• Acacia Research Corp., of Newport Beach, Calif., said researchers from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla., will use CombiMatrix's "Bird Flu" CustomArray devices to characterize influenza A viruses at the genomic level. One goal of the project is to speed the development of better identification and characterization methods for influenza viruses. The arrays will be used to study and characterize various strains of the human and avian flu viruses for typing of a range of subtypes.

• Benitec Ltd., of Queensland, Australia, initiated patent infringement lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware against Nucleonics Inc., of Malvern, Pa.; Ambion Inc., of Austin, Texas; and Genscript Corp., of Piscataway, N.J.; to protect its gene silencing technologies. The lawsuit alleges that the three companies are infringing issued U.S. Patent No. 6,573,099.

• Centocor Inc., of Malvern, Pa., signed a definitive agreement with Wyeth, of Madison, N.J., for the acquisition of Wyeth's biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in St. Louis. At the new site, Centocor will increase its clinical material production for products in its pipeline. Centocor now owns and operates four manufacturing facilities.

• Emergent Technologies Inc., of Austin, Texas, licensed antibody drug discovery technology from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas. It is an integrated diagnostic and therapeutic approach to be used in the design of customized anticancer and infectious disease treatments for individual patients. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• EpiTan Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said that, following a review of its clinical strategy in Europe, it will be expanding substantially its clinical trials for polymorphous light eruption, otherwise known as sun poisoning, during 2004. The company will lodge a Clinical Trial Exemption application with the European Medicines Evaluation Agent to expand the number of PMLE trial sites in Europe to include Great Britain and Sweden. The company's current German PMLE proof-of-concept study will be deferred, despite receiving ethics committee approval, to facilitate the expansion and to allow the use of the new lower-dosage, sustained-release solid injectable, which will be used in place of the larger implant.

• Genesis Bioventures Inc., of New York, said it wanted to clarify the conversion of common stock related to the proposed merger with Corgenix Medical Corp., of Denver. GBI will issue 14 million shares for all of the 5.3 million outstanding Corgenix shares. The exchange ratio is about 2.6 GBI shares for each Corgenix share.

• NaPro BioTherapeutics Inc., of Boulder, Colo., entered a transaction with two institutional investors for the purchase of an aggregate of 2 million common shares at $2.60 per share in an offering made from its shelf registration, raising $5.2 million. The company said that the proceeds will help support continued development of its new product pipeline and provide additional funding for in-licensing opportunities. NaPro is focused on the development of therapies for the treatment of cancer and hereditary disease.

• Nuvelo Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., completed its reincorporation from a Nevada to a Delaware corporation. Shareholders approved the change at the 2003 annual meeting. The reincorporation was accomplished through the merger of Nuvelo into its wholly owned subsidiary, which is incorporated in Delaware. Nuvelo is developing alfimeprase, which is partnered with Amgen Inc. and is in Phase II trials in peripheral arterial occlusion and catheter occlusion.

• Serologicals Corp., of Atlanta, filed with the SEC a registration statement for the resale of $130 million in 4.75 percent convertible senior subordinated notes. The notes are due 2033. Serologicals will not receive any proceeds from the offering. Serologicals focuses on products with applications in oncology, hematology, immunology, cardiology and infectious diseases, as well as in the study of molecular biology.

• SuperGen Inc., of Dublin, Calif., said the FDA accepted the Orathecin (rubitecan) capsules' new drug application for filing. Orathecin is an oral chemotherapy agent that has been studied as a treatment for pancreatic cancer patients who have failed at least one prior chemotherapy. The FDA is expected to complete its review in November. The filing contains data on more than 1,000 pancreatic cancer patients.

• Transkaryotic Therapies Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., reacquired rights to Dynepo in Europe and other territories outside the U.S. from Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Strasbourg, France. The company's shares (NASDAQ:TKTX) rose sharply, up 51 percent, or $6.10, on the news, closing Friday at $18.10. Dynepo is a fully human erythropoietin product developed using TKT's gene-activation technology. It is approved to treat anemia associated with kidney disease in the European Union. TKT is working to establish contract manufacturing outside the U.S. Under the revised agreement, TKT will pay Aventis a scaled royalty on Dynepo sales. Aventis will retain marketing rights in the U.S. and has obtained a one-year option on certain TKT gene therapy technology. TKT no longer is obligated to reimburse Aventis from future royalties for legal expenses incurred from the Dynepo patent infringement actions with Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Amgen Inc. in the U.S., and Kirin-Amgen in the UK. TKT, however, is liable for any future expenses in Europe and half of the future expenses in the U.S.

• Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., and GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK), of London, received a positive opinion from the European Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products for Telzir (fosamprenavir) for the treatment of HIV infection in adults in combination with other antiretroviral medications. Telzir, when combined with low-dose ritonavir and other antiretroviral agents, has demonstrated its ability to reduce the concentrations of HIV in plasma in both antiretroviral therapy na ve and experienced patients. Telzir was co-discovered by GSK and Vertex and is currently marketed in the U.S. as Lexiva.