Paris-based Sanofi-Aventis Group is buying cancer drugmaker BiPar Sciences Inc. in a deal potentially worth $500 million for the Brisbane, Calif.-based firm and its investors. (BioWorld Today)

A ruling last Friday by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which affirmed the government's rejection of a patent application filed by two Amgen Inc. scientists, could not only impede gene patenting, but could make all medical-related patents more difficult to obtain. (BioWorld Today)

Given the current economic markets and difficulties in raising equity, government contracts or grants can be important sources of nondilutive funds for biotechnology companies, said Karl Handelsman, managing director of San Francisco-based venture capital firm CMEA Capital.