Provence Technologies and Neuroptis Biotech partner to develop a new compound for treating dry eye syndrome

Marseille, France, and Paris, France, 21 May, 2012 - Provence Technologies to optimize and transfer the production process for ML7, Neuroptis Biotech’s dry eye drug candidate

Provence Technologies, a service provider of specialist fine chemistry, and Neuroptis Biotech, specializing in the discovery and development of innovative therapies in neurology and ophthalmology, announce today the further strengthening of their collaboration for transferring the chemical development of Neuroptis Biotech’s drug candidate, ML7, and producing the first GMP batches before the end of 2012.

ML7 is a drug candidate for the treatment of dry eye syndromes. It is the first of a new therapeutic class and has the potential to provide a targeted and effective therapeutic remedy for the millions of people suffering from dry eye syndrome, Gougerot-Sjögren syndrome, and inflammations, especially ones caused by allergies. Provence Technologies and Neuroptis Biotech have already collaborated successfully in developing a synthetic pathway for ML7, manufacturing the first non-GMP batches, and devising associated analytical methods. The two companies have embarked on the process optimization phase to facilitate the transfer of the compound and the start of production on an industrial scale, scheduled for September this year... [PDF] Provence Technologies' Press Release - Neuroptis Biotech's Press Release - [PDF] Communiqué de Presse de Provence Technologies -

Vexim Continues Its Development and Sets up in Germany to Directly Market the SpineJack® Range

TOULOUSE, France - Vexim, a Med-Tech company that specializes in minimally invasive treatment of vertebral fractures (called “minimally invasive anatomical restoration”), announces the creation of its German subsidiary in Ulme (between Stuttgart and Munich). Vexim GmbH will be responsible for promoting and marketing the SpineJack® range in Germany, in addition to training German physicians.

Germany is one of our key markets and we have decided to directly market SpineJack from February 2012 so as to ensure that our rollout and training plan is a success but also to maximize profits on German soil,” declared Vexim’s CEO Vincent Gardès. “The team we are recruiting will allow us to establish and maintain close relations with physicians, a necessary condition to guarantee our lasting presence in Germany.”...[PDF] Vexim's Press Release -

The French company Keosys, signs 10 international contracts within Clinical Research

March 2012 - The French company Keosys, signs 10 international contracts within Clinical Research - For the past 6 years, Keosys has provided expertise for oncology clinical research trials utilizing innovative solutions in medical imaging and telecommunications. Keosys’ collaboration with the academic institutions is based on the implementation of a standardized, central reading platform for the academic multicentric clinical studies at major french and european institutions. Among these: EORTC (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer), GELARC (Adult Lymphoma Study Group – Clinical Research) which is member of the European Lymphoma institutes, SFMN (French Society of Nuclear Medicine), UNICANCER (French Comprehensive Cancer Centers group), and VUmc (VU University medical center).

Medical imaging harmonization and standardization within clinical studies.

The aim is to standardize medical imaging workflow from the patient image acquisition (based on scanner qualification process), to the expert reading/assessment (based on the development of oncology follow-up tools for therapy response evaluation). Keosys’ innovative technology succeeds in reducing phase III study costs related to exam centralization of approximately 40% compared to current institutional processes...

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 ...About Keosys

 Keosys is an innovative company composed of a team of experts in medical imaging, IT and telecommunications. In 2011, after 10 years of scientific and academic collaboration within clinical research in nuclear medicine and radiology, Keosys has become a key player establishing 10 keen international partnerships with renowned institutions such as the EORTC, SNM, SFMN, and GELARC… Those partnerships are based on the supply of IMAGYS [TM] technology, medical imaging cloud services for exam centralization of patients enrolled in clinical studies (phase I-II). Medical imaging workflow via IMAGYS [TM] enables imaging exam availabilities in a timely manner offering optimized cost management in full compliance with regulation in force and the European and American GCPs (Good Clinical Practices)... [PDF] Keosys' Press Release -

Domain Therapeutics : EUR 933,000 grant for schizophrenia project

Strasbourg, France, March 13, 2012 - GPCR specialist will lead EUR 5.1 million ATHOS Project to develop new therapie -

Domain Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focussed on the discovery and early development of small molecules targeting G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs), one of the most important classes of drug targets, announced that ATHOS project has been selected for French government funding. ATHOS aims to develop new drug candidates and identify therapeutic targets for schizophrenia.

Total funding will amount to EUR 5.1 million over three years. Some 45 per cent of the ATHOS budget will be provided by central and regional government organizations, including the grant of EUR 933,000 to Domain Therapeutics.

Schizophrenia is a disease of the central nervous system generally starting in adolescence and becoming a chronic condition. It typically exhibits a dissociation of the personality, giving rise to auditory hallucinations, paranoid delirium and attention disorders. These problems affect not only the patient’s mental health but also life expectancy, which is 12 years shorter than that of the general population. Schizophrenia and related conditions affect 2-3 per cent of the world population but existing treatments do not improve the cognitive disturbances resulting from the disease and some patients remain completely resistant to available treatments... 

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...About Domain Therapeutics S.A. 

Domain Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company located in Strasbourg, France, dedicated to the discovery and early development of small molecules targeting G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs), one of the most important classes of drug targets. Domain Therapeutics identifies and develops drug candidates using its DTect-All (TM) innovative proprietary technology. The company’s portfolio is composed of new chemical entities ranging from hits to optimized leads for leading indications such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and diabetes... [PDF] Domain Therapeutics' Press Release -

Echosens introduces the new FibroScan® 502 Touch with CAP™ (Controlled Attenuation Parameter) in Asia [APASL 2012]

16/02/2012 - At the 2012 Conference of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) taking place this year in Taipei from February 16th to February 19th, Echosens, a pioneer and major player in non-invasive hepatic diagnosis, will present for the first time in Asia its latest product, the new FibroScan® 502 Touch, widening the range of FibroScan® devices now available.

Equipped with a new and more ergonomic tactile interface, and based on patented Vibration-Controlled Transient Elastography (VCTE™), the latest FibroScan®provides a reliable, accurate and reproducible assessment of liver tissue stiffness. This technology, developed by Echosens, is unique in measuring liver stiffness at a pre-determined and controlled 50 Hz frequency...

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...About Echosens and Fibroscan 

FibroScan is designed to quantify hepatic stiffness and ultrasound attenuation (CAP™) in a non-invasive manner in chronic liver diseases assessment.

Founded in 2001, Echosens supplies its products in more than 70 countries through a global network of suppliers. It dedicates a major portion of its activity to research and development in order to invent new medical devices and open up new medical perspectives. The organization works in close cooperation with health professionals and patients’ associations to facilitate management and therapeutic monitoring of patients. To date, there are more than 500 peer-reviewed publications which attest to the efficacy of FibroScan® in clinical practice...[PDF] Echosens' Press Release -

Sartorius Stedim Biotech and G-Con Manufacturing : Global Collaboration

January 18, 2012 

• SSB and G-Con combine core competences for visionary production processes 
• Collaboration will support faster and more flexible facility construction and shortened time to market

Sartorius Stedim Biotech (SSB) and G-Con have agreed to a global collaboration to offer highly advanced and flexible production platforms for the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry. The new product line will leverage G-Con Manufacturing’s novel modular, mobile clean-room “pods” and Sartorius Stedim Biotech’s well-established broad single-use and reusable product portfolio to create a totally integrated production process platform. SSB has incorporated its products into unit operations for media/buffer preparation, seed fermentation, cell cultivation and harvesting, ultra-diafiltration, membrane chromatography and viral clearance for biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing. Combining SSB’s technology with G-Con’s modular, scalable and flexible pod platform will provide the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry with an unparalleled set of cost-effective, “plug and play” tools for next-generation manufacturing facilities...

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...A profile of Sartorius Stedim Biotech

Sartorius Stedim Biotech is a leading provider of cutting-edge equipment and services for the development, quality assurance and production processes of the biopharmaceutical industry. Its integrated solutions covering fermentation, filtration, purification, fluid management and lab technologies are supporting the biopharmaceutical industry around the world to develop and produce drugs safely, timely and economically. Sartorius Stedim Biotech focuses on single-use technologies and value-added services to meet the rapidly changing technology requirements of the industry it serves. Strongly rooted in the scientific community and closely allied with customers and technology partners, the company is dedicated to its philosophy of “turning science into solutions”.

Headquartered in Aubagne, France, Sartorius Stedim Biotech is listed on the Eurolist of Euronext Paris. With its own manufacturing and R&D sites in Europe, North America and Asia and a global network of sales companies, Sartorius Stedim Biotech enjoys a worldwide presence. Its key manufacturing and R&D site is in Germany. The company employs nearly 2,600 people, and in 2010 earned sales revenue of 432.9 million euros... Sartorius Stedim Biotech's Press Release -

Alizé Pharma licenses its ASPAREC® therapy for Treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) to EUSA Pharma

Lyon, France, February 2, 2012 - Alizé Pharma II, a drug development company focused on oncology and metabolism and part of the Alizé Pharma group, announced the signing of a licensing agreement with EUSA Pharma for ASPAREC®, a new L-asparaginase product currently in Phase I clinical development for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Pursuant to the agreement, EUSA Pharma will be responsible for the development and worldwide commercialization of ASPAREC. In return, Alizé Pharma has received an upfront payment, and will be entitled to additional regulatory milestone payments and royalties on sales. The companies have not disclosed further financial information.

ASPAREC is Alizé Pharma’s PEGylated recombinant L-asparaginase derived from Erwinia chrysanthemi. It is being developed as a treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in patients with hypersensitivity to E. coli-derived L-asparaginase. Preclinical data indicate that ASPAREC is both longer acting and less immunogenic than the currently available Erwinia chrysanthemi derived L-asparaginase product...

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...About Alizé Pharma 

Alizé Pharma is a group of companies specialized in the development of innovative biopharmaceutical drugs, proteins and peptides, for the treatment of metabolic diseases and cancer. Its management is made up of a team of drug development experts and a board of directors offering wide international experience. Since its inception in 2007, the group has raised 5 M€ with private and institutional investors. The first of the two entities of the Group, Alizé Pharma SAS, is dedicated to AZP-01, a peptide derived from unacylated ghrelin, currently at the preclinical stage of development for the treatment of Type II diabetes and other metabolic and cardiovascular indications. The second entity, Alizé Pharma II SAS, is focused on the development of ASPAREC® (AZP-02), a new PEGylated recombinant L-asparaginase for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and currently in Phase I clinical development... Alizé Pharma's Press Release -

Pherecydes Pharma : DGA funding for evaluating the use of bacteriophages against infected, antibiotic resistant burns

January 18, 2012 Paris, France - French defence procurement agency invests EUR 900,000 towards a Pherecydes Pharma managed EUR 1.2-million project -

Pherecydes Pharma, a biotechnology company specialized in the research and development of lytic bacteriophages for both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes, announces that it has received funding of EUR 900,000 from France’s General Directorate for Armaments (Direction Générale de l’Armement - DGA) to part-finance the PACOBURNS project. This project is set up to explore the possibility of using bacteriophages to combat bacterial infections that are resistant to antibiotics, especially skin infections.

The funds invested by the DGA fall within the framework of its RAPID program. The scheme supports dual innovation by small and medium-sized companies through providing financial assistance for projects that have great technological and commercial potential, are innovative in terms of industrial research, and have both military and civilian applications. The Institute of Genetics and Microbiology of the University of Paris XI and the Armed Forces Institute of Biomedical Research (Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées - IRBA) are also involved in this project...


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About Pherecydes Pharma

...Pherecydes Pharma SA specializes in the research and development of lytic bacteriophages (or phages) for both therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The company provides innovative and adaptable solutions to combat multi-resistant bacteria, through developing mixtures of natural phages and their accelerated in vitro evolution. Pherecydes Pharma is the only company currently that has been able to harness this evolution technology, allowing a head start on any given bacterium.

Due to the unique knowledge of the company in the characterization and rapid isolation of natural lytic phages, Pherecydes Pharma has developed a large bank of bacteriophage mixtures for combating infections that are resistant to antibiotics, which have steadily increased in number since the 1980s. In particular, it possesses the world’s largest collection of phages against escherichia coli and is also working on pseudomonas and staphylococci, three bacteria that alone represent over 50 per cent of known infections in industrialized countries...[PDF] Pherecydes Pharma's Press Release -

BIOSYNEX Immunodiagnostic has acquired 100% stake of DIMA Gesellschaft fuer Diagnostika mbH

January 5th, 2012 - The company BIOSYNEX Immunodiagnostic, based in France, has acquired 100% stake of DIMA Gesellschaft fuer Diagnostika mbH.

Biosynex is a French diagnostic company located in Strasbourg, one of the European capital cities at the crossroads of France and Germany. Our Research and Development laboratory and our state of the art manufacturing facility are continuously dedicated to meet news needs of the medical sector... DIMA's Press Release -

BioAlliance Pharma : New Achievements in the Collaboration with Its Strategic European Partner, Therabel

January 04, 2012 - BioAlliance Pharma SA (Paris:BIO)(Euronext Paris - BIO), a company dedicated to specialty and orphan oncology products, today announces the achievement of the reserved capital increase and the payment of the €1 million milestone, as provided in the commercialization agreement signed with the Therabel Group for Loramyc® in Europe.

Therabel has actually subscribed for the maximum amount authorized by the General Assembly Meeting of June 29, 2011, i.e. 680.000 new shares, with a 15% premium over the last 20 business days preceding the operation (€3.65 per share).

Moreover, Therabel has finalized end of December 2011 the discussions with the Italian health authorities (Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco) regarding the price and the reimbursement for Loramyc®; publication in the Italian official journal should occur shortly. In this context, BioAlliance will receive from its partner an additional payment indexed on futures sales of Loramyc® in Italy up to a maximum amount of €500.000.

BioAlliance has received more than €11 million (royalties excluded) of which €3.5 million in 2011 since the signature of its partnership agreement with Therabel. An additional €1 million payment is planned end of 2012... BioAlliance Pharma's Press Release - Communiqués de Presse BioAlliance Pharma -

Hemarina : ANR selects HEMO2Perf® project

Morlaix, Brittany, Novembre 7th, 2011 - The French National Research Agency is to fund the HEMO2Perf® project, demonstrating once again the scientific and therapeutic interest in the oxygen carriers that Hemarina develops. This funding will pave the way to the clinical use of the Hemo2Life® solution for preserving kidney grafts —

Hemarina, a French biotechnology firm specialized in the research and development of marine-derived oxygen carriers for therapeutic, industrial and research applications, announced that the French National Research Agency (ANR) selected the HEMO2Perf® project under the call for proposals for the ‘Biomedical Innovation through public-private Research Partnership (RPIB)’ program. The HEMO2Perf® project teams up Hemarina, the INSERM U927 research unit “Ischemia-reperfusion in kidney transplantation” at the Poitiers University Hospital, and the Health, Life, and Agricultural Sciences Infrastructures (IBiSA) facility ‘Surgery, Experimentation, Transplantation’ in Surgères.

“The HEMO2Perf® project involves the preclinical evaluation of HEMO2Life® for the storage of kidney transplants in preservation solutions and machine perfusion systems,” explained Professor Thierry Hauet from the INSERM U927 research unit and scientific officer of the IBiSA ‘Surgery, Experimentation, Transplantation’ facility in Surgères. “The first proof of concept has already been obtained for HEMO2Life® in cold static storage. These results were published in September 2011 in The American Journal of Transplantation and show that presevation solutions supplemented with HEMO2Life® lead to better preservation and faster recovery of kidney function after transplantation (« Supplementation with a new therapeutic oxygen carrier reduces chronic fibrosis and organ dysfunction in kidney static preservation ». R Thuillier et al. American Journal of Transplantation 2011; 11(9): 1845-1860). Machine perfusion can oxygenate the kidney during organ storage. Adding an oxygen carrier such as HEMO2Life® to a machine perfusion system may also enhance the preservation of ‘borderline’ kidney grafts in perfusion machines. This is what we seek to test during the HEMO2Perf® project.”... Hemarina's Press Release - Communiqué de presse Hemarina -

Company Overview 

Hemarina SA is a privately held biotechnology company centered on the research and development of marine oxygen carriers for therapeutic and industrial applications.

Dr. Franck Zal founded Hemarina in March 2007. He is a world-renowned expert in the field of invertebrate hemoglobin and oxygen transport and has spent more than fourteen years in academic research centers (CNRS, University of California at Santa Barbara USA and University of Antwerp, Belgium) studying the relationships between the structure and function of invertebrate respiratory pigments (extracellular hemoglobin in annelids and hemocyanin in crustaceans). The discoveries arising from his research on extracellular hemoglobin in marine invertebrates and their oxygen-transport system have been patented and published in numerous scientific journals and form the crux of Hemarina’s technology

Hemarina offers products that constitute a decisive technological breakthrough in regard to current or past developments of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs). Hemarina’s lead product, Hemarina M-101, is the only product under development that uses a natural, high-molecular-weight extracellular hemoglobin whose activity is totally independent of any cofactor. Furthermore, Hemarina M-101 functions in a wide range of temperatures (from 4°C to 37°C). Another major advantage of Hemarina M-101 is that it has no vasoconstrictor effect, which is frequently observed in first-generation HBOCs and responsible for significant side effects, particularly high blood pressure.

Hemarina positions itself as a R&D company focused on oxygen carrier molecules that have therapeutic and industrial applications. Our products have high-value market applications for which there are no true competitors — only potential partners. Therefore our business model revolves around finding win-win partnerships with life sciences or pharmaceutical companies who wish to incorporate Hemarina's technology in their medical devices or drug development process... Hemarina's Company Overview - L'entreprise Hemarina -

Eyebrain Tracker : to be used in clinical trial for Parkinson’s therapy

December xx, 2011 - EyeBrain’s eye-tracking device will be used to evaluate the effects of levodopa on patients’ motricity -

EyeBrain, a company developing medical devices for the early diagnosis of neurological diseases, announces that its EyeBrain Tracker device is being used in a clinical trial exploring the dyskinesia induced by treating patients suffering from idiopathic Parkinson’s disease with levodopa.

The endpoint of the trial is to find biomarkers for the late-onset complications of a treatment regime using levodopa (BIODYS). This compound, which is naturally transformed into dopamine in the brain, is one of the only drugs available for slowing the effects of Parkinson’s disease. However, over time, it induces dyskinesia in these patients, which takes the form of abnormal movements primarily affecting the face (tongue, lips, jaw) and extending as far as the arms and legs.

Altogether, 30 people will be enrolled on the trial. Half of them will be Parkinson’s sufferers who have been treated with levodopa and have developed dyskinesia, while the other half will consist of healthy subjects who will be used as a control group...

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...About EyeBrain 

EyeBrain manufactures medical devices for the early diagnosis of neurological diseases. These devices are based on the movement of the eyes, and they make it possible to test specific regions of the brain by recording and analyzing eye movements using very sophisticated algorithms developed by the company. EyeBrain’s devices fill a gap in neurological diagnostics. For the first time, clinicians can rely on a simple set of eye movement parameters to differentiate between very similar syndromes, such as progressive supra-nuclear paralysis (PSP) and cortico-basal degeneration (CBD). The test is easy to carry out, non-invasive, and the results are available in less than 20 minutes for a small cost... [PDF] EyeBrain's Press Release - PDF du communiqué de presse de EyeBrain -