* Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc., of New Haven, Conn., said it wasgranted notices of allowances for three U.S. patent applications in itsxenotransplantation program relating to the composition of porcineembryonic stem cells, the use of complement inhibitors intransplantation and the genetic engineering of mammalian cells with ahuman complement inhibitor.

* Ansan Inc., of South San Francisco, received notice of allowance ofa patent for Novaheme (AH10), an analogue of butyrate, which isbeing developed for treating red blood cell disorders.

* ArQule Inc., of Medford, Mass., was awarded patent No. D-369,415 covering a component of the company's AutomatedMolecular Assembly Plant, a high-speed synthesis system. The patentrelates to the design of a 96-well sample holder.

* DNX Corp., of Raritan, N.J., received notice of allowance on apatent covering non-pancreatic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) transgenicmice and rats and their use in developing new compounds to inhibitPLA2.

* Immunomedics Inc., of Morris Plains, N.J., was issued patent No.5,514,363 claiming methods for labeling proteins, particularlymonovalent antibody fragments, with technetium and rheniumisotopes.

* InSite Vision Inc., of Alameda, Calif., received notice of allowancefor a patent claiming substantially purified nucleic acid moleculesthat encode for a human glaucoma-associated protein.

* Interferon Sciences Inc., of New Brunswick, N.J., was issued patentNo. 5,516,515. The major claim is for composition of an interferonreceptor protein specifically binding alpha and beta, but not gamma,interferon.

* Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Carlsbad, Calif., received patent No.5,514,788 for ISIS 2302, an antisense inhibitor of intercellularadhesion molecule-1. The compound is in a Phase II trial ininflammatory diseases. The patent also has claims to more than 40antisense compounds targeting human cell adhesion molecules.

* MGI Pharma Inc., of Minneapolis, was notified it will be grantedtwo broad-based patents covering MGI 114, the lead analogue in thecompany's acylfulvene family of anti-cancer compounds.

* Neoprobe Corp., of Dublin, Ohio, said researchers were granted apatent covering claims to composition of matter for a group ofsecond-generation monoclonal antibodies. Neoprobe holds anexclusive license to use the antibodies with its technology to detectand treat cancer.

* Neose Technologies Inc., of Horsham, Pa., was issued patent No.5,5514,660 covering approaches for treating and preventing gastritisand ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori. Protected under the patentis a family of complex sugar molecules that includes NE-0080, thecompany's lead product.

* Xoma Corp., of Berkeley, Calif., received two patents related tomanufacturing capability and basic research for itsbactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI). Patent No.5,488,034 covers pharmaceutical forms of BPI for storage andshipping and patent No. 5,489,676, covers polypeptides that mayboost BPI's ability to kill Gram-negative bacteria.

* Protogene Laboratories Inc., of Palo Alto, Calif., received patentNo. 5,474,796, titled, "Method and apparatus for conducting an arrayof chemical reactions on a support surface."

* Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Tarrytown, N.Y., receivedpatent No. 5,521,073 covering the gene that encodes the human Tie-2ligand protein and a method of using the gene to make the ligandprotein, a growth factor involved in blood vessel formation.

* Scios Inc., of Mountain View, Calif., was issued patent No.5,514,566 covering the method of producing human basic fibroblastgrowth factor by recombinant DNA techniques.

* Texas Biotechnology Corp., of Houston, was issued two patents.No. 5,514,691 covers sulfonamides and derivatives that modulate theactivity of endothelin. No. 5,510,332 covers a process to inhibitbinding of the integra alpha 4 beta 1 to VCAM-1 or fibronectin andlinear peptides.

* The Immune Response Corp., of Carlsbad, Calif., said patent No.08/368,757, covering its licensed gene delivery technology, wasissued. The patent allows for targeted delivery of a soluble molecularcomplex to any receptor on any cell.

* Two researchers from the University of Arizona in Tucson receivedpatent No. 08/014,979 covering a combinatorial chemistry libraryscreening method based on a "one-bead-one-compound" concept.

(c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.