Biogen Idec has begun testing the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri as a treatment for blood cancer. (ELN)

Biogen Idec has begun testing multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri as a treatment for blood cancer. (ELN)

A collection of executives from the region’s top hospitals will gather Tuesday in Kansas City, Kan., to officially mark a collaborative effort toward achieving National Cancer Institute designation.

A spinoff from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has won a $2 million federal grant to help it commercialize its medical technology.

Phase Forward acquired Clarix LLC Friday for $40 million. (PFWD)

The University of Cincinnati is joining with the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and the University of Pittsburgh to create medical devices that will adapt to a person’s anatomy and dissolve after healing takes place.

GREENSBORO — N.C. A&T State University is one of a select group of universities nationwide, and the first historically black institution ever, chosen to lead a prestigious National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center.

Southern Research Institute has received a $14.7 million National Institutes of Health grant to become a production site for a national collaborative research network designed to expedite drug development.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals said its experimental autoimmune disease drug did not produce results showing any benefits of reducing psoriasis in a clinical trial.

Minerva Biotechnologies Corp. and James Czirr, the company’s former CEO, have reached a resolution in their legal dispute, the company said on Thursday.

The Colorado BioScience Association is seeking entries for its annual BioWest Venture Showcase award.

The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, a world-renowned genetics research operation founded just five years ago, has received an additional $400 million endowment from founding donors Eli and Edythe Broad.

Innova Memphis Inc. has made its second investment, this time in Vaxent, a Memphis-based vaccine development company.

Genelabs Technologies Inc. made Frederick Driscoll its president and chief executive officer. (GNLB)

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine has been awarded a $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for cell research.

The Gutierrez Co. received approval to build a 600,000-square-foot biotech park called the Burlington Research Center.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute will receive a $20.8 million support grant over five years from the National Cancer Institute.

Azaya Therapeutics Inc. has licensed a technology that could be beneficial in treating head and neck cancers, the company said Wednesday.

Opexa Therapeutics Inc. has established a research partnership with the Myelin Repair Foundation Inc. to identify biomarkers in multiple sclerosis that could help in treating the disease. (OPXA)

Novacea Inc. of South San Francisco and privately held Transcept Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Richmond will merge, blending a company with a recently failed Big Pharma collaboration with one on the verge of seeking FDA approval for its first drug. (NOVC) (SGP) (SNY) (HTGC) (DNA)

The University of New Mexico has been selected by the National Institutes of Health as one of only nine national molecular discovery centers in the U.S., and awarded a six-year, $15.5 million grant.

GlaxoSmithKline has returned to Adolor Corp. the worldwide rights related to the development of the Entereg drug for chronic opioid bowel dysfunction. (ADLR) (GSK)

GlaxoSmithKline has returned to Adolor Corp. the worldwide rights related to the development of the Entereg drug for chronic opioid bowel dysfunction. (ADLR) (GSK)

3M Co. completed its buy of a Swiss company that makes filtration products for the pharmaceutical and biotech markets. (MMM)

Mohan Uttarwar’s personal motivation to start BioImagene in 2003 is still a driving force behind the company.

With two promising products drubbed since early July, Titan Pharmaceuticals Inc. is resting its hopes on a single drug and the potential power of its delivery technology.

The first major overhaul of the U.S. patent system in over half a century will have to wait a little bit longer — and patent reform differences between information technology and bioscience companies will be left to play themselves out for a time.

Upsher-Smith Laboratories Inc. has taken a 7.1 percent stake in a British firm developing a treatment for Parkinson’s disease, marking the pharmaceutical company’s first big step into expanding beyond the generic drug market.

Five years after setting out to manufacture the delicate tissue that enables the human eye to see clearly, Cellular Bioengineering Inc. has completed 10 successful cornea implants abroad.

When August began, the stocks of eight of the region’s 20 publicly traded life sciences companies were trading below $1 per share. Five of them are still dwelling below the share mark that’s required for listing on the Nasdaq stock market that’s made up heavily of biotech and technology stocks.

The need for the Triad to transition from its traditional manufacturing base of furniture, cigarettes and textiles is well understood. But transitions take time, and successes are slow to build.

Frederick H. Hausheer, M.D., is the founder, chairman and CEO of BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals,Inc. and co-founder, chairman and CEO of KI Pharma LLC., Japan. He is an adjunct associate professor at The Johns Hopkins Oncology Center and The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, as well as a business advisory board member at JP Morgan Chase Bank. He holds a bachelor’s in biology from Graceland College, a master’s from the University of Illinois in Urbana, and a medical degree from the University of Missouri School of Medicine. Hausheer has co-authored more than 150 medical and scientific research publications and is the inventor or co-inventor on more than 200 U.S. and international patents and patent applications involving new pharmaceutical agents, formulations and methods of use for cancer treatment and other diseases. He talks with the Business Journal about Tavocept, a lung cancer drug BioNumerik has in late-stage clinical development.

An Emeryville company attempting to tap an Australian weed for a treatment of a precancerous skin condition has landed a new top management team and a $24 million investment after a failed IPO.

As it looks toward a marriage with Genentech Inc. and South San Francisco, Swiss drug maker Roche is filing for divorce from Palo Alto.

More than 21,000 items were collected for Albuquerque-area students during this year’s Sandia School Supplies Drive.

The creation of Navilyst Medical Inc. — a spinoff of two Boston Scientific Corp. business lines six months ago — may offer Massachusetts a strong opportunity to recruit more life sciences jobs. (BSX)

PolyMedix Inc. received Food and Drug Administration clearance to begin human testing of the company’s experimental anticoagulant reversing agent PMX-60056.

A quarter century ago when heavy manufacturing — then the lifeblood of Pennsylvania’s economy — was showing signs of terminal decline, state lawmakers and business leaders began searching for remedies to breathe new life into the economic base of the state. The remedy for the technology sector came in the form of the law signed by then-Gov. Richard Thornburgh, creating the Ben Franklin Technology Partners (BFTP) to bring investment capital, entrepreneurial knowledge and the infrastructure to provide the seed funding needed to support tech growth.

A Houston biotechnology company has received a $900,000, three-year contract from the Department of the Navy to develop its optoacoustic technology for quick identification of biological warfare agents such as anthrax under battlefield conditions.

Oregon Health & Science University’s critics can be relentless.

A Georgia legislator wants to examine how the state university system governs its intellectual property — an issue prompted by The University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc.’s dealings with a giant pharmaceutical company.

Colorado’s growing bioscience sector has received much attention in recent years for hundreds of millions of dollars in government grants, innovative new drugs and Nobel Prize-winning college professors.

Claes Wahlestedt, who heads Scripps Florida’s efforts to develop drugs for diseases of the central nervous system, has launched new company with business consultant and longtime friend Joe Collard.

Even with some 1 million square feet of biotech office or R&D space on the Peninsula’s leasing market today, developers plan on bringing another 2.3 million square feet to the market over the next year or two.

A prestigious work force training program funded for the past four years by the U.S. Department of Labor at Forsyth Technical Community College will continue its work as part of N.C. BioNetwork, the biotech work force training initiative of the state community college system.

DiabetesWebSearch.com is funding a clinical trial to test a type 1 diabetes cure. (PRWeb Sep 5, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/09/prweb1283234.htm

Medelis, an oncology contract research organization, has published a free abstract, "Preclinical Trials: A Nuanced Approach to Get Into the Clinic Faster." In the abstract, Dr. Mike McGarry, a preclinical research scientist with 35 years of experience, discusses how oncology preclinical studies are commonly viewed as straightforward investigations run exclusively by researchers who operate without true integration with preclinical, regulatory and clinical teams. He describes a nuanced preclinical study process that hinges on a well-defined rodent model, quality data, and ongoing integration between the preclinical, regulatory and clinical teams. (PRWeb Sep 4, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/cros/preclinicalstudies/prweb1242484.htm

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Todd Lencz, PhD, a EUREKA grant designed to help investigators test novel ideas. (PRWeb Sep 4, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/Feinstein_Institute/EUREKA_Todd_Lencz/prweb1284464.htm

Anadis (ASX: ANX; OTC: ANDIY) announced today its commercialization of a new product, BioGard™, intended to maintain gastrointestinal and immune system health. The specific formulation may be of particular clinical benefit in persons undergoing antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS. The product is intended to enhance current treatment regimens and improve the efficacy of immune system repair during highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) treatment. The gastrointestinal immune system is increasingly recognized as having an important role in the progression of HIV-related immune depletion and local gastro-intestinal symptoms have been a great concern to HIV/AIDS patients. The target market for the product includes over 1 million patients in the U.S., 2 million in Europe and Central Asia and more than 30 million worldwide. BioGard is intended to be marketed as a medical food, used under medical supervision, although available for purchase over-the-counter, and is expected to be launched in 2009 following results from a phase IIIb/IV multi-site clinical trial beginning this year that is an advanced stage of planning. (PRWeb Sep 4, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/anadis/biogard/prweb1287194.htm

Banyan Biomarkers, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted U.S. Patent No. 7,396,654 B2 “Neural Proteins as Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury,” licensed exclusively by Banyan Biomarkers from the University of Florida. Specifically, the patent covers the detection of certain neuronal protein markers found in the blood of patients suffering from neural injury and / or neuronal damage. The patent also covers certain sensitive and rapid methods and test kits that can be used as tools for the diagnosis of neural injuries and/or neuronal disorders such as brain injury, neural damage due to drug or alcohol addiction and diseases associated with the brain and central nervous system. (PRWeb Sep 4, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/biomarkers/banyan/prweb1289004.htm

In conjunction with Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, CompleteTheCure.come provides ways to help end childhood cancer and shares the stories of children with cancer. Visitors can watch 6 short videos and for doing so, a corporate sponsor will make a donation to cancer research for each video viewed. (PRWeb Sep 4, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/09/prweb1289444.htm

VISTA web-based service successfully used by Nitric BioTherapeutics, Inc. to asses computer infrastructure and Internet connection speeds at remote investigative sites for an EDC Clinical Trial. (PRWeb Sep 4, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/09/prweb1257164.htm

Titled "The Future of Neurosurgery: a White Paper on the Recruitment and Retention of Women in Neurosurgery," the article is published in the September issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery. (PRWeb Sep 4, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/09/prweb1276674.htm

Owners of the new, free, public prescription drug interaction research tool at www.eHealthMe.com have released the results of their analysis of FDA data on occurrences of rhabdomyolysis (a potentially life-threatening side effect of statins) in patients who have suffered statin side effects. (PRWeb Sep 3, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/statin_side_effects/fda_drug_checker/prweb1271964.htm

In July, Christine Demers and Areeba Sadiq set off for a family reunion in Arkansas. The nurse and the research coordinator at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research were not blood relatives but they were going West in search of the serum that binds this family. More precisely, their DNA. (PRWeb Sep 3, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/Feinstein_Institute/Autoimmune_Disorders/prweb1283434.htm

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 3 in 10 U.S. adults drink at levels that put them at risk physically, mentally, and socially. Studies have shown that healthcare providers are in a prime position to give life-changing advice to patients who are at risk for alcohol abuse, but the providers are reluctant to perform alcohol assessments, interventions, and referrals. SIMmersion LLC, in association with the University of Wisconsin, is launching a conversation simulation to help practitioners and trainers practice talking to patients who drink, in accordance with NIAAA guidelines. (PRWeb Sep 2, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/SIMmersion/Alcoholism/prweb1264674.htm

Comprehensive tutorials on the PhenomicDB, dbSNP and HapMap databases enable researchers to quickly and effectively use these invaluable variation resources. (PRWeb Sep 2, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/09/prweb1261804.htm

Acnecentre -- A new acne and skin care advice portal now works on the latest medical ideas to help teens and adults from acne hazards. (PRWeb Sep 1, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/AcneCentre-Launches/Acne-Product-Guide/prweb1269534.htm

Protein crystals can be rapidly and accurately identified by UV microspectroscopy. This technique is also able to qualify the protein crystals including yielding information on concentration and contaminants. (PRWeb Sep 1, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/09/prweb1253914.htm

First Walkathon to Benefit Muscular Dystrophy Research (PRWeb Aug 29, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/Sanford-Brown-Iselin/Ryans-Quest/prweb1265114.htm

Ariadne today announces the availability of Pathway Studio version 6, featuring powerful gene expression analysis tools, updated pathway collection, and intuitive and attractive new look and feel. Designed to overcome the scientific information overload, Ariadne's Pathway Studio organizes and visualizes knowledge from many data sources and facilitates different fields of research: RNAi, target or biomarker discovery, and many others. (PRWeb Aug 28, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/pathway/analysis/prweb1253524.htm

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) has awarded the Education Division of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) the status of Accreditation with Commendation as a provider of continuing medical education for physicians. (PRWeb Aug 28, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/08/prweb1257414.htm

Leading Researchers and Clinicians to Explore the Latest Advances in Stem Cell Science and Efforts to Cure the Major Diseases of Our Time. (PRWeb Aug 28, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/08/prweb1252374.htm

Eye on FDA, a specialty blog written by Mark Senak, Senior Vice President at Fleishman-Hillard in Washington, D.C., launches a new YouTube channel. The Eye on FDA YouTube channel will aggregate healthcare videos in various subject areas, with a concentration on oncology, diabetes and HIV, in one, easily-accessible place. (PRWeb Aug 27, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/Eye-on-FDA-YouTube/82008/prweb1255014.htm

Medical Tourism Corporation helps 13 years old US teen from New York Jesse Miller have a successful laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding surgery in Mexico. Returning today from the medical trip, Jesse & his mother Silvia share their experience & thoughts on the Mexico lap band trip. Weight loss surgery for adolescents below 16 years is still not approved by the FDA in the USA. (PRWeb Aug 27, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/medical-tourism-mexico/teen-gastric-lap-band/prweb1247364.htm

Olympus America today announced the judges for its fifth annual BioScapes International Digital Imaging Competition, which honors the world’s finest life science images, both still and moving, as captured through light microscopes. The judges include some of the most widely recognized international researchers and photographers in the biomedical field, reflecting the competition’s goal of honoring the world’s most striking and significant life science images. (PRWeb Aug 27, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/competition/imaging/prweb1256484.htm

The Drug Information Association (DIA), in collaboration with FDA, the Medical Imaging Contrast Agent Association (MICAA), the Council on Radionuclides and Radiopharmaceuticals (CORAR), PhRMA, and the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), will host Medical Imaging Continuum: Path Forward for Advancing the Uses of Medical Imaging in the Development of New Biopharmaceutical Products (October 2-3; Bethesda, MD) (PRWeb Aug 26, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/08/prweb1237524.htm

Miranda Chakos, MD of SUNY Downstate Medical Center leads research for local patients (PRWeb Aug 26, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/medical_study/schizophrenia/prweb1241444.htm

Responding to the demand in the market for cellulosic biofuels, SunEthanol is collaborating with MBI International to scale-up a fermentation method for producing ethanol from non-food agricultural feedstocks. This fermentation method utilizes SunEthanol’s unique Q-Microbe™, which effectively digests and ferments cellulosic feedstocks to ethanol in a single-step process. (PRWeb Aug 26, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/sunethanol/scale/prweb1250014.htm

A new type of PC software, Reason, has been improved. Reason supports a brain-centric process for analyzing small sets of data about almost anything. It is for individuals who engage in analysis, research, investigation, and even planning and monitoring. The process, contextual data modeling, exclusively embodies much, but not all, of the firm's patented technology. The market potential may exceed the firm's capacity. (PRWeb Aug 25, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/08/prweb1228834.htm

Trusted LASIK Surgeons is pleased to welcome Richard Duffey, M.D., to its LASIK Directory. Dr. Duffey treats patients in Mobile, Alabama and also serves patients from Pensacola, Florida and from the Biloxi, Gulf Port, and Pascagoula communities in Mississippi.Trusted LASIK Surgeons launched its revolutionary Trusted LASIK Eye Surgeons directory service and information resource for consumers at www.TrustedLASIKSurgeons.com. What sets the Trusted LASIK Surgeons directory apart is a unique screening process ensuring that only the best LASIK Surgeons in the United States are listed. Refractive surgeons such as Dr. Duffey are screened based on their experience, research, publications, lectures and patient care standards. Trusted LASIK Surgeon's goal is to have the top 1% surgeons listed in its LASIK surgery Directory for every major city in the United States. (PRWeb Aug 25, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/mobile-lasik-eye-surgery/richard-duffey/prweb1242064.htm

The latest edition's market trends section contains insight on how the physician shortage is being felt throughout larger populated areas. (PRWeb Aug 22, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/Physician_Recruiting/Standard/prweb1237294.htm

The mission of HealthMash is to promote health and well being in the world by providing personally relevant information of high quality from trusted health sources on the Web. (PRWeb Aug 21, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/health_knowledge_base/200808/prweb1226424.htm

Embryome Sciences, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of BioTime, Inc. (OTCBB:BTIM), announced today the license of a portfolio of patents and patent applications from Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (“ACT”) relating to induced pluripotent stem cells (“iPS”) and embryonic stem cell differentiation technology. The license is for the commercialization of products in human therapeutic and diagnostic product markets. (PRWeb Aug 21, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/technology/embryome/prweb1235564.htm

Anadis Limited (ASX: ANX), a research driven biopharmaceutical company focused on polyclonal antibodies to address human disease, announced today important progress concerning its accelerated program to develop a nasal antibody spray to provide immediate post-exposure prophylaxis against a range of influenza viruses. (PRWeb Aug 21, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/anadis/influenza/prweb1235744.htm

Two-and-a-half-day event will gather international experts in nutrition, genomics, bioinformatics and milk to address the status of milk-specific genomic research. (PRWeb Aug 21, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/08/prweb1227204.htm

German medical device company, Retina Implant, AG has selected OpenClinica as its electronic data capture (EDC) and clinical data management (CDM) system to power its clinical trials. (PRWeb Aug 20, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/08/prweb1176494.htm

The Drug Information Association (DIA) will host Evidence-based Medicine and Health Technology Assessment: Can We Find Common Ground? (September 22-23; Alexandria, VA). (PRWeb Aug 20, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/DIA/Conference/prweb1227704.htm

LabCentrix delivers a pre-configured Thermo Scientific Nautilus LIMS System to meet the unique needs of laboratories that use GeneChip technology. This best practices solution improves sample management and dramatically reduces implementation time and costs. (PRWeb Aug 19, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/LIMS/Affymetrix/prweb1222304.htm

Melior Discovery, Inc. announced today that it has signed an agreement with AstraZeneca PLC under which Melior’s in-vivo theraTRACE® indications discovery platform will be used to evaluate the therapeutic activity of selected AstraZeneca compounds. (PRWeb Aug 19, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/melior/astrazeneca/prweb1226754.htm

Quorum Review IRB, an AAHRPP accredited ethics review board, today announced that they have appointed Michael Malafronte to the position of Director of Quality and Document Administration. Mr. Malafronte brings to Quorum 24 years of executive experience with quality systems and operations within the pharmaceutical industry. In his position Michael will lead Quorum in continuous quality improvement. (PRWeb Aug 18, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/institutional_review/independent_board/prweb1217544.htm

The 2008 Concord Charity Beirut Tourney is scheduled for Aug. 23 in Concord, N.H., near the University of New Hampshire. The Beirut tournament, known as beer pong in layman's terms, is being held to raise money for cancer research and is being supported by CollegeBeerGames.com. (PRWeb Aug 18, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/Beer_Pong/Beer_Pong_for_Cancer/prweb1220944.htm

Comprehensive tutorials on the MINT and Reactome databases enable researchers to quickly and effectively use these invaluable resources. (PRWeb Aug 18, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/08/prweb1161854.htm

Trusted LASIK Surgeons launched its revolutionary Trusted LASIK Eye Surgeons directory service and information resource for consumers at www.TrustedLASIKSurgeons.com. What sets the Trusted LASIK Surgeons directory apart is a unique screening process ensuring that only the best LASIK Surgeons in the United States are listed. Refractive Surgeons such as Dallas LASIK Surgeon Dr. R. Wayne Bowman, are screened based on their experience, research, publications, lectures and patient care standards. Trusted LASIK Surgeon's goal is to have the top 1% surgeons listed in its LASIK surgery Directory for every major city in the United States. (PRWeb Aug 18, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/dallas-lasik-eye-surgery/r-wayne-bowman/prweb1207334.htm

ChemDoodle, a powerful tool for drawing chemical and molecule structures, diagrams and figures, now fully supports ChemDraw files. This exciting feature gives scientists an easy and affordable way to share their drawings, and submit them to journals for publishing. (PRWeb Aug 18, 2008)

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/chemical/drawing/prweb1219424.htm