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Bioworld International
Bioworld International
Roundtable on Innate Immunity: A Lot Done, a Lot More to Do
PARIS – Despite managing to put together a star-studded lineup for a roundtable on innate immunity, which included two current Nobel prizewinners, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMS) and Innate Pharma SA found their best-laid plans were upstaged Tuesday by the French presidential inauguration at the Elysée Palace.
Innovacell Taps Shareholders to Raise $10.7M for Phase III
LONDON – Innovacell Biotechnologie AG raised €8.3 million (US$10.7 million) from existing shareholders as it began a Phase III study of ICES13, its autologous cell therapy for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence.
Vitamin K2 Provides Clue to Cause of Parkinson's Disease
LONDON – It may be possible to correct a defect in mitochondria that occurs in many cases of Parkinson's disease with the help of a humble vitamin, researchers in Belgium have discovered.
Mologen Shares Rise on Cancer Immunotherapy Phase II Data
Shares in Mologen AG jumped 17 percent to a 52-week high Monday on news that the company's DNA-based cancer immunotherapy, MGN1703, hit the primary endpoint, a prolongation of progression-free survival (PFS), in a Phase II trial in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC).
New Leadership, New Location; F-Star Gearing up for IND Filing
LONDON – F-Star GmbH named a new management team and is concentrating all its research and operational activities in Cambridge, UK, as it prepares to move the first product based on its novel bi-specific antibody technology into clinical development.
Hatchtech Adds $7.8M, Preps for Phase III Trial of DeOvo
LONDON – HatchTech Pty. Ltd. raised A$7.8 million (US$7.8 million) from existing investors, enabling it to push DeOvo, a metalloproteinase inhibitor for treating head lice, into a Phase III U.S. trial.
Immunocore Technology Rouses All T-Cell Comers Against Tumor
Researchers at British biotechnology firm Immunocore Ltd., with academic colleagues, have come up with a method to break T-cell tolerance to cancer cells and target tumor-specific proteins, even when those proteins are expressed at very low levels.
GSK Takes Its $2.6B Offer for HGS to the Shareholders
GlaxoSmithKline plc's $2.6 billion acquisition offer for Rockville, Md.-based Human Genome Sciences Inc. (HGS) turned hostile recently when GSK announced that it would not participate in a strategic alternatives review process with HGS, and that it would instead commence its tender offer for all outstanding shares for $13 per share in cash, which it first put forward April 11.
Other News To Note
• BioAlliance Pharma SA, of Paris, said it started its Phase III ReLive trial testing Livatag (doxorubicin Transdrug) in nearly 400 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, who are resistant or intolerant to Nexavar (sorafenib, Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Bayer AG).
Other News To Note
• China Shenghuo Pharmaceutical Holdings Inc., of Kunming, China, said it received a deficiency letter from the NYSE Amex LLC stating that the firm resolved the continued listing referenced in a Sept. 22, 2010, letter.