• Ablitech Inc., of Hattiesburg, Miss., said it received a $2 million grant from the Department of Defense to develop treatments for heterotropic ossification, a random and painful bone growth that occurs after severe trauma such as amputation or concussion. Ablitech's technology, Versadel, will be used to deliver gene silencing (siRNA) that can selectively turn off unwanted cell growth. The company will be working in cooperation with the Army's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center.

• Affiris AG, of Vienna, Austria, received $1.5 million from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for a Phase I study of Affitope PD01, a Parkinson's disease vaccine that's designed to work by targeting and removing the alpha-synuclein protein. Preclinical studies showed that the PD01 vaccine was able to stimulate the body's immune system to produce antibodies that bind to the protein alpha-synuclein, clearing it from the brain and slowing disease progression.

• Compugen Ltd., of Tel Aviv, Israel, said the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation will provide a grant to scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Dorothy P. and Richard P. Simmons Center for Interstitial Lung Disease to evaluate independently the therapeutic potential of CGEN-25009 as a treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. CGEN-25009 is a peptide agonist of the relaxin receptor and was discovered using Compugen's GPCR peptide ligand discovery platform.

• DeCode Genetics Inc., of Reykjavik, Iceland, said it inked a research collaboration with Pfizer Inc., of New York, to discover sequence variants associated with specific clinical phenotypes related to systemic lupus erythematosus. Over the next 18 months, DeCode and Pfizer will analyze the genomes of patients to search for sequence variants that could be useful for understanding drug targets and discovering new ones. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Medicago Inc., of Quebec City, said it completed the first stage of its research collaboration with an undisclosed pharma firm for the development of a non-influenza virus-like particle vaccine candidate, and the partner has indicated its intent to proceed to the second stage. Under the terms of the collaboration, Medicago is applying its transient expression system to develop a vaccine candidate for an undisclosed target in exchange for potential milestone payments.

• OctreoPharm Sciences GmbH, of Berlin, said the European Medicines Agency granted orphan status to its SOMscan for the diagnosis of gastroentero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. That designation would guarantee 10 years of marketing exclusivity in Europe following approval. SOMscan is a Phase I-stage gallium-68-labeled radioactive contrast agent for positron emission tomography, with the potential to detect neuroendocrine tumors.

• PsiOxus Therapeutics Ltd., of London, said it received a translation award from the Wellcome Trust valued at up to £1.8 million (US$2.8 million) to support clinical development of a virus that attacks cancer cells. Clinical trials of ColoAd1, an oncolytic virus that could have potential in treating metastatic disease, are expected to begin in early 2012. PsiOxus will use the funding to conduct a Phase I/II study in metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

• SciClone Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Foster City, Calif., said it reached a proposed settlement regarding consolidated lawsuits naming certain SciClone officers as defendants and a separate shareholder demand that the firm address alleged breaches of fiduciary duties. Under the terms of the proposed settlement, actions against the defendants would be dismissed with prejudice, and the firm agreed to adopt certain corporate governance measures and pay $2.5 million in attorney's fees to counsel for the plaintiffs. The case stemmed from news that the SEC and the Department of Justice were conducting formal investigations regarding a range of matters, including the possibility of violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. (See BioWorld Today, Aug. 16, 2010.)