• Acacia Research Corp., of Newport Beach, Calif., reported that its CombiMatrix group's Japanese subsidiary sold a DNA microarray synthesizer to the laboratory of Nobuyoshi Shimizu, head of the department of molecular biology at the Keio University School of Medicine in Tokyo. Keio purchased a CombiMatrix custom slide chip synthesizer and entered into an agreement to purchase microarrays that will be used for genomic research.

• Accentia Inc., one of the Hopkins Capital Group portfolio companies, agreed to purchase for $20 million an 81 percent equity interest in Biovest International Inc., of New York. The transaction is designed to provide working capital and resources for Biovest, in particular to accelerate an ongoing Phase III licensing trial of its personalized cancer vaccine for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, being conducted in cooperation with the National Cancer Institute, a unit of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Accentia is a privately held, specialty pharmaceutical and services company.

• Althea Technologies Inc., of San Diego, a provider of gene-based manufacturing and testing services designed to accelerate drug development, said it received a four-year contract from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., to assist the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases with the development, scale-up and production of candidate vaccines, as well as to perform the necessary characterization tests required for release of vaccines for clinical use.

• BioForce Nanosciences Inc., of Ames, Iowa, received a $500,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, a unit of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Funding from the Phase I award, titled "Protein Nanoarray for Cytokine Profiling in Mouse Models," will be used to build an antibody nanoarray for the creation of diagnostic tests requiring extremely small sample volumes, approaching that of a single cell.

• BresaGen Ltd., of Adelaide, Australia, said it achieved a milestone in the development of a cell therapy treatment for Parkinson's disease by demonstrating functional recovery from effects of the disease in a rat model. The team implanted neural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells into the brains of rats with lesions that cause Parkinson's disease-like effects. Within eight weeks, those effects were significantly decreased in rats receiving those cell implants when compared with a control group. Examination of the implants revealed the presence of cells producing an enzyme involved in the synthesis of dopamine, the neural transmitter that is markedly decreased in Parkinson's disease.

• Celgene Corp., of Warren, N.J., said Revimid (CC-5013) received fast-track designation from the FDA for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes, of which there are five types. They occur when blood cells remain in an immature, or "blast," stage within the bone marrow and never develop into mature cells capable of performing their necessary functions. The company expects to present updated Phase I/II data on the product next month.

• Commonwealth Biotechnologies Inc., of Richmond, Va., said it signed additional contracts in March valued at more than $800,000, bringing its total for the quarter to $2.7 million. The contracts are for execution of a variety of technology platforms, including a proteomic investigation into the effects of anticancer drugs on normal tissues, new money for pathogen identification by comprehensive DNA sequence analysis and preparation of antibodies directed against select agent pathogens.

• Dyax Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., entered an agreement to develop therapeutic peptides against an undisclosed oncology target provided by Alnis BioSciences Inc., of Emeryville, Calif. Dyax will identify and characterize peptides that bind specifically to the Alnis target, after which Alnis will evaluate the therapeutic potential of the peptides. They may be used as therapeutics or as delivery agents when conjugated to nanoparticles discovered from Alnis' technology platform. Alnis will provide research funding to Dyax for development of the peptides, and also agreed to pay a research-based milestone payment should the peptides meet certain criteria. Should Alnis proceed with clinical development, Dyax would receive contingency-based milestone payments, as well as royalties upon successful commercialization. More specific financial terms were not disclosed.

• ILEX Oncology Inc., of San Antonio, said it plans to begin in the third and fourth quarters Phase II studies of its tubulin-interactive agent ILX-651. Results of Phase I studies, which showed that the third-generation synthetic pentapeptide analogue of the natural substance dolastatin demonstrated activity in breast cancer and non-small-cell lung cancer, are expected to be detailed at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting that begins May 31 in Chicago. ILEX said the compound also exhibited a good safety profile and was well tolerated.

• Immusol Inc., of San Diego, said the first patient was treated in a Phase I physician-sponsored trial using its investigational drug, VIT100, to treat keloids and hypertrophic scars. The study will test the safety and efficacy of VIT100 in patients with keloids or hypertrophic scars, which are characterized by uncontrolled cellular proliferation that forms raised, reddish lesions on the skin.

• Introgen Therapeutics Inc., of Austin, Texas, said eight abstracts highlighting its INGN 241 cancer drug were published online in the March 2003 proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research. Introgen said the preclinical studies provide insight into how the mda-7 gene works against cancer, suggesting activity against prostate, lung, breast and ovarian cancers. INGN 241 remains the subject of an ongoing Phase II study for solid tumors. The data originally were scheduled for presentation at last week's American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Toronto, which was canceled because of an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

• Isolagen Inc., of Houston, reported that its regulatory affairs group met with the FDA and presented a plan for regulatory approval of its investigational new drug application for autologous fibroblasts expanded ex vivo and administered intradermally, for the treatment of wrinkles and scars due to acne, chickenpox or minor trauma. Isolagen wants to begin a pivotal trial.

• Large Scale Biology Corp., of Vacaville, Calif., appointed Kevin Ryan president and CEO. In the CEO post, he replaces Robert Erwin, a founder of LSBC, who will remain as chairman and head of the company's scientific advisory board. In the presidency, Ryan replaces John Fowler, who resigned that post and will remain a director on the LSBC board through the current term. LSBC uses its biomanufacturing, functional genomics and proteomics technologies to develop and manufacture drugs and vaccines.

• Lipid Sciences Inc., of Pleasanton, Calif., said its board elected S. Lewis Meyer president and CEO. He will continue to serve as a director, a position he has held since July 2002. Meyer was formerly president and CEO of Imatron Inc. He held that position from June 1993 until December 2001, when Imatron was acquired by General Electric Medical Systems. Lipid Sciences is researching and developing products and processes intended to treat major medical conditions in which lipids, or fat components, play a key role.

• Lynx Therapeutics Inc., of Hayward, Calif., said the April 15, 2003, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published results of a study that validates the use of its Massively Parallel Signature Sequencing technology. The National Cancer Institute, a unit of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Hilden, Germany, used MPSS technology to characterize the transcriptomes, or complete gene expression profiles, of two human cell lines. The article, which described the transcriptome of human cells, pointed to MPSS as a validated technique that produces a comprehensive view of the transcriptional program of a cell. Both institutes have begun applying MPSS in additional cancer research programs.

• Mount Sinai Medical Center, of New York, said its physicians conducted the first U.S. procedure in which cells taken from a patient's leg were implanted in the patient's heart to treat congestive heart failure. Known as autologous skeletal myoblast transplantation, the developmental procedure first involves the harvest of immature leg muscle cells that are cultured and eventually inserted into the heart's wall through a catheter, avoiding surgery. Also, the use of a patient's own cells overcomes problems associated with other cell-based therapies being explored for cardiac repair, such as ethical issues surrounding embryonic stem cells as well as tissue availability and rejection issues associated with cells harvested from donors.

• Northfield Laboratories Inc., of Evanston, Ill., said it had $9.5 million as of the end of its third quarter, Feb. 28. It said it believes its capital resources would fund operating requirements and allow it to maintain its pilot manufacturing plant and office facilities for about six to nine months. The company is developing PolyHeme, a blood substitute.

• Orchid Biosciences Inc., of Princeton, N.J., said its shareholders approved the authorization of a reverse split of its common stock. The resolution would implement a reverse stock split ranging from 1-for-3 shares to 1-for-7 shares prior to the company's annual meeting of shareholders, which is scheduled for June 12.

• Orton Rehabilitation Center, of Helsinki, Finland, said that promising new data published in the journal Spine suggest that a single two-hour treatment with infliximab, an antitumor necrosis factor alpha therapy also known as Remicade (from Centocor Inc.), may quickly relieve the painful symptoms of severe sciatica, enabling patients to forego surgery and return to work within a month. The trial marks the first study of anti-TNF-alpha therapy for patients with sciatica, a condition characterized by a protruding disc in the lower spinal column pressing on the lower spinal nerve roots.

• Pintex Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Watertown, Mass., named George Hillman CEO of the three-year-old pharmaceutical company, which is using a structure-based approach to developing cancer therapeutics and diagnostics targeting the Pin1 enzyme. Prior to joining Pintex, Hillman served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Paratek Pharmaceuticals.

• Ricerca Biosciences LLC, of Concord, Ohio, appointed Thomas Bradshaw interim CEO, replacing Prabhavathi Fernandes, who left the company on March 31. As president of Venture Biologics LLP, a management and consulting firm focused on the biotechnology and health care industries, Bradshaw oversaw the original acquisition, together with SG Capital Partners, of Ricerca. He has since been involved in its transformation from a purely contract services to Ricerca Biosciences, a company combining contract development services with partnerships to yield intellectual property.

• SuperGen Inc., of Dublin, Calif., is the subject of a class action commenced in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint alleges that during the period of April 18, 2000, to March 13, 2003, the company sold millions of shares and notes for $25 million. The FDA in March alleged that SuperGen's cancer product, Mitozytrex, did not have the benefits the company claimed it had.

• Zonagen Inc., of The Woodlands, Texas, said it engaged CIBC World Markets Corp. to explore strategic alternatives for the company. As previously reported, Zonagen is actively seeking merger partners with promising product development programs that would benefit from its financial resources. As of Dec. 31, Zonagen had about $25 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. In October, Zonagen reported that it would merge with Lavipharm Corp., but that merger was called off in March. Zonagen is involved in the development of pharmaceutical products for the reproductive system. (See BioWorld Today, Nov. 1, 2002.)