• Acrongenomics Inc., of Athens, Greece, said it has managed to reshape key IVD molecular applications such as PCR, ELISA and Real Time PCR through its Nano-JETA technology platform, by integrating nanotechnology into molecular biology. The company recently conducted a study to validate the Nano-JETA Real Time PCR via the detection of Ep-CAM gene and beta-actin in peripheral blood of patients suffering from breast and colon cancer and to evaluate the technology platform vs. conventional Real Time PCR methodology in regards to stability, sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility.

• Active Biotech AB, of Lund, Sweden, and Avidex Ltd., of Oxford, UK, reported that the CD80 antagonist, RhuDex, for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, entered Phase I trials. RhuDex is an orally administered small molecule initially intended for the indication of rheumatoid arthritis. In April 2002, Active Biotech signed a licensing agreement with Avidex regarding Active's CD80 antagonists. The agreement grants Avidex the exclusive right to further develop and market the CD80 antagonists.

• Antisoma plc, of London, is dropping AS1405, an antibody-targeted radiotherapeutic for glioma, in order to focus resources and accelerate trials of its aptamer drug, AS1411. Trials of AS1405 will be suspended immediately and the product will be available for out-licensing. Antisoma acquired AS1411 earlier this year and it has shown anticancer activity in tumors in Phase I trials. The company now plans to reopen that trial and recruit patients with two (unspecified) types of tumor.

• Avidex Ltd., of Oxford, UK, said its first product, RhuDex, entered Phase I trials in rheumatoid arthritis. RhuDex is an orally available small molecule that directly blocks T-cell activation, thus preventing the release of inflammatory cytokines. Avidex is developing fully human, soluble, monoclonal T-cell receptors that can be specific for any peptide antigen involved in cancer, autoimmune disease or inflammation, and are capable of carrying cytotoxic agents or radioisotopes.

• BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., of Novato, Calif., has licensed from Tokyo-based Daiichi Suntory Pharma Co. Ltd. the exclusive worldwide rights (excluding Japan) for the use of tetrahydrobiopterin (6R-BH4) to treat the endothelial dysfunction that causes vascular complications in diabetes, cardiovascular and other diseases. The compound is the active ingredient in Phenoptin (sapropterin hydrochloride), BioMarin's investigational Phase III product for the treatment of phenylketonuria (PKU). Those rights expand BioMarin's market opportunity beyond PKU. Under the licensing agreement, BioMarin will pay Daiichi an up-front payment, an undisclosed royalty payment on sales and development milestones for up to two indications.

• BioVex Ltd., of Oxford, UK, reported that it has submitted an investigational new drug application to the FDA to initiate a clinical trial in malignant melanoma of OncoVEX, its lead product candidate, for the treatment of solid tumors. OncoVEX is an oncolytic virus that selectively kills tumor cells. It also induces tumor cells to secrete GM-CSF.

• BioVision AG, of Hanover, Germany, sold its spin-off ImVision GmbH to Zurich, Switzerland-based Nextech Venture LP for an undisclosed amount. ImVision focuses on immunotherapeutics based on its Modular Antigen Transport technology to treat allergic diseases, infectious diseases and, possibly, cancer. The lead product, IVN201, for cat dander allergy, is undergoing late preclinical development and should enter the clinic in early 2006.

• Cobra Biomanufacturing plc, of Keele, UK, agreed to a deal for SynCo Bio Partners BV, of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to use Cobra's technology to manufacture plasmid DNA for Phase III trials and commercial supply. Cobra will continue to manufacture pDNA for preclinical, Phase I and Phase II work. Synco has acquired a license for Cobra's manufacturing process and they will collaborate in marketing their services.

• Cytomyx Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, agreed to supply Biomoda Inc., of Albuquerque, New Mexico, with human samples for Biomoda's diagnostic test development program. Biomoda is developing tests for the early detection and targeted treatment of specific cancers. Cytomyx has one of the largest human tissue collections.

• Definiens AG, of Munich, Germany, and Cenix BioScience AG, of Dresden, Germany, entered a licensing and co-marketing agreement, formalizing an ongoing relationship. Cenix is providing research services for the life science industry and academic groups, focusing on the combination of high-throughput RNAi with high-content assays in human and rodent cells. For those groups capable of carrying out large-scale studies themselves, Definiens is providing its image analysis software system, Cellenger.

• Evotec OAI AG, of Hamburg, Germany, will restructure its supervisory board after the company's annual general meeting June 7. Evotec will appoint Hubert Birner, Peter Fellner and Alfred Oberholz to the board, as well as re-appoint Mary Tanner. The company said the composition of the new board is intended to speed the integration of Evotec Neurosciences (ENS) and support its focus on building a pipeline of central nervous system drug candidates. In other news, Evotec Technologies GmbH, also of Hamburg, acquired the uHTS business from Carl Zeiss AG, of Oberkochen, Germany. Evotec Technologies is a subsidiary of Evotec OAI AG and specializes in tools for drug discovery. The companies did not disclose the purchase price.

• Immuno-Designed Molecules SA, of Paris, reported positive results from a Phase II trial of its melanoma cancer vaccine Uvidem. The vaccine, which consists of mature dendritic cells loaded with lysates extracted from tumor cell lines, triggered an immune response against tumor-associated antigens in 77 percent of the 13 patients who received the full treatment of six injections. Disease stabilization was reported in 10 patients. IDM has embarked on another Phase II trial, which will test Uvidem on 37 patients suffering from Stage III or IV melanoma. IDM is in the process of merging with Epimmune Inc., of San Diego, in an all-stock transaction and said that more than 93 percent of its shareholders have agreed to the deal. The merger is expected to be completed in the second or third quarter.

• Medivir AB, of Huddinge, Sweden, said that an orally active, small-molecule inhibitor of Cathepsin K was selected as a candidate drug. Cathepsin K is a key protease with activity that regulates skeletal breakdown. The project's goal is to develop a drug that reduces excessive bone degradation.

• Micromet AG, of Munich, Germany, reported preclinical data on its compound MT103, an antibody derivative in a Phase I trial for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The study, published in the current issue of the International Journal of Cancer, showed low doses of MT103 directing cytotoxic T cells to attack tumor cells. The company said that cells without the target antigen were spared T-cell attack.

• Noxxon Pharma AG, of Berlin, presented positive results from its cancer program at the Deutsche Bank's 30th annual health care conference in Baltimore. The company demonstrated for the first time that its Spiegelmer compounds are effective in binding and neutralizing intracellular targets. In a study with an aggressive pancreatic tumor cell line, Noxxon researchers showed that tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model could be dramatically slowed with NOX-A50, a Spiegelmer developed against a transcription factor known to be involved in the development of many cancers.

• Oxford BioMedica plc, of Oxford, UK, said the European Patent Office granted a patent on TroVax, the company's lead gene therapy immunotherapeutic. The patent covers products directed against 5T4, a tumor-associated antigen. TroVax uses a Modified Vaccinia Ankara virus to deliver the gene for 5T4, stimulating an anti-5T4 immune response. Also, the company presented preclinical data from the RetinoStat program at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The data show that two versions of the product are efficacious in an industry standard model of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). RetinoStat uses a lentivector system to deliver to the retina genes that block the formation of new blood vessels that cause AMD.

• Proteologics Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, signed a feasibility study agreement with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, involving drugs targeting ubiquitin ligases for cancer therapy. Proteologics will carry out a feasibility study involving target discovery and early drug development in return for certain payments. Teva has an option to continue drug development through commercialization by signing a definitive license and collaboration agreement with Proteologics, under which Proteologics will be entitled to milestone payments and royalties. Teva also made an equity investment in Proteologics as part of the agreement.

• Qiagen NV, of Venlo, the Netherlands, acquired the worldwide, exclusive rights and licenses to manufacture and market the complete portfolio of RNAture Inc.'s nucleic acid-isolation products from Hitachi Chemical Research Center. RNAture is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Chemical Research Center Inc., part of Hitachi Ltd., of Japan. Hitachi Chemical Research will transfer all commercial operations to Qiagen.

• Scottish Medicines Consortium, of High Wycombe, UK, announced that Amias (candesartan cilexetil), an angiotensin-receptor blocker, used in the treatment of essential hypertension, has been accepted for use in Scotland in patients with chronic heart failure and left ventricular systolic dysfunction as add-on therapy to an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) or for those unable to tolerate an ACEi. The consortium reported that the use of Amias results in longer lives for patients and requires fewer hospitalizations.

• Shire Pharmaceuticals Group plc, of Basingstoke, UK, said in vitro data presented at the National Kidney Foundation's 2005 clinical meeting in Washington, showed that Fosrenol binds phosphate across a broad pH range with higher affinity than sevelamer hydrochloride. Once bound, the Fosrenol/phosphate complex cannot pass through the intestinal lining into the blood and is eliminated from the body, which decreases the overall phosphate absorption from food. Fosrenol received FDA approval last October and is indicated to reduce serum phosphate.

• SkyePharma plc, of London, said the FDA approved Triglide, its formulation of fenofibrate. The approval will trigger a $15 million milestone payment from its partner Alpharetta, Ga.-based First Horizon Pharmaceutical Corp. SkyePharma granted First Horizon exclusive U.S. marketing and distribution rights for a cardiovascular product, and stands to receive up to $50 million in milestone payments, $30 million of which are sales based. In addition, SkyePharma will receive 25 percent of First Horizon's net sales. Fenofibrate is an oral treatment for lipid disorders, such as elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, but is insoluble in water. SkyePharma said its formulation, Triglide, has a comparable absorption under fed and fasting conditions and, therefore, allows patients to take the drug at any time.

• SR Pharma plc, of London, terminated merger talks with an unnamed UK-based company because of the length of discussions. Instead, SR Pharma, which is listed on London's Alternative Investment Market, now is in talks to acquire a European biotechnology business. The failed talks began in November 2004, when SR Pharma promised to make a "transforming acquisition" following the failure of a third product in Phase II trials. At that point the company had £3 million (US$5.7 million) cash.

• UK's Medical Research Council is creating a drug discovery group to accelerate the translation of research it funds into new therapies. The publicly funded body announced the appointment of Justin Bryans, currently senior principal scientist at Pfizer Inc., to head the group, and said it will recruit medicinal chemists and biologists to enhance its screening capabilities.

• Viragen Inc., of Plantation, Fla., and Cancer Research Technology Ltd., of London, announced a license agreement that provides Viragen with worldwide, exclusive rights to commercialize the anti-CD55 antibody, which is in preclinical development in cancer. Viragen recently reported that the anti-CD55 antibody, known as VG102, was able to enhance the action of Rituxan (rituximab, Genentech Inc. and Biogen Idec Inc.), resulting in the significant increase in the destruction of cancer cells in vitro, indicating the potential of the agent to be used effectively in combination with other therapies. Financial terms were not disclosed.