• AlphaVax Inc., of Research Triangle Park, N.C., leased a manufacturing facility in Durham, N.C., as part of its plan to expand its manufacturing capacity for clinical trial supplies. Last year, AlphaVax initiated the first clinical trial for its vaccine technology, and has multiple additional projects that will require manufacturing support to enter clinical development in the next few years.

• Alteon Inc., of Parsippany, N.J., began a Phase IIb trial of Alteon's lead A.G.E. Crosslink Breaker, alagebrium chloride, in patients with systolic hypertension. The SPECTRA (Systolic Pressure Efficacy and Safety Trial of Alagebrium) study is designed to evaluate alagebrium's ability to lower systolic blood pressure in patients with a systolic blood pressure reading of greater than or equal to 140 mm Hg. In previous clinical studies, it has demonstrated an ability to lower systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure in aging patients.

• Applied Biosystems Group, of Foster City, Calif., reported a series of enhancements to its two online research resources, the free mySciences research environment within the Applied Biosystems website and the subscription-based Celera Discovery System online platform. The enhancements give users the ability to design and order custom SNPlex genotyping assays to compare genetic differences and identify disease-associated genes, the company said.

• Cartagen Molecular Systems Inc., of Seattle, entered a partnership with Entest Japan Inc., of Tokyo, to sell Cartagen's nucleic acid-separation products in that country. The company develops reagent kits for the life science market, as well as DNA extraction kits for agricultural and food science.

• Cellomics Inc., of Pittsburgh, launched an instrument platform aimed at delivering automated tools for high-content biology to life science researchers. A Certified ArrayScan HCS Reader, equipped with specialized algorithms for neuron- and tumor-cell analysis, and the suite of Cellomics Core BioApplications comprises the package of image analysis capabilities on the Certified ArrayScan Platform.

• CytoGenix Inc., of Houston, received a research grant from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., to fund the first phase of a project called "PEI Aerosol Delivery of ssDNA Expression Vector." The company will test an aerosol compound containing its single stranded DNA expression vector in mice with induced metastatic lung tumors. The amount of the grant was not disclosed.

• Gene Logic Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., established Gene Logic Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary in the UK that will facilitate sales, marketing and customer support in Europe for the company's genomic-based services. The move is designed to enable Gene Logic to work more closely with customers and access prospective customers. The company has been managing the European market for the past four years from its headquarters in Gaithersburg.

• InKine Pharmaceutical Co. Inc., of Blue Bell, Pa., raised gross proceeds of about $30 million after pricing a public offering of 6 million common shares at $5 apiece. The offering's underwriters - sole book-running manager UBS Securities LLC, along with co-managers First Albany Capital and Rodman & Renshaw Inc. - have an option to purchase up to 900,000 shares to cover overallotments. The specialty pharmaceutical company is developing purgative products for bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy, an oral hyoscyamine spray for a variety of indications and a progesterone analogue in Phase IIb trials for Crohn's disease.

• Large Scale Biology Corp., of Vacaville, Calif., raised $8.2 million through a private placement of stock and warrants. Institutional investors acquired 5.2 million shares of newly issued common stock, as well as warrants with a five-year term to purchase an additional 1.3 million shares at a 20 percent premium. The company said it would use the proceeds to fund its pipeline of product initiatives, meet its expected strategic partnership commitments and facilitate short-term revenue streams, including recently announced aprotinin biomanufacturing for commercial distribution. The Shemano Group Inc. acted as the transaction's placement agent.

• LION bioscience AG, of Heidelberg, Germany, and DigiGenomics Co. Ltd., of Cambridge, Mass., reported a joint project with Wan Fang Municipal Hospital in Taipei for the development of the severe acute respiratory syndrome Knowledge Management System in Taiwan. LION's SRS technology, including the SRS Relational Module, will be used to access and integrate data from bioinformatic and medical databases with an architecture designed to give physicians rapid access to medical records, clinical assays and recommended treatments.

• Lynx Therapeutics Inc., of Hayward, Calif., completed a $4 million private financing of stock and warrants. The financing included the sale of 788,235 newly issued shares of stock at $5.10 per share and the issuance of warrants to purchase 181,295 shares of stock at $6.25 per share. Lynx is focused on the development and application of genomics-analysis solutions designed to provide digital gene expression information.

• MacroChem Corp., of Lexington, Mass., raised about $7.3 million in gross proceeds from a private placement of its securities to institutional investors. MacroChem issued about 5.4 million shares of stock at $1.35 per share. The investors also received five-year warrants to purchase about 1 million shares of the company's stock at $2.09 per share. The company has agreed to file a registration statement on Form S-3 covering the resale of the common stock sold and the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants.

• MicroIslet Inc., of San Diego, raised about $12.8 million through a private placement of stock and warrants. The company entered agreements to sell 9.8 million common shares to new and existing investors, who also received five-year warrants to purchase about 4.9 million additional shares. The proceeds, which will be used for working capital purposes to develop MicroIslet's MicroIslet-P product candidate, are projected to fund operations for the next 18 months, through completion of formal animal studies in anticipation of filing an investigational new drug application with the FDA. Burnham Hill Partners and Duncan Capital served as the offering's nonexclusive placement agents.

• Nastech Pharmaceuticals Co. Inc., of Bothell, Wash., reported positive Phase Ib results with PYY 3-36 nasal spray for obesity, and positive Phase II data of apomorphine nasal spray for sexual dysfunction. The PYY 3-36 study began in January, showing that nine of 11 subjects reduced average calorie intake for each meal following a single dose. The drug also reduced appetite and was well tolerated. The apomorphine study began in June and was designed to determine if apomorphine-related side effects occur with the nasal-dosage form. Based on the study, doses of up to 1.75 mg are safe and well tolerated and doses of up to 2 mg are acceptable for further in-clinic safety studies, Nastech said.

• Nektar Therapeutics, of San Carlos, Calif., called for the full redemption on March 29 of its outstanding 3 percent convertible subordinated notes due June 2010, issued in June and July, and outstanding 3 percent convertible subordinated notes due June 2010, issued in October. Prior to March 25, holders of those notes may convert them into shares of Nektar common stock at $11.35 per share, or about 88.1 shares of Nektar common stock per $1,000 principal amount of the notes, plus $75 per $1,000 principal amount of the notes. Cash will be paid in lieu of fractional shares. On Tuesday, Nektar's stock closed at $20.80.

• NexMed Inc., of Robbinsville, N.J., said material published in last month's issue of Expert Opinion detailed its Alprox-TD product as a potential first-choice alternative for certain patients with erectile dysfunction. More specifically, the article concluded that alprostadil topical cream is a potential first-choice alternative for such patients who do not respond, cannot tolerate or do not accept PDE-5 inhibitor therapy.

• Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Tustin, Calif., said material published in Hybridoma and Hybridomics describes the expression and testing of a monoclonal antibody produced from its Tumor Necrosis Therapy (TNT) technology platform linked to the human cytokine interleukin-12. The expressed fusion protein retained functional activity and induced a 44 percent reduction in prostate tumor growth in therapy experiments. The TNT technology platform for the delivery of cytokines is under development through a licensing agreement with Merck KGaA, of Darmstadt, Germany.

• Pharmacopeia Inc., of Princeton, N.J., said Schering-Plough Corp., of Kenilworth, N.J., began clinical trials of a compound discovered through a collaboration between the companies, triggering a milestone payment to Pharmacopeia. The trial is for an inflammatory indication. Pharmacopeia also is entitled to additional milestone payments when the program progresses, as well as royalties on potential commercial sales.

• Pieris Proteolab AB, of Freising, Germany, said Digical neutralized lethal toxicity caused by an overdose of the cardiac steroid digoxin in a preclinical study. The dose was only about half the recommended dose of a marketed polyclonal antibody fragment product approved for the same purpose. Pieris has generated lipocalin muteins named Anticalins against several protein targets with very high affinity and specificity.

• Prima BioMed Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said its subsidiary, CancerVac, and Biomira Inc., of Edmonton, Alberta, entered an agreement for the development and commercialization of CancerVac's lead product, Mannan-MUC1 fusion protein therapeutic vaccine. Biomira will provide access to its licensed exclusive worldwide rights to MUC1. Biomira acquired a 10 percent equity stake in CancerVac and a seat on CancerVac's board. Biomira has the option of licensing the exclusive, worldwide commercialization rights, excluding Australia and New Zealand, following conclusion of a Phase IIa trial in ovarian cancer. Biomira would cover all development costs going forward if it exercises its option, or 50 percent of all development costs, if it only takes on the North American rights. Specific financial details were not disclosed, but the deal could include up-front and milestone payments to CancerVac totaling A$20 million (US$15.4 million), as well as royalties.

• ProMetic Life Sciences Inc., of Montreal, said its wholly owned subsidiary, ProMetic Biosciences Ltd., signed a development and collaboration agreement with Laboratories Serono SA, of Geneva, to provide access to its protein-purification technology. Serono will fund the development of an affinity adsorbent to isolate and purify a protein of interest to Serono. A Mimetic Ligand will be selected and designed to enhance Serono's therapeutic purification procedures.

• Serologicals Corp., of Atlanta, expanded its agreement with Novo Nordisk A/S, of Bagsvaerd, Denmark, for worldwide distribution of human recombinant insulin for use in cell culture media markets through 2006. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Serologicals is a provider of biological products and enabling technologies for life science products.

• ThromboGenics Ltd., of Dublin, Ireland, and NuVue Technologies Inc., of Keene, N.H., entered a collaboration to develop plasmin-based products to treat visual disorders. The products are ThromboGenics' recombinant microplasmin and NuVue's autologous plasmin. Plasmin products have been shown to be effective for the induction of posterior vitreous detachment. The collaboration brings the plasmin products and intellectual property into a single portfolio.