• Adherex Technologies Inc., of Research Triangle Park, N.C., signed an agreement under which Scynexis Inc., also of Research Triangle Park, will provide medicinal and analytical chemistry services to Adherex to accelerate and expand its small-molecule cadherin antagonist development programs. The arrangement provides Adherex with dedicated chemistry resources at Scynexis, and all information and data developed pursuant to the agreement will be owned solely by Adherex. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• AEterna Zentaris Inc., of Quebec, received Colombian approval for Impavido (miltefosine) to treat the cutaneous form of leishmaniasis, the product's first approval for that form of the parasitic disease. The approval also applies to the visceral form of leishmaniasis, for which Impavido has been approved in India and Germany, making the drug the first orally administered therapy for both visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis.

• Alchemia Ltd., of Brisbane, Australia, said it will advance its lead cancer compound, ACL16907, to clinical trials following an assessment of the candidate's suitability in preclinical studies. The company plans to undertake the formal preclinical toxicology and safety studies required for an investigational new drug application. The product could be in the clinic in the first half of 2006.

• Alltracel Pharmaceuticals plc, of Dublin, Ireland, said it completed a 15-month program of animal trials and other preclinical research on the cholesterol reduction efficacy of its microdispersed oxidized cellulose (m-doc) technology platform. Data showed that m-doc might decrease the chance of atherosclerosis by preventing buildup of the artery-clogging plaque, and m-doc demonstrated a lipid-dependent and nonsystemic mode of action indicating likely additive cholesterol profile benefits, specifically in combination with certain statins and sterols.

• Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia, granted an exclusive license to CABG Medical Inc., of Minneapolis, to use Angiotech's paclitaxel technology to treat restenosis and proliferative disease, and related intellectual property, in the field of coronary artery bypass grafts. In connection with the agreement, Angiotech will receive a warrant to purchase about 1.3 million shares of CABG Medical's common stock, exercisable at 1 cent per share. Angiotech also will be entitled to milestone payments and stands to receive royalties on sales of the Holly Graft System. In a concurrent transaction, Angiotech agreed to purchase up to $10 million of CABG Medical's common stock at a 15 percent premium to the shares' market value, with a current investment of $5 million and an additional $5 million investment upon CABG Medical's achievement of certain revenue milestones.

• BioWa Inc., of Princeton, N.J., licensed from its Japanese parent company, Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co. Ltd., exclusive worldwide rights, except Asia, to develop and commercialize an anti-IL-5 receptor antibody as a potential new asthma treatment. BioWa expects to develop and commercialize the product, which is in late-stage preclinical development, in the U.S. and Europe, while Kyowa has an option to develop and commercialize it in Asia and will be responsible for all development activities and costs. Each party has the right to use preclinical and clinical data generated by the other party. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Borean Pharma A/S, of Aarhus, Denmark, raised €4 million (US$5.2 million) in a Series A financing led by Aravis Venture, and including existing investors Bankinvest, Novi and Incuba. The round will fund all existing programs through 2006. The company will use the proceeds to develop its preclinical candidate Apo A1 for cardiovascular diseases.

• Cardiome Pharma Corp., of Vancouver, British Columbia, completed its previously reported public offering of 8.5 million common shares for gross proceeds of $51 million. The underwriters, which include UBS Investment Bank, CIBC World Markets, GMP Securities Ltd., Leerink Swann & Co., First Associates Investments Inc. and Orion Securities Inc., still have a 30-day overallotment option to purchase up to an additional 1.275 million shares at the $6 offering price. (See BioWorld Today, March 21, 2005.)

• Cell Therapeutics Inc., of Seattle, was named in a class-action lawsuit alleging that statements regarding Xyotax, one of the company's lung cancer drugs, were materially false and misleading. The firm's shares lost nearly half their value earlier this month following a Phase III failure of the drug. (See BioWorld Today, March 8, 2005.)

• Crucell NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, said its contract manufacturer, DSM Biologics, signed a PER.C6 research license agreement with Mitsubishi Pharma Corp., of Osaka, Japan. The agreement allows Mitsubishi to use the cell line for production of certain recombinant therapeutic proteins in exchange for an up-front payment and annual maintenance fees. Further financial details were not disclosed.

• Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Lexington, Mass., completed its issuance of $20 million worth of common stock to Eli Lilly and Co., of Indianapolis, in connection with a previously announced royalty buydown transaction. The $10.66 per-share price of the nearly 1.9 million shares is based on the stock's average closing price over 10 days ended March 2. In return, Cubist's global royalty obligation to Lilly on Cubicin sales will be reduced by 2 percent once the issued shares are registered by Cubist or sold by Lilly, whichever comes first.

• Curis Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said it achieved a development milestone under a collaboration with Wyeth, of Madison, N.J. It is based on continued progress in their preclinical development of Hedgehog pathway agonists for the treatment of stroke, neurological and other disorders, and will trigger a "modest" payment from Wyeth to Curis in accordance with terms of their year-old agreement. Under that deal, Curis licensed its Hedgehog proteins and small-molecule Hedgehog pathway agonists to Wyeth for therapeutic applications in the treatment of neurological and other disorders.

• CytoGenix Inc., of Houston, said a manuscript reporting the successful use of the company's cell-based DNA screening and targeting method to discover antibacterial compounds and potential drug-susceptible molecular targets will be published in the journal Biochemistry. The company's scientists had success in showing CytoGenix's compounds against E. Coli prevented sepsis in animal experiments. The discovery is the basis for development of antibacterial compounds targeting highly antibiotic-resistant strains of Staphylococcus and Streptococcus bacteria.

• Ingenuity Systems, of Mountain View, Calif., said the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, licensed the Ingenuity Pathways Analysis software. Terms of the agreement provide all Erasmus researchers access to the full functionality of the product. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Juvaris BioTherapeutics Inc., of Pleasanton, Calif., formed a research collaboration with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) to use Juvaris' immunostimulant technology in the screening of HIV vaccine candidates. The parties will test the JuvImmune/JuvaVax immunostimulant combined with HIV antigens. Studies will be conducted in an HIV immunization model through IAVI's affiliated network of investigators and laboratories.

• Martek Biosciences Corp., of Columbia, Md., said docosahexaenoic acid may protect against the accumulation of a protein believed to be linked to Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study published in the March 30, 2005, issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The study used Martek DHA, which is produced from microalgae, and observed aged mice bred with genetic mutations that cause brain pathology linked to Alzheimer's disease.

• Omnia Biologics Inc., of Rockville, Md., entered a strategic alliance with AT-GC BioPharm Inc., of Baltimore, to develop AT-GC Electronic Eye technology for the manufacture of biopharmaceutical products. The platform provides for continuous monitoring of complex processes without having to physically sample and measure individual components. In proof-of-concept studies, real-time monitoring has shown improvement in manufacturing processes of up to one log.

• Peptech Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, said Domantis Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, and Tanox Inc., of Houston, signed a collaboration and license agreement for the use of domain antibodies in treating autoimmune disease. Peptech holds a 36.1 percent interest in Domantis, which will receive an undisclosed up-front fee, research funding, annual fees, and milestone and royalty payments as part of the deal with Tanox.

• Pharmacopeia Drug Discovery Inc., of Princeton, N.J., entered a drug discovery and development collaboration with CV Therapeutics Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif. In the arrangement, Pharmacopeia will employ its integrated drug discovery platform and discovery knowledge that already has advanced four partnered programs into clinical studies. CV Therapeutics will be responsible for development and marketing of collaboration products, and will bring its pharmacology and clinical experience to the collaboration. Pharmacopeia will receive research funding in addition to clinical milestones and royalties, should partnered products advance through clinical development and onto the market. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Procyon Biopharma Inc., of Montreal, reported initial pharmacokinetics results with PPL-100, a phosphorylated pro-drug of its protease inhibitor PL-100. In vitro results indicated that PPL-100 is 1,000-fold more water soluble than its precursor, and pharmacokinetics studies conducted in rats showed a two- to three-fold improvement in parameters such as maximum plasma concentration and oral bioavailability compared to PL-100.

• Protein Design Labs Inc., of Fremont, Calif., said that as a result of discussions with the FDA, it plans to conduct two pivotal trials and a re-treatment study of Nuvion (visilizumab) for steroid-refractory ulcerative colitis. The first pivotal study will be a Phase II/III trial of the humanized anti-CD3 antibody, and is expected to begin this year. Assuming certain protocol-defined criteria are met at the time of an interim analysis, the second pivotal trial would begin. The re-treatment study is expected to begin concurrent with the Phase II/III trial.

• ProtoKinetix Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia, said third-party evaluations of its synthesized antifreeze glycoproteins confirm protection for human red blood cell hemolysis at temperatures down to -15 degrees C. The rate of hemolysis was dramatically reduced with the presence of the AFGP molecule. The company's first entry into the commercial marketplace will be the launch of the first synthetically replicated antifreeze glycoprotein.

• Sequenom Inc., of San Diego, said it discovered a genetic variation in the gene encoding phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) that is believed to affect osteoporosis risk. Published in the online edition of BMC Medical Genetics, the study reports that individuals with variants in the PDE4D gene account for some of the genetic contribution to bone mineral density, a surrogate marker for risk of fracture and a highly heritable trait.

• Xcyte Therapies Inc., of Seattle, named Christopher Henney chairman. He previously was chairman and CEO of Dendreon Corp., also of Seattle, and he co-founded ICOS Corp. and Immunex Corp., both of Seattle. Xcyte is developing therapeutic products designed to enhance the body's natural immune responses to treat cancer, infectious diseases and other medical conditions associated with weakened immune systems.

• XenoPort Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., began Phase I trials of XP19986 to test safety and pharmacokinetic properties of different formulations of the drug. Future clinical plans are expected to explore its therapeutic utility for spasticity and gastroesophageal reflux disease. XP19986 is new chemical entity that is a prodrug of R-baclofen, and is designed to engage natural transport mechanisms found on intestinal cell membranes to gain efficient entrance into the bloodstream.