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MicroDose initiates Phase 1 clinical trial investigating the pharmacokinetics of atropine inhalation

MicroDose Therapeutx Inc. (formerly MicroDose Technologies) today announced that it has initiated a Phase I study at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center with atropine sulfate delivered from the MicroDose proprietary dry powder inhaler (DPI). The study is a further step in the development program for an atropine inhaler to treat nerve agent poisoning in military and civil defense applications.

24 Sep 2009

Update on Cerezyme and Fabrazyme supply from Genzyme Corporation

Genzyme Corporation (NASDAQ: GENZ) today provided an update on its progress to restore supplies of Cerezyme® (imiglucerase for injection) and Fabrazyme® (agalsidase beta) for patients worldwide and revised its 2009 revenue guidance for these products.

24 Sep 2009

Study reveals that AIR Inhaled Insulin is inferior to SC insulin

The commercial failure of Exubera- (Pfizer, New York, NY), the first inhaled insulin product to come to market, led other companies such as Eli Lilly-Alkermes to halt studies of similar drug delivery in development intended to compete for a share of the lucrative diabetes market. Does this signal defeat for efforts to deliver insulin via the lungs? The science and circumstances behind the Lilly-Alkermes decision to discontinue trials of the AIR- inhaled insulin product are explored in a special supplement to Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). The supplement is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/dia

24 Sep 2009

Lux Biosciences announces results of its LX214 human safety study for dry eye syndrome

Lux Biosciences, Inc. a privately held biotechnology company focused on the treatment of ophthalmic diseases, today announced results from a Phase 1 human safety and an open-label pilot efficacy study of the company’s potential best-in-class therapy for dry eye, LX214 (topical mixed nanomicellar formulation of voclosporin).

24 Sep 2009

Aegera Therapeutics raises $7 Million for additional working capital

Aegera Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotechnology company focussed on developing targeted therapeutics for oncology and pain, announced today the full drawdown of a $7 Million debt facility provided by Investissement Quebec.

24 Sep 2009

Twinkling nanostars improve optical imaging of tumors

Researchers at Purdue University have created magnetically responsive gold nanostars that may offer a new approach to biomedical imaging. The nanostars gyrate when exposed to a rotating magnetic field and can scatter light to produce a pulsating or "twinkling" effect. This twinkling allows them to stand out more clearly from noisy backgrounds such as those found in biological tissue. Alexander Wei, Ph.D., and Kenneth Ritchie, Ph.D., M.Sc., led the team that created the new gyromagnetic imaging method. The work appears in a paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

23 Sep 2009

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics completes humanization of its ICT-37 and ICT-109 antibody candidates

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. (OTCBB: IMUC), a clinical-stage biotechnology company that is developing immune based therapies for the treatment of brain and other cancers, announced today that it has completed humanization of ICT-37 and ICT-109.

23 Sep 2009

FDA accepts Sangamo's IND for repeat-dosing in Phase 1 clinical trial of SB-728-T ZFN-based therapeutic

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO) announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed and accepted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate an open-label, repeat-dosing Phase 1 clinical trial (SB-728-T-902) of the company's ZFN-based therapeutic, SB-728-T. A single dose Phase 1 clinical study of SB-728-T was initiated in February 2009 and is ongoing at the University of Pennsylvania.

23 Sep 2009

Adolor acquires exclusive worldwide rights to OpRA III

Adolor Corporation (NasdaqGM:ADLR) today announced that it has acquired from Eli Lilly and Company (“Lilly”) the exclusive worldwide rights to OpRA III, a clinical-stage product candidate.

23 Sep 2009

Clinical informatics solution for health care providers and pharmaceutical firms

Humedica, a next-generation health care informatics company, today announced the company’s official launch, along with the previous completion of its $30 million round of venture capital and the roll-out of its ground-breaking clinical analytics platform.

23 Sep 2009

Second annual study of FDA drug review released

PAREXEL Consulting, a business unit of PAREXEL International (Nasdaq: PRXL) and a leading global life sciences consultancy serving the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries, today released its second annual study on the state of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug review process.

From Parexel 23 Sep 2009

Agilent Technologies and Applied Biosystems to co-market SureSelect system

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) and Applied Biosystems, part of Life Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:LIFE), today introduced the Agilent SureSelect Target Enrichment System, which is optimized for the SOLiD™ System, a next-generation advanced genomic analysis sequencing platform.

23 Sep 2009

Top 20 pharma companies seek out new partnering opportunities at BIO-Europe 2009

In order to seek out new partnering opportunities, the top 20 big pharma companies will be in attendance on November 2–4 in Vienna, Austria for BIO-Europe 2009, the largest dedicated partnering conference in Europe.

23 Sep 2009

Technological and scientific initiatives from Helicos BioSciences Corporation

Helicos BioSciences Corporation provided updates on recent scientific findings and progress on Helicos’s technology initiatives. Speaking at the Personal Genomes conference in Cold Spring Harbor, NY, and the CHI Next Generation Sequencing conference in Providence, RI, Patrice Milos, Ph.D. Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer provided an overview of recent technological and scientific initiatives underway at Helicos.

23 Sep 2009

StemCells pushing forward its SC Proven cell culture product business

StemCells, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEM) today announced organizational initiatives focused on growing its specialty SC Proven® cell culture product business and advancing the development and commercialization of its central nervous system (CNS) cell-based assay platforms for use in drug screening and drug development. These initiatives reflect the Company’s ongoing integration of the operations acquired from Stem Cell Sciences (SCS) Plc in April, and include new personnel appointments and a realignment of activities within the Company’s Cambridge, UK and Palo Alto, California locations.

23 Sep 2009

Institutional investors offer 50 million for Spectrum Pharmaceuticals

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a commercial-stage biotechnology company with a focus primarily in oncology, today announced that it has received $50 million from existing institutional investors in a previously announced registered direct offering.

23 Sep 2009

SEA technology to increase potency of monoclonal antibodies

Seattle Genetics, Inc. announced today the introduction of its sugar engineered antibody (SEA) technology, a novel approach to increasing the potency of monoclonal antibodies through enhanced effector function. The technology will be presented today by Dennis Benjamin, Ph.D., Senior Director, Chemistry, during the Americas Antibody Congress being held in Washington, DC.

23 Sep 2009

Preclinical data on Protalix Biotherapeutics' antiTNF released

Protalix Biotherapeutics, Inc., reported today preclinical data on pr-antiTNF, a biosimilar version of etanercept (Enbrel). Produced using the Company’s proprietary ProCellEx technology, pr-antiTNF is a plant cell expressed recombinant fusion protein made from the soluble form of the human TNF receptor (TNFR), fused to the Fc component of a human antibody IgG1 domain. Pr-antiTNF has an identical amino acid sequence to Enbrel.

23 Sep 2009

Bio-Path Holdings to develop liposome tumor targeting technology

Bio-Path Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: BPTH), a publicly traded biotechnology company with drug development operations in Houston, Texas, announced today the Company has executed an exclusive license with The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center to develop liposome tumor targeting technology. Bio-Path is currently developing a neutral-lipid based liposome delivery technology for nucleic acid cancer drugs (including antisense and siRNA molecules).

23 Sep 2009

ACR Image Metrix successfully completes two years, looks forward to increased business in third year

ACR Image Metrix™, an imaging contract research organization (CRO), exceeded its goals by initiating projects for over 30 pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies through its second full year of operation.

23 Sep 2009