Chemical Block

Evotec is adding Agilent Technologies’ RapidFire mass spectrometry analysis capabilities to its high-throughput screening facilities in Hamburg. RapidFire is an in-line solid-phase extraction technology. It enables ultrafast, direct analysis of native compounds for a variety of biochemical assays including routine ADME and lead discovery applications across a range of therapeutic...

Pfizer’s drug candidate for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), Torisel, failed to meet the primary endpoint of progression-free survival in the Phase III Intorsect study. The trial compared Torisel and Nexavar in patients whose disease had progressed on or after treatment with the company’s approved drug Sutent. Although PFS was...

Biologics manufacturer Lonza and ocular gene therapy specialist Avalanche Biotechnologies established a global manufacturing collaboration to aid in the latter’s gene therapy programs. Avalanche’s lead wet age-related macular degeneration (wet-AMD) gene therapy candidate AVA-101 started in early clinical trials at the end of 2011. The partnership will focus on the...

IntelligentMDx received a CE Mark for its qualitative Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in vitro diagnostic, IMDx GBS, for use on the Abbott m2000™ system. The assay is used to screen for Group B Streptococcus infection in at-risk pregnant women and women in labor. The real-time PCR test can be carried...

CRO Admescope will offer PlexPress’ TRAC (transcript analysis with the aid of affinity capture) platform for high-throughput gene expression analysis as part of its in vitro drug interaction and preclinical ADME-Tox services. Finland-based Admescope will initially offer Plexpress’ multiplex cytochrome P450 (CYP) assays. The firm says the service will meet...

After turning down an unsolicited bid from Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) in February, Amylin Pharmaceuticals is preparing to weigh offers from BMS and up to six other potential suitors. Citing unnamed “people familiar with the matter,” Bloomberg News reported that BMS has joined AstraZeneca, Merck & Co., Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, and...

Accelr8 and Denver Health received notification that the Defence Medical Research and Development Program (DMRPD) has recommended a $2 million award to support a three-year project focused on developing a rapid diagnostic system for wound infections and serious infections secondary to trauma. The project was the sole recipient of funds...

Gamida Cell raised $10 million through an internal Series E financing round with all its existing major shareholders. The proceeds will be used to support global commercialization of the firm’s Phase III-stage StemEx cord blood stem cell therapy for blood cancers, and continue development of additional pipeline candidates, including clinical...

The ALS Therapeutic Institute and Neurotune established a collaboration to evaluate one of the latter’s neuromuscular diseases candidates in an ALS disease model. ALS is associated with motor neurons and their axons becoming disconnected from muscle, and Neurotune has identified a class of compounds designed to maintain neuromuscular junction strength...

CHDI Foundation and KineMed established a collaboration to exploit the latter’s tandem mass spectrometry-based proteomics platform to analyze the in vivo dynamics of mutant huntingtin protein as a means of assessing Huntington disease progression and measuring the efficacy of therapeutic candidates. The aim is to generate data that will both...