• Agencourt Bioscience Corp., of Beverly, Mass., said a manuscript on the human chromosome 10 was published in the May 27, 2004, issue of Nature. The company said its scientists contributed to the BAC-based sequencing effort on the genome sequence of human chromosome 10, the finished sequence of which comprises a total of more than 131.6 million base pairs represented by 1,357 annotated genes. The other major sequencing center was the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, UK.

• Agilix Corp., of New Haven, Conn., said it applied its i-PROT proteomics technology to clinical samples for biomarker discovery in drug development. In rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases, early detection using protein biomarkers might allow for earlier and more effective intervention. I-PROT are labels that are attached to proteins so they can be quantified or analyzed using mass spectrometry.

• AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals AG, of Vienna, Austria, entered a licensing and commercialization agreement for the European development of Moli1901, an investigational treatment for cystic fibrosis from Lantibio Inc., of Chapel Hill, N.C. AOP, which is planning to begin Phase II trials in Germany, will assume full responsibility for the clinical and nonclinical development in Europe. Lantibio will be responsible for technical development activities to support regulatory filings in the European Union, and will have access to resulting European data to support regulatory filings in the U.S. Terms include undisclosed up-front and milestone payments to Lantibio, as well as royalties on Moli1901's eventual European sales.

• Aphton Corp., of Miami, said Phase II data of G17DT vaccine in gastric carcinoma were published in the European Journal of Surgical Oncology. The data showed that G17DT immunization was capable of raising functional antibodies to gastrin 17 in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. Immunization was well tolerated and showed no evidence of autoimmune reaction or development of immunological tolerance by repeated immunization. A Phase III trial of the product in combination with gemcitabine is under way in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. G17DT consists of a synthetic gastrin-like peptide linked to diphtheria toxoid.

• ArQule Inc., of Woburn, Mass., said that Patrick Zenner has been elected chairman to replace Ariel Elia, who resigned effective May 21. Zenner is immediate past chairman of the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey and served on the boards of director and executive committees of the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America. ArQule focuses on small-molecule cancer products.

• Asterand Inc., of Detroit, a tissue-banking company, is adopting new DNA-amplification technology as part of a international study to investigate the cause and cure for diabetes. The technology is designed to permit scientists to extract genetic information from tiny quantities of human material, such as a few cells obtained by donors using a mouthwash, the company said. It is being employed in Europe for the first time.

• Carrington Laboratories Inc., of Irving, Texas, said preclinical studies of its subsidiary DelSite Biotechnologies Inc.'s GelVac intranasal powder vaccine delivery system demonstrated that GelVac formulations persist for an extended period of time in the nasal cavity. It also showed a sustained antigen release and significantly increasing serum IgG and lung IgA responses against inactivated influenza antigen in animal models. GelVac is based on GelSite polymer, a naturally occurring, high-molecular-weight, charged polysaccharide.

• ConjuChem Inc., of Montreal, initiated enrollment in a Phase II trial for DAC:GLP-1 in combination with Metformin. DAC:GLP-1 is being developed to treat Type II diabetes. GLP-1 is an insulinotropic hormone and is a naturally occurring 36-amino-acid peptide, the company said. The three-month, placebo-controlled, combination therapy study will provide data from 72 evaluable patients. The primary endpoint will be a comparison of HbA1C levels between the active treatment groups and the control group at the end of treatment. Results from the study are expected in the fourth quarter.

• Eyetech Pharmaceuticals Inc., of New York, said a group of stockholders sold about 3.9 million of the company's common shares at $38.50 apiece for gross proceeds of about $148.6 million after pricing a secondary offering. Eyetech will not sell any shares or receive any proceeds from the offering, though the sellers also granted the underwriters a 30-day, 579,000-share overallotment option. The joint book-running managers are Merrill Lynch & Co. and Morgan Stanley, both of New York, along with co-manager Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., also of New York.

• Forbes Medi-Tech Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia, appointed Donald Buxton chairman. He has been a director of Forbes since December 2000. Tazdin Esmail, one of the founders, resigned as director and chairman to focus on other business interests. Esmail had been a director since March 1992 and chairman since July 2000. Forbes Medi-Tech is focused on the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and related diseases.

• Gamida-Cell Ltd., of Jerusalem, said preclinical studies show that an injection of an expanded population of cord blood-derived AC133 cells directly into the pancreas of mice reversed diabetes. More specifically, the data demonstrated that the expanded population of stem cells helped to restore normal blood glucose levels, as well as the ability to maintain a stable blood sugar level. The expression of the human C peptide, the marker for the production of insulin, also appeared.

• ImmunoGen Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., said that 4.03 million common shares of the 4.09 million shares held by Shire BioChem Inc., of Laval, Quebec, were placed with a third-party institutional buyer. Shire received the stock in July 2002 upon the exercise of warrants issued to a predecessor entity. The sale of the shares, which were registered for resale by Shire under a shelf registration statement declared effective in January 2003, will result in no proceeds to ImmunoGen, which develops targeted cancer biopharmaceuticals.

• InDex Pharmaceuticals AB, of Stockholm, Sweden, received a €3.9 million investment from Swedestart Life Science KB fund, managed and advised by CapMan. There also is an option to invest another €1.6 million in InDex, which is developing RNA-blocking drugs and diagnostic/prognostic tools for inflammation and cancer. The funds invested will be used to finance its current research projects. With the investment, Swedestart joins other major shareholders such as Life Equity Sweden and SEB Företagsinvest.

• InforMedix Inc., of Rockville, Md., said its common shares were delisted at its request from the Berlin-Bremen Stock Market. InforMedix was one of many U.S. public companies listed on the Berlin-Bremen Stock Market without the companies' knowledge. InforMedix developed the Med-eMonitor System to provide real-time medical management and patient communications for clinical drug trials.

• Innogenetics NV, of Ghent, Belgium, entered an agreement to gain access to a microarray technology platform from PamGene International BV, of s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, for the development of next-generation nucleic acid and protein-based tests. The exclusive license covers the PamStation 12 instrumentation in areas in which Innogenetics is active - infectious diseases, genetic testing and neurodegeneration - with an optional extension for applications in oncology. The agreement includes an up-front payment, staged development milestone fees as new tests reach the market and royalties.

• Medarex Inc., of Princeton, N.J., said it intends to redeem all of its outstanding 4.5 percent convertible subordinated notes due 2006. The redemption date is July 1, and the redemption price is 101.8 percent of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest through June 30. The antibody development company said the aggregate amount of notes remaining to be redeemed is about $76.4 million.

• Oncolytics Biotech Inc., of Calgary, Alberta, started patient treatment in its UK Phase I trial investigating the systemic delivery of Reolysin as a treatment for patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors. The trial is an open-label, dose-escalation Phase I in which Reolysin will be administered intravenously to patients diagnosed with advanced or metastatic solid tumors that are refractory to standard therapy or for which no curative standard therapy exists. The primary objective of the study is to determine the maximum tolerated dose, dose-limiting toxicity and safety profile of Reolysin. Secondary objectives include the evaluation of viral replication, immune response to the virus and any evidence of antitumor activity.

• Paladin Labs Inc., of Montreal, entered an exclusive Canadian distribution agreement with Ovation Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Deerfield, Ill., for Sabril (vigabatrin) and Frisium (clobazam), products to treat various epilepsy conditions. Paladin will provide customer service, logistics, credit and collection and pharmacovigilance support for a distribution fee, while Ovation will market and promote the products in Canada. Ovation acquired exclusive North American rights to the products from Strasbourg, France-based Aventis SA in March.

• Progenics Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Tarrytown, N.Y., filed a shelf registration statement with the SEC to occasionally offer up to $60 million of its common stock. The company's principal programs are directed toward developing therapeutic products for symptom management and supportive care, HIV infection and cancer.

• Serono Inc., of Rockland, Md., the U.S. affiliate of Serono SA, of Geneva, said the FDA approved a pre-filled device with a new liquid formulation developed to make infertility treatment easier for patients. The device delivers a new liquid formulation of Gonal-f RFF Pen (follitropin alfa injection). Gonal-f RFF Pen will be available in three sizes that deliver 300 IU, 450 IU or 900 IU of liquid Gonal-f filled-by-mass. Gonal-f RFF Pen is indicated for induction of ovulation and pregnancy in anovulatory infertile women in whom the cause of infertility is functional and not due to primary ovarian failure.

• Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, and Strasbourg, France-based Aventis SA's multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone was the subject of a review by the Cochrane MS Group, which concluded the therapy might provide no significant benefit in either slowing the progression of MS or substantially affecting the risk of clinical relapses over time. A Cochrane researcher said there is insufficient evidence to support future routine use of Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) in clinical practice, and that more clinical data are needed. The review incorporated the results of 646 patients with relapsing-remitting and chronic progressive MS who participated in four randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials. Glatiramer acetate is a random mixture of polypeptides derived from the synthesis of four amino acids that is prescribed as an alternative to beta interferon. Copaxone was FDA approved in December 1996 to reduce flare-ups in relapsing MS.

• Viral Genetics Inc., of South Pasadena, Calif., leased a 10,000-square-foot laboratory and office facility in Azusa, Calif., about 15 miles east of Pasadena. The company will conduct upgrades and improvements to accommodate early stage manufacturing processes following marketing approval for VGV-1. It also will move its corporate offices to the Azusa facility. The company said it completed a clinical trial of VGV-1 at Beijing Ditan Hospital, and data should be available by the end of the second quarter. VGV-1 is a treatment for HIV infection and AIDS that is in late-stage clinical development outside the U.S. and in preclinical development in the U.S.