• Lycera Corp., of Ann Arbor, Mich., said it reached the first milestone under its research collaboration with Merck & Co. Inc., of Whitehouse Station, N.J., triggering an undisclosed milestone payment. The collaboration is focused on developing drug candidates that target T-helper 17 (Th17) cells, key mediators of inflammation, to treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis. (See BioWorld Today, March 4, 2011.)