Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (New Haven)  on Oct 15 announced preliminary 12-week results from an ongoing Phase II clinical trial studying elvucitabine in patients infected with wild-type Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Elvucitabine, Achillion's lead HIV product candidate, is an L-cytosine nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) that has previously demonstrated potent antiviral activity against HIV, including strains resistant to other NRTIs. “We are extremely pleased that these preliminary results support the use of elvucitabine as part of a triple-drug combination,”  said Milind S. Deshpande, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Research and Chief Scientific Officer. “The results from this trial are an important positive step in validating the safety and efficacy of elvucitabine in a 10 mg daily dose. Taken together with its demonstrated long half-life, and its favorable resistance profile, elvucitabine is emerging as a potentially important alternative to currently available nucleosides in the treatment of HIV patients.” 

Bayer HealthCare (Leverkusen, Germany/West Haven) and development partner Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced positive results from a Phase II study evaluating the VEGF Trap-Eye in the neovascular form of age-related macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of blindness in adults. VEGF (the vascular endothelial growth factor) is a naturally occurring protein in the body whose normal role is to trigger the formation of new blood vessels. The VEGF Trap-Eye is a fully human, soluble VEGF receptor fusion protein that is a highly potent blocker of growth factors. Blockade of VEGF can prevent abnormal blood vessel formation.

Boehringer Ingelheim (Ingelheim, Germany/Danbury) and Vitae Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced that they have established a major collaboration to develop and commercialize 11beta-HSD1 inhibitors. Compounds which inhibit 11beta-HSD1, an enzyme involved in cortisol production, may have utility in the treatment of diabetes and metabolic syndrome related diseases, including obesity, dyslipidemia and hypertension. The companies will combine their respective 11beta-HSD1 programs and work together to identify and advance candidates for clinical development.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (New York/Wallingford) and ImClone Systems Incorporated announced that they have established an agreement with Merck KGaA for the co-development and co-commercialization of ERBITUX® (cetuximab) in Japan for the treatment of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-expressing metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), as well as for the treatment of any other cancers the parties agree to pursue.

Connecticut Innovations (Rocky Hill) announced that it has appointed Peter V. Longo president and executive director. Longo is currently deputy director and serving as the organization’s acting executive director. “The board has made an outstanding choice,” said Ned Bowman, chairman of CI. “Peter’s solid performance as chief investment officer demonstrated he has the knowledge and experience needed.”

CuraGen Corporation (Branford) announced that its Phase II dose-confirmatory clinical trial (CLN-12) evaluating a single dose of velafermin for the prevention of severe oral mucositis demonstrated that velafermin was safe and well-tolerated but did not meet its primary endpoint. Based on these results, the Company is discontinuing the development of velafermin, and will continue to focus its resources on belinostat, a Phase II histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor for the treatment of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, and CR011-vcMMAE, a Phase I/II antibody-drug conjugate for the treatment of metastatic melanoma.

GlaxoSmithKline (London, UK/Research Triangle Park, NC) announced the appointment of Andrew Witty as CEO Designate, GlaxoSmithKline. Witty, currently President, Pharmaceuticals Europe for GlaxoSmithKline, will succeed Dr. Jean-Pierre Garnier following his retirement as Chief Executive Officer at the end of May 2008.

Hartford Hospital (Hartford) recently hosted a forum on altered standards of care during a pandemic. The event was organized by the hospital's Center of Excellence for Bioterrorism Preparedness. In the event of a catastrophic public health- or terrorism-related event,  the resulting victims will likely overwhelm the resources of a community’s health care system, the hospital said.

Helix Therapeuitics LLC (Cheshire) will receive financial assistance from Connecticut Innovations through CI’s new Pre-Seed Support Services Program. Helix is pursuing therapies for HIV/AIDS and genetic diseases, such as sickle cell anemia and b–Thalassemia, two of the most common human genetic diseases. The founders of Helix include: Gerald F. Vovis, Ph.D., member of Helix’s board of directors; Peter Glazer, M.D., Ph.D., inventor of Helix’s technology platform and professor and chair of the Department of Therapeutic Radiology at the Yale University School of Medicine; Ranjit Bindra, M.D., Ph.D., resident at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; and Kevin Rakin, M.B.A., member of Helix’s board of directors.

HistoRx (New Haven), which provides quantitative biomarker assays, received $6.6 million in their second round of financing. 

Invitrogen (Carlsbad, CA/Branford) has reached an agreement with Blue Heron Biotechnology and is now the co-exclusive worldwide distributor with Blue Heron for its custom gene synthesis services. Blue Heron's proprietary GeneMaker(R) platform can accurately synthesize gene sequences, making it of interest to researchers studying anything from single genes up to entire genomes as in the biofuels and synthetic biology markets, the company says.

Connecticut Innovations has completed a follow-on investment of $680,000 in Ipsogen (Marseille, France/New Haven) to help the company expand its operations in Connecticut. Ipsogen recently established its North American corporate headquarters in New Haven. CI’s investment was part of a $3.36 million round, also involving Matignon Technologies, Société Générale Asset Management and Sofipaca.

Johnson & Johnson (New Brunswick, NJ) said that clinical data show that REMICADE® significantly reduces the incidence of colectomy surgeries for patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis.

Neurogen Corporation (Branford) announced that Kenneth J. Sprenger, M.D., M.B.B.Ch,, B.Sc.. has been appointed to the position of vice president, clinical development and operations. William H. Koster, CEO, said, “Ken has been responsible for all clinical development activities for our most advanced compound, adipiplon, for the treatment of insomnia--eight clinical studies in over 600 subjects, including two successful Phase IIb studies announced earlier this year.” Sprenger holds a B.Sc. in medicine and his M.B.B.Ch. from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He also holds a doctorate in immunology from the University of Cape Town.

Optherion, Inc. (New Haven) has received $37 million in start-up financing. The company plans to use discoveries by scientists at Yale and the University of Iowa to develop products to diagnose and treat Age-related Macular Degeneration and other related chronic diseases. Among the sources of capital for the financing are: Quaker BioVentures, Philadelphia; Domain Associates, Princeton, NJ and San Diego; Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, New Brunswick, NJ; Purdue Pharmaceutical Products L.P., Stamford, CT; Pappas Ventures, Research Triangle Park, NC; Biogen Idec New Ventures, Cambridge, MA and GE Healthcare Financial Services, Chicago, IL.

Commenting on 3Q results. Jeff Kindler, chairman and CEO of Pfizer Inc. (New York, NY/Groton/New London), said: “We are encouraged by our operating results in the third quarter, and we remain on track to achieve our full-year 2007 revenues and adjusted diluted EPS goals. Meanwhile, we have concluded that further investment in Exubera is unwarranted. We will work with physicians to transition Exubera patients to other treatment options in the next three months. We remain committed to investing significant resources in the development of new and innovative medicines to manage diabetes, including monitoring inhalation technologies and other innovative delivery systems for insulin and other medicines.”

Quinnipiac University (Hamden) has officially purchased the Blue Cross and Blue Shield campus on Bassett Road in North Haven from WellPoint, Inc. “Completing the purchase agreement for the North Haven Campus is an important milestone in our plans to create a Graduate Education Center on the site,” said President John L. Lahey.

The new president of Wesleyan University (Middletown), Michael Roth, was profiled in a Hartford Courant article.

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

The creation of a Stem Cell Institute at UConn was recently approved by the UConn Board of Trustees, marking an important milestone in the University’s stem cell research efforts. (See related story in this issue.)

UConn researchers working on five different projects will share in more than $1.5 million in state grants to study cancer, heart disease, and other tobacco-related illnesses. The grants are from the Biomedical Research Trust Fund, which the state bankrolls with a portion of the annual payments received from the settlement with the tobacco industry. Jennifer Tirnauer, MD, was awarded $299,044 to study how colon cancer develops and to provide new therapeutic targets. John Peluso, Ph.D, was awarded $281,016 for research of a therapy that could improve the overall effectiveness of chemotherapy and reduce undesirable side effects. David Gregorio, Ph.D., was awarded $107,409 to study the accuracy and adequacy of tobacco-use data in cancer research. Lance Bauer, Ph.D., (together with Godfrey Pearlson, MD, of Yale) was awarded $538,605 for a project that investigates whether the effects of tobacco on brain structure and function are amplified by the presence of specific genotypes. Quing Zhu, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Storrs, and Dr. Molly Brewer, director of gynecologic oncology at the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Health Center, are working on a way to measure two different aspects of early ovarian cancer by joining technologies. They’ve been awarded more than $315,000. more

A drug that is primarily used to treat seizure disorders and prevent migraines significantly helped reduce heavy drinking among alcoholics compared to a placebo, according to a new study published Oct. 10 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “The drug had a very robust effect on drinking,” according to Dr. Henry Kranzler of the UConn Health Center, one of the investigators on the study. more

Research conducted by Allison MacKay, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, aims to help scientists better understand how antibiotics and other organic compounds enter the nation’s waterways, disperse, and change over time. more

Dr. Robert Arciero, chief of the sports medicine division in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the UConn Health Center, is one of a handful of orthopaedic surgeons in the country offering a new procedure for repairing the knee’s anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), called “double-bundle” reconstruction. more

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

The Yale School of Public Health has received a $15 million grant to take part in a national study that will follow 100,000 children from before birth to age 21 to understand factors that contribute to their health and development. The study, believed to be the largest of its kind ever undertaken, is a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The goal is to seek information that can be used to prevent and treat some of the nation's most pressing health problems, including autism, birth defects, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Funding is by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Yale School of Medicine researcher David A. Fiellin, M.D., has received a five-year $2.9 million grant from The National Institutes of Health to advance his research on substance abuse. The National Institute on Drug Abuse awarded Fiellin the grant to support his research evaluating whether gradual withdrawal from prescription opioid medications (narcotic painkillers) such as buprenorphine is most effective at reducing drug use.

There is no evidence that "chronic Lyme disease" exists and if it does, the risks of prolonged antibiotic treatment outweigh any benefits, according to a review article by researchers at Yale and other institutions in the October 4 New England Journal of Medicine. The review article, written by Eugene D. Shapiro, M.D., of Yale and colleagues from other institutions, focused on what the authors refer to as the "imprecisely defined" condition "chronic Lyme disease." The authors note that this term is used by a small number of physicians to describe patients they claim have persistent B. burgdorferi infection, a condition that they say requires long-term antibiotic treatment and may be incurable.

Erol Fikrig, M.D., a Yale School of Medicine researcher who specializes in the study and treatment of Lyme disease, West Nile virus, and other vector-borne diseases, has been named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator. Fikrig, the Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Medicine, also studies human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, a newly described pathogen transmitted by ticks. His research focuses on molecular strategies the biological agent uses to survive in white blood cells.

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