Bio-IT Briefs
November 01, 2007 | Ambit Biosciences announced a second expansion of its collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) for the discovery and development of novel kinase inhibitors. As part of this expansion, Ambit will screen BMS’s kinase-focused library using Ambit’s proprietary KinomeScan technology. KinomeScan is a high-throughput method for screening small molecule libraries against a large number of human kinases. In exchange for screening the compounds against 353 kinases, Ambit secured an up-front cash payment as well as access to certain clinical and preclinical compounds. Ambit and BMS began their first KinomeScan collaboration in 2004. Read the press release.
Golden Helix Inc. released what it says is the “first ever” software tool enabling whole genome copy number variation association studies, offering new opportunities for uncovering the genetic foundations of disease. Golden Helix found the same powerful technology used for segmentation in its predictive analytics tools could be applied to reveal regions of variance. Leaping this technological hurdle in segmentation allowed scientists at Golden Helix to develop a new Copy Number Analysis Module (CNAM) for its SNP & Variation Suite. CNAM rapidly scans through high-resolution microarray intensity data to identify copy number deletions and amplifications, which can then be used to perform whole genome association analysis. Read the press release.
Beckman Coulter Inc. has signed two agreements with Johns Hopkins University that give the company exclusive options to license cancer genomics intellectual property. The first agreement covers 200 genes linked to breast and colon cancer, discovered in a landmark study published last year by researchers at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Beckman Coulter Agencourt subsidiary’s Genomic Services performed the sequencing for this study, which was co-authored by James Hartigan, an Agencourt project manager. The second agreement covers sequencing services and options to license genomic intellectual property from current studies on six additional cancers. Read the press release.
Eli Lilly and Co. has entered an agreement with Glenmark Pharmaceuticals S.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited India. Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly will acquire the rights to a portfolio of transient receptor potential vanilloid sub-family 1 (TRPV1) antagonist molecules, including a clinical compound, GRC 6211. GRC 6211 is currently in early clinical Phase II development as a potential next-generation treatment for various pain conditions, including osteoarthritic pain. Glenmark will receive an upfront fee of $45 million and could receive up to an additional $215 million in potential development and sales milestones for the initial indication, as well as royalties on sales if GRC 6211 is successfully commercialized. Read the press release.
Collexis Holdings Inc., a developer of high-definition search and discovery software, announced that it is working with the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), a public-private partnership between industry and three University of California campuses (Berkeley, San Francisco and Santa Cruz), to create an expansive expert profiling system designed to promote research efficiency by facilitating cross-campus and cross-discipline collaborations. QB3 brings together more than 170 research laboratories in disciplines ranging from mathematics to human magnetic resonance imaging. The Expert Profiling System will foster innovation by making rapid identification of scientific research and potential collaborators possible at the edge of diverse disciplines. Website: www.collexis.com.
Following the recent launch of the CytoChip in the United States, BlueGnome announced that several U.S. laboratories have switched to the platform; a high resolution BAC microarray for the investigation of chromosomal abnormalities. With overall resolution of just over 0.5Mb, and a focus on genomic regions known to be associated with genetic disorders, the CytoChip is now used in over 19 countries to investigate copy number imbalance associated with constitutional genetic disorders. Read the press release.
