February Bionow Newsletter
Company
DxS announces new deal with Pfizer
Manchester-based drug diagnostic firm DxS
Diagnostics, is to develop a new drug diagnostic for a brain
cancer treatment drug being developed by Pfizer. The company, which was acquired by Qiagen in September 2009, is to develop the diagnostic
for a new peptide vaccine that Pfizer bought from
Celldex
Therapeutics and is now in Phase 2 clinical trials.
Also, DxS has
acquired an exclusive licence to develop a treatment aid for
cancer. The licence, acquired from John Hopkins
University, will enable DxS to develop
genetic tests capable of assessing the effectiveness of certain
treatments for patients with lung, breast, colorectal and other
cancers. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Lab firm boosts jobs in Blackburn
French manufacturer Gosselin is to set up a UK base in Blackburn creating
37 jobs. The company, which makes laboratory consumables and
has been awarded a £290,000 Grant for Business Investment
fromNWDA, is investing £1.9m in the move. It
holds a 50% market share of the European petri-dish market, and
plans to use the UK as its base from which to further extend market
share within northern Europe.
Renovo 'appropriately funded' for ongoing
operations
Renovo Group Plc, the
Manchester-based developer of anti-scarring drugs, has announced
that it is 'appropriately funded' for continuing ongoing
operations. In a statement to the stock exchange, ahead of the
group's annual meeting on 10 February, Renovo said that in the three months to the end of
December, it had continued to spend on developing its product
portfolio. At the end of December, its combinations of cash and
cash equivalants was £59.9m, compared with £65.3m at the
end of September.
Also, Renovo announced on 2
March that it has revised its licensing deal with Shire for Juvista® and acquired from Shire the rights to sell and license Juvista in all
territories other than USA, Mexico and Canada. Renovo and Shire have agreed to
simplify the current arrangements to better align both parties
interests in making Juvista a successful product.
Thermo Fisher launches new facility
US medical products manufacturer Thermo Fisher Scientific opened its new cancer
diagnostics and chemical separation facility in Manor Park, Runcorn
on 10 February. The facility has created 60 new jobs and taken
staff numbers in Runcorn to more than 200. Giulio Cerroni, the
company's Vice President of anatomical pathology commercial
operations said that the site has the potential to create 300 more
jobs.
Provexis close to Fruitflow deal
Life sciences group Provexis, which has research and development facilities
in Liverpool, has announced that it is close to a deal with a Swiss
multinational company that could see its anti-thrombotic Fruitflow
product sold across the world. In a statement to the Stock
Exchange, Provexis said it has
signed a letter of intent with DSM Nutritional Products,
giving the company exclusive rights to develop, market and sell the
product.
AstraZeneca wins new market for heart disease drug
US regulators have given AstraZeneca the
go ahead to promote its anti-cholesterol drug Crestor to older men
and women. The drug, which prevents heart disease, can now be
prescribed for men at least 50 years old or women at least 60 even
if they have healthy cholesterol, the US
Food and Drug Administration said.
Also, AstraZeneca is
paying up to $445m for a worldwide licensing deal on rheumatoid
arthritis drug R788. Under the deal with Rigel Pharmaceuticals Inc, it will make an upfront
payment of $100m and up to $345m more once regulatory and sales
milestones are passed.
New uses for existing drugs
Manchester-based company Imagen Biotech
has secured funding of £97,000 to attempt to find new uses for
existing drugs. The money will be used to develop a scanning system
to determine whether generic and patented drugs already on the
market can be used to treat conditions other than those for which
they were originally formulated. Managing Director Rod Benson said
the project would not have been possible without a Grant for
Research and Development from NWDA or without
the support of Business
Link.
Assura in exclusive talks to sell GPCos
Daresbury-based healthcare property group Assura Group
Limited, said on 10 February that it was in exclusive talks to sell
a majority stake in its GPCo business. It has also received a
preliminary takeover approach for the entire company, as was
announced on 15 January. In November, the company said it was
looking at splitting its loss-making GPCo business off from the
rest of the group.
Peakdale Molecule Announces collaboration with Pfizer
Peakdale Molecular
Limited announced on 1 February that it had entered into an
agreement with Pfizer Ltd. Peakdale, through its wholly-owned subsidiary
Peakdale Chemistry
Services Ltd will supply custom synthetic chemistry services to
Pfizer. This will involve building a team of
more than 50 synthetic chemists at Pfizers Research site and supplementing the main
Peakdale facility
in Chapel-en-le-Frith, which employs 90 chemists.
RTS buys US Hatch Science
Irlam-based Robotic Technology
Systems has bought a 65 per cent stake in US-based Hatch Science LLC, which has developed a range
of products for the pharma and medical sectors. RTS have said that Hatch's products and skillsets were
complimentary to those in its Life Sciences division and that the
deal would strengthen its presence in the US market.
New agreements in place for Bioeden
Stem cell extraction and storage company Bioeden has signed new agency agreements with
partners in Spain and Greece. Based in Daresbury, Bioeden is the first company in the world to
collect, amplify and cryogenically store living stem cells from
children's milk teeth for medical use.
Vindon acquires US based Westech Instruments Inc
Rochdale-based Vindon Scientific
Limited, acquired the entire issued share capital of Westech
Instruments Inc on 28 January. The group plans to grow the US
business substantially, including establishing its own stability
storage operation. A new storage facility is scheduled to come into
operation in Atlanta in June 2010. The capital base of Westech Inc
is to be increased and the new operation will trade under the
Vindon name, which is already established and
highly respected throughout the pharmaceutical world.
ByoFresh bought by Byotrol
Byotrol, the
Manchester-based infection control products specialist, has bought
ByoFresh, a pet care products business, enhancing its position in
the £12bn pet-care products market. The acquisition is in line
with Byotrol's plans
to sell its own products, which include a technology capable of
killing microbes and preventing them from returning to surfaces
after they have been cleaned, through specialist distributors into
niche markets.
SSL expands in former Soviet Union
SSL
International made further moves to expand in the former Soviet
Union on 12 February, by exercising an option to increase its stake
in Beleggingsmaatschappij Lemore BV (BLBV) to 75 per cent.
SSL said the
deal would cost 'no more than £140m' and would be
funded from cash and existing facilities. It has also agreed a
further option to acquire the remaining 25 per cent of BLBV, which
is exercisable in 2011.
People & Jobs
Ai2 Limited appoints Chief Executive
Ai2 Limited, a developer
of innovative anti microbial peptide coatings for medical
applications has announced the appointment of Jim McNairney as
Chief Executive. Jim, who is a microbiology graduate, has extensive
senior management experience in the biosciences and chemicals
industries having worked for a number of major corporations
including ICI, AstraZeneca,
Avecia and Arch Chemicals.
F2G Ltd appoints Chairman of the Board of Directors
Manchester-based antifungal drug discovery and
development company F2G Limited announced the
appointment of Dr Richard J White as Chairman of the Company's
Board of Directors on 23 February. Dr White has served as a
non-executive director of F2G since April 2006.
F2G also announced the appointment of a new
non-executive director, Dr Sten Varland of Sunstone Capital
A/S.
Nowgen appoints new Professional Training Manager
Nowgen, a leading
centre for genetics in healthcare, has appinted Dr Angela Davies as
Professional Training Manager. In her new role, Dr Davies will take
responsibility for managing Nowgen's
professional training programme in the area of genetic medicine and
related technologies.
Nowgen seeks Professional Training Officer
Nowgen are seeking
to appoint a Professional Training Officer, to work under the
direction of the newly appointed Professional Training manager, to
further develop and deliver Nowgen's
programme of education and training courses in genetics for health
and industry professionals. The Officer will be working closely
with the Public Programmes team on courses for students and
teachers and deliver existing courses run by Nowgen. For an informal chat please
contact Angela Davies on 0161 276 3200 or Helen Middleton-Price on
0161 276 6205 or e-mail angela.davies2@cmft.nhs.uk or Helen.middleton-prince@cmft.nhs.uk
Events
National Open Day at Royal Liverpool University Hospital
Royal Liverpool
University Hospital is holding a national public open day for
their Clinical Research Facility on Friday 12 March. The Clinical
Research Facility is purpose built, so that research participants
are seen in comfortable surroundings. Interactive stands at the
event will provide you with information on research projects. The
event which is free to attend at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital will start
at 10am, and finish at 3pm.
UMIC and UMIP join forces to host a BBSRC workshop
UMIC and UMIP will host a BBSRC-sponsored
workshop on the morning of 21st April at the Core
Technology Facility. The event will focus on informing young
academic entrepreneurs of potential careers in start-up businesses
and particularly, in the Life Sciences and Environmental business
sectors. In addition, the organisations are preparing potential
academic candidates at the post-graduate stages of their careers to
enter the BBSRC-sponsored YES
events. For further information and to book your place, please
contact Alison Warren at alison.warren@umic.co.uk.
Liverpool Science Park
invites you to ask the expert
On Wednesday 17 March, Liverpool
Science Park will host a group of experts from industry and
academia. They will be available to answer any questions that you
may have free of charge. These taster surgery sessions will provide
you and your business with the opportunity to access free business
advice on one-to-one sessions and will include high level
representatives from companies such as TrusTech, Medilink NW and UKTI. To book
your place, please email Jaime.platt@liverpoolsciencepark.co.uk.
An introduction to miRNA & siRNA
This one day course, hosted by Nowgen in partnership with Applied
Biosystems, aims to provide an introduction to miRNA and siRNA,
approaches to experimental design and optimisation and practical
experience of miRNA analysis in the laboratory. The cost to attend
the event is £175 to public sector colleagues and £250
for the private sector. For further information, please contact Dr
Angela Davies on 0161 276 3200.
XcellR8 Cell Culture Training Courses 2010
XcellR8 are running
training courses on the introduction to cell culture techniques and
introduction to Bioreactors in 2010. The customised training can be
done either at XcellR8's
Manchester laboratories or onsite. The company offers training in
diverse aspects of cell culture from introductory techniques to
complex systems, which includes free follow-up technical support.
For further details or to discuss your training needs, please call
0845 258 1684 or email info@x-cellr8.com.
Information
I-TAC opens for business
The Innovations Technology Access Centre (I-TAC)
at the Daresbury Science
and Innovation Campus was officially launched on 4 February.
Managed by the Science and Technology
Facilities Council (STFC), I-TAC provides small businesses and
researchers with affordable and flexible access to scientific
equipment that had only been readily available to corporate giants
and academics until now.
UMIP seek Business Angel for Healthcare company
The University of Manchester
Intellectual Property Commercialisation company is looking for
a business angel for a healthcare company whose aim is to stop
people from killing themselves. Skills
Based Training On Risk Management (STORM) is a suicide
intervention training package devised by university professors back
in 1996. It has been quietly building a reputation, having already
been sold to organisations in the health, criminal justice and
social sectors.
IP website to provide technology gateway
The University of Manchester
Intellectual Property, has launched what it says is the first
free-to-use technology marketing system. The website, www.theintellectualproperty.net
- will enable users to market new technologies and advertise what
they are looking for. The launch follows an 18-month pilot
involving 30 universities what they are looking for.
Research
Scientists discover enzyme that 'cleans' cancer
cells
Scientists have discovered that an enzyme can rid
cells of a gene believed to be responsible for a wide range of
cancers. Dr Jorg Hartkamp, at the University of
Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences and Dr Stefan
Roberts, who is now at the University of Buffalo,
have found that the protease HtrA2 can 'clean' cells of the
oncogene WT1, which is found at high levels in many leukaemias and
solid cancers such as breast and lung cancer. Their work has given
drug designers a new target which will allow them to develop
treatments for all these cancers in which WT1 expression is
elevated.
Suicides by mental health patients is preventable
Preventing patients from leaving psychiatric wards
without staff agreement could avoid up to 50 suicide deaths every
year, say University of
Manchester researchers. A new report by the National
Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with
Mental Illness suggests that the ward environment may play a part
in the level of patients leaving the ward, and that attempts should
be made to optimise it. It also urges mental health services to
improve awareness among staff of the antecedents of suicide among
high-risk groups.
University secures £700,000 research grant
The University of
Liverpool has secured a £700,000 grant to research the
causes of infectious diseases that have a major impact on poultry
production in Ethiopia. The study has been funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
and the Department for
International Development, with a contribution from the
Scottish Government.
Datamonitor
Datamonitor is pleased to support
the work of Bionow. By reporting on the shape of the Biotech
industry, Datamonitor aims to help Northwest firms stay one step
ahead in the global marketplace.
In a landmark decision this month, the UK Gene Therapy Advisory
Committee has approved ReNeuron's plans to initiate the
world's first clinical trial of stem cell therapy for strokes.
The decision marks the end of a five-year battle to begin the
trials after both UK and US regulators issued negative responses in
2005. A spokesperson for the Guildford-based biotech observed that
the company has in many ways pioneered the regulatory pathway for
stem cell trials, paving the way for future research in this area.
In other R&D news, Shire has announced positive results from a
Phase III trial of the enzyme replacement therapy velaglucerase
alfa in type 1 Gaucher's disease. These data will augment
five-year follow up results from a long-term Phase I/II extension
study, creating a wealth of information on the safety and long-term
efficacy of the investigational treatment.
ReNeuron wins UK approval to commence stroke trial
ReNeuron Group has reported that the UK Gene Therapy
Advisory Committee has given a full and final favorable opinion to
ReNeuron's proposed first-in-man clinical trial with its ReN001
stem cell therapy for stroke. [
Read more]
Shire reports positive results from Phase III Gaucher's
trial
Shire, a UK-based specialty biopharmaceutical
company, has reported positive results from its first Phase III
study evaluating safety and efficacy of velaglucerase alfa, its
investigational enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of
type 1 Gaucher disease. [
Read more]
Domainex obtains funding from Takeda Research Investment
UK-based biotechnology company Domainex has secured
further financing to develop its combinatorial domain hunting, or
CDH, technology, and to advance its internal pipeline of oncology
targets. [
Read more]
Silence Therapeutics obtains notice of allowance for cancer
drug
Silence Therapeutics has reported that the US Patent
and Trademark Office has issued the company a notice of allowance
on a patent application directed to methods of treatment using a
high-value therapeutic target in the area of oncology. [
Read more]
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