In other news, Cellectis signed an exclusive license agreement with the University of Minnesota that grants Cellectis the worldwide right to use inventions related to TAL effector-mediated DNA recognition and cleavage, an approach for the targeted modification of genomes

In exchange, Genentech gained access to a number of targets. (See BioWorld Today, Aug. 4, 2010.) And in December 2009, Seagen closed its $402 million deal with GlaxoSmithKline and a deal with Astellas Pharma Inc., an affiliate of Agensys Inc., for $12 million up front with $350 million in milestones...Immutep SA, of Orsay, France, announced a license agreement granting GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) exclusive worldwide rights to ImmuTuneIMP731 and any other antibodies that deplete LAG-3 positive cells

to review its strategic altertnatives with respect to Prosidion Ltd., which it acquired with OSI Pharmaceuticals in June of 2010...Resolvyx Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., and Celtic Therapeutics Holdings LP, of New York, entered a final agreement under which Celtic has acquired and licensed worldwide rights related to RX-10045, a late-stage program in dry eye syndrome and other ophthalmic indications

Acceleron Pharma Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., announced it has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the Muscular Dystrophy Association to support clinical studies of ACE-031 in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, a disabling neuromuscular disease in which patients experience a progressive loss of muscle mass and strength...to research and develop small-molecule modulators of an undisclosed GPCR target...Ramius V&O Acquisition LLC and affiliates of Royalty Pharma, of New York, completed a cash tender offer

In exchange, Genentech gained access to a number of targets. (See BioWorld Today, Aug. 4, 2010.) And in December 2009, Seagen closed its $402 million deal with GlaxoSmithKline and a deal with Astellas Pharma Inc., an affiliate of Agensys Inc., for $12 million up front with $350 million in milestones...Immutep SA, of Orsay, France, announced a license agreement granting GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) exclusive worldwide rights to ImmuTuneIMP731 and any other antibodies that deplete LAG-3 positive cells

An April 2009 collaboration and license agreement provides Merck Sharp and Dohme Corp. (formerly known as Merck & Co. Inc.) with exclusive global rights to vernakalant oral formulation for the maintenance of normal heart rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation and provides another Merck affiliate, Merck Sharp & Dohme (Switzerland) GmbH, with exclusive rights outside of the U.S., Canada and Mexico to vernakalant IV formulation for rapid conversion of recent onset atrial fibrillation to sinus

to receive full control and interest in the drug in exchange for debt forgiveness and royalty payments (11/30) Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ISIS) Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc.* (Canada) Deal to discover and develop antisense drugs to treat the common disease anemia of inflammation Isis will get an undisclosed up-front payment in the form of a convertible promissory note from Xenon to discover and develop antisense drugs to the targets hemojuvelin and hepcidin (11/17) Isotechnika Pharma Inc

Clavis Pharma ASA, of Oslo, Norway, said the FDA granted fast-track status to elacytarabine, which is in Phase III trials for late-stage acute myeloid leukemia...Under the terms, Phylogica will receive an up-front payment of $500,000 and is eligible to receive a commercial license payment, plus preclinical, clinical and other milestone payments of up to $134 million, as well as royalties on any product sales

Zealand Pharma AS, of Copenhagen, Denmark, received a €500,000 (US$662,055) milestone payment from Helsinn Healthcare SA, of Lugano, Switzerland, as part of the firms' November 2008 license agreement to develop ZP1846, potent and selective glucagon-like-peptide-2 analogue, as a treatment for chemotherapy-induced diarrhea

Zealand Pharma AS, of Copenhagen, Denmark, received a €500,000 (US$662,055) milestone payment from Helsinn Healthcare SA, of Lugano, Switzerland, as part of the firms' November 2008 license agreement to develop ZP1846, potent and selective glucagon-like-peptide-2 analog, as a treatment for chemotherapy-induced diarrhea

In January 2010, the companies announced a research collaboration and license agreement worth up to $1.4 billion for the research, development and commercialization of DsiRNA pharmaceuticals and drug delivery systems for therapeutic targets in oncology...Otherwise, the license leaves Stellar free to commercialize the technology, exclusively, in all other fields, according to Stellar

KGaA, of Bad Homburg, Germany, to create renal pharmaceutical company Vifor-Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma Ltd...Merrion Pharmaceuticals plc, of Dublin, Ireland, signed a deal with an undisclosed pharmaceutical company to evaluate whether Merrion's GIPET drug delivery technology can boost the bioavailability of three of the pharma's drugs...Following the feasibility study, the pharma will have an option to license the technology

BioAlliance Pharma SA, of Paris, said preliminary Phase I results showed satisfactory safety and a well-accepted electrotransfer technology in the first patients treated with AMEP biotherapy, which is designed to target integrins and is in development for metastatic melanoma...Innate Pharma SA, of Marseilles, France, started patient inclusion in a Phase II trial of IPH 2101, an anti-KIR monoclonal antibody potentiating the antitumor activity of NK cells...Verona Pharma plc, of London, started a higher

to Resolvyx's RX-10045 for dry-eye syndrome and other ophthalmic conditions Celtic has an exclusive option to acquire and license rights to RX-10045 in all eye indications (10/27) Cypress Bioscience Inc. (CYPB) Exagen Diagnostics Inc.* Asset purchase deal for Exagen to acquire Cypress' diagnostic business for up to $8M in up-front and milestone payments Additional payments will come in the form of a 10% royalty on sales (10/12) ERYtech Pharma* (France) Genzyme Corp. (GENZ

Under the terms, Isis will get an undisclosed up-front payment in the form of a convertible promissory note from Xenon to discover and develop antisense drugs to the targets hemojuvelin and hepcidin...and other regions outside of Canada, Israel, South Africa, Europe, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong

Action Pharma A/S, of Aarhus, Denmark, initiated Phase IIb trials of its investigational drug AP214 by administering the first dose to a patient...Antisense Pharma GmbH, of Regensburg, Germany, reported data from a Phase IIb trial showing that trabedersen (AP 12009), a phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotide designed to down-regulate transforming growth factor-beta 2, was effective in anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM...Baxter continues to be the licensee for a number of other

Apeiron also plans to explore additional systemic routes of administration for SOD...MorphoSys AG, of Martinsried, Germany, said its research and diagnostic antibodies unit AbD Serotec signed a license agreement with the Institute of Cancer Research of London providing the company with worldwide exclusive rights to commercialize a Bromodeoxyuridine antibody clone for research applications...The board agreed to keep the offer confidential until it can be reviewed

In other news, AbD Serotec, a research unit of MorphoSys, signed a two-year contract to supply custom monoclonal antibodies to the Research Councils UK Shared Services Centre Ltd

to develop a therapeutic enzyme formulation for Genzyme disease indications using technology developed by ERYtech...to develop a companion diagnostic for Vasopressin and similar drugs...Vivalis, of Nantes, France, said the Kitasato Institute signed a research license agreement to evaluate the replication of an undisclosed virus in Vivalis' EB66 cell line for the manufacturing of human vaccines