¿ Genta Inc., of Lexington, Mass., said it has resolved a lawsuit by Johns Hopkins University and the T'so/Miller Partnership by agreeing to pay $180,000 and issuing common stock to the university providing a value of $200,000 over a six-month period. Genta's board also authorized the payment of contractually obligated dividends on its Series A and Series D preferred stocks. Genta will issue about 2 million shares of common stock in connection with the dividends.

¿ Aurora Biosciences Corp., of San Diego, signed a non-exclusive license agreement with Exelixis Pharmaceuticals Inc., of South San Francisco, for Aurora's proprietary green fluorescent protein technology, primarily for target identification and validation. The agreement includes an up-front payment and annual fees, and Exelixis receives certain rights to use the technology.

¿ Lexicon Genetics Inc., of The Woodlands, Texas, has granted Avatar BioSci Inc., of Nashville, Tenn., a sublicense to a segment of its proprietary Retrovirus Gene Trapping Vector Technology for the discovery of new drug targets in infectious diseases and cancer. The technology uses vectors that insert into chromosomes and provide a method for discovering and trapping new genes.

¿ The Liposome Company Inc., of Princeton, N.J., said it has received marketing approval for its 50-milligram Abelcet (amphotericin B lipid complex injection) vial from the FDA. The vial also will be available in the United Kingdom and Spain. Abelcet, which has been on the market since 1995, is now available in both 50- and 100-miligram vial sizes.

¿ Trega Biosciences Inc., of San Diego, achieved its third of four milestones in the development of its In Vitro Determination for the Estimation of Absorption (IDEA) simulation system. IDEA is being developed for the rapid screening of drug candidates for absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion characteristics. The fourth milestone, which will measure the predictive capability of the model, should be completed by the end of the year.

¿ University of Iowa Health Care researchers have joined a $6 million collaborative research effort to identify the biological causes and potential treatments for age-related macular degeneration and other retinal degenerations. They will collaborate with CIBA Vision, of Atlanta, and the eye clinic at the Universite Louis Pasteur, of Strasbourg, France.