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PositiveID, RECEPTORS announce successful completion of rapid virus detection system Phase I development

PositiveID Corporation, in conjunction with its development partner RECEPTORS LLC, announced today that it has successfully completed Phase I development of its rapid virus detection system, a non-invasive, point-of-care test to test patient samples and identify various forms of influenza within minutes. Phase II of the development, which the Company expects to complete by the end of 2010, is planned to launch in February 2010.

23 Feb 2010

Researchers use Life Technologies’ next-generation sequencing instruments for cancer research

Life Technologies Corporation today announced the publication of two key scientific papers that highlight the utility of next-generation sequencing instruments in better understanding disease and the genetic differences that cause diversity within and between human populations. The Applied Biosystems SOLiD™ System was used in both of these research studies.

19 Feb 2010

New fluorescent probes improve tumor detection in mice

Building on his Nobel Prize-winning work creating fluorescent proteins that light up the inner workings of cells, a team of researchers led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Roger Tsien, PhD, professor of pharmacology, chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego and the Moores UCSD Cancer Center has developed biological probes that can stick to and light up tumors in mice.

17 Feb 2010

Study: New mechanism may allow bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics

Scientists have shown that cells' DNA-reading machinery can skim through certain kinds of damaged DNA without skipping any letters in the genetic "text." The studies, performed in bacteria, suggest a new mechanism that can allow bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics.

10 Feb 2010

QIAGEN acquires global licence for PI3K gene to develop real-time-PCR and endpoint PCR assays

QIAGEN today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary DxS has acquired the global and exclusive licence for biomarker PI3K from Johns Hopkins University to develop real-time-PCR and endpoint PCR assays.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 8 Feb 2010

BioMarin Pharmaceutical signs stock purchase agreement to acquire LEAD Therapeutics

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. announced today that it has entered into a stock purchase agreement to acquire LEAD Therapeutics, Inc. (LEAD), a small private drug discovery and early stage development company with key compound LT-673, an orally available poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor for the treatment of patients with rare, genetically defined cancers.

4 Feb 2010

Micronics issued second letters patent from USPTO for integrated heat exchange system

Micronics, Inc. today announced that it has been issued a second letters patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for an integrated heat exchange system on a disposable, plastic cartridge.

3 Feb 2010

Thermo Fisher Scientific to acquire Finnzymes

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Finnzymes, a well-recognized provider of integrated tools for molecular biology analysis, including reagents, instruments, consumables and kits. Headquartered in Espoo, Finland, Finnzymes has 90 employees and generated revenue of $20 million in 2009.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 2 Feb 2010

Global market for oncology drugs is forecast to reach $80 billion by 2050

New Medicine's Oncology KnowledgeBASE (nm/OK) residing at http://nmok.net became available on the Internet 10 years ago and, since then, the oncology field has evolved into one of the most challenging, complex and promising drug development sectors, both in terms of its potential contribution to medicine and to its market opportunities.

29 Jan 2010

Applied Biosystems signs cross-licensing agreement with Idaho Technology

Applied Biosystems LLC, part of Life Technologies Corporation, and Idaho Technology, Inc. have signed a cross-licensing agreement which covers a broad range of products including hardware, software and reagents.

27 Jan 2010

Pharmasset commences PSI-7977 Phase 2a trial for HCV

Pharmasset, Inc. today announces the initiation of a 28-day Phase 2a study with PSI-7977, a chirally pure isomer form of PSI-7851, a nucleotide analog polymerase inhibitor in development for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (HCV). The trial will evaluate various doses of PSI-7977 in combination with Pegasys (peginterferon alfa 2a) and Copegus (ribavirin) in patients with HCV genotype 1 who have not been treated previously.

21 Jan 2010

Findings pave way for designing better antibiotics to target bacterial transcription machinery

A new study led by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center is shedding new light on the action of Rho, a key regulatory protein in E. coli and many other bacteria.

19 Jan 2010

Kapa Biosystems signs non-exclusive North American distribution agreement with VWR International

Kapa Biosystems and VWR International, LLC announced today that they have entered into a non-exclusive North American distribution agreement for Kapa Biosystems' line of next-generation PCR reagents.

13 Jan 2010

Pfizer commences recruitment for Phase I clinical trial of SA3Ag vaccine

Inhibitex, Inc. today announced that its collaborator, Pfizer, Inc., has initiated patient recruitment for 408-patient, randomized, double-blind Phase I clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of three ascending dose levels of a 3-antigen Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) vaccine (SA3Ag) in healthy adults.

12 Jan 2010

Idenix Pharmaceuticals announces significant progress in HCV development programs

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human viral diseases, today announced significant progress in three HCV programs

12 Jan 2010

Vertex Pharmaceuticals plans proof-of-concept clinical trials in RA and epilepsy

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today provided an update on key 2010 business priorities in conjunction with the 28th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. The company also discussed recent progress in its lead development programs in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and cystic fibrosis (CF) and outlined proof-of-concept clinical trials planned in other serious diseases for 2010.

11 Jan 2010

NEB introduces Lemo21(DE3) Competent E. coli

New England Biolabs (NEB) has introduced Lemo21(DE3) Competent E. coli, a tunable T7 expression strain optimized for the expression of difficult constructs, including membrane proteins, toxic proteins and proteins prone to insoluble expression.

From New England Biolabs 8 Jan 2010

Study explains how H. pylori infection causes stomach cancer

Researchers report that Helicobacter pylori, the only bacterium known to survive in the harsh environment of the human stomach, directly activates an enzyme in host cells that has been associated with several types of cancer, including gastric cancer.

7 Jan 2010

Microfluidic Systems awarded series of patents

Microfluidic Systems (MFSI), a privately-held company, announced today that it has been awarded a series of patents covering both the components and integrated systems that perform fully automated sample collection through identification of air-borne pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and toxins.

5 Jan 2010

Carbon nanotube: A viable alternative for rapid DNA sequencing

Faster sequencing of DNA holds enormous potential for biology and medicine, particularly for personalized diagnosis and customized treatment based on each individual's genomic makeup.

4 Jan 2010