¿ AnalytiCon Discovery GmbH, of Potsdam, Germany, said it would isolate, purify and characterize novel natural products from microbial extracts on behalf of Schering-Plough Research Institute, using its MEGAbolite screening technology. AnalytiCon Discovery was spun out of AnalytiCon AG in June, with backing from the Berlin Seed Capital Fund and the Kapitalbeteiligungsgesellschaft for the federal state of Brandenburg. The company is headed by CEO Lutz M|ller-Kuhrt, a founder of AnalytiCon AG; chief scientific officer Jasmin Jakupovic; chief operating officer Kai Bindseil; and chief financial officer Jochen Gatter.

¿ MediGene AG, of Martinsried, Germany, said it would include Fremont, Calif.-based Ciphergen Biosystems Inc.'s ProteinChip technology in its "integrated target definition" functional genomics and proteomics platform. The technology, which is based on Surface-Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionization, is designed for rapid detection and analysis of proteins directly from biological samples, including single protein solutions and non-purified mixtures. According to MediGene CEO Peter Heinrich, the move will accelerate the company's identification of potential drug targets.

¿ NicOx SA, of Sofia-Antipolis, France, said its nitric oxide-releasing aspirin, NCX-4016, was successfully tested in preclinical animal models of myocardial infarction. High doses of NCX-4016 reduced myocardial infarct size in anaesthetized pigs subjected to ischemia followed by reperfusion, whereas tolerated doses of native aspirin had no effect. NicOx CEO Michele Garufi said "these results, and the recent findings on the capability of NCX-4016 to reduce atherosclerotic lesions and inhibit vascular restenosis in animal models, indicate that, compared to aspirin, NCX-4016 has a much broader profile at the cardiovascular level." NicOx already has taken NCX-4016 into clinical development for the treatment of pain and inflammation.

¿ Provalis plc, of Deeside, Wales said its share placing and open offer, announced in September, raised #10.8 million (US$15.6 million) after expenses.