• Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said a study published in Cell Host & Microbe focuses on the role of a host gene, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), in the cause and pathway of malaria parasitic infection. The collaboration was led by scientists at Unidade de Malária in Portugal, and included scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Roche Kulmbach GmbH (formerly Alnylam Europe AG) and Alnylam. In the new research, in vivo studies demonstrated that HO-1 is a critical host factor involved in the liver stage of malaria infection in a mouse model. Results from the studies showed that RNAi therapeutics that silence HO-1 can significantly inhibit the initial liver stage of malaria infection and completely block the resulting transmission of disease to red blood cells.
• Amazon Biotech Inc., of New York, named Eliyahu BenTal Tolchinsky as director and CEO. He previously was with the patent department of Webb & Associates, Mazal Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.
• Celldex Therapeutics, of Phillipsburg, N.J., a wholly owned subsidiary of Avant Immunotherapeutics, received Federal Trade Commission approval under the Hart-Scott Rodino Act, clearing Avant's proposal to award New York-based Pfizer Inc., exclusive rights to CDX-110, an investigational vaccine. In April, Pfizer and Celldex entered into an agreement under which Pfizer would be granted an exclusive worldwide license to CDX-110, currently being evaluated in a Phase II study for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme. The agreement also gives Pfizer exclusive rights to the use of the vaccine to target the tumor-specific EGFR mutant EGFRvIII in other potential indications.
• Critical Therapeutics Inc., of Lexington, Mass., was notified by Nasdaq that the stockholders' equity of $7,126,000, does not comply with the minimum $10 million required for continued listing. The company has until Oct. 20 to regain compliance.
• Dendreon Corp., of Seattle, presented preclinical data demonstrating the potential of D-3263, its orally bioavailable small molecule which targets Trp-p8, to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Study results showed that the BPH-induced prostates expressed significantly higher levels of Trp-p8 compared to the normal prostates. In comparing untreated BPH-induced prostates to those treated with D-3263, treatment with D-3263 resulted in a 39 percent reduction in prostate weight compared to control (p = 0.004). In addition, treatment with D-3263 resulted in a 98 percent reduction (2221.2 pg/ml vs. 43.1 pg/ml) in plasma dihydrotestosterone levels (p = 0.004), suggesting D-3263 is affecting androgen metabolism, which is a known stimulant for BPH and prostate cancer.
• ImmunoCellular Therapeutics Ltd., of Los Angeles, completed proof-of-principle studies that demonstrated efficacy of its cancer stem cell vaccine technology in treating glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, in preclinical animal models. The company plans to submit an investigational new drug application to the FDA later this year to begin a Phase I trial for its cancer stem cell vaccine product, ICT-111, to treat glioblastoma. The vaccine technology also could be applicable for multiple other cancers, the company said.
• Morphotek Inc., of Exton, Pa., a subsidiary of Eisai Corp., signed a cooperative research and development agreement with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for the development of human monoclonal antibodies in infectious disease. Under the terms, Morphotek will apply its Libradoma technology to isolate and initially characterize candidate antibodies, while NAIAD will characterize the antibodies further to identify potential drug candidates.