The preliminary clinical trial data on Immunex's (NASDAQ:IMNX) combination cytokine PIXY321 therapy for ameliorating the cytopenias caused by cancer chemotherapy indicate that it is able to cause an increase in the number of white blood cells and in the platelet count. The data were reported at an Immunex-sponsored satellite symposium to the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Anaheim, Calif. PIXY321 is a fusion protein consisting of the full-length coding regions of
A bispecific antibody that binds to HIV and directs it to the Fc receptor on monocytes is able to significantly reduce HIV's infection of healthy T cells. Researcher Alexandra Howell of Dartmouth Medical School reported these in vitro results Tuesday at the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Anaheim, Calif. The bispecific antibody consisted of an antibody to gp120 linked to the trigger antibody developed by Medarex Inc. (NASDAQ:MEDX) of Princeton, N.J., which targets
LifeCell Corp. announced that it expects to raise about $3.5 million in a redemption of all its outstanding common stock purchase warrants for 50 cents per warrant. According to LifeCell spokesman Anthony Brown, the company's outstanding stock is held in two parts: 1,020,524 units of common stock and 2,804,000 of class 1 stock that are in currently in lock-up and will convert into common stock as of Feb. 27, 1994. The company has set a redemption date of Dec. 31. Each two warrants represent
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Tuesday that it received U.S. patent No. 5,169,764 covering genes encoding novel second-generation neurotrophic factors. The patent, for a technology the company developed itself, is the first awarded to Regeneron, according to Fredric Price, vice president of finance and administration and chief financial officer. The second-generation neurotrophic factor genes patented by Regeneron can be used to make novel "designer" molecules containing portions of more
Advanced Tissue Sciences announced Monday at the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in Anaheim, Calif., that it has acquired exclusive worldwide rights to stem cell proliferation factor (SCPF) from the University of Florida Research Foundation Inc. Data on SCPF, a novel growth factor that stimulates the growth of hematopoietic stem cells, the cells responsible for repopulating the immune system, was reported at the meeting by researchers from the University of
Interim Phase I clinical trial data reported Monday at the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Anaheim, Calif., indicate that the blood-clotting process can be halted immediately, safely and reversibly. Researchers from the University of Alabama, Birmingham, and Corvas International Inc. of San Diego, reported that Corsevin M, Corvas' monoclonal antibody that neutralizes blood-clotting Factor VIIa, can safely inhibit blood coagulation in patients with incurable
Genelabs Technologies Inc.'s synthetic anti-thrombotic compound GL522 is effective in inhibiting blood clotting, both in vitro and in vivo. The Redwood City, Calif., company (NASDAQ:GNLB) reported Monday at the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Anaheim, Calif., that, in vitro, GL522 inhibited the generation of key blood coagulation enzymes, thus controlling the cascade of events that lead to clot formation. Jawed Fareed and associates at Loyola University Medical
Idexx Laboratories Inc. announced Monday plans to merge with ETI Corp. in a stock swap worth about $20 million. The two companies have signed a letter of intent for the merger, and John Deckro, Idexx's chief financial officer, said the company hopes to complete the deal by next February. Under the terms of the agreement, ETI's shareholders would receive 700,000 shares of Idexx common stock (NASDAQ:IDXX) when the merger is completed. Idexx's stock closed at $29.75 on Monday, up 25 cents a
Enzon Inc. and Baxter International Inc. have signed an agreement giving Baxter non-exclusive worldwide rights to Enzon's single-chain-antigen-binding (SCA) protein technology, Enzon said Monday. Under the terms of the deal, Enzon will receive certain undisclosed up-front payments and payments based on whether Baxter decides to market SCA-developed products. SCA proteins can identify and attach themselves to specific antigen targets on the surface of cells. Because they are smaller than
CHIRON'S PRESIDENT RESIGNS Chiron Corp. announced Monday that Hollings Renton has resigned as president and chief operating officer, effective July 1, 1993, for personal reasons. Renton will continue his association with Chiron after July 1 on a half-time basis as executive consultant and managing director of the company's Betaseron alliance with Schering AG and its subsidiary, Berlex Laboratories, Chiron said. Renton has been in his current position since 1991, and prior to its merger with
Chemotherapy-resistant cancer patients who have one of three lymphomas -- Hodgkin's disease, cutaneous T cell lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma -- may benefit most from a therapeutic regimen that targets cell-surface IL-2 receptors, reported Thasia Woodworth, vice president for clinical affairs at Seragen Inc., on Monday at the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Anaheim, Calif. Apparently, malignant cells from these patients contain a large number of cell-surface IL
The first expanded Phase II clinical trial of experimental prophylactic AIDS vaccines in high-risk subjects has begun at five U.S. test sites. The trials, which the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced last week, will test the safety and immune-stimulating ability of two genetically engineered gp120 vaccine candidates, from Genentech Inc. (NYSE:GNE) of South San Francisco, Calif., and Biocine Co. of Emeryville, Calif., a joint venture between Chiron Corp
ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corp. announced that it has received an exclusive license to a patent on house dust mite allergens from the Western Australia Research Institute for Child Health Ltd. in Perth. The compounds covered by the patent will fit into ImmuLogic's Allervax family of products to treat allergy and autoimmune diseases. The Cambridge, Mass., company's (NASDAQ:IMUL) core technology involves "redirecting the immune system's response to allergens." In essence, the company has found
BETHESDA, Md. -- The NIH's Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) on Friday unanimously approved a third protocol on gene therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF), this one sponsored by Genzyme Corp. (NASDAQ:GENZ) of Cambridge, Mass., and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at University of Iowa Medical School. The principal investigator is Iowa's Michael Welsh. RAC approved two other CF gene therapy protocols last Thursday, one headed by Ronald Crystal of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Published Nov. 11 & 19 (EPO) & Nov. 12 (WO) BioWorldLs weekly European patent preview lists in alphabetical order by assignee, and briefly summarizes, all salient biotechnology patent applications as they are made public in Europe. European patent offices publish full texts of patent applications worldwide within six months of their filing, and months to years before the corresponding U.S. patent issues. Two organizations and Great Britain (GB) comprise the European system: -- The European
PerSeptive Biosystems Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., named Charles W. Miller Jr. senior vice president of operations and technology. He was senior vice president and general manager of U.S. operations at Sepracor Inc. Roderick N. Stacey, a member of Calgene Inc.'s board of directors, was named president and chief operating officer of the Davis, Calif., company. Cephalon Inc. of West Chester, Pa., named David Brigden director of medical affairs, Europe. He was director of clinical development at
Taxotere, a semisynthetic compound structurally related to the cancer treatment taxol, has been isolated from a renewable source, needles from the Pacific yew tree. Taxol has been hailed by some as the most important new cancer drug in 15 years, but the only natural source of taxol is the bark of the yew tree. Taxotere, on the other hand, is the product of a process developed by Rhone-Poulenc for the partial synthesis of taxol molecules, according to Martin Raber of the University of Texas M.D
With the arrival recently of structural immunologist Roberto J. Poljak from the Pasteur Institute in Paris as its new director, the Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology (CARB) is solidifying its position as a world leader in exploring the structure and function of proteins. CARB, located about 10 miles north of the National Institutes of Health in the hub of the Montgomery County, Md., biotechnology industry, is part of the Maryland Biotechnology Institute. "Its basic research
Deep-breathing mice in the laboratory of Robert Debs promise the breath of life -- literally -- to cystic fibrosis victims. The animals inhaled the human gene for cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), a mutation of which causes the disease. The healthy DNA sequence reached the rodents' lungs in a plasmid complexed to a liposome microcarrier about 100 nanometers (millionths of a millimeter) in diameter. Debs suspended the whole expression package in an aerosol mist and blew
Emisphere Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:EMIS) of Hawthorne, N.Y., announced Thursday that it will receive an interim payment from Sandoz Pharma Ltd. to continue studies to determine the feasibility of Emisphere's proprietary oral drug delivery system (ODS) in the administration of an injectable product from Sandoz. (c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.
The preliminary clinical trial data on Immunex's (NASDAQ:IMNX) combination cytokine PIXY321 therapy for ameliorating the cytopenias caused by cancer chemotherapy indicate that it is able to cause an increase in the number of white blood cells and in the platelet count. The data were reported at an Immunex-sponsored satellite symposium to the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in Anaheim, Calif. PIXY321 is a fusion protein consisting of the full-length coding regions of