454 Life Sciences (Branford) in early November announced the publication of over 100 peer-reviewed studies using the Company’s Genome Sequencer System. The studies span a diverse group of DNA sequencing applications, including de novo sequencing and re-sequencing of whole genomes, metagenomics, RNA analysis, and targeted sequencing of DNA regions of interest. The Genome Sequencer System, powered by 454 Sequencing, enables researchers to tackle innovative research, publish faster, and access diverse applications, the company says.

Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (New Haven) commented on its progress in its 3Q report. "Achillion recently reported positive 12-week safety, tolerability and efficacy data from a Phase II trial of elvucitabine in an HIV treatment-naive population," said Michael Kishbauch, president and CEO. "On the hepatitis C front, we continue to make advances with Gilead Sciences in our NS4A antagonist program for HCV infection. We have now developed a pro-drug of ACH-1095 that we expect to move forward, and we anticipate being in clinical trials in the second half of 2008. Finally, in our antibacterial program, we continue working with ACH-702, an exciting compound that we believe addresses the serious health threat made clear in recent news stories about MRSA infection."

Alexion Pharmaceuticals (Cheshire) has been named the winner of the 2007 CURE Award of Excellence, Connecticut's premier lifescience award. The presentation took place Dec 4 at the CURE Annual Meeting at 300 George Street in New Haven. more

Bayer HealthCare (Leverkusen, Germany/West Haven) reports that the US FDA has approved supplemental New Drug Application for Nexavar® (sorafenib) tablets for the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver cancer. In 2005 Nexavar became the first new treatment in more than a decade for advanced kidney cancer, and is currently approved in more than 60 countries for this indication.

Boehringer Ingelheim (Ingelheim, Germany/Danbury) has been awarded top honors by Science as the world’s most respected biopharmaceutical employer. Science’s annual survey of more than 470 Top Employers polls employees in the biotechnology, biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, and related industries. "We are very pleased to be recognized as a global leader in the pharmaceutical industry," said J. Martin Carroll, president and CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (New York/Wallingford) reports that the US FDA has approved a supplemental new drug application  for the antihypertensive agent AVALIDE® for initial use in patients with hypertension who are likely to need multiple drugs to achieve their blood pressure goals. AVALIDE® is a fixed-dose combination of the angiotensin II receptor blocker AVAPRO® and a diuretic (hydrochlorothiazide). 

Cara Therapeutics (Shelton) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov 15 at its new facilities in Shelton. "This is a business of intellectual property," President Derek Chalmers told the audience. "Cara," which is a Celtic word meaning friend or friendly, has secured 43 patents and has 49 others pending in the area of pain management.

Connecticut Innovations (Rocky Hill), the state’s quasi-public authority responsible for technology investing and innovation development, announced that Alan Greene, chief executive officer of AKG Partners, Ltd., has been appointed vice chairman of the board of CI; Paul Pescatello, J.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Connecticut United for Research Excellence (CURE), the life sciences trade group, has been reappointed as secretary of CI’s board; and Stephen Nocera, administrative assistant to the mayor of Torrington, has been appointed to CI’s board as its newest member.

CuraGen Corporation (Branford) commented on its progress in its 3Q report. "We believe that CuraGen's cash position provides us with the resources and flexibility to advance our products through value-creating milestones and potentially bring them to market," said  Dr. Timothy Shannon, president and CEO. "We continue to focus our clinical development efforts on belinostat, our HDAC inhibitor that is currently in a broad Phase II program exploring multiple indications, and on CR011-vcMMAE, which is treating patients with metastatic melanoma in a Phase I dose escalation trial."

Genomas Inc. (Hartford) reports that research by Genomas and collaborators at Hartford Hospital, University of California San Francisco, and Yale has demonstrated a strong association between myalgia (muscle pain) arising during statin treatment and variability in genes related to pain perception. The research has been published in the September issue of the leading neurological journal Muscle and Nerve, published by Wiley InterScience. The findings suggest that serotonergic neurotransmitter receptor function may contribute to the muscle pain induced by statins in some patients inheriting specific variants of the receptor genes.

GlaxoSmithKline (London, UK/Research Triangle Park, NC) is implementing changes to the US product label for Avandia® (rosiglitazone maleate), based on an extensive and thorough review by the FDA of myocardial ischemia data on Avandia, the most widely studied oral anti-diabetic medicine available.

Hartford Hospital (Hartford) received an award from the US Dept of Health and Human Services for increasing organ donation rates at their facilities. The awards were given to hospitals that sustained a donation rate of 75 percent or more of eligible donors.

HistoRx (New Haven), which received $6.0 million in a series B private equity financing round in October, says it will use the funds to advance development and commercialization of its portfolio of proprietary tissue-based diagnostic products developed from the company’s patented AQUA® biomarker analysis platform.

Invitrogen (Carlsbad, CA/Branford) will benefit from the defense bill signed by President Bush in mid November. The bill provides $1 million for the multi-purpose biodefense immunorray project, which uses immunorrays for precise and accurate assessment of thousands of pathogen-human immune system responses.

Ipsogen (Marseille, France/New Haven) has announced the immediate availability of its new JAK2 MutaQuant™ Kit, a research tool intended for the accurate quantification of JAK2 V617F mutation. Traditionally, the diagnosis of myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs) is based on clinical, bone marrow, histological, immunophenotypic and cytogenetic criteria. The discovery of mutated JAK2 gene, this disease-specific molecular marker, results in both simplification of the process and increased diagnostic accuracy. Defining the presence of this mutation is now part of clinical diagnostic algorithms to prevent patient pain and avoid useless costs.

Johnson & Johnson (New Brunswick, NJ) said that its McNeil Consumer Healthcare had received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the allergy treatment ZYRTEC® (cetirizine HCl) to be used without a prescription for adults and children. ZYRTEC® relieves symptoms due to perennial and seasonal allergic rhinitis, commonly referred to as indoor and outdoor upper respiratory allergies. ZYRTEC® also relieves itching due to hives.

MannKind Corporation (Valencia, CA/Danbury) said that in the wake of Pfizer's decision to discontinue work on inhalable insulin, MannKind will continue developing its own version of the drug. Its product combines a concentrated insulin powder with an inhalation device the size of a deck of playing cards. The company expects to enter the market in 2010.

NanoViricides, Inc. (West Haven) says that in a confirmatory study, their NanoViricide™ drug candidates exhibited a consistent 20% to 30% survival in the test animals. In contrast, a commercial anti-rabies antibody produced 0% or no survival. The annual number of deaths worldwide caused by rabies is estimated to be 55,000, mostly in rural areas of Africa and Asia, according to a recent World Health Organization report.

Neurogen Corporation (Branford) commented on its progress in its 3Q report. CEO William H. Koster, Ph.D, said, "As we head into the final quarter of this year and look into the next, we look forward to advancing our potential best-in-class programs, adidiplon for insomnia and aplindore for Parkinson's disease and Restless Legs Syndrome, as well as continuing to bring forward our first-in-class programs in VR-1 based drugs for pain and cough and MCH based drugs for obesity."

Pfizer Inc. (New York, NY/Groton/New London) has entered into an agreement to acquire Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Inc., a publicly-held biopharmaceutical company specializing in vaccine adjuvant technology and a new class of immunomodulatory drug candidates designed to fight cancers, allergy and asthma disorders, and autoimmune diseases.

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) (Washington, DC), in a new report, finds that America’s pharmaceutical research companies are now testing 338 new medicines to help treat infectious diseases, including 11 medicines and four vaccines to treat staphococcal infections. This is particularly important, PhRMA says,  in light of increased public concern about the spread of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections – a strain of staph that has become resistant to current treatments.

In a January 2008 cover story, "Top 100 science stories of 2007," Discovery magazine cites Protein Sciences Corporation (Meriden) for its new approach to creating flu vaccines.

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (New Haven) will present Feb 12 as part of the Yale BioHaven Entrepreneurship Series. The company has been developing therapies aimed at MRSA staph infections, which has been in the news lately as a "superbug" preying on vulnerable populations. Rib-X has developed three programs addressing specific "niches" of MRSA infections. One, known as RX-3341, is about to enter the third phase of clinical trials, according to Susan Froshauer, company CEO.

VaxInnate Corporation (New Haven) will benefit from the defense bill signed by President Bush in mid November. The bill provides $2.4 million for the company to develop a synthetic malaria vaccine.

Vion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (New Haven), as part of its 3Q report, quoted CEO Alan Kessman as follows: “We will be presenting preliminary information from our pivotal Phase II trial of Cloretazine® (VNP40101M) as a single agent in elderly de novo poor-risk AML at the American Society of Hematology Meeting in December.” He concluded, “Our objective remains to file a New Drug Application for Cloretazine® (VNP40101M) with the FDA in 2008 based on this trial. We are already working on preparing the appropriate documentation.”

Winstanley Enterprises LLC (Cambridge, MA/New Haven), the owners of 300 George Street, New Haven, have purchased 25 Science Park in New Haven. The seller was BioMed Realty Trust, a San Diego firm that had leased about 50,000 of the building's 270,000 square feet of space. Carter Winstanley, partner, says the firm plans to make improvements, such as a restaurant in the building, in order to attract further tenants.

Following is recent news from The University of Connecticut (Storrs) and the University of Connecticut Health Center (Farmington).

Urs Boelsterli, a UConn professor of pharmaceutical sciences and toxicology, was installed as the first Boehringer Ingelheim Endowed Chair in Mechanistic Toxicology on Oct. 25. The endowed chair, established through a $1.25 million gift to the School of Pharmacy from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. in 2006, is the first such chair in the nation. more

The UConn Health Center’s John Dempsey Hospital has won a National Quality Award for superior patient outcomes in both quality and efficiency. Only 1 percent of U.S. hospitals earn this distinction from Premier Inc., the nation’s largest independent health care alliance. That makes UConn one of just 49 hospitals or health systems so recognized in the 2007 report. more

The UConn Health Center has received a $2 million federal grant to purchase a sophisticated imaging machine to study the structure, stability, and dynamics of proteins and their role in human disease. The instrument, an 800 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, also will be used by researchers at the Storrs Campus who collaborated with the Health Center in the grant application. more

Dr. Henry Feder, an infectious disease expert in the UConn Health Center’s Department of Family Medicine and Pediatrics, was one of six primary authors of a review study that says the diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease has no scientific basis and does not exist. more

Daniel Civco, a professor in UConn's Department of Natural Resources Management and Engineering, has received a National Award for Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences. Civco is an expert on geomatics who specializes in remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). more

Experts from the UConn Health Center's New England Musculoskeletal Institute recently decribed treatments for aching backs at a Discovery Series event open to the public. The Institute brings together experts in treatment and research to address problems affecting bones, joints, muscles, and connective tissue. more

The UConn health Center recently sponsored a debate on homepathic medicine. Treatments involve stimulating the body’s defense mechanisms by giving small doses of substances that theoretically would produce the same or similar symptoms of illness in healthy people if given in larger doses. more

Dr. José Delgado-García recently presented a lecture entitled “Associative Learning as a Distributed Process,” during the fall 2007 “Neuroscience at Storrs” annual conference. Delgado-García, a professor of physiology and chairman of the Division of Neuroscience University Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain, is presently investigating changes in the brain that may explain changes in behavior. more

Following is recent news from Yale University and the Yale School of Medicine (New Haven).

Yale-New Haven Hospital and Yale University announced today that Yale alumnus Joel E. Smilow will make a major gift to support the new, 14-story cancer hospital currently under construction at Yale-New Haven. "We are building one of the finest, patient-focused, cancer care facilities in the country," said Marna P. Borgstrom, president and CEO of Yale-New Haven Hospital.

A study by researchers at the Yale Stem Cell Center for the first time demonstrates that piRNAs, a recently discovered class of tiny RNAs, play an important role in controlling gene function, it was reported in Nature. Haifan Lin, director of the stem cell center and professor of cell biology at Yale School of Medicine, heads the laboratory that originally identified piRNAs. Derived mostly from so-called "junk DNA," piRNAs had escaped the attention of generations of geneticists and molecular biologists until last year when Lin's team discovered them in mammalian reproductive cells, and named them. The lab's current work suggests that piRNAs have crucial functions in controlling stem cell fate and other processes of tissue development.

Natalia Ivanova, a young scientist who has already made landmark contributions to stem cell research, will join the Yale School of Medicine Stem Cell Center as assistant professor of genetics and the first Robert McCluskey Yale Scholar. Ivanova comes to Yale from Princeton University, where she was a research scholar in the Department of Molecular Biology. Her research focuses on embryonic stem cells and their contributions to early mouse development. "Natalia has a very deep understanding of biology, yet is very savvy in developing and applying cutting-edge technology," said Haifan Lin, director of the stem cell center and professor of cell biology. 

Yale School of Medicine researchers have received $8.4 million to study how cancer cells mend their own chromosomes and DNA after damage caused by radiation and chemotherapy. The study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the next step in developing targeted cancer therapies, said the lead researcher, Peter Glazer, M.D., chair of therapeutic radiology and leader of the radiobiology research program at Yale Cancer Center.

David Spiegel, assistant professor of organic chemistry at Yale, has received a $1.5 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's New Innovator Award that will support his work designing a "rational" approach for using antibodies to target a wide variety of cells and disease types.

Proteins within the bacteria that cause Legionnaire's disease can kidnap their own molecular "coffin" and carry it to a safe place within the cell, ensuring their survival, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in Nature. "This supposedly simple organism continues to fascinate us with new tricks that enable it to manipulate cells in our body that normally protect us against bacterial infections," said the lead author, Craig Roy, associate professor of microbial pathogenesis at Yale.

While fluorescence has long been used to tag biological molecules, a new technology developed at Yale allows researchers to use tiny fluorescent probes to rapidly detect and identify protein interactions within living cells while avoiding the biological disruption of existing methods, according to a report in Nature Chemical Biology. "Our approach bypasses many of the problems associated with fluorescent proteins, so that we can image protein interactions in living cells," said senior author Alanna Schepartz, the Milton Harris Professor of Chemistry, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor at Yale.

Breastfeeding boosts infants' IQs, but only if the babies have a genetic variant that enhances their metabolism of breast milk, a Yale researcher and collaborators report today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "It is this genetic variant in FADS2, a gene involved in the control of fatty acid pathways, that may help the children make better use of the breast milk and promote the brain development that is associated with a higher IQ score," said Julia Kim-Cohen, assistant professor of psychology and a member of the research team.

Yale scientists have discovered a way to use a simple blood test that may accurately detect thoracic aneurysm disease, which gives little warning and is almost always fatal if untreated. The study, published this month in Public Library of Science, represents the collaborative work of Yale School of Medicine, Applied Biosystems, and Celera Diagnostics. "A standardized blood-based test capable of detecting individuals at risk for aneurysm disease would represent a major advance in clinical care," said John Elefteriades, M.D., section chief of cardiothoracic surgery. "This study indicates we may be able to develop such a test."

A joint Yale-Peking University center that aims to improve crop production by furthering understanding of plant biology will receive five years of continued and expanded support from the Monsanto Company, a leading provider of agricultural technology.

In the first evidence of its kind to date, Yale researchers find that infants prefer individuals who help others to those who either do nothing, or interfere with others' goals, it is reported today in Nature. "This supports the view that our ability to evaluate people is a biological adaptation-universal and unlearned," said the authors of the study. Karen Wynn, professor of psychology at Yale, was senior author of the study. J. Kiley Hamlin was lead author, and Paul Bloom, professor of psychology, was a third author.

A tendency to extract messages from meaningless noise could be an early sign of schizophrenia, according to a study by Yale School of Medicine researchers. The study this month in the British Journal of Psychiatry reported on 43 participants diagnosed with "prodromal symptoms"- meaning they exhibited early warning signs of psychosis such as social withdrawal, mild perceptual alterations, or misinterpretation of social cues. Ralph Hoffman, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry, is lead author.

Intense physical exertion or an extreme emotion, like shoveling snow or anxiety over big gambling losses, can cause a rupture in the main artery leading to and from the heart, according to a Yale School of Medicine study in the American Journal of Cardiology. The senior author of the study, John Elefteriades, M.D., section chief of cardiothoracic surgery, said an increase in blood pressure can lead to a dissection, but the events that might precipitate the underlying hypertension are not well understood.

Ten renowned scientists and educators at Yale have been named as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The Yale faculty who were honored are: Paul T. Anastas, professor in the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies; Sankar Ghosh, professor of immunobiology and of molecular biophysics & biochemistry; Steven M. Girvin, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics & Applied Physics and the Deputy Provost for Science & Technology; Nigel D.F. Grindley, professor of molecular biophysics & biochemistry; Andrew D. Miranker, associate professor of molecular biophysics & biochemistry; Anna M. Pyle, the William Edward Gilbert Professor of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, director of the Division of Biological Sciences and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator; Robert J. Schoelkopf, professor of applied physics and physics; Gordon M. Shepherd, professor of neuroscience; Thomas A. Steitz, Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, professor of chemistry, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator; Norman J. Chonacky, an adjunct research scientist in Engineering.

For more member news, see the November 2007 issue of CURE News