Cytokine PharmaSciences Inc., of King of Prussia, Pa., received U.S. Patent No. 7,205,107, titled "Macrophage migration inhibitor factor (MIF) promoter polymorphism in inflammatory disease." It, along with previous U.S. Patent No. 6,998,238, expands the company's MIF intellectual property to include MIF diagnostics.

Dyax Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., was issued U.S. Patent No. 7,208,293, which relates to its protein display technology. The patent provides the company with additional claims covering methods for selecting binding proteins, such as antibodies, through the use of eukaryotic cell surface display.

GeneLink Inc., of Jersey City, N.J., received U.S. Patent No. 7,211,383, titled "Kits And Methods For Assessing Skin Health." The Skin Health Assessment is a DNA-based test used to genetically predict an individual's risk for age-associated skin conditions, including premature aging due to excessive oxidative stress, collagen breakdown, photo ageing and the skin's ability to tolerate environmental pollutants.

Genesis Bioventures Inc., of Los Angeles, said it was allowed additional patent protection for Mammastatin, the breast cancer marker exclusively licensed to it for development for breast cancer risk-assessment testing by Genesis and its wholly owned subsidiary, Biomedical Diagnostics LLC.

GenVec Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., was granted U.S. Patent No. 7,214,368, titled "Therapeutic Regimen For Treating Cancer Comprising the Administration Of Adenoviral Vectors Comprising A TNF-alpha Transgene," which covers the method of using TNFerade in combination with radiation to treat solid tumors or soft-tissue sarcoma. The company also received U.S. Patent No. 7,195,896, titled "Deficient Adenoviral Vector and Plasmid with Adenoviral Component." That patent broadens coverage of the methods used to produce GenVec's adenovectors in its 293-ORF6 cell line.

Helix BioPharma Corp., of Aurora, Ontario, was issued U.S. Patent No. 7,211,250, which relates to the method and composition in combining DOS47 with targeting agents in the treatment of cancer. Helix is developing its first DOS47-based cancer drug, L-DOS47, in adenocarcinoma of the lung.

INEX Pharmaceuticals Corp., of Vancouver, British Columbia, and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., received a notice of allowance for a patent covering nucleic acid-lipid compositions, including cationic liposomes designed to enable the delivery of oligonucleotides. That patent is derived from the Wheeler series INEX obtained through a deal with the University of British Columbia and licensed to Alnylam for RNAi therapeutics.

IsoTis Inc., of Irvine, Calif., was awarded U.S. Patent No. 7,205,337, which relates to the company's Reverse Phase Medium carrier technology. The patent covers the use of RPM in combination with various demineralized bone-matrix formulations, such as those based on the company's Accell technology.

Koronis Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Seattle, received a notice of allowance for a patent covering KP-1461, its lead product candidate in HIV. The patent claims related to both use and composition of the drug, an oral, small molecule that uses a mechanism, viral decay acceleration, designed to work by increasing the virus' naturally high mutation rate.

Lifeblood Medical Inc., of Adelphia, N.J., received a notice of allowance for its patent, titled "Composition for Maintaining Organ and Cell Viability." It provides protection for the company's solutions related to the prolonged preservation of organs, tissues and cells.

Nanogen Inc., of San Diego, received four patents related to diabetes and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers. U.S. Patent No. 7,179,610, titled "Complement C3 precursor biopolymer markers indicative of insulin resistance," and U.S. Patent No. 7,132,244, titled "Betaine/GABA transport protein biopolymer marker indicative of insulin resistance," both describe the use of mass spectrometry and techniques to identify biopolymers to be used in the diagnosis or treatment of Syndrome X and Type II diabetes. U.S. Patent No. 7,179,605, titled "Fibronectin precursor biopolymer markers indicative of Alzheimer's disease," and U.S. Patent No. 7,179,606, titled "IG heavy chain, IG kappa, IF lambda biopolymer markers indicative of Alzheimer's disease," relate to the identification of protein biomarkers for AD.