¿ Peptide Therapeutics Group plc, of Cambridge, U.K., which focuses on immunotherapy, has agreed on a research collaboration with Eli Lilly and Co., of Indianapolis, for the development of protease inhibitors. Under terms of the agreement, Peptide will apply its proprietary protease inhibitor discovery technology, called Rational Approach to Protease Inhibitor Design (RAPID), to four protease targets provided by Lilly.

¿ Pharming Group NV, of Leiden, the Netherlands, has received approval for a Phase II clinical trial of human-glucosidase derived from the milk of transgenic rabbits for the treatment of the lysosomal storage disorder Pompe¿s disease. The trial, to be conducted in association with Sophia Children¿s Hospital and Erasmus University, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, is designed to assess the safety and efficacy of the treatment in up to 12 patients with the lethal hereditary disorder. Each patient will be followed for six months, and this Phase II study will be followed by a larger Phase II/III study in Europe and the U.S. The compound has been awarded orphan drug status by the FDA in the U.S., and Pharming recently created a joint venture with Genzyme Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., to develop and market it.