GTP Technology : Call for 40 Beta-Testers interested in blind testing a new CHO technology for recombinant MAb and more

November 2011 - Call for 40 Beta-Testers interested in blind testing a new CHO technology for recombinant MAb and more. 

From Nov 15, 2011 until Feb 15, 2012

Whether you are a scientist with a particular interest in innovative expression systems or looking for a competitive system to express your protein of interest, we hope you will be interested in our “experimental” approach.

As a beta-tester, you will have the chance to :

• Evaluate with us, what we believe is a very innovative and promising technology for production in superior eukaryotic systems. 
• If you volunteer to beta test the technology with us, you will enjoy a one-shot production of your MAb at a very competitive price and, even better: have access to the compilation of all our beta test results (protein and participant names will of course remain confidential). Provided we have enough candidates, the results comparing expression yields, process duration should be statistically meaningful!... GTP Technology' Press Release -  

About GTP Technology

Founded in 2000, GTP Technology has over 10 years experience addressing recombinant protein expression challenges.

Our comprehensive range of custom services, allow us to increase the research productivity of biopharmaceutical firms, diagnostic companies and academic laboratories involved in identifying and producing target proteins, therapeutic proteins, vaccines, disease biomarkers and reagent proteins.

We offer unparalleled capacity in producing batch sizes of recombinant protein suitable for research purposes, for pre-clinical and pre-industrial development, and for use in commercialised diagnostic kits... About GTP Technology - A propos de About GTP Technology -

FIRALIS : co-Authors SAFE-T review paper

July 2011 - FIRALIS co-authors a foundation review paper :
Qualification of Drug Induced Organ Injury Biomarkers -

Firalis SAS, with several of its members, co-authored a paper outlining a generic qualification strategy for drug induced organ injury biomarkers. The paper was published in the peer reviewed journal Drug Discovery Today (Vol. 16 No 13&14/24) “A generic operational strategy to qualify translational safety biomarkers”. These safety biomarkers are intended to accelerate drug development by providing to the pharmaceutical industry tools to assess the effect of drug candidates on the liver, the kidneys and the vasculature. This strategy, established by the team of experts collaborating within the SAFET consortium, outlines a method to generate sufficient preclinical and clinical evidence for the qualification of translational safety biomarkers.

The SAFE-T consortium is a large public/private consortium funded by the European Commission Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI). Firalis, the initiator of the public consortium, is playing a central role in this project by participating in the design of the scientific strategy, the execution of clinical studies, the development of biomarker assays and the analysis of biomarker data.

“Firalis’ position among this team of international experts testifies its expertise in biomarker qualification and highlights its place as a leading actor in this highly competitive and dynamic field.” commented Dr. Béatrice Molac, director of regulatory affairs at Firalis.

With this publication, the SAFE-T consortium targets a larger scientific community and expects to trigger a valuable exchange with key opinion leaders and other stakeholders on the proposed strategy...

[...]

...About FIRALIS SAS

Firalis is a privately owned life sciences biotechnology company, creating novel values via biomarker discovery, development and regulatory qualification; to establish an internal portfolio of biomarker-based diagnostic methods and provide customer-tailored biomarker solutions. Firalis is active in the field of cardiovascular, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases... FIRALIS' Press Release -

BioAlliance Pharma : Grant of « orphan designation » for clonidine Lauriad™ in Europe

November 02, 2011 - BioAlliance Pharma SA (Euronext Paris - BIO) , a company dedicated to specialty and orphan oncology products, announced that clonidine Lauriad™ has been granted orphan designation by the European Commission in the prevention of radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer.

Oral mucositis is a very frequent inflammation of the oral mucosa in head and neck cancer patients treated with radio- and chemotherapy (98,000 new patients estimated per year in Europe). Severe oral mucositis occurs in 60% of these patients and may induce intense oral pain and eating disability requiring artificial nutritional support. In 20 to 30% of cases, patients have to be hospitalized and the disease may result in a modification or a stop of the radiotherapy treatment in more than 10% of them. Radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis has currently no preventive cure.

In Europe, the orphan designation is granted for medicinal products in diseases affecting less than 5/10,000 patients. This status permits to benefit from incentives related to the clinical development, thus enabling a faster registration, and an extra protection with a 10- year commercial exclusivity after market authorization... 

[...]

...About BioAlliance Pharma

Dedicated to cancer and supportive care treatment with a focus on resistance targeting and orphan products –– BioAlliance conceives and develops innovative products, for specialty markets especially in the hospital setting and for orphan or rare diseases.

Created in 1997 and introduced to the Euronext Paris market in 2005, BioAlliance Pharma’s ambition is to become a leading player in these fields by coupling innovation to patient needs. The company’s teams have the key competencies required to identify, develop and register drugs in Europe and the USA; the products’ commercialization rights are licensed to international commercial partners invested in the hospital setting. In areas where medical needs are insufficiently met, its targeted approaches help overcome drug resistance and improve patient health & quality of life... BioAlliance Pharma's Press Releases - Communiqués de Presse de BioAlliance Pharma -

Genticel has completed recruitment of patients for its Phase I trial with ProCervix

Toulouse, France, October 19th 2011 - Genticel has completed recruitment of patients for its Phase I trial with ProCervix, its therapeutic vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 -

Genticel announces that it has completed the recruitment of all patients participating in its phase one clinical trial with a liquid formulation of ProCervix, its candidate therapeutic HPV vaccine designed for adult women already infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype 16 or 18.

The trial takes place at the Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccinations in the Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute of the University of Antwerp, under the direction of professor Pierre Van Damme. The key objectives are to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of ProCervix.

In addition, Belgium’s Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP) has recently also approved Genticel’s request to extend the phase I trial to confirm the safety of a lyophilized formulation of ProCervix.

“We are delighted with the advancement of this important phase I trial that should provide valuable information with regards to safety, local tolerance and immunogenicity,” said Dr Benedikt Timmerman, CEO of Genticel. “Now we have approval for the evaluation of our new lyophilized formulation, Genticel expects to have completed its full Phase I Program in the first half of 2012 and move on to Phase II before the end of the year.”

About ProCervix

This investigational vaccine, called ProCervix, uses the Adenylate Cyclase (CyaA), a protein vector delivering the E7 antigens from HPV16 and HPV18. The CyaA vector directly targets professional antigen presenting cells (APC). Through its unique delivery mode, CyaA allows the antigen to induce strong CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses. ProCervix is the first HPV vaccine to leverage the CyaA’s mode of action... [PDF] Genticel's Press Release -

Areva Med acquires Macrocyclics

October 20, 2011 - AREVA announced that its nuclear medicine subsidiary, AREVA Med, has acquired Macrocyclics, Inc.

AREVA Med has developed innovative methods for producing lead-212 (212Pb), a rare radioactive isotope at the heart of promising research projects in nuclear medicine to develop new treatments against cancer.

Macrocyclics, based in Dallas, Texas, is the world leader in the production of chelators, chemical agents that allow for the attachment of antibodies or proteins with radioactive isotopes for the development of powerful nuclear medical treat-ments targeted against aggressive types of cancer.

“This strategic acquisition allows us to be in a unique position in the global marketplace. As a result, we can now offer new technology for attaching our isotope to antibodies targeting cancerous cells,” said Patrick Bourdet, President and CEO of AREVA Med. “The experience and the outstanding know-how of the Macrocyclics team, together with that of AREVA Med, will allow us to target more diseases and accelerate the development of radioimmunotherapy treatments using AREVA’s lead-212,” added Bourdet.

“The acquisition of our company by AREVA Med comes at an ideal time when the therapeutic power of lead-212 has been proven. By bringing our expertise with chelators to the unique competencies of AREVA Med, we will develop new powerful and targeted treatments for patients. With AREVA Med’s support, we will be able to offer an even broader range of services to our clients,” added Garry Kiefer, CEO of Macrocyclics.

In January 2011, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) gave AREVA Med authorization to begin clinical trials for a new medicine using lead-212 to combat particularly aggressive types of cancer.

The development of new treatments in nuclear medicine is limited by the avail-ability of isotopes. AREVA is building a new facility, the Maurice Tubiana Laboratory, to produce large-scale quantities of medical-grade lead-212 in the Limousin region of France... AREVA's Press Release - communiqué de presse AREVA -

Exonhit : Research Agreement With Pfizer to Identify Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarkers

October 10, 2011 - Exonhit (Paris:ALEHT) announced that it has entered into a research agreement with Pfizer Inc. for the identification of new Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarkers using Exonhit’s Genome-Wide SpliceArray™ (GWSA) platform.

As part of the agreement, the two companies will jointly conduct a pilot study using Exonhit’s GWSA platform to gain insight on AD molecular markers associated with clinical parameters. More specifically, the purpose of the research work is to seek to identify progression and other biomarkers that could segregate healthy elderly controls, patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and patients with AD. Test samples for the study will be provided by Pfizer from a number of subjects in each of these three groups over a period of time.

“Today’s announcement further demonstrates the interest in the potential of our GWSA discovery platform,” said Loïc Maurel M.D., President of Exonhit’s Management Board. “We are excited to collaborate with Pfizer and we hope that this study will identify new Alzheimer’s biomarkers and hence lead to the potential development of prognostic tests for patients”...

[...]

...About Exonhit Exonhit (Alternext: ALEHT) is a biotech company, focused on personalized medicine, which develops targeted innovative therapeutic and diagnostic products, in oncology and Alzheimer’s disease. Exonhit has a balanced development strategy with internal development programs and strategic collaborations, in particular with Allergan. Exonhit is headquartered in Paris, France and has a U.S. subsidiary in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The Company is listed on NYSE Alternext in Paris and is part of the NYSE Alternext OSEO innovation index... [PDF] Exonhit's Press Release - PDF du communiqué de presse Exonhit -

TFChem Merges with Canadian-based Sirona Biochem

March 31, 2011 - TFChem and Canadian-based Sirona Biochem completed their merger on March 31, 2011. An official signing took place in Paris, France. – Sirona Biochem Corp. (TSX-V: SBM) (the “Company”), a biotechnology company specializing in therapeutics for diabetes and obesity, announced that it has completed its acquisition of TFChem S.A.S. An official signing took place in Paris, France.

“Carbohydrate-based molecules have tremendous potential as therapeutics and for other commercial applications, such as cosmetics, and this acquisition of TFChem gives Sirona Biochem the opportunity to earn revenue earlier by expanding into these exciting new commercial markets,” said Sirona Biochem’s President Mark Senner. “We feel the addition of TFChem’s expertise and portfolio leverages our therapeutics program and widely expands our partnering opportunities,” he added.

“TFChem has a strong proprietary chemistry method we feel improves the stability, bioavailability, selectivity and efficacy of carbohydrate-based drugs, which are typically very difficult to stabilize,” said Sirona Biochem’s Vice-President, Research & Development, Dr. Bertrand Plouvier. “TFChem’s award-winning chemistry is showing promise in overcoming these stabilization challenges.”

“We chose to partner with Sirona Biochem because we feel their development expertise and strong business model are a perfect match to successfully maximize the commercial value of our programs,” said Dr. Géraldine Deliencourt-Godefroy, Chief Scientic Officer and founder of TFChem...

[...] ...About TFChem

TFChem is a drug-discovery company using fluorine atom properties to develop new glycomimetic compounds. Based in Val de Reuil, France, TFChem aims at becoming a major developer of carbohydrate-based drugs... TFChem's Press Release - Communiqué de Presse TFChem - Sirona Biochem's Press Release -

Signing of an acquisition of a controlling interest in Novagali Pharma S.A. by Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Osaka, Japan and Évry, France, September 28, 2011 – Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Osaka, Ticker Code 4536JP) (hereafter “Santen”), a leading Japanese pharmaceutical company, and Novagali Pharma S.A. (hereafter “Novagali”), a French biopharmaceutical company specializing in ophthalmology and focusing on new ocular therapeutics, announce today that Santen, Novagali and certain of its shareholders, including the funds managed by Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners, Auriga Partners, IdInvest Partners and CDC Innovation, have entered into a share purchase agreement (hereafter “SPA”), whereby Santen shall acquire shares representing 50.55%1 of the share capital of Novagali for a cash consideration of €6.15 per share, representing a premium of 71.3% over the last traded price as of September 27, 2011, which may be increased to €6.25 as described below (the “Block Purchase”). The Block Purchase is not subject to any conditions and is expected to be completed in the next few days. The shares of Novagali Pharma are listed on NYSE Euronext Paris - Compartment C.

 Santen intends to promptly purchase all remaining shares of Novagali at the same price per share and will consequently file a mandatory tender offer (offre publique obligatoire) with the French Autorité des marchés financiers (“AMF”) in accordance with article 234-2 et seq. of the general regulations of the AMF (the “Tender Offer”). Santen intends to implement a mandatory squeeze-out of remaining shares of Novagali in the event, Santen would hold, following the Tender Offer, at least 95%of the shares and voting rights of Novagali.

In the event that upon completion of the Tender Offer Santen holds at least 95% of the share capital and voting rights of Novagali, the price per Novagali share to be paid to all Novagali shareholders who sold their shares as part of the Block Purchase or tendered their shares into the Tender Offer shall be increased by an additional €0.10 per share, representing an aggregate price of €6.25 and a premium of 74.1% over the last traded price as of September 27, 2011... [PDF] Santen Pharmaceutical's Press Release - [PDF] Novagali Pharma社の買収（子会社化）について - [PDF] Novagali Pharma's Press Release - PDF du communiqué de presse de Novagali Pharma -

HAC Pharma : New MA for Agrastat in France

01-03-2011 - New MA for Agrastat in France since January 2011 the 29th, including a High Dose Bolus for patient undergoing PCI (refer to SPC in Products section) ... HAC Pharma's Press Release - communiqué HAC Pharma - Company ..."The management team of H.A.C.Pharma are experienced executives from the bio-pharmaceutical industry and from University Hospitals across Europe. H.A.C.Pharma is focused on acute care or hospital based products and services. Our company specializes in partnering with hospital healthcare professionals. We provide innovative therapeutic treatment solutions through extensive business collaborations with, national and international, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies looking to reach hospital based physician audiences in Europe."... HAC Pharma's strategy - La politique d'H.A.C. Pharma -

CERMA : spin-off company cermaVEIN

8/30/2011 - ARCHAMPS, France -- French emerging medical technology company CERMA, specialized in the development of innovative and minimally invasive devices in phlebology and oncology, announced the creation of spin-off CERMAVEIN. CERMAVEIN was launched to expand commercialization of its proprietary Steam Vein Sclerosis (SVS™) technology for endovenous thermal ablation. SVS is the only product on the market to treat all types of varicose veins in a single session: patients need only visit the clinic once; physicians save time on procedurEstablished in 2001, CERMA Inc. is a medical company offering a pipeline of innovative products based on a technology for which CERMA masters the know-how and the intellectual property. This technology, the Targeted Multi Therapy, allows delivering diverse active agents locally in a mini invasive way with a therapeutic multi-approach.es, and capacity at the treatment centre is freed up more rapidly.

“The SVS technology has been proven to be simple to use in clinical practice, because our technology is flexible and our catheter can be easily introduced into all veins, making the procedure easy for physicians to carry out,” comments Dr. Sophie Humbert, CEO of CERMAVEIN. “We have a great opportunity to fill a genuine unmet medical need in many markets and thanks to our technology’s features, the size of our potential market is significantly increased. For example, in the United States 75 percent of patients need multiple treatments that now could be done in one single session using SVS.”... [PDF] CERMA's Press Release -

About CERMA

Founded in 2001, CERMA Inc. is a medical company, 13485 ISO-certified, which designs mini-invasive medical devices in phlebology and oncology, based on its TMT (Targeted Multi Therapy) innovative concept. This exclusive technology is the result of constant investments in R&D leading to a portfolio of international patents. Located in the heart of the science park of Archamps (1st Euro-Swiss Technopole), CERMA benefits from a strategic setting in an international pole including young and innovative companies. 15 minutes away from Geneva and 20 minutes from Annecy, this territorial peculiarity has a real leverage effect on the economical development of companies implanted on this site... about CERMA -

GENFIT GFT505 clinical results Diabetes Care

Lille, France, and Cambridge, Mass., September 6th, 2011- After critical review by independent experts, the results of the GFT505-209-3 and GFT505-209-4 studies are published in « Diabetes Care », an official international scientific journal of the ADA (American Diabetes Association). – GENFIT (Alternext: ALGFT; ISIN: FR0004163111), a biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of drug discovery and development, focused on the early diagnosis and preventive treatment of cardiometabolic and associated disorders, announced the publication in « Diabetes Care » of a scientific article presenting the results of the GFT505-210-3 and GFT505-210-4 clinical trials.

The article reports the beneficial effects of GFT505 on glucose and lipid metabolism, inflammation, and liver function in patients with abdominal obesity, mixed dyslipidemia, and/or pre-diabetes. After critical review and approval by independent experts, the manuscript is published under the title ‘Effects of the new dual PPARα/δ agonist GFT505 on lipid and glucose homeostasis in abdominally obese patients with combined dyslipidemia or impaired glucose metabolism » (B. Cariou, Y. Zair, B. Staels, and E. Bruckert, Diabetes Care, 34: 2008-2014) in the category « Emerging Treatments and Technologies’...

[...]

...About GENFIT:

GENFIT is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the Discovery and Development of drug candidates in therapeutic fields linked to cardiometabolic disorders (prediabetes/diabetes, atherosclerosis, dyslipidemia, inflammatory diseases…). GENFIT uses a multi-pronged approach based on early diagnosis, preventive solutions, and therapeutic treatments and advances therapeutic research programs, either independently or in partnership with leading pharmaceutical companies (SANOFI, SERVIER, …), to address these major public health concerns and their unmet medical needs. GENFIT’s research programs have resulted in the creation of a rich and diversified pipeline of drug candidates at different stages of development, including GENFIT’s lead proprietary compound, GFT505, that is currently in Phase II... [PDF] GENFIT's Press Release - PDF du communiqué de presse GENFIT -

MedinCell Invites Data Review for Long-Acting, Controlled-Release Schizophrenia Treatments

MONTPELLIER, FRANCE and SAN DIEGO, CA - Aug 9, 2011 – MedinCell, developer of the MedinGel™ biodegradable drug release platform, is pleased to invite potential pharmaceutical development partners to review data from their RisperMed pilot program. “Schizophrenia is a tragic and severe condition with challenging dose and compliance issues. We’ve designed the RisperMed program to address clinical needs that are unmet by today’s oral and injectable Risperidone products,” said Dr. Stephane Lucchini, MedinCell’s Business Development Manager. “RisperMed, if approved, will be the first once-quarterly, subcutaneous antipsychotic product available for the long-acting injectable antipsychotic market. Additionally, by using subcutaneous delivery to minimize administration discomfort, we believe RisperMed will improve treatment adherence — which has been estimated to cost the US over $1.4 billion per year,” Lucchini concluded. Potential partners may request access to the RisperMed Data Room through MedinCell’s web portal, and will have until September 23, 2011 (4:00 pm EDT) to gauge the effectiveness of the MedinGel formulations and propose licensing terms. The repository includes an analysis of the schizophrenia treatment market space, in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetic data from candidate Risperidone formulations, and histopathology comments regarding injection safety in animal models. MedinCell will also show release profile and cost of goods comparisons with the only existing long-acting injectable risperidone product, Risperdal® Consta®*, which achieved global sales of $1.5 billion in 2010... [...] ...About MedinCell Using proprietary polymer technology, MedinCell designs controlled-release formulations that form a biodegradable, biocompatible matrix after administration. This patent-pending MedinGel™ technology limits the initial release of drug molecules to reduce off-target effects and extend release duration. This also allows Medincell’s formulations to use substantially reduced API amounts in sustained release formulations... MedinCell's Press Release -

Bertin Pharma opens its Pharmaceutical Establishment

01-07-2011: Bertin Pharma opens its Pharmaceutical Establishment -

...This new platform of 2 000 m2, renovated and labelled Good Manufacturing Process, offers you a large range of expertise and equipments giving you access to all the formulations including highly potent drugs.

Bertin Pharma is a one of the major European actors as Contract Research Organisation for pharmaceutical industry... Bertin Pharma's news -

About Bertin Pharma

Bertin Pharma is a global R&D solution provider offering R&D outsourcing services along with bioreagent tools, in the fields of pharmacy, biotechnologies, cosmetics and nutrition for both industries and academic research.

Bertin Pharma, subsidiary of Bertin Technologies , results from the merging of 4 complementary French companies (SPI-Bio, Biotec Centre, Ellipse Pharmaceuticals & IDPS) to bring... About Bertin Pharma -

SPAULDING CLINICAL AND EUROFINS OPTIMED CLINICAL RESEARCH : NEW JOINT PARTNERSHIP FOR GLOBAL CLINICAL STUDIES

August 8, 2011 – Eurofins Optimed Clinical Research, an experienced European clinical research service provider and Spaulding Clinical Research, LLC., US-based, leading-edge Clinical Pharmacology, Cardiac Core Lab, and Medical Device Manufacturer, announce a joint partnership agreement. This partnership leverages the strengths of both companies and facilitates collaboration on integrated clinical services to engage pharmaceutical clients who demand a global footprint.

Both companies disclosed that a primary driver of this relationship was finding a high-quality partner that would meet their standards for study conduct and participant safety, with metrics to back up their claims. “The culture of excellence and research facilities designed to execute high-quality studies was very impressive to our team. We felt immediately comfortable with the Optimed clinical team and witnessed their efficient execution of studies”, states Daniel Selness, General Manager and Senior Vice President of Operations. “We were very impressed that Spaulding achieved ISO certification, which is not common among US clinical research facilities. Their innovative systems approach with Electronic Data Capture is something that we have been looking to implement, so the partnership will allow us to consider how to collaborate more closely as these systems are put in place”, states Yves Donazzolo, MD, CEO and President of Optimed...

[...]

...Eurofins Optimed (www.optimed.fr), founded in 1990, is located in France and provides services in clinical research, from phase I to phase II-IV clinical trials and surveys. Eurofins Optimed operates 100 beds in two clinical pharmacology units, in Grenoble and Lyon. Studies in healthy volunteers or ambulatory patients are conducted in the units while patient trials are set up and performed in various European centers. As a member of the Eurofins Group, the company offers a complete and customized range of services in drug development, in an international environment... Spaulding Clinical Research's Press Release -

MEDICREA'S GRANVIA®-C: Launch of a Pre-Ide Pilot Trial With a View to Initiating the Approval Process in the United States

June 30, 2011 - LYON, France -

• Worldwide (outside of USA): Marketing schedule reaffirmed and launch in 6 new countries over the second half of the year

The MEDICREA Group (FR0004178572-ALMED) (Paris:ALMED), listed on Alternext by NYSE Euronext Paris, a medical device company specialized in the development of innovative surgical technologies for the treatment of spinal pathologies, reaffirmed its ambitious marketing schedule for GRANVIA®-C, its next-generation cervical disc prosthesis, and also announced the launch of a pre-IDE pilot trial with a view to initiating the approval process in the United States.

• GRANVIA®-C: a patented technological feat.

A flagship product of MEDICREA’s Research & Development laboratories, GRANVIA®-C is the first cervical disc prosthesis that allows “natural” physiological movement and extreme longevity, thus providing patients with very similar functionalities to those of healthy cervical discs.
In terms of biomechanics, cervical mobility is offered by 6 degrees of freedom, through differentiated centers of rotation and a patented mobile core with an integrated shock absorber system. In terms of material, the prosthesis’ high-tech ceramic design allows both a reduction in friction and optimal wear and fatigue resistance, giving the prosthesis a very long lifespan. Furthermore, using ceramic also ensures that it is perfectly MRI1 compatible, unlike the cervical prostheses currently on the market, whose metallic components result in MRI artifacts incompatible with visualizing the spinal cord, discs and soft tissue around the zone concerned.

Matching MEDICREA’s development philosophy of “innovating for next-generation vertebral implantology”, the GRANVIA®-C prosthesis is supplied with a disposable sterilized inserter. This has a number of advantages: it is easy to insert so saves significant time, and therefore enhances patient wellbeing and lowers hospital costs. Furthermore, this also minimizes the risk of infection and optimizes traceability, resulting in an unparalleled improvement in safety conditions...

[...]

...About MEDICREA :

MEDICREA specializes in the design, development, manufacture and distribution of orthopedic implants dedicated to spinal surgery.
In a $9 billion market, MEDICREA is a very dynamic small to medium-sized business of 100 employees with unique innovation capabilities. The Company enjoys an excellent and ever-improving reputation and develops unique relationships with the most visionary and creative spine surgeons in France, the UK, and the USA. Products developed and patented by MEDICREA provide neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons specialized in the spine with new and less-invasive surgical solutions that are faster and easier to implement than traditional techniques. The Group’s headquarters are based in Lyon, France, and it also has a manufacturing facility located in La Rochelle as well as three distribution subsidiaries in the USA, the UK and France... MEDICREA's Press Releases - Communiqués de presse de MEDICREA -

Innovative Health Diagnostics : Results of Its IHD-Amy Blood Tests for Alzheimer’s Disease

July 18, 2011 - PARIS & STRASBOURG, France - Best results obtained to date for a blood test for Alzheimer’s disease with 83% sensitivity and 82% specificity;

Results presented to ICAD (International Conference on Alzheimer’s disease) in Paris on 17th and 18th July

Innovative Health Diagnostics (IHD), the innovative company specialising in the development of diagnostic blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegenerative illnesses presents its first clinical results for its IHD-Amy blood test for Alzheimer’s disease.

With the IHD-Amy test, IHD is making it possible to have a diagnostic test based on a peripheral biochemical marker, which is therefore straightforward and economic to carry out, making it one of the most promising ways forward in the research into the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to this, the fact that this kind of test is carried out at an early stage means that treatment can be followed through far more efficiently, and also means that patient hospitalisation can be delayed. On a longer term basis, this kind of test could be a useful diagnostic tool and a crucial element of the establishment of a proactive public health policy initiative.

The development of these tests is made possible by recent advances in medical knowledge and the discovery of fluorescent probes that can detect proteins that are specific to the disease. Just one drop of blood – 100 to 200 micro litres – is enough to carry out an analysis. These blood tests have the advantage of being quick, minimally invasive, and economic to carry out: just like the IHD-Amy test... Innovative Health Diagnostics' Press Release - communiqué de presse d'Innovative Health Diagnostics -

Theralpha : Collaboration and Business Agreement with Flamel Technologies to develop controlled-release formulation of analgesic peptide

May 9, 2011 - Theralpha Announces Collaboration and Business Agreement with Flamel Technologies to develop controlled-release formulation of analgesic peptide - Theralpha SAS announced that it has entered into a joint development program with Flamel Technologies (NASD: FLML) for a Medusa®-enabled, long-acting formulation of Theralpha’s THA-902. THA902 is a natural peptide that is a potent and highly specific Acid Sensing Ion Channel 3 (ASIC 3) inhibitor. It is effective in inflammatory pain animal models following subcutaneous injection and has a number of possible indications, including post-operative pain, osteoarthritis pain and fibromyalgia. The development agreement has been structured to leverage Theralpha’s pioneering intellectual property regarding Acid Sensing Ion Channels (ASICs) and Flamel’s expertise in creating fully bioactive long-acting formulations of peptides, proteins, and other biologics.
The compound to be developed, THA902 XL, is a Medusa-based controlled-release formulation of THA 902. Flamel Technologies will be responsible for formulation chemistry with the objective to potentially improve tolerability and dosing, by reducing administration frequency, and consequently, allowing better patient compliance. Theralpha will be responsible for pre-clinical testing of THA902 XL pharmacodynamics...

[...]

...About Theralpha

Theralpha SAS is a product development-oriented company, focusing on preclinical and clinical development of new pain therapeutics. Theralpha drug candidates originate from worldwide exclusive licenses from IPMC (Institut de Pharmacologie Moleculaire, CNRS, Sophia Antipolis, France) based on research made by Professor Michel Lazdunski and his team who have pioneered the discovery of peptides found in animal venoms that selectively inhibit Acid Sensing Ion Channels (ASICs) which are directly implicated in pain signal transmission. Theralpha is also developing an analgesic venom derived peptide generated at Protherapeutics, a National University of Singapore (NUS) spin-off, and licensed worldwide to Theralpha.


About Flamel Technologies

Flamel Technologies SA (NASDAQ: FLML) is a leading drug delivery company focused on the goal of developing safer, more efficacious formulations of drugs that adress unmet medical needs. Its product development pipeline includes biological and chemical drugs formulated with the Medusa® and Micropump® proprietary platforms. Several Medusabased products are at various clinical stages of development; Medusa’s lead internal product candidate IFN-α XL (long-acting interferon alpha-2b) is currently the subject of a Phase 2 trial in HCV patients. The Company's has developed FDA- and EMA-approved products and manufacture Micropump-based microparticles. Flamel Technologies has collaborations with a number of leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including Baxter, GlaxoSmithKline (Coreg CR®, carvedilol phosphate), Merck Serono and Pfizer... [PDF] Theralpha's Press Release -

CALIXAR presented its team, technologies and current developments

07/06/2011 - CALIXAR in partnership with CREALYS and CNRS presented its team, technologies and current developments during first press conference at its headquarter (Lyon- IBCP)... PDF du communiqué de presse CALIXAR -

About CALIXAR

CALIXAR helps pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies as well as academic life sciences organizations to preserve and resolve the original structure of proteins.

CALIXAR provides a range of services based on innovative technologies for extraction, solubilization, stabilization and crystallization of functional membrane proteins.

We improve the performances of high throughput screening and structure-based drug design approaches, the production of vaccines, biodrugs and biomarkers.

Stryker Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire Privately-Held Memometal Technologies S.A. for $162 Million

June 6, 2011- Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) announced a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Memometal Technologies S.A. (Memometal) in an all cash transaction for $150 million and up to an additional $12 million of milestone payments. France based Memometal develops, manufactures and markets products for extremity indications based on its proprietary methods for preparing and manufacturing a shape memory metal alloy. Memometal is rapidly establishing its differentiated technology in the global extremity device market with a broad range of products for the foot and ankle as well as the hand and wrist market. With sales in 2010 of roughly $30 million, Memometal's differentiated, comprehensive and proprietary product portfolio will allow Stryker to gain broader access into the fast growing extremities market... Stryker's Press Release -

{...]

About Memometal Technologies

MEMOMETAL is a company based in France that designs, manufactures and markets implants consecrated to hand and foot orthopaedic surgery. As specialists in shape memory alloys, we are in total control of manufacturing procedures and thus ensure optimum monitoring of our products to achieve the best results for patient safety.

MEMOMETAL is renowned for its revolutionary products that have been adopted by some of the best world-known surgeons. The company is present in over 80% of the international market with subsidiaries in the USA, Germany and United Kingdom, together with a sales office in Switzerland and worldwide distributors. Our complete range of unique and innovative products , combined with our exceptional quality of service, provide complete satisfaction and contribute to your successful reputation... Memometal Technologies' Mission -

Adocia : positive phase I clinical results on HinsBet®, a fast-acting human insulin

Lyon-France, March 15, 2011, Adocia, a privately-held biotechnology company specialized in
regenerative medicine and in the treatment of chronic diseases, announced positive
results from its phase I clinical study evaluating the safety and clinical utility of HinsBet®, its fast-acting human insulin product for the treatment of diabetes. This project benefits from FEDER support.
The trial compared the product candidate, HinsBet®, to NovoLog® (Novo Nordisk), a fast-acting insulin analog, and Actrapid® (Novo Nordisk), a regular human insulin. It was a double blind study involving 12 healthy volunteers. The pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles were obtained using the glucose clamp technique.
On the primary endpoint of safety, HinsBet® showed identical results to the commercial products tested, giving excellent local tolerance and absence of pain at the site of injection...

[...]

...About Adocia SAS

Adocia (Lyon, France) is a privately held French biotechnology company in specialized regenerative medicine and in the treatment of chronic diseases. Adocia is developing innovative protein formulations based on its proprietary technology, BioChaperone®. These include new formulations of BMPs (bone morphogenic proteins) for bone repair and other indications. Adocia is also engaged in two collaborative programs on the formulation of monoclonal antibodies using its BioChaperone® platform with two biopharma companies, and it has three collaborations with medtech companies... [PDF] Adocia's Press Release -

PathoQuest SAS, raises 2M€ with Kurma BioFund in its first round of financing

Paris, 2011 the 29th of march - French pathogens discovery biotechnology start–up, PathoQuest SAS, raises 2M€ with Kurma BioFund in its first round of financing -
Founded in September 2010 by Professor Marc Eloit and Luc Boblet (PhD), PathoQuest SAS completed, on March 11th 2011, its first round of financing securing 2 M€ with the Kurma BioFund. A spin-off from the Pasteur Institute and the Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort (ENVA), PathoQuest has developed a proprietary expertise in metagenomics and pathogens identification by “Binning” or “De novo assembling” of high-throughput generated sequences.

By discovering the etiology of major pathologies, in the field of infectious diseases and oncology, PathoQuest is committed to providing valuable new targets for diagnosis and vaccines to majors companies...

[...]


...About PathoQuest

A spin-off from the Pasteur Institute and l’Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort (ENVA), PathoQuest is a biotechnology start-up company dedicated to identifying pathogens by means of High Throughput Sequencing (HTS). PathoQuests’ extensive range of R&D programs in the fields of infectious diseases and oncology - both in-house and in collaboration with academic/industrial partners, permits PathoQuest to discover the etiology of major pathologies. PathoQuest is committed to providing diagnosis and vaccine pharmaceutical companies with valuable new targets. PathoQuest ultimately aims to be a pioneer in HTS-based medical diagnosis.

About Kurma Life Sciences Partners

Kurma Biofund is a venture capital fund managed by Paris based Kurma Life Sciences Partners (KLS Partners). Founded in July 2009, Kurma manages in excess of 135M€. KLS Partners is supported by two long-term investors (Natixis, part of Group BPCE the second largest French bank, and stateowned Caisse des Dépots et Consignations – CDC). Kurma actively invests in all stages of the biotech value chain, from technology transfer through to more established companies... [PDF] PathoQuest's Press Release - PDF du communiqué de presse de Kurma bioFund -

Cellectis and VitamFero Collaborate to Develop Vaccines against Parasitic Infection

Paris and Evry (France), June 6, 2011 – Cellectis (Alternext: ALCLS), the genome engineering specialist, and VitamFero, a biotech company of the Genopole® portfolio developing new vaccines against parasite infections, announced the signing of a research, development and licensing partnership agreement. This agreement will grant VitamFero access to Cellectis’ proprietary meganuclease technology for the design and development of a new generation of living attenuated vaccines.

Under this 5-year agreement, Cellectis will supply VitamFero with preselected méganucléases for initial use in the development of vaccines against parasites responsible for toxoplasmosis, neosporosis, and others...

[...]

About Cellectis

Cellectis improves life by applying its genome engineering expertise to a broad range of applications, including agriculture, bioresearch and human therapeutics. Cellectis is listed on the NYSE-Euronext Alternext market (code: ALCLS) in Paris.


About VitamFero

Created in 2005 and having just completed a significant raise of 1.1 M€, VitamFero exploits the breakthroughs jointly obtained and patented by CNRS, INRA and Université François Rabelais in Tours (France) in the domain of antiparasite vaccines, an area where needs are still largely unmet. VitamFero is built on a strong and validated scientific basis, based on the development of living parasite strains (i.e. Toxoplasma gondii, …), attenuated by complete and targeted deletion of virulence genes... [PDF] Cellectis' Press Release - PDF du communiqué de presse de VitamFero -

InnaVirVax : results showing the prognosis value of anti-3S antibodies

March 2011 - InnaVirVax and scientists from Inserm, University Pierre & Marie Curie (Paris) and University Paris-Sud (Paris), presented results showing the prognosis value of anti-3S antibodies at the International Workshop on HIV Observational Databases in Prague. (InnaVirVax's News)

About InnaVirVax

Mission Statment

InnaVirVax is a privately-owned biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of a cutting edge discovery in the field of therapy/prevention and prognostic of AIDS and HIV infection and new cancer therapies.

Company Mission

InnaVirVax is developing product candidates resulting from a breakthrough discovery. Based on a new paradigm (i.e. the understanding of the mechanism responsible for the decline of the CD4+ T lymphocytes in HIV-infected patients), the products currently developed by InnaVirVax will allow the prevention and the treatment of AIDS in HIV-infected patients. Moreover InnaVirVax has an AIDS prognostic test in its R&D portfolio.
Lastly, InnaVirVax is developing an innovative cancer biotherapy relying on a totally new tumor surface antigen.
InnaVirVax product portfolio originates from Inserm, the French Medical research council, the AP-HP, the largest hospital in Europe, and University Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris... InnaVirVax's mission -

Biocortech and the FondaMental foundation : strategic alliance

April 5th 2011 - Paris, France and Créteil, France - Biocortech, the biotech company dedicated to the development of biological diagnostics for personalized psychiatry, and FondaMental, the foundation of scientific cooperation for mental health research and care, announce the signing of a strategic alliance to validate biomarkers for personalized psychiatry.

This strategic alliance aims at speeding up the availability of qualified blood tests for diagnosis, prognosis, drug selection and monitoring for a personalized medical management of patients suffering from mental health disorders. Concretely, Biocortech and FondaMental will collaborate in clinically validating blood tests measuring biomarkers identified by Biocortech or in FondaMental's network of scientific excellence. Biocortech and FondaMental will define relevant clinical settings and clinical issues to be addressed, build up adequate resources to access blood samples of patients with proper medical records, set up and monitor clinical trials. Biocortech will have responsibility for industrializing and commercializing qualified tests... Biocortech 's Press Release -

MEDIAN Technologies : new contract in the field of lung cancer with a top-five pharma company

05/11/11 - Sophia-Antipolis, France - MEDIAN Technologies, the leading provider of clinical applications for quantitative management of treatment responses in oncology imaging, announced that it had signed a new contract with a top-five pharma company, following on from an initial contract in 2010.
The new contract covers a pilot study performed as part of a lung cancer trial. This study will investigate the use of an advanced imaging biomarker to evaluate the treatment response (tumor volume, in this case).
"This new collaboration will enable us to study the value of tumor volume as a treatment response criterion. There are several possible advantages. Firstly, the use of tumor volume could decrease variability during image interpretation. Secondly, the change over time in tumor volume may be better correlated with the patients' survival rate. Thirdly and lastly, tumor volume may show up an earlier treatment response", emphasized MEDIAN's Chairman and CEO Fredrik Brag. "Innovations in image interpretation are playing an ever more significant role in the cancer drug development process. The signature of this new contract confirms the validity of our approach", he added.
A number of cancer centers of excellence in the USA, EMEA and Australasia are involved in the study... MEDIAN Technologies' Press Release - communiqué de presse MEDIAN Technologies -

ERYtech Pharma : positive results in Immunomodulation thanks to red cell targeting

March 21th, 2011 - ERYtech Pharma reports that their positive results obtained with the project on Immunomodulation will be presented at the 6th International Symposium on the Clinical Use of Cellular Products, Erlangen (March 24-25, 2011).
Immunomodulation is a promising therapeutic strategy dedicated to all conditions resulting from a dysfunction of the adaptive immune system. In such pathological conditions, the immune system either fails to react, or conversely, overreacts in the presence of antigens, leading to the development of an infection or a tumor. At the basis of immune reaction, dendritic cells and macrophages are the key antigen-presenting cells involved in the process initiation. One of the great challenges of Immunomodulation specifically lies in the selective targeting of these dendritic cells and macrophages to modulate the immune response. Making the cell targeting more selective indeed amounts to significantly optimize the therapeutic efficacy of a product...

[...]

...About ERYtech Pharma

ERYtech Pharma (Lyon, Philadelphia) is a specialty pharma company developing innovative therapeutic solutions based on its proprietary technology and expertise in the physiological properties of erythrocytes. The company addresses serious pathologies, orphan indications or unaddressed sub-populations of patients, particularly in the fields of hematology, cancer and metabolic diseases... ERYtech Pharma's Press Release -

QUANTUM GENOMICS : POSITIVE SCIENTIFIC RESULTS WITH ITS PRODUCT QGC001

01-04-2011 - Quantum Genomics (NYSE Euronext Paris: MLQGC) announced excellent results from regulatory preclinical studies conducted with the product QGC001, the first drug-candidate of a new class of central anti-hypertensive agents, brain aminopeptidase A inhibitors (BAPAI)

• Anti-hypertensive activity of QGC001 after oral administration has been demonstrated in spontaneously hypertensive rats and conscious hypertensive DOCA-salt rats

• Toxicology, safety pharmacology and pharmacokinetics studies have demonstrated that QGC001 is well tolerated both in rats and dogs at doses superior to 50 times the dose showing anti-hypertensive activity in rats and has a good bioavailability in dog.

Quantum Genomics plans to submit to AFSSAPS in the following weeks, a clinical trial application in order to initiate a single ascending dose (SAD) study in healthy male volunteer subjects and assess the tolerability of a single dose of QGC001 and its pharmacokinetics parameters in humans... Quantum Genomics' Press Release -

About Quantum Genomics

Quantum Genomics Corp.(QGC) is a global Biotechnology company maximizing the developments and discoveries of academic research into breakthrough treatments for human disease.

QGC has unique expertise in the detection and selection of highly promising life science technology projects.

QGC co-develops products with academic teams, premier Biotech research entities, and some of the world's leading pharmaceutical and bio-science companies.

QGC's strategic alliances and business partnerships range from disease-oriented therapeutic collaborations, technology transfer-agreements, and marketing/licensing agreements, in the fields of recombinant proteins, monoclonal antibodies, and advanced chemical compounds.

QGC develops public/private partnerships to expedite the process of translational research and development, evolving life-science research into market products and therapies. About Quantum Genomics.

CIT : LeadScreen(TM), a new range of fast, cost-effective services for drug candidate selection

March 29, 2011 - CIT, a leading European non-clinical CRO specialized in health and safety research, announces a new range of fast and economical services to meet the growing needs of companies developing the drugs of tomorrow. The services, grouped under the name LeadScreen™, offer an extensive array of tests designed to give an early evaluation of safety of drugs thought to have development potential.
Currently, around 20 per cent of candidate drugs fail during standard regulatory nonclinical studies, too often due to late identification of toxicological effects. Using CIT’s LeadScreen™, the early detection of potential toxicity can significantly increase the chances of success when the candidate drug goes through the later stages of non-clinical development. The speed, competitive price and efficacy of LeadScreen™ offers the ability to reduce considerably the financial cost and time associated with standard drug development practices.
The new LeadScreen™ services are fast. From the start of the study to delivery of the results takes only 14 days - a real competitive advantage over tests currently on the market. As well as saving time, LeadScreen™ presents other advantages such as its requirement for only a small quantity of the compound - and attractive pricing...

[...]

...About CIT

CIT is a science-driven, independent, non-clinical contract research organization (CRO) specialized in safety and health research. Founded in 1969, CIT has carried out a vast number of projects for international companies on human and veterinary pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, chemicals, agrochemicals and consumer products. It has contributed to many product registrations around the world. With a staff of 360, CIT offers a full range of research in general toxicology, reproductive toxicology, carcinogenicity, pharmacokinetics and safety pharmacology... [PDF] CIT's Press Release - PDF du communiqué de presse CIT -

IN CELL ART teams up with WAKO for the Japanese commercialization of IN CELL ART’s breakthrough ICAFectin441 and ICAFectin442 transfection reagents

Nantes – France, January 18, 2011 – IN CELL ART, a leading company in nucleic acids (DNA, siRNA) delivery systems announces that the company has entered into a distribution agreement with WAKO, a leading supplier of products and reagents.
Under the terms of this agreement, IN CELL ART and WAKO partner for the marketing, distribution and sales of IN CELL ART’s novel synthetic derivatives of natural compounds, ICAFectin®441 and ICAFectin®442, designed for high DNA and siRNA transfection efficiency.
WAKO’s customers have now access to reagents among the most performing of the market for high efficiency DNA and siRNA delivery in primary and stem cells.
“This alliance is of crucial importance as WAKO brings a vast knowledge of the Japanese transfection reagents market together with a highly organized distribution network that gives to IN CELL ART the opportunity to strengthen and enlarge its products distribution channels”, explain Chloé Bellocq, CEO and Bruno Pitard, scientific adviser and co-founder of IN CELL ART...

[...]

...About IN-CELL-ART

IN CELL ART, which is headquartered in Nantes (France) is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the preclinical and pharmaceutical development of nanocarriers for macromolecular drugs. Its founder and research team, which includes a Nobel Laureate, have designed new classes of vectors that are organized on a nanometric scale, which enables them to cross the cell barrier efficiently and safely... [PDF] IN-CELL-ART's Press Release - PDF du communiqué de presse IN-CELL-ART -

Iris Pharma : New Key in vivo Model Of Ocular Inflammation

Nice, France - February 17, 2011 - Iris Pharma, a world leader CRO specialized in ophthalmology, announced the validation of the Endotoxin-Induced Uveitis (EIU) model, a new model of ocular inflammation. This model has been developed by Iris Pharma in albino rats to evaluate the efficacy of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of anterior uveitis and other inflammatory diseases in the eye.
Anterior uveitis is the inflammation of the middle layer of the eye, which includes the iris and the adjacent ciliary body. Of uncertain aetiology, it is associated with a wide variety of systemic disorders in human. It is the most common form of uveitis, accounting for 75% of all cases...

[...]

...About Iris Pharma:
Iris Pharma is an independent CRO that specializes in preclinical and clinical research in the field of ophthalmology. Founded in 1989 by Dr Pierre-Paul Elena, Iris Pharma offers its services and expertise in the development of ophthalmic drugs and ocular medical devices to the pharmaceutical industry and biotechnology companies around the world. Among its clients, 8 out of the top 10 worlds largest pharmaceuticals have chosen Iris Pharma. The company has five main areas of activity: preclinical studies and services, clinical trials (Phase I and IV and medico-marketing surveys), bioanalysis, preclinical formulation, and consulting services. Iris Pharma was recently awarded the "High Performance Prize" from the Newspaper Les Echos in recognition of its growth performance... Iris Pharma's Press Release -

Innate Pharma : updates on its drug candidates - 2010 financial results

Marseilles, France, March 2, 2011 - Situation bilancielle saine et consommation de trésorerie maîtrisée - Deux candidats médicament en essais cliniques, dont l’un est licencié à Novo Nordisk A/S - Six essais cliniques aux États-Unis et en Europe pour le programme IPH 21 - Innate Pharma (Euronext Paris: FR0010331421 – IPH) reports its consolidated financial results for the year ending December 31, 2010. Unaudited consolidated financial statements are attached to this press release.
The key elements of these results are as follows:

• Operating revenue amounting 4.3 million euros (vs. 7.7 million euros in 2009), primarily from a research tax credit as well as, to a lesser extent, collaboration agreements with Novo Nordisk A/S;
• Operating expenses amounting to 18.0 million euros (vs. 23.3 million euros in 2009), of which about 80% is in research and development;
• Net loss amounting to 13.7 million euros (vs. 14.6 millions euros in 2009); and Cash, cash equivalents and current financial instruments amounting to 34.6 million euros as at December 31, 2010, with 7.5 million euros in debt, including 4.4 million euros for the long-term financing of property and equipment. Based on its current programs, the Company estimates that this situation corresponds to a cash runway into 2013.

In the course of 2010, the Company progressed in the clinical development of the IPH 21 program, with the continuation of the ongoing trials and the set-up of new Phase II trials in multiple myeloma with IPH 2101, as well as the initiation of a first clinical trial with IPH 2102.
It has also continued its effort on new targets validation in the field of innate immunity and the development of antibodies targeting them.
At the beginning of 2011, Novo Nordisk A/S filed a new clinical trial application for IPH 2201, which is expected to be the third program arising from the collaboration between the two companies to enter clinical trials. This achievement triggered the payment of a milestone to Innate Pharma.
Lastly, within the context of a strategic review of its portfolio and after discussions with potential partners relating to a development partnership for IPH 1101, the Company has concluded that further pursuit of partnering activities for IPH 1101 is not warranted. The Company has consequently decided to focus its efforts on antibody programs, consistently with its positioning...

[...]

...About Innate Pharma:
Innate Pharma S.A. is a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class immunotherapy drugs for cancer and inflammatory diseases.
The Company specializes in the development of new monoclonal antibodies targeting receptors and pathways controlling the activation of innate immunity cells. Its most advanced drug candidate is IPH 2101, an anti-KIR monoclonal antibody potentiating NK cells activation currently in Phase II clinical trials in hematologic cancers. Two of its antibody programs in chronic inflammation are out-licensed to Novo Nordisk A/S.
Innate Pharma’s key expertise is in immunopharmacology and antibody technology. The Company has implemented in-house a large panel of molecular and cellular assays and in vivo models for assessing the pharmacodynamics and pharmacotoxicology of drug candidates. In addition, Innate Pharma has access to a very large set of unique research tools in cellular immunology through its worldwide network of scientific collaborations.
Incorporated in 1999 and listed on NYSE-Euronext in Paris in 2006, Innate Pharma is based in Marseilles, France, and had 86 employees as at December 31, 2010... Innate Pharma's Press Release - Communiqué de Presse Innate Pharma -

Eurofins Scientific : agreement to acquire Lancaster Laboratories, Inc.

24 February 2011 - Eurofins Scientific SE (Paris: EUFI.PA) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Lancaster Laboratories, Inc. (Lancaster, PA, USA) from Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (Waltham, MA, USA) for approximately US$200m, subject to post-closing adjustments.

With approximately 1,100 employees in the USA and Ireland, Lancaster is the leading provider of pharmaceutical product testing services and cGMP Quality Control (QC) in North America. In addition, it operates one of the leading environmental testing laboratories in the USA. Lancaster has been growing rapidly over the last 50 years and generated sales of approximately US$115m in 2010. Lancaster operates the largest single-site independent pharmaceutical product testing laboratory in the world.

With this bolt on acquisition, the Eurofins Group becomes the global leader in this very stable and recurring business and significantly enlarges its North American footprint. It is a further expression of Eurofins’ commitment to serve the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries with laboratory services of the highest quality and reliability. The acquisition reinforces the Group’s leadership in terms of scale and quality of service on a wide range of laboratory activities for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries in North America, Europe and Asia...

[...]

...About Eurofins - Global leader in bio-analysis

Eurofins Scientific is a life sciences company operating internationally to provide a comprehensive range of analytical testing services to clients from a wide range of industries including the pharmaceutical, food and environmental sectors.

With 8,000 staff in more than 150 laboratories across 30 countries, Eurofins offers a portfolio of over 40,000 reliable analytical methods for evaluating the authenticity, origin, safety, identity, composition and purity of biological substances and products. The Group is committed to providing its customers with high quality services, accurate results in time and, if requested, expert advice by its highly qualified staff.

The Eurofins Group is the world leader in food testing and one of the global market leaders in pharmaceuticals and environmental testing. It intends to pursue its dynamic growth strategy and expand both its technology portfolio and its geographic reach. Through R&D and acquisitions, the Group draws on the latest developments in the field of biotechnology to offer its clients unique analytical solutions and the most comprehensive range of testing methods.

As one of the most innovative and quality oriented international players in its industry, Eurofins is ideally positioned to support its clients’ increasingly stringent quality and safety standards and the demands of regulatory authorities around the world... Eurofins Scientific's Press Release - Communiqué de Presse Eurofins Scientific -

SuperSonic Imagine : Validation of Clinical Benefits of ShearWave Elastography, Demonstrating Increased Performance in Breast Cancer Diagnosis

March 5th, 2011 (Aix-en-Provence, France)- Study Results with validation on European Sub Population were presented at the European Congress of Radiology (Vienna) on March 4th
during a conference symposium - SuperSonic Imagine presented the validation of a world wide multicentre study, based on European recruitment, confirming the benefit of ShearWave Elastography when added to ultrasound for improved lesion classification.

Launched by SuperSonic Imagine in June 2008, the global, multi-centre study was conducted across 16 American and European sites involving 1,800 patients with breast lesions.

The first major result of this study demonstrated that ShearWave Elastography is reproducible both quantitatively and qualitatively. This reproducible technology provides strong assurance of precise tissue evaluation during diagnosis and is expected to be also useful in follow-up.

The second important outcome is a statistical model based on 939 lesions, which showed that ShearWave Elastography increases the performance of ultrasound breast cancer diagnosis. The addition of ShearWave Elastography features, such as maximum elasticity (stiffness) or heterogeneity (uniformity) of a lesion, to B-mode ultrasound, would permit an improvement in the BI-RADS® classification accuracy, (standardization tool for breast lesion classification from the American College of Radiology) improving breast diagnosis...

[...]

...About SuperSonic Imagine :
Founded in 2005 and based in Aix-en-Provence, France, SuperSonic Imagine is an innovative, multinational medical imaging company dedicated to developing a revolutionary ultrasound system: the Aixplorer®, This system leverages a unique MultiWave™ technology that enables the user to detect . characterize and, in the future, treat palpable and non-palpable masses. This unique technology is based on combining two types of waves: an ultrasound wave that provides exceptional imaging in B-mode, and a shear wave which measures and displays the stiffness of tissue in kilopascals (ShearWave Elastography™). Engineers from all over the world have joined the SuperSonic Imagine team and the company now has offices in Aix-en- Provence, Seattle, London and Munich... [PDF] SuperSonic Imagine's Press Release - PDF du communiqué de presse de SuperSonic Imagine -