• Abbott Laboratories, of Abbott Park, Ill., expanded its immunology trials program to include an additional Phase III study evaluating Humira (adalimumab) for Crohn's disease. The compound, already approved for rheumatoid arthritis, is a human monoclonal antibody that works by specifically blocking tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), a human protein thought to play a role in the autoimmune disease's development. The study is in addition to a Phase III Crohn's study begun last year.

• Agencourt Bioscience, of Beverly, Mass., partnered with Invitrogen Corp., of Carlsbad, Calif., for the Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) technology. Invitrogen's I-SAGE kits will include discounted sequencing services performed by Agencourt. The agreement is designed to result in a wider adoption of SAGE technology, a method for quantitative, genome-wide gene expression analysis.

• Altana AG, of Bad Homburg, Germany, said Phase III results of Roflumilast in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) showed that forced expiratory volume in one second was significantly improved in patients receiving 250 ug and 500 ug doses. Patients also experienced an improved quality of life, and Roflumilast was well tolerated with the most frequent adverse event being diarrhea. The trial involved 1,400 patients. Roflumilast is a selective phosphodiesterase4-inhibitor being developed for COPD and asthma.

• Arriva Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Alameda, Calif., reported animal study results at the European Respiratory Society meeting in Vienna, Austria, showing the effects of an inhaled protease inhibitor, Ilomastat, on the development of emphysema due to cigarette smoking. Data demonstrated that lung degeneration caused by cigarette smoke could be reduced by up to 96 percent using the strategy.

• Avant Immunotherapeutics Inc., of Needham, Mass., said Congress passed a bill committing $3 million in Department of Defense funding to Avant's development of an oral combination vaccine to protect against anthrax and plague. Avant began developing the vaccine in January. The funds will carry the company through preclinical development to near completion, including the manufacturing process development and pilot vaccine production.

• BioTrove Inc., of Woburn, Mass., reported the purchase of an intellectual property portfolio covering through-hole array technology from Genencor International Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif. The portfolio includes several issued patents and multiple patent filings in the U.S. and overseas. The purchase augments and strengthens BioTrove's existing through-hole array patent portfolio, BioTrove said. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Cel-Sci Corp., of Vienna, Va., was awarded a $104,000 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. The grant will be devoted to the development of CEL-1000 as a potential therapeutic and prophylactic agent against vaccinia and smallpox infections as a single agent and as an adjuvant for vaccinia vaccines.

• Chemical Diversity Labs Inc., of San Diego, entered an agreement to provide a library of 100,000 small-molecule compounds to support the discovery of new antibacterial agents at Mpex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of San Diego. Chemical Diversity Labs also will provide various chemistry services to support the optimization of leads identified from the collaboration. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Epoch Biosciences Inc., of Bothell, Wash., a provider of products that accelerate genomic analysis, said it received formal notification from the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command that it was not awarded a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide Block 1 of the Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic Systems (JBAIDS). Epoch said it did not include JBAIDS revenues in its forecasts nor did it count on the award to support its initiatives in the research or diagnostic markets. JBAIDS is a portable diagnostic system used to identify 10 biowarfare agents simultaneously.

• Fernandez & Associates LLC, of Menlo Park, Calif., launched a biotech practice group to counsel early stage biotech companies and their venture investors. The legal group will specialize in patent procurement and licensing, covering biology, biochemistry, chemistry and pharmacology.

• Forest Laboratories Inc., of New York, received an FDA approvable letter to expand the use of Lexapro to include the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Lexapro, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, is indicated for the initial and maintenance treatment of major depressive disorder. The company submitted the supplemental NDA last November. It said it hopes to launch Lexapro for the new indication in early 2004.

• IGEN International Inc., of Gaithersburg, Md., said its wholly owned subsidiary, BioVeris Corp., filed a registration statement with the SEC relating to its previously announced transaction with Roche Holding Ltd., a unit of F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., of Basel, Switzerland. If the transaction is completed, IGEN stockholders would be entitled to receive $47.25 in cash, without interest, and one share of BioVeris common stock for each share of IGEN common stock they own.

• Inspire Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Durham, N.C., said CEO Christy Shaffer would open the Nasdaq market today. The company, which has been listed on the exchange under the symbol "ISPH" since August 2000, recently received notice that the FDA accepted its new drug application for diquafosol for dry eye.

• Isotechnika Inc., of Edmonton, Alberta, said it intended to make a normal course issuer bid through the Toronto Stock Exchange, proposing to purchase up to 2 million common shares, which represents about 3.3 percent of its issued and outstanding stock. From Sept. 30, 2003, to Sept. 29, 2004, the company plans to buy the shares at market price on the exchange and cancel them. As of Sept. 5, Isotechnika had about 74.8 million shares outstanding.

• Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford donated $700,000 to the Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, Calif., to promote biotechnology research for advancing children's health. The gift will create a center to allow researchers to use genetics, genomics and proteomics to create ways to diagnose childhood diseases earlier, predict which children will respond to treatment and determine which will develop side effects from therapies.

• OncoGenex Technologies Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia, raised $11.5 million after completing an oversubscribed private financing to fund pipeline expansion, securing alliances and partnerships and advancing its clinical programs in developing targeted antisense therapeutics for cancer. Its lead product, OGX-011, is in two Phase I studies to evaluate its ability to sensitize otherwise resistant tumors to existing cancer therapeutics such as chemotherapy, hormone ablation and radiation. Ventures West led the round and was joined by other new investors, H.I.G. Ventures and Working Opportunity Fund, managed by GrowthWorks Capital. The syndicate also included existing investors Business Development Bank of Canada and Milestone Medica Corp. As a part of the financing, OncoGenex expanded its board to include Ventures West's Aaron Davidson and H.I.G.'s Craig Burson.

• Pharmion Corp., of Boulder, Colo., set the price range for its initial public offering at $14 to $16 per share and its number of shares at 6 million. At that range, the offering would raise between $84 million and $96 million. The company filed for its IPO in August. (See BioWorld Today, Aug. 22, 2003.)

• ProMetic Life Sciences Inc., of Montreal, and the National Research Council's Biotechnology Research Institute in Washington formed a strategic alliance for the production and biopurification of therapeutic proteins. NRC-BRIn and ProMetic teamed up to provide an integrated service to biotech and pharmaceutical companies for the development and scale-up of therapeutic protein production. It is expected that the joint venture will provide technologies and expertise in the field of expression and downstream processing of therapeutics.

• Protein Design Labs Inc., of Fremont, Calif., said it would redeem all its outstanding 5.5 percent convertible subordinated notes, with a principal amount of $150 million, due Feb. 15, 2007. The redemption price is 102.75 percent of the principal amount, or $1,027.50 per $1,000 of principal amount. The company expects to use about $154.5 million in cash for the redemption, which will occur Nov. 3. It also expects that a financial charge of about $6.5 million will be incurred this quarter in connection with the redemption. Protein Design Labs said it might repurchase a portion of the notes in open market transactions prior to that date.

• SurroMed Inc., of Mountain View, Calif., published findings in Analytical Chemistry that describe a new approach for biomarker identification. It details the company's new liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry approach to quantitative profiling of large numbers of proteins and small molecules for the purpose of differential expression measurements and discovery of biomarkers. The technology offers researchers an improved method for biomarker discovery from complex biological samples.

• The Immune Response Corp., of Carlsbad, Calif., initiated a Phase II trial designed to evaluate the use of Remune, an immune-based therapeutic vaccine, for the treatment of HIV-infected patients who have not been treated previously with antiretroviral drugs. The study is designed to use immunology methods to assess the magnitude of HIV-specific immune responses to Remune in drug-na ve patients. The goal is to generate data to aid in the design of future registration trials that would determine the ability of Remune to slow HIV disease progression and delay the need for antiretroviral agents.

• Tranzyme Inc., of Research Triangle Park, N.C., was awarded two grants from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., totaling about $300,000. The first is a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the second is a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the National Institute on Aging. Tranzyme will use the funding from the Phase I STTR to validate a multi-reporter cell-based assay that is sensitive to the entry of HIV-1. The SBIR grant will be used for the development of neuronal cell-based assays and methods for the validation of genes that modulate apoptosis.

• U.S. Genomics, of Woburn, Mass., received a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Science Foundation in Arlington, Va. The $500,000 grant will be used to advance the development of the company's technology for rapid DNA analysis and genomic mapping. U.S. Genomics said it anticipates that under the grant it will advance the development of the platform's capabilities as well as develop specific life sciences applications that will position the technology for commercialization.

• XOMA Ltd., of Berkeley, Calif., initiated a Phase I trial with its XMP.629 compound, which is being developed as a topical treatment for acne. The study is designed to evaluate XMP.629 in healthy volunteers. In preclinical studies, it was found to be effective against Propionibacterium acnes and other related skin microorganisms, the company said.

• ZymoGenetics Inc., of Seattle, and Serono SA, of Geneva, began a Phase I trial with TACI-Ig in healthy volunteers. The single-dose escalation study is designed to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of the protein. TACI-Ig is a soluble receptor being co-developed by the two companies, which are focusing on the treatment of autoimmune diseases.