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Amplistar, Inc., has signed an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Johns Hopkins University, to commercialize immunogenic ovarian cancer gene products for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Scientists at Johns Hopkins have identified ovarian-related gene products that produce an antibody immune response in ovarian cancer patients. These antibodies were then used to develop a blood test for ovarian cancer. Preliminary clinical results suggest that this blood test may be highly specific for ovarian cancer.

Biolog, Inc., has released protocols using Phenotype MicroArrays (PMs) for a range of microbial species, including microbes targeted for antibiotic drug discovery. (PMs) are rapid cellular assays that provide global cellular analysis as well as specific information about cell function. PMs enable scientists to quickly and efficiently determine how a genetic change or a drug lead affects living cells. The new PMs are optimized for the study of Salmonella typhimurium, Vibrio spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia cepacia, Ralstonia solanacearum, Sinorhizobium meliloti, and Listeria monocytogenes.

Boston Biomedica, Inc. has developed BAROCYCLER, a new system for the extraction of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) from cells and tissues. The system uses a combination of pressure and temperature in BBI's ultra-high pressure BAROCYCLER instrument to release cellular contents while maintaining the integrity and biological activity of the molecules liberated.

ChromaVision Medical Systems, Inc. is developing enrichment techniques in combination with its ACIS system for the detection of circulating tumor cells in the blood of breast cancer patients. The company reports that a combination of enrichment and staining techniques together with ACIS-assisted analysis can provide sensitivity and specificity in the detection of target cells in samples containing 100 million or more cells.

Virtek Vision International Inc. has acquired FONA Technologies. Together, the companies will develop a Fibre-Optic Nucleic Acid (FONA) biosensor for genetic testing. The patent for this technology is held by FONA. The FONA biosensor will be marketed as a disposable genetic test, requiring instrumentation closely related to laser excitation and optical detection technology that is already employed in the Virtek-ChipReader DNA scanner. FONA's DNA identification technology consists of a fluorescence fibre-optic biosensor that provides a rapid analysis of genetic material in minutes without amplification techniques.

Myriad Genetics, Inc., Hitachi, Ltd. and Oracle have formed an alliance to map the human proteome in less than three years. The collaboration will combine Myriad's proteomics expertise with the information and electronics technologies of Hitachi and the software capabilities of Oracle, to analyze all proteins and their interactions within cells of the body. The alliance partners expect to collect this information in a proprietary database of all human protein interactions, all biochemical pathways and a comprehensive catalog of purified proteins by 2004.
The collaboration, valued at $185 million, will take place within the newly formed Myriad Proteomics, Inc., a 50% owned subsidiary of Myriad Genetics.

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