Galapagos Genomics NV, of Mechelen, Belgium, was awarded U.S. Patent No. 6,340,595 titled “High Throughput Screening of Gene Function Using Adenoviral Libraries for Functional Genomics Applications.” The patent covers Galapagos’ PhenoSelect platform.

Genzyme Molecular Oncology, a division of Genzyme Corp., of Framingham, Mass., was issued U.S. Patent No. 6,338,945 relating to its high-throughput screening technology known as Sphere. The method described in the patent titled “A Method of Identifying Cytotoxic T Cell Epitopes” is broadly applicable and may be used in the selection of potential vaccine candidates, as well as the identification of antigens for treatment of cancer, viral infections or autoimmune disorders.

GlycoDesign Inc., of Toronto, said it received a notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its GD0039 patent application. GD0039 is the company’s lead anticancer compound.

ImmunoGen Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., was awarded U.S. Patent No. 6,340,701 covering novel taxane compounds and their use as effector molecules in ImmunoGen’s Tumor-Activated Prodrug technology.

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Tustin, Calif., was issued U.S. Patent No. 6,342,219 covering the use of new antibodies for cancer treatment. The patent is titled “Antibody Compositions for Selectively Inhibiting VEGF” and covers antibodies that bind to and selectively neutralize the actions of VEGF, or vascular endothelial cell growth factor, a key molecule in tumor development and progression.

Targeted Genetics Corp., of Seattle, reported that U.S. Patent No. 6,326,356 titled “Suppression of Neu Overexpression Using a Mini-E1A Gene” was issued to the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and exclusively licensed to Targeted Genetics.