic were

Lazar previously held key positions related to intellectual property with Genzyme Corp...Prior to joining MediGene Wamlek was vice director of pharma licensing at Hoffmann-La Roche, where he had global responsibility for licensing and business development in the disease area of the central nervous system, MediGene said

The work will build on previous research indicating components of tenascin-C can promote regeneration of central nervous system nerve fibers, the company said. • Albany Molecular Research Inc., of Albany, N.Y., said it received a $98,466 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) for the development of novel compounds to treat cocaine and other stimulant abuse...to design new products for use in industrial and commercial applications...OraPharma expects

The company’s technology focuses on specific delivery of compounds to angiogenic endothelial cells to treat tumors. • MGI Pharma Inc., of Minneapolis, and MethylGene Inc., of Montreal, began Phase II trials of MG98 in patients with advanced and/or metastatic renal cell carcinoma...The randomized trial is expected to enroll up to 60 patients...The therapeutic vaccine to be developed under the agreement will use Virax’s platform technology, Co-X-Gene in FPV (fowlpox virus) vector

Serono plans to file for Rebif’s regulatory approval in the United States in the third quarter. (See BioWorld Today, June 25, 2001.) • Epimmune Inc., of San Diego, granted Biosite Inc., of San Diego, a nonexclusive license to its Padre R technology...This is the third Padre R license granted by Epimmune this year. • MacroMed Inc., of Sandy, Utah, and Novartis Pharma AG, of Basel, Switzerland, entered a multidrug feasibility agreement giving Novartis access to MacroMed’s proprietary controlled

CETi-1 is designed to raise serum HDL cholesterol levels by blocking the transfer of cholesterol from HDL to low-density lipoprotein. • AVAX Technologies Inc., of Kansas City, Mo., said it submitted its response to the FDA’s written notifications related to the clinical holds on AVAX’s M-Vax and O-Vax autologous cancer vaccine clinical trials...BTG is seeking to license the technology and develop it further...TKT received European Commission approval for the 15 European Union members in early August

HIV-infected individuals’ B cells produce excessive amounts of nonessential antibodies, fail to respond to normal physiologic signals and are at increased risk of becoming cancerous, researchers said. • Novo Nordisk A/S, of Copenhagen, Denmark, said it made an undisclosed equity investment in TransTech Pharma Inc., of High Point, N.C. The companies are working to generate clinical candidates from Novo’s targets...The company plans to launch Saizen for this new indication in several European

According to the shelf registration filing, the company plans to use the proceeds for research and development, as well as general corporate purposes...Vitex expects to post a one-time charge of $9.9 million on the sale, representing the difference between the book value of the assets divested and the transaction value

Bioxel Pharma Inc., of Sainte-Foy, Quebec, said its shares began trading on the Canadian Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol BIP Monday...An IPO is still Degussa’s preferred option for Zentaris, but it also is studying other moves, such as sale to a strategic or financial investor, Degussa said...Reolysin is designed to infect and kill cancer cells with an activated Ras pathway. • Pyrosequencing AB, of Uppsala, Sweden, sold its high-throughput PTP system to Oxagen Ltd., of Abingdon, UK

Bioxel focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing naturally derived taxanes, substances isolated from natural sources. • Cepheid Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., and Environmental Technologies Group Inc., of Baltimore, Md., formed a collaboration to develop biological-agent detection systems for military and other domestic preparedness applications...The method allows researchers to predict the interaction map of a target organism based on the analysis of a similar map determined experimentally

More than 700 patients completed the 12-week trial, which was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multinational, parallel-group study to compare the safety and efficacy of two dose regimens of ranolazine to placebo during continued treatment with one of three other background, anti-anginal medications. • Dynavax Technologies Corp., of Berkeley, Calif., said its proprietary immunostimulatory DNA sequences (ISS) have been shown effective in producing potent immune responses in mice

It can be folded upon itself and inserted into deep wounds. • Organogenesis Inc., of Canton, Mass., said it would sell $10 million in equity to Novartis Pharma AG, of Basel, Switzerland...According to Silicon Genetics, GeNet will allow researchers at Exelixis to share, store and retrieve experimental data and annotated results from gene expression experiments...According to findings published in the current issue of Nucleic Acids Research, this new technology has the potential to revolutionize

The agreement also gives Cypress an option to expand the license to include other indications...Researchers performing SNP analyses will use the software to optimize the selection of individual sequencing primers for Pyrosequencing applications, the company said. • SNY X Pharma Inc., of Toronto, said that the holder of an approximate $3.75 million, 9.8 percent convertible note, issued Oct. 25, 1999, converted the full amount into 551,471 common shares of the company, eliminating all of SNY X’s

He previously served as director and vice president of clinical development and medical affairs at SmithKlineBeecham Pharma, and as director of scientific relations at Merck, Sharpe & Dohme Germany. • LION bioscience AG, of Heidelberg, Germany, entered into an exclusive partnership with BioCat GmbH, of Heidelberg, for distribution of LION’s cDNA clones arrayTAG and the corresponding annotation database arrayBASE in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. • MorphoSys AG and GPC Biotech AG, both of

Pharmacopeia developed a cell-based assay and used its high-throughput screening technology to test compounds against Otsuka targets to identify the compounds. • SYN X Pharma Inc., of Toronto, said the Toronto Stock Exchange approved the listing of SYN X’s common shares...If further analysis of the trial’s data, as well as data from the other pivotal study, are positive, the companies expect to submit a biologics license application to the FDA by year-end or in 2002’s first quarter. (See BioWorld

rights to Zelapar (Zydis selegiline), a fast-dissolving, novel formulation of selegiline tablets, in late-stage development for the treatment of Parkinson’s...Other investors included The Merlin Biosciences Fund LP, Westdeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale and GeneChem Management of Montreal...MarR and other related proteins regulate a series of bacterial functions, including resistance to multiple antibiotics. • Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Tustin, Calif., signed a joint development agreement with

The antibody recognizes and permanently binds to a radioactive carrier or other therapeutically active molecule and forms a permanent chemical bond, which can deliver the maximum amount of therapy directly to a tumor cell, while sparing healthy tissue. • Microbiotix Inc., of Worcester, Mass., received exclusive worldwide rights to license a series of proprietary antiviral compounds from Nissin Food Products Co...It is developing other biopharmaceutical products. • SkyePharma plc, of London

Genopoietic has manufactured the vector for these treatments. • BioErgonomics Inc., of St. Paul, Minn., and Loma Linda University Medical Center entered an agreement granting BioErgonomics an option to acquire an exclusive license to commercialize certain new technology covered under the center’s patent rights for “Iron Regulating Protein–2 as a Diagnostic for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases.” Financial details were not disclosed...They intend to adapt deCode’s genotyping