Ciphergen in liver disease pact with UTMB

Ciphergen Biosystems (Fremont, California) reported signing a research and collaboration agreement related to testing for liver disease with the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB).

The aim of the Ciphergen/UTMB collaboration is to develop a blood test that can measure the progress of liver disease and reduce the need for painful and costly biopsies of the liver in hepatitis C patients.

Ciphergen will provide its suite of proteomic solutions – Deep Proteome, Pattern Track Process and ProteinChip System – designed for biomarker discovery and development of assays to analyze clinical samples collected at UTMB. The collaboration gives Ciphergen first option to negotiate an exclusive license to discoveries made during the agreement and will be part of UTMB’s ongoing research in liver disease.

Strategic Diagnostics fails to meet filing deadline

Strategic Diagnostics (Newark, Delaware), a provider of biotechnology-based detection solutions for a broad range of food, water, agricultural, industrial, environmental and scientific applications, said that the company will not file its Form 10-Q for the period ended Sept. 30, 2005 by Nov. 21, 2005, the last day of the extended filing period for the Form 10-Q.

As previously reported, the company obtained the extension in order to continue its evaluation of how to alter its policy regarding revenue recognition for certain custom antibody arrangements and the methodology to adopt for such alterations in response to comments from the staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company said it is discussing the matter with the SEC but will not reach a resolution in time to file the Form 10-Q on time.