Preclinical News and Research

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Biogen Idec enters global collaboration for oral Syk inhibitor program with Portola

Biogen Idec and Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that they have entered into an exclusive, worldwide collaboration and license agreement under which both companies will develop and commercialize highly selective, novel oral Syk inhibitors for the treatment of various autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

28 Oct 2011

NCI awards UAB $2.3M brain-tumor SPORE grant

The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center and the UAB Division of Neurosurgery have been awarded a prestigious SPORE, or Specialized Program of Research Excellence, grant from the National Cancer Institute for $2.3 million over three years to conduct research and develop new therapies to treat brain tumors.

28 Oct 2011

Study: pGJA-P/VAX vaccine shows promise against dental caries

In a report on a preclinical investigation titled "Flagellin Enhances Saliva IgA Response and Protection of Anti-caries DNA Vaccine," lead author Wei Shi, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his team of researchers demonstrate that anti-caries DNA vaccines, including pGJA-P/VAX, are promising for preventing dental caries. However, challenges remain because of the low immunogenicity of DNA vaccines.

27 Oct 2011

Surgeons freeze organoid units and regenerate TESI for short bowel syndrome

Surgeons at Children's Hospital Los Angeles have conducted a study that could put regenerative tissue treatment for short bowel syndrome one step closer to the bedside. The researchers were able to successfully isolate and store organoid units and later generate tissue-engineered small intestine (TESI) in a mouse model. The groundbreaking results were presented at the 2011 Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

27 Oct 2011

Biogen’s Multiple Sclerosis pill succeeds at a late phase clinical trial

Biogen Idec Inc. has reported success in a late stage clinical trial of its oral multiple sclerosis drug BG-12, a competitor's of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries’ Laquinimod. A 240-milligram dose of BG-12 administered two or three times a day significantly reduced the proportion of patients who relapsed by 49% and 50%, respectively, after two years compared with a placebo.

24 Oct 2011

Taconic and Oncodesign announce agreement to co-promote and co-develop solutions to advance oncology research

Taconic, a leading provider of life sciences solutions, and Oncodesign(R), an innovative leader in the discovery of novel anti-cancer therapies, announce today that they have entered into an agreement to co-develop and co-promote pre-clinical oncology in vivo solutions for researchers worldwide. The agreement provides researchers with improved access to a large, diverse portfolio of translational models for use in pre-clinical oncology studies, along with supporting scientific services.

24 Oct 2011

Mesoblast cleared to begin first phase 2 clinical trial for wet AMD

Regenerative medicine company Mesoblast Limited (ASX: MSB) today announced that it has received regulatory clearance from the Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to commence the first Phase 2 trial of its proprietary allogeneic (off-the-shelf) adult stem cell therapy for patients with proliferation of leaky blood vessels in the eyes – neovascular (“wet”) Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

24 Oct 2011

Mesoblast receives Singapore HSA regulatory clearance to begin wet AMD Phase 2 trial

Regenerative medicine company Mesoblast Limited today announced that it has received regulatory clearance from the Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to commence the first Phase 2 trial of its proprietary allogeneic (off-the-shelf) adult stem cell therapy for patients with proliferation of leaky blood vessels in the eyes – neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration.

24 Oct 2011

Two proteins bind together to ignite and sustain malignant brain tumors

Two previously unassociated proteins known to be overly active in a variety of cancers bind together to ignite and sustain malignant brain tumors, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports this week in the journal Cancer Cell.

22 Oct 2011

Xencor commences XmAb5871 Phase 1 trial in autoimmune diseases

Xencor, Inc., a company using its proprietary Protein Design Automation (PDA) platform technology to engineer next-generation antibodies, announced today the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial of XmAb5871, the company's therapeutic antibody for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

22 Oct 2011

Preclinical data from Teva's COPAXONE study on multiple sclerosis

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced preclinical data demonstrating reparative and neuroprotective effects of treatment with COPAXONE (glatiramer acetate injection) in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) models.

21 Oct 2011

Ipsen, Syntaxin collaborate to develop new botulinum toxins

Ipsen and Syntaxin, a biotechnology company specialising in innovative biopharmaceutical therapies targeting cell secretion pathways, announced today a global strategic collaboration to explore the discovery and development of new compounds in the field of botulinum toxins.

20 Oct 2011

Breakthrough in development of effective therapy against Hendra virus

A team of Federal and university scientists reports a breakthrough in the development of an effective therapy against a deadly virus, Hendra virus. The results of their study, "A Neutralizing Human Monoclonal Antibody Protects African Green Monkeys from Hendra Virus Challenge," will appear in Science Translational Medicine online.

20 Oct 2011

JHU, Eisai enter drug-discovery research collaboration for brain disorders

The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) has entered into a drug-discovery research collaboration with Eisai, a pharmaceutical company based in Tokyo, to develop proprietary small-molecule drugs for a range of brain conditions such as schizophrenia, pain, brain tumors and Alzheimer's disease.

20 Oct 2011

SAIC receives NIAID contract to develop biopharmaceutical products for infectious diseases

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) announced today it was awarded a contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to provide preclinical services for the development of biopharmaceutical products for infectious diseases.

19 Oct 2011

Oral laquinimod shows promise against multiple sclerosis

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Active Biotech today announced the presentation of Phase III clinical and pre-clinical data, which collectively demonstrate that once-daily oral laquinimod modulates the pathological processes of multiple sclerosis to impact disease activity, disability progression and brain volume loss.

19 Oct 2011

FDA approves Oxford BioMedica's UshStat IND to treat Usher syndrome type 1B

Oxford BioMedica plc, the leading gene-based biopharmaceutical company, today announces that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved its Investigational New Drug application for the Phase I/IIa clinical development of UshStat, a novel gene-based treatment for Usher syndrome type 1B.

18 Oct 2011

TPP, University of Dundee sign collaboration agreement for drug development fund

TPP Global Development Ltd announced a collaboration agreement with the University of Dundee to establish a drug development fund.

18 Oct 2011

VEGF protein appears to prevent progression of spinocerebellar ataxia type 1

A protein that promotes the growth of neurons and blood vessels appears to stop the progression of a genetic disease that causes degeneration of the cerebellum, according to new preclinical Northwestern Medicine research published in Nature Medicine.

18 Oct 2011

NIH grants support SUNY's neuroscience, pediatric pharmacology and vision research

The State University of New York has received two grants totaling more than $4.3 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support neuroscience and pediatric pharmacology and vision research as part of SUNY REACH, a collaborative research network of SUNY's four academic health centers and the College of Optometry.

15 Oct 2011