• Acrongenomics Inc., of Geneva, Molecular Vision Ltd., of London, and Pearson Matthews Ltd., of Surrey, UK, joined forces to design a fully manufacturable, prototype, point-of-care medical diagnostic device to detect kidney and cardiac biomarkers. The basis for the device will be Molecular Vision's technology using organic light emitters and photodetectors, coupled with microfluidics. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Alfacell Corp., of Bloomfield, N.J., said preclinical data showed its Onconase is active against naive and chemo-resistant neuroblastoma cells. The in vitro and in vivo data were published in Cancer Letters. Results showed Onconase, an apoptotic agent based on ribonuclease technology, inhibits neuroblastoma cell growth and induces caspase-independent cell death in neuroblastoma cells independently of P-gp expression or p53 status.

• Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said it initiated investigational new drug application-enabling studies with an RNAi therapeutic clinical candidate that uses technology licensed from Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Carlsbad, Calif. Under their 2004 agreement, Alnylam obtained an exclusive license to double-stranded oligonucleotide therapeutics that mediate RNAi, such as small interfering RNAs, in return for up-front payments and potential milestone and royalty payments.

• Avant Immunotherapeutics Inc., of Needham, Mass., said partner GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, a unit of London-based GlaxoSmithKline plc, filed a marketing application with the FDA for Rotarix vaccine. Rotarix is a two-dose, live attenuated rotavirus vaccine given to children for the prevention of gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus. The product already has been approved in more than 90 countries worldwide, including the European Union. Avant previously sold Paul Royalty Fund II LP an interest in any royalties paid by GSK.

• Biogen Idec Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., announced preliminary results of its modified "Dutch Auction" tender offer that expired Tuesday. Biogen Idec expects to accept for payment 56.43 million shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $53 per share, for a total share repurchase of about $3 billion. Those shares represent about 16.4 percent of the shares outstanding as of Monday. Biogen's stock (NASDAQ:BIIB) gained $1.21 Wednesday to close at $53.57.

• Commonwealth Biotechnologies Inc., of Richmond, Va., said it was approved by the Department of Health and Human Services under the Select Agent Programs of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to carry out work on the pathogenic avian influenza. The approval allows CBI to possess and use the virus within the U.S.

• EpiVax Inc., of Providence, R.I., said it received a $528,313 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. The grant will fund studies to provide proof of principle on a program to re-engineer Factor VIII, which is used to control bleeding in hemophilia. The studies are anticipated to show that a re-engineered FVIII does not cause antibody responses in special strains of mice with humanized immune systems, and in a mouse model of FVIII.

• F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland, said it commenced a cash tender offer for all outstanding shares of Ventana Medical Systems Inc., of Tucson, Ariz., under a proposed acquisition announced earlier this week. Roche is offering $75 per share in cash for Ventana, or about $3 billion. The offer and withdrawal rights are scheduled to expire July 26, unless extended.

• Genzyme Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., said a motion for a preliminary injunction to delay its proposed acquisition of New York-based Bioenvision Inc. has been withdrawn in the Delaware Court of Chancery, leaving no legal challenge to the deal. Genzyme expects to acquire a majority ownership stake in Bioenvision early next week. Genzyme offered last month to buy outstanding shares of Bioenvision at $5.60 per share - or $345 million cash - to consolidate its rights to clofarabine, a purine nucleoside analogue marketed as Evoltra by Bioenvision in Europe for pediatric relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Genzyme markets the product in the U.S. as Clolar. (See BioWorld Today, May 30, 2007.)

• Manhattan Pharmaceuticals Inc., of New York, acquired exclusive North American rights to develop and commercialize Hedrin, a non-insecticide product candidate for the treatment of head lice. The license was granted by Thornton & Ross Ltd., of Huddersfield, UK. The product is approved in Europe and has gained a 40 percent market share there. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

• Migenix Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia, received notice that Schering-Plough Corp., of Kenilworth, N.J., will not enter into a second period of exclusivity to negotiate terms of a license agreement for Migenix's hepatitis C virus product celgosivir (MX-3253). A recent Phase II trial in nonresponders demonstrated clinically significant benefits when celgosivir was added to the standard of care (pegylated interferon plus ribavirin), Migenix said, which now is free to enter other partnering discussions for the alpha-glucosidase I inhibitor. Migenix's stock (TSX:MGI) fell C30 cents Wednesday, or 40 percent, to close at C45 cents.

• Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Emeryville, Calif., and Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Wayne, N.J., submitted a supplemental new drug application with the FDA, seeking approval of Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets for treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer. Nexavar currently is approved in more than 50 countries for the treatment of advanced kidney cancer. The companies also said they are planning a Phase III study of Nexavar in the adjuvant treatment of HCC following the complete removal of early stage liver cancer. The sNDA submission is based on data from the Phase III SHARP trial, which demonstrated that Nexavar extended overall survival by 44 percent in patients with HCC vs. placebo. They filed for European approval earlier this month. (See BioWorld Today, June 5, 2007.)

• Opexa Therapeutics Inc., of The Woodlands, Texas, said studies described the differentiation of adult monocyte-derived stem cells (MDSCs) to generate pancreatic endocrine cell clusters, monocyte-derived islets (MDIs), which express pancreatic specific factors, as well as hormones insulin, glucagons and somatostatin in physiological proportions. Studies also demonstrated that MDIs function in a glucose response manner when transplanted into diabetic animals, and study animals showed a prolonged reduction (greater than 60 days) in blood glucose levels when MIDs were transplanted under the kidney capsule of stz-induced NOD/SCID mice. Data were presented at the International Society for Stem Cell Research meeting in Queensland, Australia.

• Pro-Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Newton, Mass., said it received a notice from the American Stock Exchange, saying AMEX is reviewing the company's eligibility for continued listing. Specifically, the notice said the company does not comply with the minimum $2 million stockholders' equity, and it had losses from continuing operations and/or net losses in two of its last three years. The company intends to submit a plan to regain compliance by July 23.

• ReGen Biologics, of Franklin Lakes, N.J., said it has responded to the FDA's request for additional information regarding the company's December 2006 510(k) pre-market notification for its collagen scaffold device. The company said it believes it now has responded fully to FDA questions.

• Sequenom Inc., of San Diego, and SensiGen LLC, of Ann Arbor, Mich., entered a collaboration to jointly market SensiGen's AttoSense diagnostic tests. SensiGen's methodology uses Sequenom's QGE gene expression technology and MassARRAY system for the detection of certain diseases, including cervical cancer, chronic kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease and lupus. The companies will jointly market tests and systems to commercial reference laboratories worldwide. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• SurModics Inc., of Eden Prairie, Minn., and Merck & Co. Inc., of Whitehouse Station, N.J., entered a deal covering development and commercialization of SurModics' I-vation implant-based sustained delivery system. The deal focuses on TA (triamcinolone acetonide) for diabetic macular edema and other Merck compounds for the treatment of retinal diseases. SurModics gets an up-front licensing fee of $20 million and could get up to $288 million more in fees and development milestones through U.S. and EU regulatory approvals. In addition, Merck will reimburse SurModics for its development activities, and SurModics will be responsible for the manufacture and supply of clinical and commercial products. SurModics also would receive royalties on product sales.

• Unigene Laboratories Inc., of Fairfield, N.J., and Yale University presented animal data demonstrating the ability to strengthen bone by a minimally invasive surgical procedure followed by the administration of parathyroid hormone. A poster titled "Rapid Site-Specific Bone Growth by a Combination of Bone Marrow Ablation and Anabolic Therapy" was presented at the meeting of the International Bone and Mineral Society in Montreal.

• ViroPharma Inc., of Exton, Pa., said the FDA granted fast-track designation to HCV-796 for the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection. HCV-796 is an orally dosed non-nucleoside HCV polymerase inhibitor designed to interfere with the replication of the virus. It is in Phase II trials, and being co-developed with Wyeth, of Madison, N.J.