Ciphergen Reports Growing Revenues, Narrowing Losses
Ciphergen Biosystems reported strong growth in revenues and R&D spending during the fourth quarter of 2002, along with a slightly smaller net loss.
Revenues for the quarter ended Dec. 31 increased to $13.6 million, up from $7.3 million during the same period the year before. R&D spending during the quarter was $6.1 million, up from $4.0 million during the year-ago period. Net losses decreased slightly, from $7.1 million or $0.27 per share to $6.7 million or $0.25 per share. Ciphergen said it had $42.5 million in cash, cash equivalents, and investments in securities as of Dec. 31, 2002. For 2003, the company expects a net loss of approximately $16-18 million. It is planning to break even at the end of this year.
Europroteome Collaborates With Transgene
Europroteome of Hennigsdorf, Germany, said last week that it will collaborate with Transgene of Strasbourg, France. Under the agreement, Europroteome will analyze blood samples from patients enrolled in a phase I clinical trial for Transgene’s Ad-IFNg cancer immunotherapy product using its proteomics and bioinformatics technology in order to find biomarkers that correlate with clinical outcome.
Genome Canada Cashes Another $50 Million for Genomics and Proteomics Research
The government of Canada has granted Genome Canada another CA$75 million ($49.5 million) for genomics and proteomics large-scale research projects related to health. So far, the non-profit organization has received CA$300 million ($199.4 million) from the Canadian government to establish five genome centers.
BioVision and Roche Diagnostics Extend Partnership on Alzheimer’s
BioVision of Hanover, Germany, and Roche Diagnostics of Mannheim, Germany, will extend their collaboration, BioVision said last month.
Roche plans to validate peptide biomarkers that BioVision identified from cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimer’s patients. Roche will test the presence of these markers in the serum of “large groups of patients,” according to BioVision.
The two companies started to collaborate in 1999. BioVision, founded in 1997, has other partnerships with Novo Nordisk, Applied Biosystems, Matrix Science, and the Swiss Institute of Asthma and Allergy Research.
SomaLogic Partners with NCI, Merial
SomaLogic of Boulder, Colo., and the National Cancer Institute have started a collaboration. SomaLogic will develop aptamers for NCI-supplied proteins, which NCI investigators will use in their research. SomaLogic will retain the right to use the aptamers on protein arrays. Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Earlier, SomaLogic said it was partnering with animal health multinational Merial to develop aptamer-based diagnostic tests for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or “mad cow disease.”
GWC Provides SPR Technology to Toyobo
GWC of Madison, Wis., said it will supply its technology for label-free detection of biomolecules to Osaka, Japan-based Toyobo.
GWC’s technology is based on surface plasmon resonance. The company manufactures instruments, reagents, and biochips.
Molecular Staging and Scripps Receive NIH Grant
Molecular Staging of New Haven, Conn., and The Scripps Research Institute of La Jolla, Calif., have been awarded a two-and-a-half-year grant of up to $2.5 million from the National Institute of Diabetes and Kidney disease to produce samples of genomic DNA that will be made widely available to the scientific community for genetic disease studies.
Molecular Staging will use its proprietary whole genome amplification method to make multiple copies of 8,000 DNA samples.
Miraculins Collaborates with U. of Manitoba
Miraculins of Winnipeg, Canada, has started a collaboration with the mass spectrometry laboratory of Kenneth Standing and Werner Ens at the Unversity of Manitoba in Canada, giving it access to the laboratory’s time-of-flight mass spectrometry technology. Miraculins aims to identify proteins related to disease using proteomics technology.
MelTec Partners with Proteome Center in Rostock to find Arthritis Biomarkers
MelTec of Magdeburg, Germany, said it will conduct a feasibility study with the Proteome Center Rostock at the University of Rostock, Germany, in the area of rheumatoid arthritis. Meltec will use its intracellula protein imaging technology to analyze protein networks in tissue samples from inflamed human joints.