Oxagen, University of Warwick Win £2 Million Grant for GPCR Research
UK-based Oxagen and The University of Warwick have jointly won a grant for £2 million, or $3 million, to chart genome-wide functional variation in the genes for G-protein coupled receptors.
The three-year grant from the LINK Applied Genomics Programme will bring together yeast-based systems developed at Warwick for high-throughput GPCR-function analysis with Oxagen’s experience in large-scale genetic analysis.
The grant is the largest made by the management committee for the LINK Programme in Applied Genomics since it was created in July 2000. The grant itself is co-funded by the UK Department of Trade and Industry, the Medical Research Council, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Genetic Technologies, Pyrosequencing Announce Cross-Licensing Agreement
Genetic Technologies and Pyrosequencing this week announced a cross-licensing agreement that both companies value at $2.5 million. The companies will collaborate to develop gene-based assays based on the Pyrosequencing platform.
Uppsala, Sweden-based Pyrosequencing will pay Genetic Technologies $500,000 as well as royalties for a non-exclusive license to it non-coding DNA-analysis and -mapping patents. In turn, Genetic Technologies will install three Pyrosequencing instruments in its base in Melbourne, Australia, and gain access to intellectual property for use in Australia and New Zealand.
In a statement, the companies said that cash payments, instruments, reagents, assay design services, intellectual property, and royalties is estimated to be worth $2.5 million.
Ingenium, University of Dusseldorf Plan to Build a Better Mouse Model
Ingenium Pharmaceuticals and the Institute for Animal Developmental and Molecular Biology at the University of Dusseldorf will co-develop mouse models using its Ingenium’s Ingenotyping gene-alteration platform, the company said this week.
Ingenium said it would develop mouse models with modified genes for limb development and neurogenesis.
The company’s other research partners include Hoffmann-La Roche, Sequenom, and Lynkeus BioTech, as well as several academic collaborators.
Cardinal Health, Expression Analysis Ink Gene-Expression Collaboration
Cardinal Health this week said it has formed an alliance with microarray-analysis company Expression Analysis. The collaboration will combine Cardinal’s drug-discovery services, like target validation and ADME evaluation, with Expression Analysis’ experience with microarray processing and analysis.
The deal calls for the companies to launch a new “gene-to-drug initiative” intended to “enable Cardinal Health’s customers to enter the drug discovery or development arena with just an idea or direction,” according to Cardinal. Ultimately, the partners will take that “general direction” and “develop and actualize a plan for compound identification based on a targeted gene.”
Financial details were not disclosed.