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Molecular Biology — March 2000

Aclara Biosciences has announced that it plans to introduce its first product, the Oasis LabCard chip in 2000. The chip is used in multiple products for both the genomics and pharmaceutical drug screening markets based on proprietary microfluidics technology. Aclara has formed partnerships with PE Biosystems and Packard BioScience to commercialize its products.

Amersham Pharmacia Biotech and Beckman Coulter, Inc. have extended their collaboration in DNA sequencing by capillary electrophoreses, the technology currently used in Beckman Coulter's CEQ 2000 DNA analysis system as well as in Amersham Pharmacia Biotech's MegaBACE 1000 DNA sequencer. Additionally, the companies will collaborate to develop capillary coatings and matrices to meet the requirements of CE in DNA sequencing and fragment analysis applications.

Avigen Inc. has obtained a non-exclusive worldwide license to Factor IX gene patents from BTG International LTD. Under the terms of the agreement, Avigen has the right to make, use, sell, offer for sale, or import viral vector systems, including adeno-associated virus (AAV), utilizing the Factor IX gene for in vivo human gene therapy. The Factor IX gene is a key component of Avigen's lead AAV gene therapy product, Coagulin-B, for treating patients suffering from hemophilia B.

Chromagen, Inc. and Merck and Co. are collaborating to develop a broad range of pharmacogenomic assays. Chromagen will utilize its High Performance Signal Amplification (HPSA) platform technologies and StarBright fluorophores to develop assays for evaluating cell signaling pathways and genes that are emerging biological targets in Merck drug discovery programs.

Genset SA and Abbott Laboratories have signed a collaborative research agreement to discover genes associated with bipolar disorder and Type II diabetes. The collaboration will focus on certain candidate regions associated with the selected diseases with initial efforts centered on bipolar disorder. Abbott will receive a license to develop and commercialize therapeutic and diagnostic products based on the genes identified through the collaboration.

IGEN International, Inc. has introduced an Infectious Disease Assay Panel that will enable biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to use genomic drug targets to discover treatments for bacterial and viral diseases, including AIDS. Based on the company's patented ORIGEN technology, the panel consists of tests for five enzymes involved in the growth and replication of viruses and bacteria: integrase, helicase, DNA polymerase, reverse transcriptase and RNase H.

Scientists at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) announced completion of the DNA sequencing of the Chlamydia trachomatis MoPn and Chlamydia pneumoniae AR39 genomes. Their findings, in conjunction with other recently published Chlamydia genomes completed by a Stanford University team, will allow medical researchers new insight into the genes responsible for causing a range of serious human infections. Strains of C. trachomatis are a major cause of the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease around the world and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) it is an important cofactor for transmission of HIV. This project was a collaborative effort between scientists at TIGR, the University of British Columbia Centre for Disease Control in Vancouver, BC, Canada and the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada and was funded by the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), an Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Millennium Pharmaceuticals, has signed an agreement for a broad collaboration with Caliper Technologies Corp. to develop LabChip applications genomics-based drug discovery and development.

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* Molecular Biology - Febuary 2000
* Molecular Biology - January 2000
* Molecular Biology - December 1999
* Molecular Biology - November 1999
* Molecular Biology - October 1999
* Molecular Biology - September 1999

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