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3-Dimensional Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received a U.S. patent for ThermoFluor, a rapid and broadly applicable method for obtaining quantitative measurements of drug-binding affinity to virtually any protein or nucleic acid target. ThermoFluor is a key component of 3DP's DiscoverWorks technology platform that includes a variety of high throughput screening technologies in combination with DirectedDiversity combinatorial chemistry technology to provide an automated screen-to-clinic drug discovery system.

Affymetrix Inc. has acquired Genetic MicroSystems Inc. Affymetrix will offer the GMS product line as a complement to its GeneChip platform for researchers who want the flexibility to make low-volumes of microarrays using both known and unknown genes.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. is developing a miniaturized silicon-based microarray assay technology in collaboration with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University. The technique has the capability of performing nanoliter volume microassays with a miniaturized, software-driven robotic system. Assays were performed to specifically measure antibody-target binding. The prototype microarray assay system integrates silicon chip technology with microfluidics and compact disc-based reaction site indexing to carry out ultra high throughput drug screening and discovery. The device resembles a compact disc player and utilizes simple robotics encompassing a linear arm moving with submicron precision over a rotating diskette.

Amersham Pharmacia Biotech will spin off its "lab on a chip" CD technology to a new start-up, to be called Gyros. The new company will be financed by a consortium of six investors, with Amersham Pharmacia Biotech retaining a 20% interest. Ultimately, the technology could replace many of today's diagnostic methods, bringing a complete analytical laboratory down to the size of a small chip. The technology has applications in other clinical diagnostics, environmental analysis, agriculture and food.

Interleukin Genetics Inc. has prepared data that confirms the use of its IL-1 genetic marker in detecting the risk for heart disease in individuals who do not have high cholesterol. The data, including studies on over 3,000 patients demonstrated that patients with LDL-cholesterol levels of 130-159 were not at an increased risk for heart disease unless they were also positive for the IL-1 genetic factor. Those who were positive, however, had a greater than two-fold increase in risk for coronary artery disease. On the other hand, patients who were positive for the IL-1 genetic factor but had low LDL-cholesterol levels (below 130) were not at increased risk. These data indicate that the IL-1 genetic factor may be valuable in identifying a large number of individuals who are genetically predisposed to heart disease and who may reduce that risk by lowering cholesterol levels, even when the cholesterol levels would not be considered "high" by currently accepted norms. Over 30% of the population carry the IL-1 genetic marker that was found to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Over half of the first heart attacks occur in individuals who cannot be identified using traditional risk factors, such as smoking, high cholesterol and diabetes.

Cepheid has signed a co-marketing agreement with Fisher Scientific Company L.L.C. to market the Cepheid Smart Cycler system in the United States. This represents the first market presence for Cepheid's microDiagnostics technology. The microDiagnostics technology platform for DNA-based detection and identification combines micromachining, microelectronics and microfluidic technologies in a miniaturized instrument system for DNA based detection and analysis. Applications for the technology platform include life science research, food quality and environmental testing, human infectious disease testing, genetic analysis, and cancer diagnostics.

PPGx Inc., has formed a collaboration with Duke University Medical Center to study genes which may predict patient response to chemotherapy and/or susceptibility to breast cancer. The initial collaboration will focus on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes that are involved in the metabolism of drugs used in high dose chemotherapy regimens. The objective is to identify and screen various candidate genes for SNPs in their DNA sequences, with the purpose of obtaining novel genetic markers that predict efficacy and safety factors in high dose chemotherapy regimens for high risk and advanced stage breast cancer.

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