Bio Screening Industry News

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 8, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) — Chelsea Therapeutics International, Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHTP) announced that it has acquired full global rights to the I-3D portfolio of orally active, dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibiting compounds for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and transplant rejection.

Following a decision to focus its resources on its immunomodulatory compounds, Active Biotech AB has discontinued its participation in the I-3D co-development program and granted Chelsea exclusive global rights to the portfolio in exchange for royalties on future sales. The I-3D portfolio, originally developed by Active Biotech and under joint development by both companies since 2006, consists of an extensive library of therapeutic compounds that have demonstrated, during preclinical testing, potent inhibition of DHODH activity while maintaining PK and safety properties superior to the marketed DHODH inhibitor. Inhibition of DHODH is the rate-limiting step in de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis, which is required for the proliferation of T-cells during clonal expansion. Potential indications for drug candidates in this library include transplant rejection, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

“We have greatly enjoyed our collaboration with Active Biotech and respect their decision to focus on their unique quinoline based therapeutic platform,” commented Dr. Simon Pedder, President and CEO of Chelsea. “We continue to believe that the I-3D portfolio of DHODH inhibitors may have value and have identified a cost-effective process for screening molecules in this portfolio which will require only a minimal investment of time and money. The results of this screening will permit us to make more informed decisions regarding our investment in the program for 2009 and beyond.”

About Chelsea Therapeutics

Chelsea Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical development company that acquires and develops innovative products for the treatment of a variety of human diseases. The Company is currently developing a library of metabolically inert antifolate compounds engineered to have potent anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activity to treat a range of immunological disorders. Early clinical data suggests that Chelsea’s lead antifolate compound, CH-1504, is a safe and effective treatment alternative to methotrexate for RA and may have further applications for psoriasis, IBD and certain cancers. Chelsea’s antifolate program is complemented by a strategic partnership with Active Biotech AB for the joint development of a portfolio of therapeutics targeting immune-mediated inflammatory disorders and transplantation. In addition to its autoimmune pipeline, Chelsea is developing Droxidopa, an orally active synthetic precursor of norepinephrine, for the treatment of neurogenic orthostatic hypotension. Currently approved and marketed in Japan, Droxidopa has accumulated over 15 years of proven safety and efficacy, historically generating annual revenues of approximately $50 million in Japan.

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events. These statements are just predictions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual events or results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include reliance on collaborations and licenses, risks and costs of drug development, regulatory approvals, intellectual property risks, our reliance on our lead drug candidate CH-1504, our history of losses and need to raise more money, competition, market acceptance for our products if any are approved for marketing, reliance on key personnel including specifically Dr. Pedder, management of rapid growth, and the need to acquire or develop additional products.

As the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) of the WHO prepares to meet and discuss how to best facilitate the expropriation of intellectual property rights (in this case the IPR of pharmaceutical patents) it’s important to consider the unintended consequences — the death of medical innovation.

The global purloiners of patents — led by Jamie Love — are thrilled to point out all of the new and important medicines that are the low hanging fruit of their property theft proposals — but are far less keen to explain how the fruit tree got there in the first place — or how they are nurtured.

In India, political leaders long cited former Prime Minister Indira Ghandi’s call for an end to “profiteering from life or death” in defense of their prohibition of patents on medicine. But in 2005, India reversed course and re-established patent protection for pharmaceutical products. The reason? Less than 10 percent of the nation’s estimated 3.5 million AIDS patients were receiving any medicine at all.

In other words, the elimination of patent rights doesn’t produce greater access to medicines.

There is a reason why virtually all the world’s “miracle drugs” have been developed in Western countries. It’s called incentive.

Intellectual property rights are the fertile soil that allowed the tree to grow in the first place — and to thrive. To borrow an over-used adjective from the world of global climate change — we must protect “sustainable” innovation.

Jamie Love and Company may very well say, “A world without patents, amen.” And they’re right, because minus pharmaceutical IPR we’d all better start saying our prayers — because that’s the only way we’re going to battle disease and improve the health of our global fraternity.

If the IGWG succeeds, pharmaceutical innovation dies. And that’s a Silent Spring we cannot afford.

Author: Peter Pitts
Source: DrugWonks

As reported in today’s Newark Star-Ledger, Schering-Plough’s New Jersey employees will bear the brunt of Fred Hassan’s plan to fire, terminate, let go with extreme prejudice, 5,500 people in S-P’s workforce:

“Schering-Plough’s chief executive said yesterday the budget ax will fall first and hardest in New Jersey as the drugmaker cuts more than $1 billion in spending after the abrupt collapse of its top-selling cholesterol medicines.

“Fred Hassan said the global cost-cutting plan announced late Wednesday was still under development, but workers in the United States — particularly employees at the company’s Kenilworth headquarters — would bear the brunt of the projected 5,500 layoffs.

“‘The way it’s going to fall on the U.S., unfortunately, it’s going to fall on New Jersey,’ Hassan said in a telephone interview. ‘That’s the way the situation has unfolded.’”

“That’s the way the ball bounces, the cookie crumbles! Too bad for you! But, hey, I’m OK!”

A lot of families will be in trouble at the worst possible time as the entire US economy may be heading for a recession (according to Warren Buffet, Ben Bernanke, and other “insiders”).

Not all who are axed will be seeking jobs at other pharmaceutical companies, many of which are cutting back as well, but these are qualified people who can help pharmaceutical vendors work smarter and find potential clients within the drug industry. I propose, therefore, to help these people network with vendors — ad agencies, medical communications companies, solution providers, technology companies, etc — and possibly find at least some leads to a new career.

Source: Pharma Marketing Blog 

Roche has entered into an agreement to provide drug compounds for cardiotoxicity testing using a cell-based platform that could play a major role in the preclinical safety evaluation of drugs and newly developed compounds.

The deal aims to detect any drug-induced changes in the electrical activity of the heart, such as prolongation of the QT interval, which could cause faster, slower, or irregular beating.

Cardiotoxicity has been cited as the reason 30 per cent of all drug compounds fail during testing and with this new deal Roche aim to build predictive models of toxicology to reduce this failure rate.

Under the terms of the deal, Roche will supply Cellular Dynamics International two sets of 25 compounds to test on its platform, that uses human cardiomyocytes derived from human embryonic stem cells. Financial terms of the agreement were not released.

“The validation of the company’s platform through this collaboration is the first step in using these cells in routine toxicology testing,” said Chris Kendrick-Parker, CDI’s vice president of business development.

The late detection of cardiotoxic side effects, such as QT prolongation, caused by pharmacological compounds can impede drug discovery and development projects, and consequently increase their cost.

Drug development can take anywhere between 8 to 16 years, and average cost of developing a drug is now around $500m-$800m with the cost expected to hit the $1bn mark within the next four years.

Market analysis firm Frost & Sullivan has estimated the price of failure at $50m-$70m with approximately 90 per cent of clinical candidates failing at development stage

The launch of new drugs with undetected cardiotoxic side effects could have hazardous consequences and could trigger lethal cardiac dysrhythmias in patients. Testing for the potential cardiotoxic side effects of compounds at an early stage of drug development has therefore been the goal of many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Electrophysiological test systems and cellular-based fluorometric high-throughput assays are now the test of choice for cloned human cardiac ion channels.

When you consider that every drug nowadays has to undergo testing for hERG block and electrophysiological effects, the potential for this market is huge.

According to Frost and Sullivan, a better understanding of pharmacokinetic properties motivates the use of innovative solutions and early ADME/Tox screening. As a result the European ADME/Tox technologies market is expected to grow from its current size of $384m to $776m by 2011.

Seaside Therapeutics announced today the award of a $4.5 million collaborative research contract to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to discover novel compounds to potentially suppress the manifestations of fragile X syndrome. Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited disorder of brain development and the most common known genetic cause of autism. Individuals with fragile X can suffer from impaired cognitive function, developmental delay, attention deficit and hyperactivity, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and autistic behaviors.Research conducted by Seaside founders and others in the field has indicated that excessive signaling through metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5) may be responsible for the neurological and psychiatric consequences of fragile X syndrome. Seaside believes that selective inhibition of this receptor could potentially reduce or eliminate the devastating effects of fragile X syndrome.

Scientists at Vanderbilt, led by Dr. Jeffrey Conn, Director of the Vanderbilt Program in Drug Discovery, principal investigator of the fragile X project and a member of Seaside’s Scientific Advisory Board, have identified more than 400 novel compounds belonging to multiple chemical classes that inhibit mGluR5. With the support of the Seaside Therapeutics’ funding, Vanderbilt researchers will use medicinal chemistry, molecular biology, pharmacology, and efficacy studies to develop compounds that have the properties required for drugs to be used for further study in fragile X. Seaside Therapeutics will collaborate with Vanderbilt on this project by contributing scientific and drug development expertise, particularly as related to fragile X syndrome, autism and other disorders of brain development. Seaside will also select compounds from the collaboration to carry forward into clinical development.

“There are currently no effective treatments for fragile X syndrome,” said Dr. Randall Carpenter, Co-Founder, President and CEO of Seaside Therapeutics. “Seaside believes the best approach to identifying new treatments is to use our own research to discover and validate specific biological sites that play a role in fragile X, and then, either internally or in collaboration with others, develop therapeutics that modulate these biologic targets. We’re excited to work with the team at Vanderbilt given their expertise in drug discovery and, most importantly, because they share Seaside’s passion for helping children with fragile X—creating a strong partnership focused on rapidly translating new discoveries in neurobiology into desperately needed novel treatments.”

“Selectively inhibiting mGluR5 to treat fragile X is an innovative idea and, with continued success, has the potential to change the way people think about developmental disorders,” said Dr. Jeffrey Conn. “While we are at the very earliest stages in the drug discovery process, my team members and I are hopeful we can help advance research efforts in fragile X.”

About Fragile X

Fragile X syndrome is relatively rare, affecting approximately 90,000 people in the United States. It is caused by a mutation in the FMR1 gene on the X chromosome that prevents expression of a single protein, the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). The absence of FMRP gives rise to the major symptoms of fragile X syndrome in humans—impaired cognitive function, developmental delay, attention deficit and hyperactivity, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and autistic behaviors. A key advance for understanding fragile X was identification of the FMR1 gene and subsequent generation of the Fmr1 knockout mouse—an animal model that lacks FMRP and mimics the human condition. By studying the brain of these mice, Seaside scientific founder Mark Bear, Ph.D., the Picower Professor of Neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Picower Center for Learning and Memory, discovered a connection between metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5) signaling and fragile X syndrome. Metabotropic glutamate receptors are activated by the neurotransmitter glutamate. Studies by Bear and others indicate that excessive signaling through mGluR5 may be responsible for the neurologic and psychiatric consequences of fragile X syndrome, and suggest that selective mGluR5 inhibitors will provide therapeutic benefit to this population.

About Seaside Therapeutics

Seaside Therapeutics is creating new drug treatments to correct or improve the course of fragile X syndrome, autism and other disorders of brain development. We are dedicated to translating breakthrough discoveries in genetics and neurobiology into therapeutics that improve the lives of patients and their families.

About Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Vanderbilt Program in Drug Discovery

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is a major referral center for the Southeast and nation. It is made up of Vanderbilt University Hospital, The Vanderbilt Clinic, The Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt School of Medicine and Vanderbilt School of Nursing. VUMC is the largest private employer in the region, employing more than 10,000 employees and generating an annual regional economic impact of over $1 billion.

The primary mission of the Vanderbilt Program in Drug Discovery is to facilitate the application of chemical and other technologies to answer fundamental questions in the biological sciences that may ultimately lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Vanderbilt scientists led by Dr. Jeffrey Conn, Director of the Vanderbilt Program in Drug Discovery, have pioneered the discovery of “allosteric” compounds that modulate (“turn up” or “turn down”) the activation of certain receptors, called metabotropic glutamate receptors, when the neurotransmitter glutamate binds to them. Using Vanderbilt’s high-throughput screening facility, which is capable of testing tens of thousands of small molecules for drug-like activity in a single day, Dr. Conn and his colleagues have identified more than 400 compounds with mGluR5 inhibitory effects.

Novel drug screening tool based on the Bionas® 2500 analyzing system wins silver medal in European business plan contest

Rostock, Germany, November 26, 2007 / b3c newswire / - Bionas GmbH, a specialist for in vitro profiling the metabolic activity of cells, announced that Prof. Pedro Mestres of the Saarland University (Homburg/Saar, Germany) has been awarded the second prize in the business plan contest 1,2,3 GO for a novel drug sensitivity screening tool based on the Bionas technology.

Tumors react in different ways against anti-cancer drugs. It is therefore important to determine tumor drug sensitivity in order to establish a tumor and patient-specific therapy in the clinic.

Prof. Mestres, who plans to found a company for drug screening services in early 2008, has developed a tissue slicing technology producing microtumors that retain near-original tissue structure and cell activity. These microtumors are then analyzed with the Bionas® 2500 analyzing system for their metabolic activity upon drug treatment.

With the Bionas 2500 instrument we can analyze the metabolic pattern of the tissue slices in a highly precise way, “says Prof. Pedro Mestres. “This enables us to profile tissue specimens from tumor patients for optimal drug responsiveness”.

The Bionas® 2500 analyzing system gives a complete overview of the physiological state of cells and tissues by analyzing metabolic and morphological parameters over a long period.

About Bionas www.bionas.de
Bionas GmbH, located in Rostock, Germany, specializes in analyzing systems and services for in vitro profiling the metabolic activity of cells to understand cellular function. Bionas® 2500 analyzing system measures extracellular acidification, oxygen consumption and cell adhesion label-free and noninvasively. It can be applied to various cell types including primary cells and tissues. The readout is performed continuously and can be monitored online. Main applications include drug profiling, lead optimization, pharmacokinetics, early toxicology programs, ADME/Tox, chemosensitivity testing, toxicological testing of chemical substances (REACH) and cell culture monitoring and optimization.

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 27, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) — Znomics, Inc., a pioneer in the development of the zebrafish as a simple vertebrate genetic platform to accelerate drug discovery, announced the successful closing on November 5, 2007 of a $4.88 million private offering. Simultaneously with the close of the private offering, the company effected a merger with Pacific Syndicated Resources, Inc. (OTCBB:PSRI) and renamed the combined company as Znomics, Inc. under the leadership of the former Znomics’ directors and officers. Griffin Securities, Inc. acted as placement agent in connection with the private placement. The company’s common stock is currently trading under the PSRI ticker on the over-the-counter market, however, the company has applied to Nasdaq for a new ticker reflective of the Znomics name for which it expects to receive approval in the near future.

“We are extremely pleased with the completion of these two important transactions and the strong support demonstrated by investors during the process,” commented Richard Sessions, chief executive officer of Znomics.

Dr. Roger Cone, president and chief scientific officer of Znomics, stated, “This financing will allow the company to launch its drug discovery programs, as well as expand sales of our existing zebrafish research products from the ZeneMark Library(r). First year sales of ZeneMark Library products to leading academic researchers around the world exceeded our expectations, and we plan to expand this line by introducing additional products and services over the next year. Our highest priority will be the whole animal compound screening that we expect to improve the speed and efficiency of finding new lead compounds for complex human diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, cancer and neurodegeneration.”

About Znomics

Znomics is a biotechnology company that is developing a novel drug discovery methodology based on high throughput drug screening against human disease models in live zebrafish (Danio rerio). In order to advance the drug discovery process, Znomics has created a catalogued library of mutations in the zebrafish, called the ZeneMark Library. The library currently contains over 11,000 strains of fish representing approximately half of the known genes, and the company plans to add enough strains to represent 80-90% of the genes in the genome. Znomics has already identified mutations in 107 human disease genes, and plans to use the library to find new drug targets and develop human disease models in the fish. The company, founded by scientists from Oregon Health and Science University, began operations in Portland, Oregon in 2002.

Forward-Looking Statements

With the exception of historical information contained in this press release, the matters described herein are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Any forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements, including statements as to industry trends, future economic performance, anticipated profitability, anticipated revenues or expenses, and products or service line growth, may be significantly and materially impacted by certain risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, failure to meet operating objectives or to execute the operating plan, competition, and other economic factors, risks regarding product development, the timing and results of clinical trials, the regulatory approval process, capital requirements, financial condition, patent protection and dependence on third parties for development and licensing arrangements. Additional risks and uncertainties are described in the Company’s public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, available online at www.sec.gov. Znomics undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For more information visit our website, http://www.znomics.com

Upstream Biosciences Inc. (OTCBB: UPBS) today announced it is establishing a Chemoinformatics Program to extend its drug discovery efforts into additional disease areas. Upstream’s Chemoinformatics Program combines artificial intelligence, advanced computational methods and chemical diversity techniques that will be applied to the company’s proprietary drug scaffolds and compound library. This effort will initially build on Upstream’s recently acquired novel compounds that in laboratory studies demonstrate both human and veterinary potential against major tropical parasitic diseases, including trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis. Separately, Upstream also announced that it has filed a provisional United States patent on methods for incorporating data on genetic variations it will generate in its biomarker discovery efforts as well as those in the public domain into the Chemoinformatics program.

Upstream obtained exclusive worldwide rights to its existing library of novel compounds and potential drug scaffolds through the company’s acquisition of Pacific Pharma Technologies. Upstream intends to combine its state-of-the-art computational approaches with advanced chemistries to produce novel compounds with enhanced efficacy and reduced toxicity for conditions such as infectious diseases and cancer. The proprietary scaffolds acquired by Upstream will also be used to develop additional compound libraries.

Upstream also intends to use relevant genetic variations it will identify in its biomarker discovery program as well as genetic variations in the public domain as inputs into the Chemoinformatics Program. These genetic variations may include differences that impact drug metabolism, treatment efficacy or susceptibility to drug toxicity or to the development of drug resistance. In some cases researchers may “design around” a variation to minimize its impact, or conversely, data on the variation could be used by researchers to help achieve specific drug attributes.

“Our Chemoinformatics Program will focus on optimizing our proprietary compound library and enhancing our ability to use it to discover additional novel drugs,” said Joel L. Bellenson, Chief Executive Officer of Upstream. “The innovative drug discovery approach we are developing complements the core competencies we are applying in our biomarker discovery programs and potentially positions us to expand into additional therapeutic areas. The provisional patent filing we announced today brings together these two programs, covering methods for applying data on genetic variations that we will generate in the biomarker program to our computational drug discovery activities.”

Mr. Bellenson and Upstream President Dexster Smith bring considerable expertise to these computational programs, having pioneered some of the first computer-based systems for managing combinatorial chemistry and pathogen screening data as co-founders of Pangea Systems/Doubletwist, which made history in 1999 by providing computational tools for annotating the first draft of the human genome.

The provisional United States patent filing is titled, “Method for combining 3D quantitative chemical structure activity relationships (QSAR) of compounds with genetic variation of drug targets and metabolic enzymes to optimize efficacy, provide predictive toxicology, and address drug resistant microorganisms.”

About Upstream Biosciences Inc.

Founded in 2004, Upstream Biosciences is an emerging leader in the discovery and development of novel drugs for tropical parasitic diseases and in the development of genetic diagnostics for cancer susceptibility and drug response. Upstream’s innovative approach to drug discovery and its proprietary data mining pipeline enable it to apply advanced computational approaches to generating novel drug candidates and to locating and analyzing the genetic variations important to disease progression and drug response. For more information visit www.upstreambio.com.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains “forward-looking statements”, as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among others, the expectation and/or claim, as applicable, that: (i) the Company intends to combine its state-of-the-art computational approaches with advanced chemistries to produce novel compounds with enhanced efficacy and reduced toxicity for conditions such as infectious diseases and cancer; (ii) the intent to use relevant genetic variations it will identify in its biomarker discovery program as well as genetic variations in the public domain as inputs into the Chemoinformatics Program; (iii) genetic variations may include differences that impact drug metabolism, treatment efficacy or susceptibility to drug toxicity or to the development of drug resistance; and (iv) the Company’s drug discovery approach complements the core competencies it is applying in its biomarker discovery programs and potentially positions the Company to expand into additional therapeutic areas. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others:

(i) the risk that the Company does not execute its business plan; (ii) the inability of the Company to keep pace with technological advancements in the field of genetic diagnostics and the treatment of tropical parasitic diseases; (iii) the Company’s inability to adequately protect its intellectual property or the Company’s inadvertent infringement of third party intellectual property; (iv) the Company not being able to retain key employees; (v) competitors providing better or cheaper products and technologies; (vi) markets for the Company’s products not developing as expected; (vii) the Company’s inability to finance its operations or growth; (viii) inability to obtain all necessary government and regulatory approvals; (ix) the inability to effectively market and commercialize the Company’s technologies, including the establishment of viable relationships with third parties; and (x) the conference not proceeding as planned for any reason. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance those beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consider all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosed in the Company’s periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov.

BioServe’s fully annotated clinical samples across many diseases to be tagged with ancestry information using DNAPrint’s genetic ancestry tests

BELTSVILLE, MD., Oct. 9, 2007 – BioServe today announced the formation of strategic alliance with DNAPrint® Genomics, Inc. (OTCBB: DNAG) to provide biomedical researchers with clinical DNA samples that for the first time will include genetic ancestry data for each sample. With the added dimension of ancestry information to clinical samples, medical researchers will be able to determine whether certain biological markers are artifacts of genetic ancestry or are true markers for a disease or drug response in a disease. To create the genetic ancestry data, DNAPrint® Genomics will analyze and categorize BioServe’s Global Repository® of nearly 600,000 human biological samples using its ANCESTRYbyDNA(TM) validated genetic ancestry test.

“Our relationship with BioServe is highly synergistic. Both companies believe that any epidemiological program will be more productive with access to high quality validated clinical samples that have been effectively categorized across a validated genetic ancestry platform,” said Richard Gabriel, CEO and President of DNAPrint® Genomics. “By removing the question of ancestry from a clinical sample researchers can more readily evaluate which medicines will produce side effects within certain ethnic groups, and which medicines will work for the widest spectrum of a population.”

“Through this partnership with DNAPrint Genomics we can provide the medical research community with the best defined clinical sample set in the world,” said Dr. Kevin Krenitsky, CEO of BioServe. “Additionally, we are able to uniquely support the application of our samples with services that include sample extraction and preparation, genotyping, and gene expression. Now that we are able to add the genetic ancestry component to our samples, a new layer of sample data quality and analysis can be provided that was not previously available to researchers.”

Both companies are also capable of providing genotyping services, and between the two companies the following platforms are available: Beckman Ultra High Throughput SNP Platform, Illumina SNP Golden Gate, and Sequenom iPLEX. In addition, several gene RNA expression analysis platforms are available including Differential Expression Pattern Display Technology which has an RNA expression sensitivity 10 to 100 times greater than either of Affymetrix or Illumina gene expression profile technologies.

DNAPrint™ Genomics, Inc.

DNAPrint™ Genomics, Inc. (www.dnaprint.com) is a developer of genomics-based products and services in two primary markets: biomedical and forensics. DNAPrint Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, develops diagnostic tests and theranostic products (drug/test combinations) using the Company’s proprietary ancestry-informed genetic marker studies combined with proprietary computational modeling technology. Computational Biology and Pharmacogenomics services are also offered externally to biopharmaceutical companies. The Company’s first theranostic product is PT-401, a “Super EPO” (erythropoietin) dimer protein drug for treatment of anemia in renal dialysis patients (with end stage renal disease). Preclinical and clinical development of all the Company’s drug candidates will benefit from simulated pre-trials to design actual trials better and are targeted to patients with genetic profiles indicating their propensity to have the best clinical responses. DNAPrint is proud of its continued dedication to developing and supplying new technological advances in law enforcement and consumer ancestry heritage interests. Please refer to www.dnaprint.com for information on law enforcement and consumer applications which include DNAWITNESS(TM), RETINOME(TM), ANCESTRYbyDNA(TM) and EURO-DNA(TM). DNAWitness-Y and DNAWitness-Mito are two tests offered by the Company. The results from these tests may be used as identification tools when a DNA sample is deteriorated or compromised or other DNA testing fails to yield acceptable results.

About BioServe

BioServe (www.bioserve.com) is a leader in the processing, development, and validation of diagnostic tests for the practice of personalized, predictive and preventive medicine. Leading pharma, biotech and diagnostic firms collaborate with BioServe to identify and validate markers that cause disease while correlating clinical and molecular data to develop new diagnostic tests promoting wellness around the world. BioServe offers the Global Repository®, a growing library of over 600,000 human DNA, tissue and serum samples linked to detailed clinical and demographic data from 140,000 consented and anonymized patients from four continents. Leveraging BioServe’s robust genomic analytical services, technology, Global Repository and CLIA-certified laboratory, collaborators gain a complete, highly efficient platform for processing diagnostic test results and identifying genomic markers for powerful new assays. BioServe has headquarters in Beltsville, MD and Hyderabad, India. For more information please visit www.bioserve.com, e-mail info@bioserve.com or call 301-470-3362.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release that are not historical are forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, including, but not limited to, uncertainties relating to technologies, product development, manufacturing, market acceptance, cost and pricing of DNAPrint’s products, dependence on collaborations and partners, regulatory approvals, competition, intellectual property of others, and patent protection and litigation. DNAPrint Genomics, Inc. expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking, except as may be required by applicable law or regulation to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in DNAPrint’s expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statements are based.

Cellexus Biosystems plc (PLUS Markets: CBIO), the specialist in the design, manufacture and commercialisation of novel disposable technology for growing cells, has entered into a distribution agreement with System C Industrie, France.

System C Industrie distributes an extensive range of instruments and applications for physico-chemical analysis and industrial bioreactors. The Company’s headquarters are located in the South of France at St Paul Trois Chateaux.

Commenting on the agreement, Dr Ian Taylor, Commercial Director of Cellexus Biosystems, said:  

“We are very excited about the relationship with System C and this continues our strategy within the European Economic area to partner with organisations that have well developed effective local sales channels. In selecting our partner for France, we looked hard for a company that had relevant experience, reputation and expertise in the fermentation and bioreactor sector. We also required a distributor that could provide our customers with the best service and support available. Cellexus Biosystems and System C will be attending EUROBIO in Lille, at which the System C team will introduce the Cellexus CellMaker family of products to their customers.”  

Yannick Carfantan, Managing Director of System C Industrie, commented:  

“Cellexus Biosystems’ range of product with its optimised air-lift technology for bioreactors and fermentors represents the perfect complement to the System C Industrie range of lab and industrial reactors. We firmly believe that this technology, along with its scale-up potential, will become a major player in the coming years throughout the Biotech and the Pharmaceutical industry in Europe and Worldwide. For this reason System C Industrie will distribute the Cellexus Biosystems bioreactors and will devote its energy and skills to promote this new range of products through the French territory, where a huge potential has been identified by our team of sales engineers. System C Industrie Biotech team is thrilled about that new relationship with Cellexus.

For the first time the CellMaker Lite2™, in its 10-50 litre version will be introduced in France during the EUROBIO exhibition in Lille from September 26^th to 28^th. This major Biotech event is the perfect launching platform for new systems and a gathering of the most significant players in the biotech business in Europe. System C Industries’ major accounts will be in attendance and will be introduced to the CellMaker Lite2. This new association sounds like the perfect match at the right time.”