* ESCAgenetics Corp., of San Carlos, Calif., has been deleted fromthe American Stock Exchange for failure to meet financial andoperational guidelines. ESCAgenetics now is being traded on theElectronic Bulletin Board under the symbol, ESNG.

* Vical Inc., of San Diego, said Phase I/II trials of its anti-cancerdrug, Allovectin-7, showed it was safe and that the productsuccessfully transferred to tumor lesions a gene that encodes amismatched transplantation antigen, HLA-B7. The treatment isdesigned to trigger an immune system attack against the foreignantigen and destroy the tumor cells. Vical said the data revealed"measurable tumor shrinkage" in a portion of the patients withadvanced melanoma. Forty patients with colorectal and renal cancers,in addition to melanoma, participated in the studies.

* British Biotech plc., of Oxford, England, said data from Phase Itrials of its oral cancer drug, BB-2516, revealed it was safe and wasabsorbed into the blood streams of healthy volunteers. The compoundis a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor. Efficacy studies are plannedfor patients with ovarian, colorectal, prostate, pancreatic and lungcancers.

* ImClone Systems Inc., of New York, said preclinical studies of itsanti-flk-1 monoclonal antibody, DC101, showed the drug suppressedthe growth of human gliobastomal tumors in an animal model.DC101 targets angiogenesis by blocking the receptor flk-1 found onthe vascular endothelial cells of tumors. Activation of flk-1 byvascular endothelial growth factor is believed to stimulatedevelopment of blood vessels needed for tumor growth.

* ImmunoGen Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., and Oxford MolecularGroup, of Oxford, England, cross-licensed rights to technologiesinvolved in humanized monoclonal antibodies. The deal givesImmunoGen access to Oxford Molecular's antibody computermodeling software and Oxford Molecular received rights toImmunoGen's "resurfacing" method of creating humanizedmonoclonal antibodies.

* SmithKline Beecham Corp., of Philadelphia, said it received itsfirst marketing approval of Infanrix in Germany for primaryvaccination. Infanrix is a combined diphtheria, tetanus and acellularpertussis vaccine. It differs from other diphtheria, tetanus andpertussis vaccines in that it is not based on whole-cell pertussis,which has been associated with adverse side effects.

(c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.