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Dyadic second-quarter 2010 total revenue decreases to $2.2 million

Dyadic International, Inc., a global biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, manufacture and sale of specialty enzyme products and solutions for the bioenergy, industrial enzyme and biopharmaceutical industries, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

13 Aug 2010

EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD finalists announced

The names of the finalists in this year's EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD have been announced. The companies Addex Pharmaceuticals (Switzerland), Apeiron Biologics (Austria) and Galapagos Genomics (Belgium) have made it through to the final round.

13 Aug 2010

Study identifies use of acetaminophen may increase asthma symptoms in adults

New evidence linking the use of acetaminophen to development of asthma and eczema suggests that even monthly use of the drug in adolescents may more than double risk of asthma in adolescents compared to those who used none at all; yearly use was associated with a 50 percent increase in the risk of asthma.

13 Aug 2010

Researchers develop new implantable metamaterials to destroy cancerous tissue

The research, reported online July 21, 2010, in the journal Advanced Materials, provides a promising path towards the development of a new class of metamaterial-inspired implantable biosensors and biodetectors.Metamaterials are artificial electromagnetic composites, typically made of highly conducting metals, whose structures respond to electromagnetic waves in ways that atoms in natural materials do not. The most futuristic metamaterials would absorb all light, to create heat to destroy cancerous tissue, or bend light completely around an object, rendering that object invisible-an imaginary delight for fans of science fiction or spy novels.

13 Aug 2010

Study finds Olaparib can reduce tumor size in ovarian cancer women

Understanding the underlying genetic weakness of certain types of cancer may lead to targeted therapy and provide the key to effective treatment, a new study suggests. An international consortium of researchers has shown that an investigational drug, Olaparib, can reduce the size of tumors in women with advanced hereditary ovarian cancer with BRCA gene mutations.

13 Aug 2010

Research identifies intracellular mechanism for altering blood vessels permeability for tumours treatment

Dr. Jean-Philippe Gratton, Director of the Endothelial cell biology research unit at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montr-al (IRCM), identifies a new intracellular mechanism responsible for modulating vascular permeability: the nitrosylation of beta-catenin protein by nitric oxide. This scientific breakthrough could have a possible impact on the treatment of cancerous tumours by altering the permeability of the blood vessels irrigating them. Dr. Gratton's team will publish the results of its research tomorrow in the scientific journal Molecular Cell.

13 Aug 2010

Halozyme Therapeutics granted U.S. patent for recombinant human hyaluronidase enzyme platform

Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. today announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 7,767,429 claiming its proprietary recombinant human hyaluronidase enzyme platform (rHuPH20). Claims to the human PH20 glycoprotein, PEGylated variants, the glycoprotein produced by recombinant methods, and pharmaceutical compositions with other agents, including antibodies, insulins, cytokines, anti-infectives and additional therapeutic classes were awarded in the '429 patent. Additional claims are in prosecution.

12 Aug 2010

Pathway's drug development milestone triggers $4.5M tranche of Series A private equity placement

Pathway Therapeutics, a drug discovery and development company founded in New Zealand, announced that it has met an important drug development milestone triggering a US$4.5 million fourth tranche of its Series A private equity placement. The financing was led by GBS Venture Partners, Australia and CM Capital Investments, Australia with co-investors the Breast Cancer Research Trust, the Trans-Tasman Commercialisation Fund, and the New Zealand Venture Investment Firm.

12 Aug 2010

Alectos Therapeutics collaborates with Merck for Alzheimer’s disease research

Alectos Therapeutics Inc. today announced a research collaboration with Merck, headquartered in Whitehouse Station, N.J., to identify and develop compounds that modulate O-linked N-acetylglucosaminidase (O-GlcNAcase) an enzyme that is believed to be involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease and potentially other disorders. The agreement provides Merck with a worldwide, exclusive license to research, develop and commercialize compounds that modulate this target.

12 Aug 2010

GenSpera issued additional patent for G-202

GenSpera, Inc. announced that its patent application, entitled "Tissue Specific Prodrugs," has been issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office as US Patent 7,767,648. The patent covers the method of use for G-202, GenSpera's lead oncology drug, which is currently in a Phase I clinical study treating cancer patients whose disease has progressed after other treatments.

11 Aug 2010

FDA clears Curemark's CM – 4612 IND for Phase III clinical trial in ADHD

Curemark, LLC, a drug research and development company focused on the treatment of neurological diseases, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given clearance to Curemark's Investigational New Drug application for a Phase III clinical trial for the use of CM – 4612 in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

11 Aug 2010

ACT signs agreement to select novel clinical candidates for two cancer metabolic programs

Advanced Cancer Therapeutics (ACT), a privately held company dedicated to bringing new anti-cancer therapies to market, today announced that it has signed an exclusive agreement to leverage the translational research expertise of Dr. Jason Chesney, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine at the University of Louisville's James Graham Brown Cancer Center (Brown Cancer Center), to identify new clinical candidates for the prevention and treatment of cancers against two key cancer metabolic targets.

11 Aug 2010

Study results provide rationale for use of PI3K inhibitors in therapeutic settings

Research at the Babraham Institute, investigating how white blood cells known as B cells develop, has revealed that genes from the Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase family of enzymes are critical in enabling the B cells to produce antibodies in the spleen and lymph nodes.

10 Aug 2010

Vertex reports results from Phase 3 ILLUMINATE study of telaprevir-based therapy for hepatitis C

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced results from the Phase 3 ILLUMINATE study, which was designed to evaluate whether there was any benefit to extending therapy from 24 to 48 weeks in people whose hepatitis C virus (HCV) was undetectable at weeks 4 and 12 of treatment (extended rapid viral response or eRVR).

10 Aug 2010

Scientists identify compound to inhibit wild-type HIV-1 protease

Drug resistance remains a major problem in combating HIV infection, but a different approach to drug development could be the answer.Current viral inhibitors target the HIV-1 protease function with a competitive mechanism. Writing in the BJ ChemBio Knowledge Environment of the Biochemical Journal, Max Chang and colleagues from the Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, suggest that pharmaceutical companies look at compounds that use an allosteric non-competitive mechanism of inhibition.

10 Aug 2010

New insight into protein transport mechanism can improve chemotherapy treatments

A new study conducted in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Tel Aviv University (TAU) elucidates the way in which toxic, yet essential, copper ions enter human cells. As a chemotherapy drug presumably enters the cells in a similar manner, the results of this study pave the way for the development of improved chemotherapeutic drugs. The groundbreaking work was published in the leading American scientific journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).

10 Aug 2010

Scientists discover role of Mnk enzyme in prostate cancer development

A kinase is a type of enzyme the body uses to regulate the functions of the proteins required for cell growth and maintenance, and researchers have discovered that one in particular plays a key role in developing prostate cancer. "It's known as Mnk, and although it appears not to be essential for normal cell maintenance, it's important for cancer growth" said Dr. Luc Furic, a postdoctoral researcher working with Dr. Nahum Sonenberg at McGill University's Goodman Cancer Research Centre and Department of Biochemistry.

10 Aug 2010

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals updates key progress in clinical pipeline

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: LXRX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing breakthrough treatments for human disease, today updated the progress of its drug development programs and reported financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010.

9 Aug 2010

Scientists induce nerve tissue regeneration in patients with spinal cord injury

Researchers for the first time have induced robust regeneration of nerve tissue connections in injured adult spinal cord sites that control voluntary movement. These findings provide hope that it may be possible to design therapies for paralysis and other impairments of motor function arising from spinal cord injury.

9 Aug 2010

Drugs that reduce activity of ABDH6 enzyme can prevent brain damage: Study

A newly discovered molecular mechanism helps control the amount and effectiveness of a substance that mimics an active ingredient in marijuana, but that is produced by the body's own nerve cells.

7 Aug 2010