• Advanced Viral Research Corp., of Yonkers, N.Y., said Elma Hawkins was appointed president and CEO. Hawkins will continue to serve as a member of Advanced Viral's board, a position she has held since December. Most recently, Hawkins was vice chairman of Antigenics Inc., of New York. Advanced Viral is developing AVR118 in cachexia.

• Affymetrix Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif., and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix, Ariz., entered a nonexclusive agreement under which TGen will offer genotyping services to their collaborators and NIH-funded core facility programs using Affymetrix GeneChip-brand DNA-analysis technology.

• Allos Therapeutics Inc., of Westminster, Colo., began a Phase III trial of RSR13 (efaproxiral) as an adjunct to whole-brain radiation therapy for the treatment of brain metastases from breast cancer. The randomized, open-label study will enroll about 360 patients at up to 50 North American cancer centers. Labeled ENRICH (Enhancing Whole-Brain Radiation Therapy In Patients with Breast Cancer and Hypoxic Brain Metastases), the trial is designed to compare the effect of WBRT with supplemental oxygen with or without RSR13 in women with brain metastases from breast cancer. Designed under the FDA's special protocol assessment process, the study is expected to meet requirements for eventual marketing approval. The company already began filing RSR13's rolling new drug application in the fall on the basis of results from a pivotal trial in the same indication. (See BioWorld Today, Nov. 18, 2003.)

• Applied Biosystems Group, of Foster City, Calif., reported the commercial availability of the VariantSEQr Resequencing System, designed for the discovery of DNA variants. The VariantSEQr system, which runs on Applied Biosystems' DNA analyzers, is designed to enable researchers to conduct genetic sequence variation studies. Separately, Applied Biosystems broadened its joint system development collaboration with Cohesive Technologies Inc., of Franklin, Mass., to include modifying software to provide single-point control of all system functions and developing new applications for the combined technologies.

• BioSeek Inc., of Burlingame, Calif., reported publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of a study using the company's BioMAP technology to define and characterize signaling networks in human primary cells. BioSeek is applying the BioMAP technology to characterize compounds in inflammation-related drug discovery and development, and researchers in the study demonstrated that it also is an approach for revealing functional relationships of proteins within signaling pathways and interactions among pathways.

• Biosite Inc., of San Diego, said a study published in the Feb. 12, 2004, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that including rapidly obtained B-type natriuretic peptide measurements in the diagnostic regimen used to evaluate emergency-room patients with dyspnea can lead to improved treatment and reduced costs. Biosite manufactures and sells the Triage BNP Test, which was used in the study.

• Dharmacon Inc., of Lafayette, Colo., a supplier of RNA and RNA-interference research products, signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Fisher Scientific International Inc., of Hampton, N.H., a global provider of equipment, supplies and services for the scientific-research and clinical-laboratory markets. Dharmacon shareholders will receive $80 million in cash for all outstanding shares and options. The transaction was approved by the boards of both companies and is expected to close by the end of the first quarter.

• Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Houston; Genome Therapeutics Corp., of Waltham Mass.; Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc., of New York; Novavax Inc., of Columbia, Md.; and Pharmacopeia Inc., of Princeton, N.J.; began trading options on the American Stock Exchange.

• Galapagos Genomics NV, of Mechelen, Belgium, was awarded by the Flemish Institute for the Promotion of Industrial Scientific-Technological Research a €1.4 million technology development grant in Belgium for Alzheimer's disease research. Galapagos will build a number of Alzheimer's disease assays using neuronal cells and will use them in combination with its adenoviral-based target discovery platform.

• Invitrogen Corp., of Carlsbad, Calif., said it plans to offer $450 million of senior convertible notes due 2024. The company also plans to grant the initial purchasers a 13-day option to purchase up to an additional $67.5 million of the notes. Invitrogen plans to use a portion of the net proceeds to redeem its 5.5 percent convertible subordinated notes due 2007 in the aggregate principal amount of $172.5 million, with the remaining balance to be used for potential acquisitions and general corporate purposes, including the potential repayment of other outstanding debt.

• Maxim Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego, said findings published in Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry describe its discovery of gambogic acid as an inducer of apoptosis using the company's cell- and caspase-based high-throughput screening technology, and through sensitive structure-activity relationship studies. Maxim called gambogic acid an attractive molecule for the development of a new cancer agent given its potency as an inducer of apoptosis, its new mechanism of action, easy isolation and abundant supply, as well as its amenability to chemical modification.

• MDS Inc., of Toronto, entered an agreement to make a $16 million cash payment to Hemosol Inc., also of Toronto, allowing MDS to use the accumulated income tax losses and other tax assets of Hemosol through a reorganization of certain MDS diagnostics assets and Hemosol's business. The deal provides Hemosol a benefit from its existing accumulated income tax losses and other tax assets. Hemosol's assets and liabilities will be transferred to a new company to be called Hemosol Corp., in which MDS's interest will be proportionate to its existing holdings in Hemosol. MDS estimated the present value benefit of the transaction to total about $55 million to $60 million, which will be realized over the next several years.

• Metabolon Inc., of Research Triangle Park, N.C., is collaborating with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine on a new biomarker study funded by The ALS Association in Calabasas Hills, Calif. Researchers will work together to find a more rapid and accurate diagnostic test for ALS using biomarkers found in cerebrospinal fluid from a control group and from ALS patients using two different technologies.

• NitroMed Inc., of Bedford, Mass., said it is relocating and expanding its corporate headquarters and research facilities to Lexington, Mass. The new facilities covering 52,000 square feet will allow for the expansion of both its corporate and research and development staff. It also will allow for the addition of a marketing and sales organization. NitroMed is focused on discovering and developing drugs based on the therapeutic benefits of the molecule nitric oxide.

• Pharmasset Inc., of Atlanta, said Phase II data reported at the 11th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in San Francisco demonstrated a marked reduction in viral load of more than 1.7 log(10) after 10 days of monotherapy treatment with Reverset with no serious drug-related adverse events. The nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitor is being co-developed with Incyte Corp., of Palo Alto, Calif., for the treatment of HIV-infected patients. In vitro studies have shown that Reverset inhibits replication of drug-resistant HIV strains commonly seen after treatment with zidovudine and lamivudine.

• Serono Inc., of Rockland, Mass., reported new clinical data on Serostim as a potential maintenance therapy to sustain reductions in excess visceral fat accumulation in patients with HIV-associated adipose redistribution syndrome (HARS) who previously had received Serostim induction therapy. The trial was an extension of an earlier study. The maintenance phase involved 142 HIV-positive patients with HARS and demonstrated significant reductions (p<0.01) in trunk fat, non-HDL cholesterol and total cholesterol from the trial baseline to week 60 in patients taking either 1 mg or 2 mg of Serostim as a maintenance therapy.

• Tanox Inc., of Houston, presented the results from the TNX-335 multidose Phase Ib trial in HIV-1-infected patients at the 11th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in San Francisco. The study was conducted in 22 HIV-1-infected patients. Nineteen patients were randomized in the study. At screening, patients were selected with stable baseline of HIV-1 RNA levels of 5,000 copies/mL or greater and CD4+ cell counts of 100 cells/uL and higher. Clinically meaningful reductions from baseline of 0.5-1.7 log10 in HIV-1 RNA levels were observed in 21 out of 22 patients. Mean peak decreases from baseline in log10 viral loads of 0.99, 1.11 and 0.96 occurred by week two in the three arms of the trial, respectively. Viral loads decreased by more than 90 percent in about two-thirds of the patients.

• Tularik Inc., of South San Francisco, initiated a Phase I trial of T71, an oral drug candidate for the treatment of obesity. T71 is expected to help obese patients lose weight by reducing appetite and increasing metabolic rate. The trial is being conducted in overweight to obese healthy adult volunteers. The study will evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of single doses of T71. In addition, the effect of T71 on appetite, satiety and other markers of activity will be measured.

• Virax Holdings Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, said that its research partner, the Australian National Centre for HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, presented data and released results of the recent clinical trial of Virax's immune-based therapy VIR201 at the 11th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in San Francisco. The study found that patients on VIR201 had a viral load about six times lower than those on placebo. VIR201 is a treatment vaccine that is designed to harness the power of the body's immune system.

Vivus Inc., of Mountain View, Calif., reported the execution of exclusive licensing agreements with Melbourne, Australia-based Acrux Ltd., under which Vivus will develop and commercialize Testosterone MDTS and Estradiol MDTS in the U.S. for treatment of low sexual desire and menopausal symptoms, respectively. Vivus will pay to Acrux combined licensing fees of $3 million over the next 17 months, payments up to $4.3 million for achievement of certain clinical development milestones, product approval milestones of $6 million and royalties on net sales in the U.S. upon commercialization of each product.