• Affymetrix Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., said Baylor College of Medicine in Houston obtained a nonexclusive, worldwide license to a number of Affymetrix patents covering comparative genomic hybridization microarray services in clinical laboratory improvement amendments environments. Baylor said the technology will be used to identify specific genetic abnormalities in children who have developmental disabilities with previously unknown causes. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Ambrilia Biopharma Inc., of Montreal, formed distribution partnerships for the sales and marketing in Europe of its improved sustained-release formulation of Octreotide to treat acromegaly. No financial terms were disclosed. Archimedes Pharma Ltd., of Reading, UK, will distribute Octreotide in the UK; Athens-based Gerolymatos will distribute in Greece, Turkey and other export countries; Pharmis, of Cascais, Portugal, will distribute in Portugal and Brazil; and Kwidza Pharma GmbH will distribute in Austria. Ambrilia will market and supply the product. Completion of clinical studies should occur in the second half of 2007, and the company would file for European approval shortly thereafter.

• Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., of Carlsbad, Calif., received a $1 million milestone payment from Merck & Co. Inc. of Whitehouse Station, N.J., for initiating clinical trials of a compound that initially was discovered as part of a funded research collaboration between Merck and Isis scientists.

• Maxygen Inc., of Redwood City, Calif., expanded the scope of exclusive licenses previously granted to Codexis Inc., also of Redwood City, to Molecular Breeding directed evolution platform for certain applications relating to energy, including biofuels. Maxygen will receive an undisclosed percentage of revenues received by Codexis for the sale of energy products and the use of processes in the energy field. Maxygen established Codexis in 2003 as a spinout company.

• Sanguine Corp., of Pasadena, Calif., said it met with the FDA to discuss a regulatory path for PHER-O2, its oxygen-carrying synthetic substitute for human red blood cells and other areas requiring oxygen perfusion. Sanguine said its plan is to use PHER-O2 in conjunction with other transplantation transport materials to provide an oxygenated environment to aid in the longevity of whole organs. The company believes the product is suited for whole organ (pancreas and kidney) preservation for transplantation.

• Semafore Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Indianapolis, received a $996,380 grant from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation for a Phase I trial evaluating the company's P12K inhibitor SF1126 in multiple myeloma. It marks the second recent award to Semafore, which received a grant from the Cancer Treatment Research Foundation last week to help fund a Phase I trial of SF1126 in solid cancers. Both Phase I trials are expected to begin in 2007.

• Wex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia, said following the resumption of the clinical development of Tectin, the company had a preclinical trial application meeting with Health Canada to agree upon the study methodology of the new randomized, double-blind controlled trial in patients with inadequately controlled moderate to severe cancer-related pain. The company said the design is simpler than a previous study, WEX-014, and requires fewer subjects.