| JOULE NAMES TROY CAMPIONE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT\n - Cambridge, Mass. - January 27, 2010 - Joule today announced the appointment of Dr. Troy J. Campione as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development.\n In this newly-created role he will lead Joule\'s business development strategy and execution, including the negotiation of\n partnership and development agreements across multiple market segments. \nDr. Campione\'s extensive background in the fields of biotech and cleantech spans more than 20 years, including his most\n recent position as Senior Vice President of Business Development for Solazyme, a developer of algal-derived biofuels and other\n products. He previously spent more than six years at Symyx Technologies as General Manager and Vice President of Collaborations,\n Alliances and Licensing, and 15 years at ExxonMobil in a variety of business, operations and technology leadership roles across\n a range of Exxon\'s energy and chemical technologies. He holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at\n Austin, and ME and BS degrees in Chemical Engineering from Tulane University. \n\"Troy\'s relevant experience and knowledge of the industry will be tremendous assets as we advance towards commercialization\n and pursue the various market opportunities enabled by our multi-faceted? product strategy and compelling story,\" said Bill\n Sims, president and CEO of Joule. \"We have the ability to deliver a suite of fungible, renewable fuels and chemicals at costs\n and quantities that could truly change industries. Troy joins at a very exciting time as we\'ve generated a robust pipeline\n of world-class prospects that he will effectively manage and grow, leveraging direct expertise in structuring wide-ranging\n deals.\" \n\"Joule has emerged with a practical, differentiated process that enables the direct photosynthetic production of renewable\n fuels and chemicals, overcoming the limitations of biomass-derived methods,\" said Dr. Campione. \"With a sustainable and cost-effective\n means of producing multiple end products, our options for commercialization will include product sales, partnerships and licensing.\" \nJoule\'s HeliocultureTM technology platform incorporates proprietary, genome-engineered organisms and a novel\n SolarConverter TMsystem to directly convert waste CO2 from industrial sources into multiple solar fuels\n and chemicals via the same cost-efficient process. Numerous end products have been validated to date, with drop-in replacement\n fuels being the first commercial targets. In addition to transportation fuels, Joule will pursue multi-billion dollar market\n opportunities that exist for renewable commodity and specialty chemicals. |
| PVLSI and Seahorse Bioscience team up to validate novel technology\n - Seahorse Bioscience and the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute (PVLSI) announce an agreement to work together to validate\n a novel technology developed by Seahorse Bioscience to measure the CO2 (carbon dioxide) production rates of cells. ?PVLSI\n scientist Dr. Nagendra Yadava is principal investigator for the project.? Noninvasive measurement of CO2 production will aid\n in the understanding of cell metabolism and generate new insights into the pathophysiology of obesity, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular\n and neurodegenerative diseases ? \n\"I am excited to be working with such talented scientists right in our own backyard. The ability to study and validate\n our latest advances in bioenergetic analyses with the end user will ensure that we can continue to provide the innovative\n tools researchers have come to expect from Seahorse,\" stated David Ferrick, PhD, CSO for Seahorse. \n\"We are very pleased to be working with Seahorse Bioscience on emerging technology. Their XF instruments are important\n new scientific tools. With the company\'s headquarters in North Billerica and its growing Chicopee (MA) design and manufacturing\n facility, the project is a great fit with our scientific mission as well as our commitment to technology-based economic development\n in the Pioneer Valley region and throughout Massachusetts,\" observed Dr. Lawrence Schwartz, PVLSI\'s science director. \n? \nAbout the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute (PVLSI) \nPVLSI was created in 2002 as a joint venture of Baystate Medical Center and the University of Massachusetts Amherst with\n the dual missions of biomedical research and economic development.? Drawing on each of the founders as well as its own researchers,\n the Institute brings together physicians, scientists, and engineers to create interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams\n focused on the molecular mechanisms of disease and the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools. For more information,\n go to www.pvlsi.org. \nAbout Seahorse Bioscience \nSEAHORSE XF ANALYZERS have become the new standard in cellular bioenergetic measurements. Scientists worldwide use these\n tools to advance their research in understanding the role of mitochondrial function in obesity, diabetes, ageing, cancer,\n cardiovascular function and safety toxicity. Founded in 2001, Seahorse is headquartered in North Billerica, MA. For more information,\n go to: www.seahorsebio.com \n? |
| Formatech\'s \"Fillanthropy Program\" Donates Services to Formulate and Fill ViroMed\'s VM206 Vaccine Targeting Breast Cancer\n - ANDOVER, Mass.--\\Today, Formatech has selected the next candidate for its Fillanthropy Program: \"We\'re excited to have the opportunity to work with ViroMed on this program,\" said Jeffrey Bernard, Formatech\'s Director\n of Business Development. \"VM206 is a plasmid DNA vaccine that targets HER2/neu positive breast cancer. Animal studies have\n demonstrated the vaccine\'s ability to eliminate tumors and to prevent relapse and metastases. We are hopeful and optimistic\n that VM206 will prove to be effective in human trials.\" \n\"We would like to thank Formatech and the Fillanthropy Program for choosing to support ViroMed\'s development of VM206,\"\n said Dr. Sunyoung Kim, Co-CEO of ViroMed. \"We believe that our goal to develop medicines for diseases for which there are\n no current effective treatments is in line with the program\'s mission of helping to make new drugs available as soon as possible.\" \nTo obtain more information on participating in the Fillanthropy Program, companies are encouraged to contact Jeffrey Bernard,\n Director of Business Development at Formatech (jbernard@formatech.com). \nAbout the Fillanthropy Program About Formatech \nFormatech, founded in 1993, is a contract development and manufacturing organization based in Andover, Massachusetts. The\n company provides unique solutions to product development and manufacturing challenges, including: preformulation/formulation\n development of all common dosage forms, such as lyophilized dosage forms; cell culture/fermentation process development and\n purification/downstream process optimization. Their aseptic manufacturing facility produces liquid and lyophilized dosage\n units for clinical supplies or small-scale commercial products. \nManufacturing support services include compounding/formulation, diafiltration/concentration (UF/DF), release testing, and\n full ICH Guideline Stability Programs. Formatech\'s mission is to \"Help make new drugs happen at the speed of science.\" \nAbout ViroMed Co., Ltd. About VM206 |
| JOULE BIOTECHNOLOGIES SECURES PILOT SITE FOR RENEWABLE SOLAR FUEL \n - Cambridge, Mass. - January 20, 2010 - Joule\n Biotechnologies, Inc. today announced the signing of a lease agreement to build its first pilot plant in Leander, Texas,\n where the company will further develop and test its transformative system for the production of renewable solar fuels. Powered\n by sunlight and free of costly feedstocks or processing steps, the system is being engineered to eclipse the productivities,\n scale and cost efficiencies of biomass-dependent approaches. The site was chosen in part for its high solar insolation and\n logistically convenient location. The plant will be operational within the first half of 2010. \n\"We are excited to take the next step with pilot-scale development of our renewable solar fuels, following our progress\n in the lab and also in outdoor testing,\" said Bill Sims, president and CEO, Joule Biotechnologies. \"Our combined advances\n in genome engineering, bioprocessing and systems engineering have enabled a first-of-its-kind platform for the production\n of direct solar fuels, including ethanol and diesel. Now we have the opportunity to test and optimize our processes on a\n larger scale, driving towards our productivity targets while also demonstrating the ease with which our system can scale\n up.\" \nUnlike many existing and emergent approaches to producing renewable fuel, Joule\'s process achieves a high net energy\n balance while avoiding the harmful depletion of arable land, fresh water or crops. This is made possible by the company\'s\n HeliocultureTM\n technology, which leverages abundant solar energy and genome-engineered organisms to convert waste CO2 directly\n into multiple solar fuels and chemicals. The continuous production process requires no biomass intermediates, removing resource\n limitations and costly processing from the equation. \nJoule\'s facility in Leander will be equipped to test multiple end products, beginning with ethanol. This is a key advantage\n of the company\'s SolarConverterTM\n system, which incorporates product-specific organisms to produce solar fuels and chemicals via the same process. Joule\n has successfully achieved the production of both ethanol and diesel at lab scale, with the former already reaching productivity\n rates exceeding 6,000 gallons/acre/year. At full-scale production, via future commercial sites, the company estimates the\n potential to deliver 25,000 gallons/acre/year of ethanol and 15,000 gallons/acre/year of diesel at highly competitive market\n pricing. \n
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| pION Biopharma Services Announces Caco-2 Permeability Measurement\n - Caco-2 permeability measurement?builds upon the expertise of?pION in drug adsorption measurement and SBH Sciences,\n Inc. in cell-based assays.??This ensures that?pION Biopharma Services can accurately measure Caco-2 permeability\n when other labs may fall short. \nPermeability is critical to drug bioavailability, which lies at the heart of the Biopharmaceutical Classification System\n endorsed by the FDA.? This new offering from pION Biopharma Services complements their already comprehensive test methods\n which includes dissolution, solubility, Double-SinkTM?PAMPA and ionization.? The Caco-2 measurements employ cell\n cultures which feature active transporters that can also affect the availability of some drugs. \n\"Highly permeable compounds are also amongst the least soluble and we take that into account when we design a Caco-2\n experiment,\" said Alex Avdeef, CEO/CSO and co-founder of pION. \"Some customers have enlisted our services after Caco-2 measurement\n elsewhere failed to obtain a detectable, measureable amount.? Since that result was not consistent with the accumulated\n data on their API, we took the extra time and effort to design a more meaningful experiment.? The customer was delighted\n that the result was in accordance with previous data.\" \n\"We\'re excited to be working with pION\", said Raphael Nir, President of SBH Sciences.? \"With our demonstrated ability\n in developing cell-based bioassays and efficient cell culture processes, we\'re in a unique position to deliver consistent\n Caco-2 cultures on a regular basis.? We do this every day.\" \nWith pION Biopharma Services, Caco-2 permeability is determined under a variety of conditions, including apical to basilateral,\n basilateral to apical, iso or gradient pH, and with UV or LC/MS detection.? Depending on selected conditions, reports may\n include permeability and efflux ratios.? \n? |
| Tecan and pION Expand Their Collaboration to Develop Automated Drug Screening Solutions\n - pION\'s permeability and solubility systems have been integrated with Tecan\'s Freedom EVO??platform\n and Infinite??M200 plate reader. ?This development provides additional flexibility for users of PAMPA ExplorerTM,\n PAMPA EvolutionTM,??SOL EvolutionTM and??SOL ExplorerTM. \nFollowing their successful launch of the manual assay systems for permeability and solubility, Tecan AG, premier manufacturer\n of automated liquid handling workstations and multimode microplate readers, and pION INC, long recognized as \'the A in ADME\',\n have developed automated solutions for drug permeability and solubility screening. The new automated application provides\n scalability from an upgradeable, entry-level manual system, to a fully automated system with medium or high throughput, according\n to changing requirements. \n?pION\'s Double-SinkTM parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA), a compound-sparing technique\n that helps to identify the most promising leads well in advance of cell-based methods, has been integrated with Tecan\'s Freedom\n EVO??platform and Infinite??M200 plate reader in the PAMPA EvolutionTM. The system offers\n enhanced walkaway time and high throughput for fully automated processing of permeability assays, while automated miniaturized\n shake-flask solubility assays can be done with the similarly configured ?SOL EvolutionTM. The flexibility of the\n Freedom EVO workstation also allows the same instrument to perform both permeability and solubility assays in a combined set-up,\n as well as other ADME assays. The advanced Quad4 MonochromatorsTM technology in the Infinite M200 provides excellent\n sensitivity and an optional MultiChannel ArmTM 96 in the Freedom EVO platform increases throughput with rapid\n sample transfers. \n?\"Over the years we\'ve invested heavily in developing new applications for our patented Double-Sink PAMPA that allows our\n licensed customers to conduct cost-effective screening prior to the more expensive cellular and in vivo GIT and BBB testing.\n We are delighted to continue working with Tecan, with its Freedom EVO platform demonstrating once again the consistently high\n quality and reliability of all its products,\" said Dr Alex Avdeef, pION CSO and President. |
Halloran Consulting Group Further Expands Executive Team, Offering New Services to Clients\n - -Firm Doubled Its Size in 2009-\nBOSTON--Halloran Consulting Group (HCG), a firm that specializes in clinical development strategy and services for established\n and emerging life sciences companies, today announced the continued expansion of its senior executive team, with the addition\n of Vicky Hines, Ph.D., as a Principal Consultant, and Walter Houseman, as a Consultant. The addition of these two senior executives\n enhances Halloran\'s service offering, further increasing the firm\'s ability to provide strategic planning and program management\n to early-stage biotech and pharmaceutical companies, as well as its expertise in operational and infrastructure management. \n\"Both Vicky and Walter bring complementary areas of expertise in their prior life science careers and we are very pleased\n to bring them into our firm to augment our existing strengths across the product development space,\" said Laurie Halloran,\n President and CEO of HCG. \"Over the past year our firm has doubled in size, which underscores the value our clients continue\n to receive as they seek more novel ways of creating and executing development strategies that are seamlessly integrated with\n senior level quality and regulatory services, leveraging technology whenever possible to save both time and money.\" \n\"With steep regulatory challenges, and a difficult fiscal environment, there is no room for error in either design or conduct,\"\n Halloran continued. \"Companies are recognizing the importance of strong clinical development programs from the earliest stages,\n realizing that the old high-cost methods for getting there won\'t work anymore.\" \nPrior to joining Halloran Consulting, Dr. Hines was Therapeutic Director at Celtic Pharma - a healthcare-focused private\n equity fund - where she had strategic and operational oversight of oncology and vaccines programs. At Celtic, Dr. Hines led\n virtual global project teams, making key sourcing decisions and selecting and managing external vendors for different projects.\n This experience gave her a strong understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with virtual development teams.\n Prior to her work at Celtic, Dr. Hines worked at Chiron Corporation for 15 years, where she held positions in regulatory affairs,\n toxicology, program management, strategic planning, European commercial operations, and as the Senior Director of Project\n Management. Vicky earned a B.A. in Biology from Carleton College and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Chicago. \nBefore joining HCG, Mr. Houseman was the Vice President of Operations for CRF Health, Inc. CRF provides electronic diaries\n to investigator sites and patients in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology markets. Prior to his operations role, Walter held\n positions at Perceptive Informatics, CRF Box Ltd., and Clinsoft Corporation in program and project management, where he evaluated\n various clinical development functions, including clinical protocols, resourcing, quality standards, global vendors, clinical\n trial management systems, adverse event safety software, web-based recruitment tools, and wireless clinical trial applications.\n Walter received a B.S. in Labor Relations from Cornell University. \nAbout Halloran Consulting Group \nHalloran is a management consulting firm specializing in the biopharmaceutical arena, providing strategic oversight and\n tactical implementation of clinical, quality and regulatory services. Halloran partners with companies that develop and bring\n life-saving therapies to the people who need them by helping them evaluate, hire and manage their CRO, while building organizational\n infrastructure, regulatory and quality frameworks. Halloran applies wisdom from hundreds of clinical and regulatory submissions\n to ensure capital efficient drug development, and improves the process by developing and implementing innovative strategies\n that will make drug development more cost-effective and will help deliver more life-saving therapies to a broader reach of\n patients, faster. \nFor more information, visit www.hallorancg.com or call us at 781-209-5440. |
| Golden Triangle Companies O2h and Novacta Therapeutics Announce a Multi FTE Medicinal Chemistry Collaboration\n - O2h and Novacta Therapeutics announced a multi FTE chemistry collaboration to support their internal drug discovery efforts.?\n This is the third successive collaboration over the last three years. Both companies are members of the Golden Triangle Partnership,\n with which MassBio has a Memorandum of Understanding. \n\"Following two very successful projects, we are excited to enter a third collaboration that combines the strengths of both\n companies.\" said Dr. Sjoerd Wadman, Head of Chemistry at Novacta Therapeutics. \nA view of the newly constructed lab at the 10,000 sq.m, Shirish Research Campus at Ahmedabad, India.? \nSunil Shah, CEO of O2h said \"We are excited to be a part of and support the research programs that Novacta is pioneering\n in the area of Lantibiotics and Bacteriocins.? The large investment that they have received to date is testament to the scientific\n breakthroughs that they have made in this area\". \nNovacta Therapeutics is the newly formed division of Novacta, focused exclusively on the discovery and development of novel\n antibacterial and antiviral agents to treat severe and difficult bacterial and viral infections. ?Following the appointment\n of a new managerial team, Novacta Therapeutics was formed in 2008 as a result of a strategic decision to?focus exclusively\n on?the company\'s?product pipeline.?Novacta developed?its product pipeline based on exploiting?the potent pharmacological properties\n of lantibiotics - a drug class that, although exhibiting superior anti-infective properties, until now has been underexploited\n due to the lack of adequate research tools - and bacteriocins-proteinaceous toxins produced by bacteria to inhibit the growth\n of similar or closely related bacterial strain(s). Further information on Novactabio can be found at www.novactabio.com. \nO2h is a 5 year old discovery services company with project offices in Cambridge, UK and research campus in Ahmedabad,\n India.? The Indian operations provide a high level of chemistry expertise while UK office provides project management support.?\n Current clients of O2h include several top 20 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the US, Europe and Japan. O2h\n adheres to the highest standards of performance with a particular emphasis on rapid interactive communications and delivery\n speed. Services provided by O2h include FTE-based synthetic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, full\n services lab-units and ADME. Further information on O2h can be found at www.o2h.com. \n? |
| PROMETRIKA AND BOSTON BIOTECH CLINICAL RESEARCH COLLABORATE TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE DATA MONITORING COMMITTEE SERVICES \n TO THE BIOPHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY\n - Service establishes a new turnkey DMC option delivering independent medical and statistical expertise\n in safety and efficacy data monitoring for clinical research. CAMBRIDGE, MASS.? (December 14, 2009) -- PROMETRIKA, LLC, a contract clinical research organization\n serving the biopharmaceutical industry, in collaboration with Boston Biotech Clinical Research (BBCR), a medical research\n consulting firm serving early-stage biotechnology companies, today announced that they will offer a comprehensive Data Monitoring\n Committee (DMC) service to the biopharmaceutical industry.? The new service is designed to support sponsors of clinical\n trials with a full range of expertise in the establishment and operation of independent DMCs, which are now frequently established\n to protect the safety of patients and the validity of results in clinical trials.? \nIn this collaboration, DMC services available from PROMETRIKA and BBCR include recruitment of multidisciplinary panels\n of key opinion leaders, development of DMC charters and analysis plans, participation of a medical specialist in drug safety\n and risk management to serve as DMC chairperson or member, independent statistical analysis of interim safety and efficacy\n data, comprehensive safety monitoring, preparation of DMC reports, and coordination and documentation of DMC meetings. PROMETRIKA\n and BBCR will also be positioned to serve as liaison between trial sponsors, DMCs and regulatory agencies, supporting the\n optimal levels of independence for sponsors. \n\"While PROMETRIKA has served as the data analysis center for a number of DMCs during the past seven years, our new DMC\n service is uniquely positioned to deliver the levels of precision, flexibility and independence that biopharmaceutical companies\n need to support the full range of requirements for safety monitoring and interim data analysis in clinical research,\" said\n Miganush Stepanians, PhD, president and CEO of PROMETRIKA. \"Clients will get the unbiased statistical analyses and reporting\n they need while remaining blinded to study results.\" \nParticipants in DMCs, also referred to as Data Safety Monitoring Boards (DSMBs) or Data and Safety Monitoring Committees\n (DSMCs), provide independent analysis and review of safety and efficacy data generated during clinical research.? Depending\n on the patient population to be studied, DMCs may be required by the FDA, but increasingly they are established voluntarily\n by clinical trial sponsors. \nCandida Fratazzi, MD, president of BBCR, said,? \"While the FDA often does not require sponsors to engage external DMCs\n to monitor clinical research, biopharmaceutical companies are increasingly opting to establish independent DMCs because of\n the growing number of clinical studies that include safety and efficacy interim analyses and because they want to achieve\n the highest possible levels of trial integrity. Through PROMETRIKA\'s and BBCR\'s combined experience and global network of\n key opinion leaders, we can identify the best independent experts and provide comprehensive, high-quality DMC services to\n clients.\" \n? \nAbout PROMETRIKA \nFounded in 2003 in Cambridge, Mass., PROMETRIKA, LLC, is a contract research organization that offers a full range of\n integrated clinical research services to its pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients, including clinical trial management,\n clinical monitoring, data management, biostatistics, medical writing and regulatory submissions. PROMETRIKA\'s team has extensive\n expertise and experience in managing clinical trials, analyzing and interpreting medical data, and preparing new drug applications\n for US and European regulatory agencies in a broad range of therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular disease, dermatology,\n gastrointestinal disease, inflammatory and metabolic disorders, oncology and respiratory disease. Collectively, the PROMETRIKA\n team has managed more than 200 clinical trials, ranging from Phase 1 pharmacokinetic crossover trials to Phase 4 long-term\n multi-center studies. \nAdditional information about PROMETRIKA products and services is available at www.prometrika.com\n or by contacting Chris Gallant at (617) 868-2020 x223. \nAbout BBCR \nBBCR, LLC, was founded in Cambridge, Mass., by Candida Fratazzi, MD, to address the need for innovation in clinical development\n among early stage biotechnology companies that do not have the infrastructure in place to plan and execute clinical development\n programs independently. BBCR provides expertise in the customization of clinical strategies and study design that are essential\n elements of success in drug and medical device development.? BBCR\'s services include recruitment of domestic and international\n key opinion leader panels, technology assessment, drug safety and risk management, clinical strategy and protocol development,\n and medical services related to regulatory submission, in a broad range of therapeutic areas including rare\n disease, genetic disease, blood transfusion, transplant,\n inflammatory/autoimmune disease, viral/ bacterial disease, gastrointestinal\n disease, endocrinology, diabetes, and\n respiratory disease. \nAdditional information about BBCR products and services is available at www.bostonclinicalresearch.com or by contacting BBCR at (617) 599-2602. \n? \n? |
| Frost & Sullivan Recognizes IntelligentMDx for Its Commitment to the Advancement of Healthcare and Diagnostics\n - \n MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan is proud to present the 2009 North American Healthcare\n Innovation Award in molecular diagnostics to Intelligent Medical Devices, Inc. (IntelligentMDx) for its commitment to providing\n innovative technologies for the advancement of healthcare and diagnostics. Since its incorporation in 2004, IntelligentMDx\n has introduced a proprietary novel and innovative bioinformatics approach to make tests that are clinically impactful, competitively\n differentiated, and platform agnostic. \n? \nThere is an enormous market demand for robust diagnostic tests that allow for definitive diagnosis and effective treatment.\n Of equal importance is a test\'s ability to differentiate variations between infectious disease agents - while a strain of\n pathogen might exhibit only minor changes at the protein level, existing tests can prove inadequate to identify significant\n genetic deviation from the wild type. Thus, innovative tests that employ a sequence-based approach to diagnosis at the molecular\n level have superior clinical potential. \nSpecifically, today\'s molecular diagnostic platforms are providing unparalleled clinical value, especially for diagnosis\n of infectious diseases. Moreover, these molecular diagnostic technologies are smaller, less expensive, and more user-friendly\n than their predecessors, driving the adoption and utilization of new innovative tests. \n\"By the mid-2020\'s, physicians are expected to employ these technologies at the point-of-care and improve the economics\n of patient care substantially,\" says Frost & Sullivan Industry Manager Jonathan Witonsky. \"Companies that are developing these\n tests that streamline the overall cost of patient care will have a significant competitive advantage with the advancement\n of healthcare.\" \nIntelligentMDx collaborates with thought leading stakeholders to understand the current needs of molecular testing, and\n it employs unique and proprietary bioinformatics processes for the accelerated production of high-quality assays. Built into\n this process is the incorporation of a network of inputs from expert end users to pre-set the clinical indications and specifications\n for an assay. IntelligentMDx\'s innovative technology and process enables a better understanding for nucleic acid to nucleic\n acid interactions and thus can enhance the development of tests of any molecular application. \nThe company\'s in silico design and analysis process allows it to avoid a long trial and error approach, requires\n less wet lab experimentation to show that a solution is valid, and meets the highest performance standards. IntelligentMDx\'s\n approach to producing clinically relevant assays decreases the test development time so it can provide the best solutions\n to clinicians and patients sooner, while avoiding some of the risks of bringing products to market. \nIntelligentMDx is developing products in a breadth of markets, including Seasonal/Pandemic Influenza, Bordetella, Immunocompromised patient care and Infection Control testing including antimicrobial resistance screening and detection. Using this approach,\n the company has developed relationships with many clinical reference labs. Such close collaborations with customers have enabled\n IntelligentMDx to understand the economics of labs and challenges that users face with existing methods. \nFurther, IntelligentMDx\'s tests are designed and developed under FDA quality system regulations and, therefore, are accompanied\n with reduced risks. The company has a very strong intellectual property portfolio and holds US and foreign patents and pending\n patent applications on, including, individual test sequences and methods of using the assays and sequences. \nFor its commitment to providing innovative technologies for the advancement of healthcare and diagnostics, Frost & Sullivan\n is pleased to present the 2009 Healthcare Innovation Award to IntelligentMDx for its demonstrated leadership in the molecular\n diagnostics markets. \nEach year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has exhibited a breakthrough approach / degree of differentiation\n innovation compared to other market participants in terms of unique or revolutionary technology. The award recognizes outstanding\n penetration rate of new markets and the significance of the innovation within the industry. It also recognizes the recipient\n for leading proactive initiatives to improve value to customers and advancement of the industry through its research. \nFrost & Sullivan\'s Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating\n outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service,\n and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth\n interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry. \nAbout IntelligentMDx \nIntelligentMDx is a commercial stage molecular diagnostics company that makes tests that are clinically impactful, competitively\n differentiated, and platform agnostic. We have product offerings for Seasonal/Pandemic Influenza, Bordetella, Immunocompromised patient care and Infection Control testing including antimicrobial resistance screening and detection. IntelligentMDx commercializes\n molecular diagnostic test solutions under FDA QSR, ISO 13485:2003 and IVDD regulations and guidances for use in clinical reference\n laboratories. IntelligentMDx, Inc., a privately held company, is based in Cambridge, MA. Additional information is available\n at http://www.intelligentmdx.com. \nAbout Frost & Sullivan \nFrost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions\n in growth, innovation and leadership. The company\'s Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO\'s Growth Team\n with disciplined research and best-practice models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth\n strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses\n and the investment community from 40 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com. |
| Prize4Life and The Jackson Laboratory partner in fight against ALS\n - Non-profits join forces to provide researchers with new preclinical resources? |
| BioBridges, LLC Offers STATConnectTM Biostatistical Insourcing Program\n - Companies Benefit from Dedicated Statistical Team in a Cost Effective Delivery Path \nWELLESLEY HILLS, Mass.- November 10, 2009 - BioBridges, LLC, a clinical development consultancy serving the biopharmaceutical\n community, recently launched its Biostatistical Insourcing Program, STATConnectTM, to offer its clients an alternative to\n costly outsourcing models. This latest offering from BioBridges adds to the already successful Clinical ConnectTM Service\n to help companies span The Clinical Divide. |
| Ceiba Welcomes Life Science Industry Experts to Team \n - Ceiba\'s new additions complement software and services business \nDecember 7, 2009? (Cambridge, MA)-- Ceiba Solutions, a software development and IT services company\n specializing in life sciences, has expanded its IT consulting team with the addition of PhD-level resources from the Life\n Science and bioinformatics software industry.? \nAmong these is Tim Bonnert, PhD., former Director of Applied Science at Rosetta Biosoftware, who is based\n in the UK.? Dr. Bonnert has over 10 years of pharmaceutical research experience in molecular biology, bioinformatics, and\n biomarker discovery, and has co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed papers.? \nOther alumni from Rosetta Biosoftware include Scott DePriest, PhD, former Senior Director of Global\n Sales for Rosetta Biosoftware, who has over 15 years of sales and business development experience in the Life Sciences software\n industry, and Rich Estrin, former Senior Software Development Manager at Rosetta Biosoftware, and a lead\n developer on all three Rosetta Biosoftware products with more than 10 years of experience developing data management, analysis\n and informatics applications for Life Sciences.? \nAdditionally five other senior Rosetta Biosoftware employees have joined Ceiba, adding further domain expertise to Ceiba\'s\n life science IT business unit.? This new team will continue to provide technical and scientific support and application training\n to the Ceiba customer base in the areas of gene expression, proteomics and metabolomics, genotype and genetic data management\n and analysis, and in the areas of systems biology and translational informatics. \nCeiba also welcomes Susan J. Ward, PhD. as executive advisor to help guide the functional design of\n Ceiba\'s Life Science Dashboard, a software application for visibility into the collaborative drug discovery, development\n and commercialization processes, co-funded by the New Zealand Government. \nA leader in the Biopharmaceutical industry, Dr. Ward is a former senior executive of Wyeth (now Pfizer), and Sterling\n Winthrop (now Sanofi-Aventis).? She established pivotal knowledge management capabilities at Millennium Pharmaceutical (now\n Takeda) and Infinity Pharmaceutical. Since 2002, Dr Ward has helped leading Biotechnology and Life Sciences software companies\n such as Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Novartis Institute of Biomedical Research, and Definiens, develop strategies to transition\n technology into successful products and services. \n\"A number of our experts have come from the commercial side of Life Science,\" says Ceiba Solutions CEO, Lindsay\n Rewcastle. \"This expanded team allows us to extend our core competencies across the life science value chain from\n drug discovery through the entire product lifecycle.\" \n? \nAbout Ceiba \nCeiba Solutions Inc., a software development and IT services company, brings a unique, collaborative methodology, software\n and services that support the Life Science community with new systems that conform to the way people and businesses operate.\n ?Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts with offices in New Zealand, Ceiba develops innovative solutions that are affordable,\n save time and streamline processes through its agile software development, application integration, and managed application\n services. \nFor more information, please visit www.ceibasolutions.com, |
| PX\'Therapeutics to open a new cGMP biomanufacturing facility \n - Grenoble, France, November 25th 2009 - PX\'Therapeutics SA (formerly known as Protein\'eXpert) announces the\n set up of an additional biomanufacturing unit dedicated to the production of therapeutic proteins and monoclonal antibodies\n in mammalian cells. This facility, located in the company\'s Grenoble site, is mainly financed by loans from PX\'Therapeutics\'\n bank partners?: BNP Paribas and Cr?dit Coop?ratif, with the support of OSEO?Rh?ne-Alpes. The cGMP plant will be operational\n from April 2010 and will allow cell banking as well as preclinical and clinical manufacturing of biotherapeutics (scale:\n 100-200L). In parallel, PX\'Therapeutics plans to upgrade the existing cGMP unit devoted to bacterial and yeast systems with\n a 100L bioreactor. The extension of the company\'s production capabilities is part of its development strategy and will mark\n its tenth anniversary. Indeed, PX\'Therapeutics is anticipating strong growth in the next two years, mainly due to the strengthening\n of its commercial activities in Europe and North America, the set up of new partnerships with big pharmas and the creation\n of value out of collaborative R&D programs focused on biotherapeutics/vaccine development.?? \n? \nAbout PX\'Therapeutics \nPX\'Therapeutics, located in Grenoble and Lyon (France) and with a sales office in Cambridge (MA, USA), offers early\n stage research and cGMP manufacturing contracts focusing on the development of protein therapeutics, monoclonal antibodies\n and recombinant vaccines. PX\'Therapeutics proposes custom programs targeting the generation of murine antibodies, humanization\n of therapeutic antibodies, protein engineering and optimization, feasibility studies, process development or small scale\n clinical manufacturing. \nPX\'Therapeutics has been playing a key role in the discovery, development and production of target or therapeutic proteins,\n with over 500 projects performed so far. The company has then accumulated a specific and acknowledged expertise in the field\n of difficult-to-express proteins and developed trusted relationships with more than 140 biotech/pharmaceutical partners\n and clients in Europe, North America and Japan. \nAs an example, in 2009, two therapeutic candidates developed by PX\'Therapeutics have produced positive results as part\n of Phase I clinical trials performed in Europe and in the United States. \n? |
| FORMATECH TO DONATE SERVICES TO MANUFACTURE KAI PHARMACEUTICALS\' CLINICAL CANDIDATE UNDER ITS \"FILLANTHROPYTM PROGRAM\"\n - ANDOVER - November 18, 2009 - Today, Formatech announced that they have selected KAI Pharmaceuticals,\n Inc. and their KAI-4169 compound as the second clinical candidate to receive Formatech\'s manufacturing services under\n its Fillanthropy Program. KAI-4169 is being evaluated for use in the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism. Under the\n Fillanthropy Program, Formatech will donate the services required to aseptically fill and finish one lot of the drug product\n for use in support of KAI\'s upcoming clinical trials. \nFormatech plans to complete the production run of KAI-4169 in the first quarter of 2010. \"We\'re excited to have the opportunity\n to work with KAI on this program,\" said Jeffrey Bernard, Formatech\'s Director of Business Development.? \"KAI\'s technology\n for developing selective Protein C Kinase inhibitors is very promising and has the potential to be very impactful in the treatment\n of a number of diseases.? We\'re pleased to donate our services for this program and we wish KAI success with this candidate.\" \n\"It is an honor to receive this award from Formatech as part of their philanthropic effort,\" said Steve James, President\n and Chief Executive Officer of KAI Pharmaceuticals.? \"We appreciate Formatech\'s commitment to this program.? Secondary hyperparathyroidism\n is leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease.? This fill will help support our \'4169\n program and we look forward to exciting results in the year ahead.\"? \nTo obtain more information or to submit an application for the Fillanthropy program, companies are encouraged to contact\n Jeffrey Bernard, Director of Business Development at 978-725-9077 ext. 3164 or jbernard@formatech.com. \n? \nAbout the Fillanthropy Program \nEach month beginning in January 2010, Formatech will donate the services required to aseptically fill and finish one lot\n of drug product for selected therapeutic candidates that are entering or being evaluated in human clinical trials. To be eligible,\n companies must be developing a clinical candidate that is delivered as a sterile injectable product. When selecting a candidate,\n Formatech considers both the product\'s potential therapeutic benefit and the financial need of the sponsor. ? \nAbout Formatech \nFormatech, founded in 1993, is based in Andover, Massachusetts. The company provides contract services that deliver unique\n solutions to product development/manufacturing challenges, including preformulation/formulation development of all common\n dosage forms, such as lyophilized dosage forms, cell culture/fermentation process development and purification/downstream\n process optimization. \nTheir aseptic manufacturing facility produces liquid and lyophilized dosage units for clinical supplies or small-scale\n commercial products. Manufacturing support services include compounding/formulation, diafiltration/concentration (UF/DF),\n release testing, and ICH conforming stability programs. \nFormatech\'s goal is to \"Help make new drugs happen at the speed of science.\" \nAbout KAI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. \nKAI is a drug discovery and development company with novel clinical-stage programs in cardiovascular disease and pain.\n ?KAI\'s lead product candidate, KAI-9803, is currently in a Phase 2b study (PROTECTION AMI) designed to assess the effect of\n KAI-9803 on reducing myocardial injury in heart attack patients. ?KAI\'s second clinical program, KAI-1678, has the potential\n to address both the inflammatory and neuropathic pain markets and currently is in multiple Phase 2a studies. \nKAI is the leader in the selective modulation of intracellular protein: protein interactions and delivery of peptides into\n the cell. ?This approach has broad potential and has been validated clinically. ?The Company has applied its core expertise\n to discover highly potent and selective inhibitors and activators for PKC protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes. ?KAI is based in\n South San Francisco, California, and can be found online at www.kaipharma.com. \n? |
| Pharmarama Appoints Sandra Morales to Senior Operations Post \n - Former AMGEN Manager to Oversee Operations at the Company\'s New Facility in Massachusetts \nLondon, England and Medfield, Mass., - November 13, 2009 - Pharmarama, a leader in the strategic sourcing\n of comparator drugs for global clinical trials, today announced that it has appointed Sandra Morales to the new position of\n Senior Operations Manager.? Morales will oversee all operational aspects of Pharmarama\'s new storage and distribution facility\n in Medfield, Mass., including environmental health and safety, purchasing, regulatory permitting and logistics.? \n\"Sandy brings nearly two decades of pharmaceutical and biotech research operations experience to Pharmarama,\" said Rosemary\n Bensley, the company\'s Managing Director.? \"Her appointment reflects the growth we are seeing in supplying leading pharmaceutical\n companies with the comparator medicines they need for clinical trial and research purposes.\" \nPrior to joining Pharmarama, Morales was Manager of Research Operations at AMGEN, where she oversaw facilities, environmental\n health & safety and operations for the company\'s Cambridge, Massachusetts research and development site. Morales also was\n employed at Kinetix Pharmaceuticals prior to its acquisition by AMGEN.? In addition, she held positions at Cytomed and Opta\n Food Ingredients.? Morales received a bachelor\'s degree in chemistry from Saint Joseph College of West Hartford, Connecticut\n and is a member of the International Facility Management Association. \n\"This is an exciting time to join this dynamic and entrepreneurially minded company,\" Morales said. \"Our cold-chain storage\n and distribution facility in Medfield, which we expect to open in the coming months, will serve as a platform to expand our\n comparator sourcing business by serving new customers and reaching new markets.? Pharmarama has a rich history as a leader\n in the clinical trial supply chain.? Our new U.S. office, which is supported by a strong and an experienced team in the U.K.,\n gives us the opportunity to achieve a new level of international growth.\" ?? \nAbout Pharmarama \nPharmarama is a global company that delivers operational excellence in the sourcing and distribution of comparator drugs\n for clinical studies around the world.? With 40 years of experience as a UK pharmacy, Pharmarama has established relationships\n that enable the company to source directly from manufacturers to obtain single lots with maximum shelf life. Through its team\n of in-house experts, Pharmarama provides clients with a thorough knowledge of regulatory directives in comparator supply and\n guidelines governing sourcing options.? Pharmarama is headquartered in the United Kingdom with offices in the United States\n and partnerships in Germany and China.? More information is available at www.pharmarama.com. |
| Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Raises $7.25 Million Series A to Develop Next-Generation Selective HDAC Inhibitors for Cancer and\n Rheumatoid Arthritis\n - New CEO and Key Board of Directors Appointments Join Co-Founders and Preeminent HDAC Scientists from\n Dana-Farber and Harvard University to Lead Development of Highly Selective HDAC Therapeutics? Cambridge, Massachusetts, August 7, 2009 -- Acetylon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has\n completed a $7.25 million Series A Preferred investment round to fund final lead optimization, preclinical\n studies and a first investigational new drug application for its next-generation HDAC6-selective histone deacetylase (HDAC)\n inhibitor drug candidates.? The first disease indications targeted for Acetylon\'s next-generation HDAC inhibitors are multiple\n myeloma and rheumatoid arthritis.? Acetylon is applying its scientific expertise to the development of small molecule HDAC\n inhibitors that build upon the proven therapeutic potential of HDAC inhibition but are differentiated by their enhanced target\n selectivity.? The Company believes that its newly selective HDAC inhibitors may reduce or eliminate the debilitating and sometimes\n life-threatening side effects associated with the current generation of HDAC inhibitors.? \n\"Acetylon Pharmaceuticals comes out of the blocks as the industry front-runner in the discovery of next-generation selective\n HDAC inhibitors with a strategic focus on the development of potent pharmaceuticals for multiple myeloma and rheumatoid arthritis,\"\n stated Marc A. Cohen, co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors.? \"Acetylon\'s leadership position and scientific expertise\n have enabled the Company to complete a substantial round of funding in a difficult financial climate.? We are fortunate to\n benefit from Dr. Ken Anderson\'s experience as an international authority in multiple myeloma and as a principal leader in\n bringing the current generation of leading myeloma drugs from the bench through FDA approval and to the bedside.? Our two\n other scientific co-founders, Dr. Jay Bradner and Dr. Ralph Mazitschek, are world-class scientists with exceptional expertise\n in HDAC biology, drug discovery and medicinal chemistry and have authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and patents in this\n area.\" \nHDAC inhibitors are widely recognized as a therapeutically important class of drugs, but the lack of specificity of the\n current generation of HDAC inhibitors has resulted in significant and often debilitating side-effects.? Acetylon\'s intellectual\n property, which is being licensed from Harvard University and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, includes structural families\n of HDAC6 isoform-selective inhibitors, as well as a powerful and unique discovery and development platform for creating new\n selective HDAC inhibitors.? Research has already shown that Acetylon\'s synthetic small molecules are highly selective, broadly\n applicable across models of many human diseases, and have the potential to reduce current HDAC-associated side effects. Acetylon\n is utilizing this extensive base of scientific research to accelerate preclinical development and intends to select a lead\n drug candidate this year for advancement into human clinical trials. \nAcetylon\'s lead HDAC6 inhibitor program is focused on reducing or eliminating side effects common to HDAC inhibition through\n highly selective targeting of the HDAC6 enzyme, which is one of 18 known histone deacetylase enzymes present in human cells.?\n Inhibition of HDAC6 versus other isoforms uniquely preserves normal gene expression in cells while severely disrupting the\n cells\' ability to dispose of damaged, misfolded proteins.? Since metabolically active cancer and autoimmune cells produce\n large amounts of misfolded proteins, inhibition of HDAC6 results in rapid accumulation of protein \"trash,\" triggering self-destruction\n of diseased cells via programmed cell death leading to regression of disease. \nAcetylon also today announced the appointment of Walter C. Ogier as President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the\n Board of Directors.? Mr. Ogier is the former CEO of Boston-area medical products companies Eligix Inc. and Genetix Pharmaceuticals\n Inc. and a business founder of Acetylon.? The Company further appointed Bruce L. Downey and Elena Prokupets to the Acetylon\n Board of Directors.? Mr. Downey is the former Chairman and CEO of Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc., the largest North American generic\n drug company and leader in women\'s health which was recently acquired by Teva Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TEVA).? Dr. Prokupets\n is the former president, chairman and CEO of Lenel Systems International, a leading computer technology company acquired by\n United Technologies Corporation (NYSE:UTX) in 2005. \n\"We are also gratified to formalize the addition of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry veterans Bruce Downey and\n Walter Ogier and tech industry veteran Elena Prokupets.? This talented team will help Acetylon realize the medical vision\n of our scientific founders,\" concluded Cohen, who is also Chairman and CEO of OPNET Technologies (NASDAQ: OPNT). \n\"Many pharmaceutical companies are founded around a single molecule or therapeutic concept, leaving a great deal of discovery\n work yet to be accomplished,\" commented Mr. Downey.? \"Together with its founders, Acetylon has applied its unique discovery\n expertise to create and evaluate more than 2,000 novel selective HDAC inhibitor compounds, arriving at a group of promising\n drug candidates for multiple myeloma, lymphomas and rheumatoid arthritis.\" \n\"We believe that Acetylon and its founders have surmounted the most critical obstacle to realizing the promise of HDAC\n inhibition,\" commented Mr. Ogier.? \"Acetylon has already developed a proof-of-concept portfolio of HDAC6 inhibitor compounds\n that are both potent and highly selective and that we believe will offer an improved side effect profile compared to existing\n HDAC inhibitors.? We are also excited as we look forward to applying our discovery technology platform to generate additional\n isoform-selective HDAC inhibitors for the treatment of further human diseases including solid tumor cancers, neurodegenerative\n disorders and major genetic diseases.\" \nAbout HDACs and HDAC Inhibition \nHistone deacetylases are significant drug targets because they comprise a family of 18 different cellular enzymes which\n affect the physical configuration of large protein networks present in most living cells.? Pharmaceutical companies have largely\n focused on the non-specific epigenetic properties of DNA-histone protein networks in regulating gene expression, thereby controlling\n the production of new proteins within the cell.? These approaches have largely disregarded the importance of protein networks\n outside the cell nucleus which facilitate the transport and destruction of damaged proteins.? Current non-selective HDAC inhibitors\n with broad activity against HDACs 1, 2, 3 and other HDAC enzyme isoforms thus result in substantial alteration of gene expression,\n particularly in highly metabolic cells such as cancer and autoimmune cells.? At the same time, by additionally non-selectively\n inhibiting the HDAC6 enzyme isoform, they also shut down the aggresome pathway which is responsible for the destruction and\n disposal of damaged proteins outside the nucleus of the cell.? This results in the buildup of \"trash\" within the cell, which\n has been shown to independently lead to self-destruction of diseased cells.? Non-selective HDAC inhibitor drugs have been\n proven to be highly effective, i.e. very toxic, to diseased cell populations in multiple kinds of cancer, and they have also\n demonstrated promising results in clinical trials with cancers as well as autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis\n and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson\'s.? There is also early promise for genetic diseases such as sickle cell\n anemia and thalassemia major and even infectious diseases such as malaria. \nHowever, a critical issue in the development of HDAC inhibitors as widely prescribed pharmaceuticals is the typical non-specific\n (off-target) inhibition of those multiple different HDAC enzyme isoforms which regulate nuclear gene expression.? Non-specific\n HDAC inhibition can lead to the toxic dysfunction of critical biological processes within normal cells of the body.? Common\n side effects of current HDAC inhibitors thus include gastrointestinal dysfunction including diarrhea and vomiting, dangerously\n low numbers of circulating blood cell populations including platelets which are responsible for preventing cerebral hemorrhage\n and other bleeding risks, profound fatigue which severely impacts the quality of life of patients and their ability to continue\n with drug treatment, and abnormal heartbeat pattern known as \"QT prolongation\" which in some instances has caused sudden heart\n stoppage and death.? Acetylon is committed to the development of HDAC6-selective inhibitor drugs with the potential to yield\n the powerful therapeutic benefits of HDAC inhibition without the serious side effects caused by current non-selective approaches. \n? \nAbout Acetylon \nAcetylon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is applying its unique capabilities to discover and develop next-generation, highly selective\n small molecule drugs to realize the therapeutic potential of HDAC inhibition to treat cancer, autoimmune and other diseases,\n while reducing the side effects common to this class of drugs.? The Company is based on technology initially developed at\n the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and at Harvard University.? Acetylon\'s technologies were initially discovered and developed\n by scientific founders Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, Kraft Family Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber\n Cancer Institute, James M. Bradner, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer\n Institute, and Ralph Mazitschek, Ph.D., Instructor at Harvard Medical School and the Center for Systems Biology at Massachusetts\n General Hospital, and by Stuart Schreiber, Ph.D., Morris Loeb Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at\n Harvard University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. \n? |
| Winter, Wyman Named Top Small Employer on Boston Globe\'s Top Places to Work List\n - Ranking Marks Second Consecutive Year Firm?Has Been in the Top Ten? \nBoston, MA, November 8, 2009?- Winter, Wyman has been named?a \"Top Place to Work in Massachusetts\"\n in the?second annual employee-based survey project from The Boston Globe.? Winter, Wyman was ranked the Number\n One Small Employer and fourth?on the overall list of 100 workplaces. The Globe 100\'s Top Places to Work\n magazine was published on November 8. Online, the report can be found at For more information about this release, contact Elizabeth Spayne at 781-530-3191 or espayne@winterwyman.com. ? |
| Pfizer Announces Global Research Network\n - Five Main Research Centers Will Drive Scientific Innovation \nNEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pfizer Inc today announced its global research and\n development network, marking an important step in implementing a new R&D model as part of the integration of\n Pfizer and Wyeth. This global network brings together scientific strengths from both companies, continues efforts to\n increase research productivity, focuses disease-area research in single locations and more efficiently uses\n the company\'s real estate. \nPfizer will have five main research sites that will serve as central hubs for research activities in BioTherapeutics,\n PharmaTherapeutics and Vaccines. These sites are: Cambridge, Mass.; Groton, Conn.; Pearl River, N.Y.; La Jolla,\n Calif.; and Sandwich, U.K. These research-oriented laboratories will be supplemented by specialized research capabilities,\n such as monoclonal antibody discovery in San Francisco, regenerative medicine work in Cambridge, U.K., and research\n and development activities in Shanghai, China. \n\"By focusing our R&D operations in these centers, we are building the world\'s premier biopharmaceutical R&D enterprise,\"\n said Mikael Dolsten, president of BioTherapeutics Research & Development. \"This new structure puts Pfizer in\n the best position to conduct cutting-edge research within and beyond our own laboratories and to deliver a portfolio\n of high-impact medicines to patients.\" \nAs part of the consolidation of research sites, Pfizer will significantly reduce R&D activities at some of its sites.\n The company will move a number of functions from Collegeville, Pa.; Pearl River, N.Y.; and St. Louis to other\n locations and will discontinue R&D operations in Princeton, N.J.; Chazy, Rouses Point and Plattsburgh, N.Y.;\n Sanford and Research Triangle Park, N.C.; and Gosport, Slough/Taplow, U.K. In addition, Pfizer will consolidate R&D\n functions from its New London, Conn., site to its nearby research facility in Groton, Conn. \nAs a result of these changes, Pfizer will reduce its global R&D square footage by 35 percent. R&D activities will\n now be conducted at five main sites and nine specialized units around the world as compared with 20 R&D sites\n upon closing the acquisition of Wyeth on October 16, 2009. \n\"In less than a month, we have made complex business decisions needed to combine these two R&D organizations thoughtfully\n yet quickly,\" said Martin Mackay, president, PharmaTherapeutics Research & Development. \"Moving forward on our\n aggressive timeline, we are analyzing the combined portfolio and prioritizing research projects that will address \n unmet medical need and bring Pfizer\'s scientific and competitive advantage to the benefit of patients.\" \nWhile these changes are expected to bolster productivity and reduce costs, they will result in staff reductions.\n Dr. Mackay and Dr. Dolsten said Pfizer is committed to supporting affected colleagues, their families, and the\n affected communities through this transition. \nPfizer\'s new R&D organization includes a BioTherapeutics division focused on large-molecule and vaccine research\n and a PharmaTherapeutics division focused on small molecule discovery and drug delivery technologies. The two\n divisions will work together in high-priority disease areas - neuroscience, pain, inflammation, oncology, metabolic\n disorders, vaccines and infectious diseases. Disease-specific research units and biotechnology units work across\n both divisions to provide the disease area and technology expertise needed to discover and deliver high-impact\n medicines for patients. \nPfizer Inc: Working together for a healthier worldTM \nAt Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to improve health and well-being at every stage of life. We\n strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacturing of\n medicines for people and animals. Our diversified global health care portfolio includes human and animal biologic and\n small molecule medicines and vaccines, as well as nutritional products and many of the world\'s best-known consumer\n products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention,\n treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as the\n world\'s leading biopharmaceutical company, we also collaborate with health care providers, governments and local\n communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For?more than\n 150 years,?Pfizer has worked to make?a difference for all who rely on us. To learn more about our commitments, please\n visit us at?www.pfizer.com \n? |
| Paper Finds Microdroplet PCR Enrichment Is Ideal Targeted Sequencing Solution For Large-Scale Population Studies\n - LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A. - November 2, 2009 -\n Data generated using microdroplet\n PCR technology as an enrichment method is particularly well suited for performing sequence-based association\n studies, according to a paper published today by researchers at the Scripps Translational Science Institute, the University\n of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and RainDance Technologies, Inc. ? T \nhe study, led by Kelly A. Frazer, Ph.D., Professor of Pediatrics and Chief, Division of Genome Information Sciences, UC\n San Diego Department of Pediatrics, evaluated microdroplet PCR\'s advantages in performing \"These benefits translated into a much higher efficiency of sequencing and a much more cost-effective way to do population\n studies,\" Frazer said, in commenting about the paper. ? \nEntitled \"Microdroplet-based PCR Enrichment for Large-Scale Targeted Sequencing,\" the paper was published today on Nature\n Biotechnology\'s Web site at Microdroplet-based\n PCR enrichment for large-scale targeted sequencing : Abstract : Nature Biotechnology (www.nature.com/nbt/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nbt.1583.html)\n and will appear in the November issue of the magazine. ? \n\"I believe this new technology will be used to study the basic underpinnings of diseases and to understand their root\n causes,\" said Eric J. Topol, M.D., Director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute and a co-author. \"For instance,\n we\'re now using it to understand the causes of anorexia nervosa. We also can use the technology to comprehend a disease\'s\n response to a therapy or to determine a drug\'s side effects. We even can employ it to study the healthy aging process. These\n are all applications for microdroplet PCR that will help us understand the vital aspects of human health and disease,\" said\n Dr. Topol, in commenting on the paper. ? \nThe paper said that to efficiently perform population-based sequencing studies using next-generation sequencing platforms,\n it is important to be able to simultaneously examine large numbers of targeted sequences. \"These results indicate that even\n when simultaneously amplifying 3,976 targeted sequences, microdroplet PCR generates a high ratio of target sequence to background\n sequence,\" the authors said. The study concluded that data quality is independent of the number of amplicons. A path to\n scale to 20,000 amplicons while maintaining high performance was also demonstrated. ? \nThe paper\'s authors said the microdroplet PCR process proved to be extremely efficient, with more than 99.6% of all amplicons\n being successful and with highly reproducible amplification of targeted sequences between samples. The data also showed\n that equivalently accurate SNP calling can be performed using microdroplet PCR whether the DNA is unamplified or whole-genome\n amplified from nanogram quantities. The allelic bias error rate of approximately 0.1% resulted in few known variants to\n be incorrectly called, further attesting to the robustness of the process. ? \n\"We were impressed with how well the technology worked,\" said Dr. Frazer. \"Compared to other types of sequence enrichment,\n we were able to generate greater uniform coverage of targeted sequences. In addition, the problems we typically encounter\n with standard PCR, such as difficult primer design and high allelic bias, were not observed with the microdroplet-based PCR\n workflow.\" ? \n\"Efficient targeted sequencing will be critical as researchers study genetic variation in large populations to determine\n the causes of cancer and other complex diseases,\" said Christopher McNary, President and Chief Executive Officer, RainDance\n Technologies. \"This study confirms that our innovative RDT 1000 microdroplet-based platform is able to detect substantially\n higher numbers of variants in the targeted sequences than either solution-based hybridization or molecular inversion probes.\n This platform provides scientists with an exciting and highly effective new technology that accelerates research into the\n causes of these devastating diseases,\" said McNary.? ? \nTo view the paper, visit Microdroplet-based\n PCR enrichment for large-scale targeted sequencing : Abstract : Nature Biotechnology DOI:10.1038/nbt.1583. (www.nature.com/nbt/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nbt.1583.html)\n or see the November 2009 issue of Nature Biotechnology: \"Microdroplet-based PCR Enrichment for Large-Scale Targeted\n Sequencing.\" Authors: Ryan Tewhey(1,2), Jason Warner(3), Masakazu Nakano(1,4), Brian Libby(3), Martina Medkova(3), Patricia\n David(3), Steve Kotsopoulos(3), Michael Samuels(3), J. Brian Hutchinson(3), Jonathan W. Larson(3), Eric J. Topol(1), Michael\n P. Weiner(3), Olivier Harismendy(1,4), Jeff Olson(3), Darren R. Link(3), and Kelly A. Frazer(1,4). ? \nAbout RainDance Technologies, Inc. \nRainDance\n Technologies, Inc., is a provider of innovative microdroplet-based solutions for single-cell analyses that will accelerate\n human health and disease research. The speed and simplicity of the company\'s exciting new technology platform enable researchers\n to design experiments in ways that were previously unaffordable or unimaginable. The company\'s RainStormTM technology produces\n picoliter-volume droplets at a rate of 10 million per hour. Each droplet is the functional equivalent of an individual test\n tube and can contain a single molecule, reaction, or cell. This versatile technology can adapt proven assays for high-speed\n workflows with minimized process-induced bias or error. ? RainDance\'s initial application focuses on the targeted sequencing\n of the human genome - one of the fastest-growing segments of the $1 billion DNA sequencing market. This application enables\n the high-resolution analysis of genetic variation between individuals and populations at a level unmatched by current methodology.\n ? For more information, please visit www.raindancetech.com.\n ? \nRainStorm is a trademark of RainDance Technologies, Inc. ? \nContact RainDance Technologies \n
? ? (1) Scripps Genomic Medicine, Scripps Translational Science Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California,\n U.S.A.?(2) Division of Biological Sciences, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California, U.S.A.?(3) RainDance\n Technologies, Lexington, Massachusetts, U.S.A. (4) Present address:?Moores UCSD Cancer Center, La Jolla, California, U.S.A. \n? |
| Excelimmune, Inc. Awarded Grant from National Institutes of Health\n - ? \nWOBURN, MA - October 28, 2009 - Excelimmune, Inc. (www.excelimmune.com) announced today that the National Institutes of Health (NIH)\n has awarded the company a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to support research aimed at developing new treatments\n for Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection, employing Excelimmune\'s expertise in developing\n novel antibody therapies for human disease. The SBIR grant will fund a project entitled \"The Creation of a Human Recombinant\n Polyclonal Antibody Therapy against C. difficile,\" which will be conducted at Excelimmune\'s new facility in Woburn,\n MA and in consortium with the Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence, RI. \n\"This grant is an important milestone for our company,\" said Quinton Zondervan, President and CEO of Excelimmune. \"The\n support from the NIH will allow us to expand and accelerate our development program focused on using human recombinant polyclonal\n antibodies to fight infectious disease.\" \nExcelimmune has developed a novel platform for the creation of human recombinant polyclonal antibodies. Using this platform,\n Excelimmune is targeting bacterial pathogens that cause disease, including C. difficile. \nAbout Human Recombinant Polyclonal Antibodies \nHuman recombinant polyclonal antibodies are mixed populations of therapeutic antibodies that bind to multiple regions\n (epitopes) on a specific antigen or to multiple antigens (of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms), in contrast to\n monoclonal antibodies, which only bind to one specific epitope. By binding to multiple regions, the polyclonal antibodies\n allow the body to fight off illness more readily. The antibodies are cloned from naturally occurring human antibodies in\n a laboratory and are then manufactured for human medical use. \nAbout Clostridium difficile \nClostridium difficile (C. difficile or C. diff) is a bacterium that can cause diarrhea and\n serious intestinal conditions such as colitis (inflammation of the colon) or perforation of the colon. Infection typically\n occurs after prolonged use of antibiotics, in the elderly (especially in those with serious underlying illnesses), and in\n hospitals or long-term care facilities. C. difficile infection is currently treated using intensive third-line \n antibiotics. During the mid- and late 1990s, the reported incidence of C. difficile infection in acute care hospitals\n in the United States remained stable at 30 to 40 cases per 100,000 populations. In 2005, the rate of infection (84 per\n 100,000) was nearly three times the 1996 rate.? Increased illness rates may be due to the emergence of a highly virulent\n strain of C. difficile that has grown more resistant to current antibiotic regimens[ About Excelimmune \nExcelimmune, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of recombinant polyclonal antibodies\n to create novel therapies for curing disease in humans.? The next generation technology is applicable in the treatment of\n common bacteria, disease causing proteins, viral pathogens and cancer.? Excelimmune\'s antibody therapies harness the diversity\n and effectiveness of the human body\'s adaptive immune system.? Excelimmune, founded in 2006, is a private company located\n in Woburn, MA.? More information regarding Excelimmune can be found at www.excelimmune.com. |
| UK\'S GOLDEN TRIANGLE PARTNERSHIP (GTP) SIGNS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH MASSBIO TO PROMOTE BIOTECH INDUSTRY \n - Organisations Commit to Facilitate Cross-ocean Investment and Partnering \nLondon-October 23, 2009-The Golden Triangle Partnership, a joint collaboration between the three primary life sciences\n and healthcare networking organisations in Oxford, London and Cambridge, today announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding\n (MOU) with the Massachusetts Biotech Council (MassBio) to cooperatively encourage and promote the biotechnology industry in\n both regions. \n\"The Golden Triangle Partnership serves several thousand companies in the UK by providing members a networking platform\n that brings the life sciences community together to support partnering and collaboration in the industry,\" said Tony Jones,\n Director of the London Biotechnology Network. \nThe MOU outlines the organisation\'s commitment to facilitate cross-ocean investment and partnering by encouraging collaborations\n between each group\'s member companies. Additionally, GTP and MassBio will promote each other\'s investment and partnering events\n to their respective members, as well as offer their members reduced rates to each other\'s signature events. \n\"This MOU signifies an important step we are taking to extend our network globally with the intention to increase deal\n flow with Massachusetts companies and investors by facilitating introductions and presenting opportunities,\" commented ERBI\n Chief Executive Harriet Fear. \"We are delighted with the positive feedback from our members and the Massachusetts life sciences\n community regarding this historic initiative,\" added Jon Ress, Chief Executive of OBN. \n\"This is a significant partnership that brings together the trade groups for two of the world\'s largest life sciences clusters,\"\n said Robert Coughlin, President & CEO of MassBio. \"The UK is a recognized leader in drug discovery and development, and we\n are pleased to offer our members opportunities to collaborate and partner with some of UK\'s premier life sciences companies.\" \n? \nAbout the Golden Triangle Partnership \nThe Golden Triangle Partnership is a collaborative effort between ERBI, Oxford Bioscience Network (OBN) and London Biotechnology\n Network (LBN), to provide members with potential international partners and investors. The GTP serves companies in the densest\n region in Europe for therapeutics, medtech, diagnostics and healthcare R & D companies. \nAbout the London Biotechnology Network \nThe London Biotechnology Network (LBN) is a business network of over 800 organisations/2500 members from the biopharmaceutical\n industry, academia, investors and professional services with an interest in doing business in, with or through London. LBN\n strives to provide members with relevant information and networking opportunities to cultivate the right environment for innovation\n and collaboration in the life sciences community. LBN hosts the excellent annual Genesis networking conference in London. \nAbout the Oxford Bioscience Network \nOBN is a not-for-profit biotech business network which exists to catalyse the growth and development of the Oxford and\n South-East biotech super-cluster. Its activities can be summarised as networking, partnering, group purchasing, and showcasing\n our cluster. OBN was established in April 30, 1999. OBN hosts the excellent annual BioTrinity Biopartnering and Investment\n Conference in Oxford. \nAbout ERBI \nERBI is a self-financing, non-governmental, membership based company serving the life sciences and healthcare communities\n in Cambridge, East of England and further afield. Its activities can be summarised as networking, partnering, purchasing,\n facilities management, training, HR and business development. ERBI was established in 1997. ERBI hosts the excellent annual\n BioPartnering Exchange in Cambridge. \nAbout the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council \nThe Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio), a not-for-profit organization that represents and provides services\n and support for the Massachusetts biotechnology industry, is the nation\'s oldest biotechnology trade association. Founded\n in 1985, MassBio is committed to advancing the development of critical new science, technology and medicines that benefit\n people worldwide. Representing over 600 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, research hospitals, and service organizations\n involved in life sciences and health care, MassBio works to advance policy and promote education, while providing member programs\n and events, industry information, and services. For more information, please visit www.massbio.org. \nAbout the UK Healthcare Market \nThe UK healthcare market was valued at ?120 billion in 2006. It is the world\'s fifth-largest pharmaceuticals market and\n its National Health Service (NHS) is one of the largest purchasers of medicines; ?10.6 billion in 2004. It is home to many\n of the world\'s leading clinicians, scientists and researchers. They are attracted by a world-class research and development\n infrastructure and a track record of bringing cutting edge technologies and products to market. \n18 of the world\'s current top 100 medicines were discovered and developed in the UK. All of the world\'s top ten pharmaceutical\n companies have a significant presence in the UK. Many have located substantial research and development and manufacturing\n operations within the UK. It is second, only to the US, as the world\'s key life science and healthcare investment destination,\n attracting 26 percent of all pharmaceutical research and development investment in Europe. \n? |
| RainDance Extends Sequence Enrichment Solution Capabilities With Methyl-Seq and Ultra-Deep Resequencing Applications\n - ? \nHONOLULU, HAWAII, U.S.A., October 22, 2009 - RainDance Technologies, Inc., a leading\n provider of innovative microdroplet-based solutions for human health and disease research, announced today it will extend\n the capabilities of its Sequence\n Enrichment Solution by offering Methyl-Seq and Ultra-Deep\n Resequencing applications. \nIn a presentation at the 59th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics, the company said these enhancements\n represent a significant expansion of the RainDance technology platform\'s capabilities. They will enable researchers to use\n their RDT\n 1000 instruments for epigenomic and ultra-deep resequencing studies that can accurately characterize the molecular basis\n for cancer and other destructive diseases. \n\"Methyl-Seq and Ultra-Deep Resequencing will provide exciting new tools to our customers\' research methodologies,\" said\n Christopher McNary, President and Chief Executive Officer, RainDance Technologies. \"Now scientists can apply our Sequence\n Enrichment Solution to gain better understanding of how disease cells differ from normal cells, enhancing their understanding\n of the origins and pathways of complex diseases.\" \nMethyl-Seq Allows Use of PCR-Based Enrichment and Next-Generation Sequencing for Higher-Resolution Epigenomic\n Studies \nRainDance said its Methyl-Seq application will provide scientists with new capabilities for epigenomics\n research, a field recognized in a National Institutes of Health Roadmap as having exceptionally high potential to transform\n biomedical research. ?The study of epigenomics explores how factors such as environment can change gene expression and gene\n activity over time in a manner that heightens susceptibility to disease.? \nThe Methyl-Seq application will allow researchers, for the first time, to combine PCR-based sequence enrichment with\n the power of next-generation sequencing platforms to perform epigenomic studies at significantly higher resolution. By studying\n methylation patterns with single-base resolution across targeted regions of the genome, researchers can get a better understanding\n of epigenomic variation and can discover opportunities to develop new treatments for cancer and other complex diseases. \n\"Methyl-Seq enables the targeted amplification and next-generation sequencing of bisulfite-converted DNA for the identification\n of methylated bases in the genome with greater accuracy and quality of data,\" said McNary. \nUltra-Deep Resequencing Enables PCR-Based Enrichment to Accurately Characterize Variance in Heterogeneous Samples \nRainDance\'s Ultra-Deep Resequencing application enables the use of the company\'s PCR-based Sequence Enrichment Solution\n to accurately characterize rare variants in highly heterogeneous samples, such as those found in cancer tumors. Studies suggest\n that rare genetic variants may play significant roles in tumorigenesis, pathogenesis, and disease progression. Previously,\n ultra-deep resequencing of heterogeneous samples with standard PCR approaches has been difficult because of the loss of\n accurate DNA representation. \n\"The unique compartmentalization capability of our RainStorm microdroplet-based technology provides highly efficient\n amplification of all sequence variants in the sample,\" McNary said. \"This ensures that accurate representation and a high\n depth of coverage are maintained for ultra-low frequency variants.\" \nBoth the Methyl-Seq and Ultra-Deep Resequencing applications will be commercially available during the first half of\n 2010. They will utilize the RDT 1000 system\'s proven consumables and reagents. \n\"The capabilities of these new applications, plus the expanded-content DNA primer libraries and WGA sample protocols\n announced last month, make the RDT 1000 a highly flexible genomic research platform that easily integrates with any next-generation\n sequencing workflow,\" said McNary. \"Both the Methyl-Seq and Ultra-Deep Resequencing applications are simple to use and integrate\n seamlessly with our Sequence Enrichment Solution. Our applications will help researchers rethink their approaches to discovery\n as they unlock the cures for the world\'s most devastating diseases,\" he said. \n? \nAbout RainDance Technologies, Inc. \nRainDance\n Technologies, Inc., is a provider of innovative microdroplet-based solutions for single-cell analyses that will accelerate\n human health and disease research. The speed and simplicity of the company\'s exciting new technology platform enable researchers\n to design experiments in ways that were previously unaffordable or unimaginable. The company\'s RainStormTM technology\n produces picoliter-volume droplets at a rate of 10 million per hour. Each droplet is the functional equivalent of an individual\n test tube and can contain a single molecule, reaction, or cell. This versatile technology can adapt proven assays for high-speed\n workflows with minimized process-induced bias or error. \nRainDance\'s initial application focuses on the targeted sequencing of the human genome - one of the fastest-growing segments\n of the $1 billion DNA sequencing market. This application enables the high-resolution analysis of genetic variation between\n individuals and populations at a level unmatched by current methodology. \nFor more information, please visit www.raindancetech.com. \nRainStorm is a trademark of RainDance Technologies, Inc. \n? |
| CUSTOMER FEEDBACK ON SOCIAL SITES NOT USED TO IMPROVE PRODUCTS \n - NEW YORK - Marketers don\'t make changes to their products based on customer feedback, even though monitoring customer\n feedback is among the most common business uses of social media, according to nearly 70 percent of marketers who say they\n have never made a change to their products or marketing efforts based on consumer feedback on social media sites, according\n to a Social Media Survey conducted on behalf of PRWeek and MS&L by PRWeek and CA Walker.? The first-ever PRWeek/MS&L Social\n Media Survey polled 271 U.S. chief marketing officers, VP of marketing and marketing directors about their use and perceptions\n of social media. \nThe top three business uses of social media are managing and monitoring customer feedback (41%) and understanding the\n consumer and competitive landscape (41%) topped the list, followed by reaching key influencers (33%).? But while they are\n monitoring that feedback, they aren\'t using it to make critical changes to their products or marketing efforts. \nLack of time and resources are the biggest barriers to successfully incorporating social media into their marketing campaigns,\n while 43% said lack of knowledge and expertise, and 39% said they are not convinced of its value or ROI.? While many remain\n skeptical of the business value of social media, marketers expect it will play a greater role in driving business results\n and capturing market share within the next year or two. \n\"Customer feedback should be the front lines of product development,\" says Jim Tsokanos, MS&L\'s president, North America.?\n He adds, \"Marketers need to act on information culled from social sites and are missing out on a key opportunity to improve\n and shape their products and programs based on what their consumers need and want.\" \nSeventy-four percent say their companies are not equipped to handle global social media campaigns. Sixty-six percent say\n the majority of their social media activities are locally equipped. \nThe survey also found that almost 50 percent (49%) of senior marketing executives say their companies have no specific\n approach regarding employee use of social media to share messages on behalf of the organization or its brands.? Additionally,\n nearly 4 in 10 (39%) of respondents said that their companies are not using any of the most common social media tools in\n their marketing efforts. A similar proportion, 39%, say none of their current marketing budget is dedicated to social media\n programs. \n\"If brands do not have a social media presence, consumers will create one for them.? These results indicate that many\n companies are not engaging in social media in ways that truly drive business results and sustain relationships with customers,\n \"Tsokanos said.? \"Employees are the best brand ambassadors a company can have. By not having a specific approach regarding\n employee use of social media, companies miss out on leveraging their largest and most knowledgeable fan base.\" \nTo learn more about the survey findings and to obtain a complimentary copy of the report, please visit: http://bit.ly/3nABDyand http://www.mslworldwide.com/social-media-survey?.\n You can also go to MS&L\'s blog post on it is available at: The 2009 PRWeek/MS&L Social Media survey was conducted in partnership with PRWeek by PRWeek and CA Walker.? Survey\n results were collected between June 25 and June 30, 2009. Results are not weighted. Based on the sample size, the results\n are statistically tested at a confidence level of 5.1%. \n? |
| Formatech, Inc. to Donate Services to Formulate and Fill GeoVax Labs, Inc. HIV/AIDS Vaccine under Its \"FillanthropyTM Program\"\n - ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Formatech, Inc. announced that GeoVax Labs, Inc.\'s (OTC BB: GOVX) (\"GeoVax\") (\"Company\")\n HIV/AIDS vaccine will be the first clinical candidate that is formulated and filled under its Fillanthropy Program. The production\n run is scheduled to be completed in January 2010. Under this program, Formatech will donate the services required to aseptically\n fill and finish one lot of the vaccine for use in support of GeoVax\'s upcoming clinical trials. \n\"We\'re excited to have the opportunity to work with GeoVax on this program,\" said Jeffrey Bernard, Formatech\'s Director\n of Business Development. \"The prevention, and eventual treatment, of HIV-1 certainly is a worthy cause. We\'re pleased to donate\n our services for this beneficial program and we wish GeoVax continued success with this promising vaccine.\" \n\"This generous gift represents a substantial cost savings to GeoVax and we graciously thank Formatech for helping the Company\n work towards our goal of managing and preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS through the development of a vaccine. The vials, which\n will contain our DNA vaccine, will be frozen and used with our future trials. This lot should allow us enough vaccine for\n upcoming preventative and therapeutic clinical trials,\" stated Robert McNally, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer.\n \"Additionally, as a thank you for this donation and in keeping with Formatech\'s philosophy behind their program, GeoVax will\n contribute a portion of this savings to a HIV/AIDS charity, to be named at a later date. Support for a vaccine within the\n HIV/AIDS community is strong, the need is vast and our commitment to developing a therapeutic and preventative vaccine is\n steadfast.\" \nTo obtain more information on participating in the Fillanthropy program, companies are encouraged to contact Jeffrey Bernard,\n Director of Business Development at Formatech (jbernard@formatech.com). \nAbout the Fillanthropy Program \nEach month beginning in January 2010, Formatech will donate the services required to aseptically fill and finish one lot\n of drug product for selected therapeutic candidates that are entering human clinical trials. To be eligible, companies must\n be developing a clinical candidate that is delivered as a sterile injectable product. When selecting a candidate, Formatech\n considers both the product\'s potential therapeutic benefit and the financial need of the sponsor. To apply for participation\n in this program, companies are encouraged to contact Jeffrey Bernard at 978-725-9077 x 3164 or About Formatech About GeoVax Labs, Inc. Safe Harbor Statement
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