Glycosylation News and Research

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Scientific advances in glycomics

The glycome, encompassing all of the complex sugars produced by an organism, is comprised of multiple families of molecules whose function in the human body is often determined by the structure, composition, and placement of the attached sugars, as explored in a comprehensive look at the field of glycomics in a group of key articles in OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). The relevant articles are available free online at www.liebertpub.com/omi.

13 Sep 2010

Life Technologies, CEVEC Pharmaceuticals sign licensing agreement to supply CAP-T expression kits

CEVEC Pharmaceuticals, the developer of a novel human protein expression system derived from amniocytes, announced today the signing of a co-exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Life Technologies Corporation, a leading provider of innovative life science solutions based in Carlsbad, California. Under the terms of the agreement, Life Technologies and CEVEC will co-operate to offer optimized expression kits based on CEVEC's proprietary CAP-T cells to the global life science research community.

18 Aug 2010

BioMarin Pharmaceutical acquires ZyStor Therapeutics, furthers development of ZC-701 for Pompe disease

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. announced today that it has acquired ZyStor Therapeutics, Inc. (ZyStor), a privately-held biotechnology company developing enzyme replacement therapies (ERT) for the treatment of lysosomal storage disorders. ZyStor's lead product candidate is ZC-701, a novel fusion of insulin-like growth factor 2 and alpha glucosidase (IGF2-GAA) in development for Pompe disease.

18 Aug 2010

Researchers suggest Hsp70 can reverse Diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Researchers have been able to use a common chaperone protein, Hsp70, to reverse the loss of function in the nerves of mice with diabetes.Writing in ASN NEURO, Michael J. Urban and colleagues at the University of Kansas suggest that Hsp70 could be used in the future to cure the loss of feeling in the limbs that afflicts many diabetics.

12 Aug 2010

Scientists discover gene mutation responsible for CDG

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has discovered the gene mutation responsible for a condition in which eye and brain development is severely disrupted in affected infants.

16 Jul 2010

Alnylam presents data on novel delivery lipids at IBC 6th Annual Cell Line Development and Engineering conference

Alnylam Biotherapeutics, a division of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today the presentation of new data at the IBC 6th Annual Cell Line Development and Engineering conference held in San Francisco, California from June 21 - 24, 2010.

24 Jun 2010

Early detection and removal of pancreatic cysts may lower cancer risk: Researchers

Working with researchers from the University of Michigan and Indiana University, Van Andel Research Institute investigators have developed a method that could be used to predict whether pancreatic cysts are benign or are precursors to invasive cancer.

4 Jun 2010

CEVEC, Pevion Biotech sign license option agreement for transient CAP-T cell expression technology

CEVEC Pharmaceuticals, the German developer of a novel human expression system derived from amniocytes, announced today the signing of an exclusive license option agreement with Pevion Biotech, the Swiss vaccine company. The agreement enables Pevion Biotech to exclusively use CEVEC's transient CAP-T™ cell expression technology to manufacture and commercialize a protein antigen for vaccination against a widespread human infectious disease.

26 May 2010

GTC Biotherapeutics reports lower total net loss of $7.7M for first-quarter 2010

GTC Biotherapeutics, Inc. today reported its financial results for the first fiscal quarter ended April 4, 2010. The total net loss for the first quarter was $7.7 million, or $0.26 per share, compared to $10.4 million, or $0.99 per share, for the first quarter of 2009.

12 May 2010

CEVEC, Aragen Bioscience announce strategic license agreement

CEVEC Pharmaceuticals, the developer of a novel human expression system derived from amniocytes, and Aragen Bioscience, Inc., a California based contract research and development organization, announced today the signing of a strategic license agreement. This license enables Aragen Bioscience to offer its clients custom recombinant human cell lines expressing biotherapeutic proteins and antibodies as well as the transient and stable production of preclinical and clinical grade material.

12 May 2010

BSD, ProZyme partner to redefine biotherapeutic glycan analysis workflow

BioSystem Development, LLC (BSD) and ProZyme, Inc. announce a partnership to redefine biotherapeutic glycan analysis workflow. The first product from this collaboration combines ProZyme's proprietary enzymatic N-deglycosylation, labeling and cleanup chemistry with BSD's AssayMAP™ high- throughput micro chromatography platform resulting in a rapid, quantitative N-glycan sample preparation method fully enabled for any scale of automation.

11 May 2010

MUC1 expression indicates progression of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

Millions of people are afflicted with inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and 30 percent of new cases occur in childhood. Mucin 1, an epithelial mucin that has been shown to elicit both an immune response and to have altered glycosylation in disease, may be a noninvasive indicator of the progression of these illnesses.

20 Apr 2010

Agilent Technologies introduces new ion exchange and size exclusion columns for analysis of bio-molecules

Agilent Technologies Inc. today announced the availability of new ion exchange and size exclusion columns specifically designed for the analysis of bio-molecules including monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, peptides, vaccine products and DNA/RNA. The columns provide robust, reproducible and high-resolution solutions for biopharmaceutical manufacturers to effectively monitor the safety, efficacy and stability of their products.

17 Mar 2010

GTC Biotherapeutics reports total net loss of $1.7M for fourth-quarter 2009

GTC Biotherapeutics, Inc. today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended January 3, 2010. The total net loss for the fourth quarter was $1.7 million, or $0.09 per share, compared with $6.2 million, or $0.60 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2008. The total net loss for 2009 was $27.9 million, or $2.18 per share, compared to $22.7 million, or $2.31 per share, for 2008.

12 Mar 2010

Cytheris broadens patent protection for recombinant human interleukin-7

Cytheris SA, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development of new therapies for immune modulation, today announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its patent application "Glycosylated IL-7, Preparation and Uses", US Patent Application Number 11/996,176. The Notice of Allowance is the USPTO’s official communication that the Company’s application has successfully completed examination and that a patent will be issued.

2 Feb 2010

RCT licensee Dyax receives approval from the FDA for KALBITOR

RCT licensee Dyax Corp. has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for KALBITOR® (ecallantide) for the treatment of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in patients 16 years of age and older.

7 Dec 2009

EMEA grants orphan drug status for LFB Biotechnologies' recombinant anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody

The recombinant anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody produced by LFB Biotechnologies received orphan drug status for the treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). This approval from the EMEA’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) was handed down on last October 7th.

25 Nov 2009

FDA approves ZyStor Therapeutics' ZC-701 for Phase I human safety trial

ZyStor Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing a new class of targeted protein therapeutics for the treatment of Lysosomal Storage Diseases using the Company's proprietary Glycosylation Independent Lysosomal Targeting technology, today announced that it has received clearance from the U. S. Food and Drug Administration to proceed into a clinical trial for its first drug candidate, ZC-701, an enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of Pompe disease.

14 Oct 2009

Shire files treatment protocol for Velaglucerase Alfa for Gaucher’s disease

Shire plc has announced that, at the request of the FDA, in view of a potential restriction on the availability of the current approved and marketed treatment for Gaucher’s disease patients, it has filed a treatment protocol for velaglucerase alfa, its enzyme replacement therapy in development for the treatment of Gaucher’s disease.

7 Jul 2009

Bioprocess increases vaccine yield

Empa researchers have managed to adapt a process for manufacturing certain vaccines - in particular that against Haemophilus influenzæ bacteria - for use in bioreactors, with the result that the yield is enhanced enormously.

12 Jun 2009