Scientists at Miles Research Center and their collaborators have retracted their transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease because other researchers have found amyloid-like deposits in non-transgenic mice of similar breeding backgrounds. It is the second mouse model of the disease to be withdrawn this month. Writing today in Science, Johns Hopkins researchers in Baltimore described granules that appear in the brains of non- transgenic mice of the C57BL/6 strain as they age. In an
The U.S. government is seeking to patent any human protein- encoding gene that includes the brain DNA sequences recently discovered by government scientists, according to the controversial patent application by the National Institutes of Health. The claims also include broad variations of the sequences, including probes, antisense oligonucleotides and vectors containing the gene fragments. The application, filed in February and obtained this week by BioWorld, claims slightly more than 2,400
Metra Biosystems said it has raised an additional $2.4 million in its second round of venture financing, bringing the total raised to $8.4 million. New investors in the second round are Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Metra's employees. All the original investors from the current round also participated, including Alpha Partners, Aperture Associates, Asset Management Co., Delphi BioVentures and Institutional Venture Partners. The Palo Alto, Calif., company was founded in 1989 to develop
Synthecell Corp. announced that it plans to acquire Vega Biotechnologies Inc. in a two-stage deal that will combine the companies' biomolecule manufacturing programs. Privately held Synthecell has purchased 5.1 million shares of Vega common stock, 65 percent of shares outstanding, for $500,000. If certain conditions are met, Vega will acquire on May 1 Synthecell's biomolecule program in exchange for 27 million shares of Vega stock valued at $13.5 million. When the deal is completed
DNA Plant Technology Corp. on Wednesday said it will bring its tissue culture-selected tomatoes to market by 1993, and has licensed from the USDA a gene-altering technology that it will use in genetically engineered tomatos that could reach supermarkets two years later. The Cinnaminson, N.J., company (NASDAQ:DNAP) had been developing a fresh market tomato for Campbell Soup Co. under an agreement that gave each company the right to develop the product. The soup manufacturer has not exercised
Ecogen Inc. said Wednesday that it has acquired the nematode bioinsecticide business of Bioenterprises Pty Ltd. for an undisclosed amount of cash and stock. Bioenterprises of Glenorchy, Australia, has commercialized one nematode product, its Otinem bioinsecticide. Sales figures weren't disclosed. "We're looking to broaden the business base and feel there's a nice synergy between our Bacillus thuringiensis products for foliar insects and the nematodes for soil," said John McIntyre, vice
Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. has exclusively licensed Vical Inc.'s cationic lipids to use for delivery of antisense molecules. Isis (NASDAQ:ISIP) will pay royalties to the privately held gene therapy company, but other terms were not disclosed. Isis scientists have published on the ability of lipids similar to Vical's proprietary compounds to enhance the activity of antisense oligonucleotides in mammalian cells. The cationic lipids are "much simpler" delivery vehicles than liposomes or liposomal
Anergen Inc. released data on Wednesday that showed success of its selective T cell therapy in an animal model of the muscle disease myasthenia gravis. At the Keystone Symposium on Molecular and Cellular Biology in Taos, N.M., company scientists described their injection of rats with the receptor for the nerve messenger acetylcholine, a manipulation that created a syndrome of muscle weakness similar to myasthenia gravis. The injected rats subsequently responded to treatment with the company's
TheraTech Inc. said Wednesday that it has filed for an initial public offering of 2 million shares of common stock with a proposed price of $11 to $12.50 per share. The developer of drug delivery products said proceeds will be used to fund R&D, build manufacturing facilities and for working capital and general corporate purposes. The Salt Lake City company has six products in clinical development. Most advanced is its testosterone transdermal patch, which is in Phase III trials for male
Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc. today was to announce that its scientists have designed an enzyme inhibitor that has shown anti-tumor activity in animal studies. The compound, AG-331, is a new inhibitor of thymidylate synthase. TS is a building block of DNA that is responsible for the rapid proliferation of cells. Using protein structure-based drug design, the researchers created a synthetic chemical compound that selectively inactivates TS by blocking a functionally important cavity on the
EuroCetus B.V. has received approval in Denmark to market Cardioxane, an adjunct therapy for use against cardiac side effects induced by anthracycline chemotherapeutics, the company said Tuesday. This is the second European approval, following Italian approval in February. Anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity is relatively common. Doxorubicin and epirubicin, the most commonly prescribed anthracyclines, are widely used against cancers. As many as 2,000 patients receive anthracycline treatment in
WASHINGTON -- The National Institutes of Health has made public its controversial application for patent protection for fragments of DNA discovered by government scientists. Reid Adler, director of NIH's Office of Technology Transfer, on Tuesday told BioWorld that he has provided copies of the application to the Industrial Biotechnology Association (IBA), the Association of Biotechnology Companies (ABC) and the American Intellectual Property Law Association. The associations have made the
Two biotech companies ranked in the top 10 of initial public offerings by NASDAQ companies that flooded the market in the first two months of the year, according to data released Tuesday by the exchange. Sphinx Pharmaceuticals Corp. (SPHX) raised $75 million to place eighth and Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD) collected $70 million to place ninth. Sphinx, a developer of drugs based on lipid second messengers, and antisense developer Gilead fell far behind leader TNT Freightways, an express courier
Genzyme Corp. has signed an agreement with Karlshamns LipidTeknik AB of Sweden under which Genzyme will market LipidTeknik's natural phospholipid product line to the pharmaceutical sector. The companies will share equally in the profits. Phospholipids are naturally occurring materials and are the major structural components of cell membranes. In aqueous solution, phospholipids naturally arrange themselves into spherical liposomes, which have a central aqueous core. The agreement with
Interferon Sciences Inc. has published data showing that its gel formulation of recombinant alpha interferon speeded the cessation of herpes virus shedding. The company-sponsored multicenter study compared a placebo with the topical treatment of recurrent genital herpes in 387 patients. According to the New Brunswick, N.J., company, the therapy caused a 25 percent decrease in the duration of viral shedding in men and 36 percent in women. The condition is thought to be most contagious during the
Biosys said Tuesday that it has raised $31.2 million in its initial public offering of 2.6 million shares of common stock at $12 per share. The price and number of shares fell within ranges anticipated in the preliminary prospectus. The developer of nematode-based biopesticides sells seven products and had 1991 revenues of $1.1 million and losses of $5.2 million, or $1.06 per share. Nematodes are microorganisms that kill harmful soil-inhabiting insects. Shares of the Palo Alto, Calif., company
CoCensys Inc. announced on Tuesday that it has started in London Phase I/II trials of CCD1045, a compound for inducing sleep. CCD1045 is a member of the Epalon family of naturally occurring metabolites of the hormone progesterone. CoCensys is developing a range of applications based on the Epalon compounds, according to Robert McNeil, chairman of the privately held company. The insomnia indication is the first application to go to the clinic. The Irvine, Calif., company estimates the annual U
Immunomedics Inc. on Monday said it will begin tests of its ImmuRAID-LL2 imaging agent in AIDS patients. Phase I/II clinical data of the lymphoma imaging agent showed that 88 percent of the lymphoma tumors were detected in eight patients, the company last week told the International Conference on Monoclonal Antibody Immunoconjugates for Cancer in San Diego. An HIV-positive patient with lymphoma also showed antibody targeting, encouraging the company to begin trials of the agent as a therapeutic
Recurring rumors that Xoma Corp. might be acquired by one of its marketing partners boosted the company's stock Monday, but several analysts expressed skepticism at the prospect. Xoma shares (NASDAQ:XOMA) rose $1.25 to $23.50 on reports that part or all of the Berkeley, Calif., company might be bought by Pfizer Inc. or Johnson & Johnson. Pfizer is Xoma's marketing partner for its E5 monoclonal antibody to treat gram-negative sepsis. J&J has rights to market CD5 Plus to treat graft-vs.-host
Kanebo Ltd. of Japan has obtained an exclusive license from Protein Design Labs Inc. to market SMART M195 humanized monoclonal antibody in Asia, the companies announced on Monday. M195 is a therapeutic product that attaches to myeloid leukemia cells and can be used with or without radioisotopes. PDL (NASDAQ:PDLI) plans to begin clinical trials of M195 as a therapy for myeloid leukemia this year, according to its president, Laurence Korn. The disease afflicts 15,000 patients a year in the United
Scientists at Miles Research Center and their collaborators have retracted their transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease because other researchers have found amyloid-like deposits in non-transgenic mice of similar breeding backgrounds. It is the second mouse model of the disease to be withdrawn this month. Writing today in Science, Johns Hopkins researchers in Baltimore described granules that appear in the brains of non- transgenic mice of the C57BL/6 strain as they age. In an