• Alnylam Biotherapeutics, a division of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said preclinical data showed that siRNAs designed to target a virus known to infect CHO cells, which are commonly used to produce recombinant proteins and monoclonal antibodies, can potently block infection and viral replication.

• Cell Therapeutics Inc., of Seattle, reported that its marketing authorization application (MAA) seeking approval for Pixuvri (pixantrone dimaleate) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) was validated and accepted for review by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). If the MAA is approved, the company expects Pixuvri to receive marketing authorization in European Union member states. Pixantrone was initially granted orphan drug status by the EMA for the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, but based on the expansion of the current MAA to the broader aggressive NHL population, the company has agreed to withdraw the orphan designation from the EU register. (See BioWorld Today, April 12, 2010.)

• ContraFect Corp., of New York, licensed eight patents for antibacterial lysin enzymes from New York's The Rockefeller University. The company will develop the lysin enzymes in combination with monoclonal antibodies as possible drug products for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, group B streptococcus, pneumococcus, enterococcus and anthrax.

• DiscoveRx Corp., of Fremont, Calif., acquired the KINOMEscan kinase screening services division from San Diego-based Ambit Biosciences, which the company said would further strengthen its position in validated GPCR and kinase assays for high-throughput screening and profiling.

• Marina Biotech Inc., of Bothell, Wash., reported that its di-alkylated amino acid (DiLA2)-based delivery platform showed a tenfold improvement in the efficiency of siRNA delivery over previous delivery methods. DiLA2 formulations, in combination with UsiRNA targeting FVII mRNA in liver, inhibited FVII protein activity by 50 percent.

• Mashall Edwards Inc., of San Diego, reported that its mitochondrial inhibitor, NV-128, showed activity against chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer stem cells in vitro. The company said that its compound works by activating the AMPkinase pathway and the MEK/ERK pathway by promoting a state of cellular starvation.

• Stromedix Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., exclusively licensed the rights to a monoclonal antibody to integrin v-β 5 from the University of California. Preclinical results suggested that v-β 5 plays a role in a variety of acute and chronic organ failure settings.

• Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., of Lexington, Mass., announced that the U.S. Department of Defense has recommended STA-9584, a vascular disrupting agent currently in preclinical development at Synta, be funded for approximately $1 million, subject to final negotiations, for study in advanced prostate cancer. The company said the funding will support the development of STA-9584 to clinical development. The drug candidate's characteristics suggest that STA-9584 has the potential to provide a new therapeutic option for treating advanced prostate cancer, the company said.

• Trophos SA, of Marseilles, France, said that data presented by the company and partners in the European Union-funded MitoTarget consortium in four posters at the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Meeting this week in San Diego demonstrated the potential for treating a range of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's and Huntington's by targeting mitochondrial dysfunction and also focused on mechanisms involved in neuronal metabolism and death. MitoTarget is a three-year collaborative project started in February 2009 and is being carried out by an international consortium of 17 partners.

• Vical Inc., of San Diego, entered an evaluation and supply agreement with GenomIdea Inc., a subsidiary of AnGes Mg Inc., of Osaka, Japan, for the development of a DNA vaccine for livestock against pandemic influenza. Vical will provide its H1N1 influenza vaccine know-how, as well as evaluation supplies of its Vaxfection adjuvant. The project is being funded under a grant supported by the Okinawa Industry Promotion Public Corp.