Celera Genomics, of Rockville, Md., and Gemini Research Limited, of Cambridge, England, entered a collaboration to discover genes and genetic polymorphisms associated with common, chronic, age-related diseases. Both parties will jointly nominate traits and loci for research, and they will jointly own the results. They will share in revenues, milestone payments from future partners, and royalties.
Celgene Corp., of Warren, N.J., found that use of Thalomid (thalidomide) to treat multiple myeloma reduced tumor burden by more than 50 percent in 30 percent of patients undergoing therapy in a 20-patient Phase II trial. All responders displayed some evidence of therapeutic benefit at 28 days, with continued responses at four-to-six months.
GPC AG, of Munich, Germany, and Novalon Pharmaceutical Corp., of Durham, N.C., are collaborating for the development of a new generation of broad-spectrum antibiotics, based on a novel class of genomics-derived targets. GPC will provide Novalon with antibacterial targets, and Novalon will develop screening assays to screen small- molecule compound libraries and identify lead compounds. The companies will carry the program through preclinical development, then identify a pharmaceutical partner for clinical development.
Immunomedics Inc., of Morris Plains, N.J., was awarded four research grants totaling $1.07 million from the National Institutes of Health to support Phase I and II research on the development of novel technologies for cancer therapy. About $750,000 will go toward the development of a therapeutic for metastatic breast cancer. The company is also benefiting from a $1.3 million National Cancer Institute grant to the Garden State Cancer Center in Belleville, N.J., for study of the company's 90-Y-labeled LymphoCide product for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients.
LifeTime Pharmaceuticals, of Silver Springs, Md., said clinical data on its lead compound, Beta LT (beta-alethine), were presented at the International Myeloma Foundation Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden. Results indicated the drug increased tumor necrosis factor on the surface of patients' lymphocytes by about 10-fold.