MedMira Inc., a Canada-based developer and marketer of rapid diagnostics, has announced that it received a ‘Notice on Grant of Patent Right for Invention’ from China’s State Intellectual Property Office for its rapid diagnostic device and assay. The novel invention is the rapid flow-through technology (RFT) platform, the core product engine upon which the company has built its successful line of rapid tests for diseases such as hepatitis and HIV. MedMira had earlier secured similar patents in the United States and the European Union.

Through straightforward and affordable licensing agreements MedMira offers its patented technology platform to diagnostics developers seeking a clear path to the global diagnostics market. The RFT technology is the core innovation behind MedMira’s fully commercialized line of rapid tests for diagnosing one or multiple diseases using one test device and a single drop of specimen.

Source: www.newswire.ca

U.S. Genomics Inc. of the United States has bagged a US$9.1 million contract from the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate. The Phase IIIX contract under the Bioagent Autonomous Networked Detectors (BAND) programme will enable U.S. Genomics to continue development, testing and optimization of the company’s sophisticated biological sensor for the detection of airborne pathogens using single molecule DNA mapping technology.

“The resources provided under the contract will allow us to perform extensive operational testing and to advance the capabilities of our prototype systems,” said Mr. John J. Canepa, CEO of U.S. Genomics. The DNA mapping technology of the company allows very precise broadband detection of bacterial pathogens, toxins and viruses in a biological sample. The technology’s readings are sensitive to the single-molecule level and yield extremely low false positive rates.

Source: www.bio-medicine.org

The global agri-business giant Monsanto Company and Evogene Ltd. of Israel have entered into a five-year collaboration in research and development focused on identifying key plant genes related to yield, environmental stress and fertilizer utilization. The agreement is intended to enhance research efforts to discover and deliver novel, yield-enhancing technologies at a time when the global grain demand is increasing.

Under the terms of this collaboration, Evogene will provide Monsanto with candidate genes discovered by Evogene’s computational platform that are predicted to improve yield, fertilizer utilization and a plant’s reaction to environmental stress. The genes will be validated in model plants. The collaboration will provide Monsanto access to new genes strengthening its entire gene discovery programme. Monsanto will receive exclusive licensing rights to such genes in a number of crops, such as maize, soybean, canola and cotton. Monsanto will evaluate the licensed genes in its R&D pipeline. Monsanto will commercialize the products that emerge from the joint development through its branded and licensed businesses.

Evogene expects to receive about US$35 million over the research term of the collaboration in the form of an upfront payment and annual research payments. Evogene is also entitled to development milestone and royalty payments based on sales of any resulting products. Monsanto believes this new collaboration will help support its commitment to double yields in its core crops by 2030. In a separate agreement, Monsanto has purchased US$18 million equity in Evogene and has agreed to purchase a further US$12 million in the future, subject to certain Evogene diligence requirements.

Source: greenbio.checkbiotech.org

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) are embarking on a five-year, US$25 million plus stem cell science collaboration. GSK’s investment will support research at the university and in at least four Harvard-affiliated hospitals in neuroscience, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, musculoskeletal diseases and obesity. In addition, GSK will fund an annual grant that supports early-stage research in stem cell biology as part of HSCI’s seed grant programme. The collaboration will integrate HSCI’s stem cell expertise with GSK’s pharmaceutical capabilities to drive advances in drug discovery research, according to the groups. This will include a staff exchange program. The collaboration will be overseen by a joint steering committee made up of HSCI and GSK scientists and managers.

Source: www.genengnews.com

The multinational healthcare company Roche has started acquisition of the Canadian biotechnology company ARIUS Research Inc. (ARI) in an all-cash transaction at a price of approximately C$ 191 million (about US$184.8 million). ARI is the developer of a proprietary antibody platform called FunctionFIRSTTM, which rapidly identifies and selects antibodies based on their functional ability to affect disease before progressing into clinical development.

According to the company, this platform will allow Roche to further strengthen its developmental portfolio, initially within the areas of oncology and inflammatory diseases where this new technique offers potentially broad therapeutic applications. “The FunctionFIRST approach provides us with a large library of antibodies from which we can identify the best new drug candidates for the development of clinically differentiated medicines,” said Mr. Lee Babiss, Head of Global Research at Roche. Roche will pay C$2.44 (US$2.36) for each common share of ARI.           

Source: www.bionity.com

The multinational healthcare company Bayer AG based in Germany has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Sandoz, a global generics leader belonging to the Switzerland-based Novartis, that sought approval of United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a generic version of oral contraceptive drug YAZ. A Bayer spokesperson declined to give further details.

YAZ is the lower dose version of its contraceptive drug Yasmin. Bayer retains FDA marketing exclusivity for YAZ until March 2009. In June this year, Bayer agreed to supply a generic version of Yasmin for Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. to market in the United States in return for a fixed portion of sales. Barr had challenged the Yasmin patent held by Bayer and in March, a United States district court found that the patent held by Bayer was invalid. Bayer has appealed against the ruling.