DNAVision
DNAVision is the first European service company to provide custom SNP genotyping using latest technology from affymetrix.[more]

IMI in Boston...
The IMI will take part in the World Transplant Congress in Boston.[more]

and in San Francisco
The IMI has been awarded at the FOCIS Congress in San Francisco.[more]

Euroscreen : agreement with Medarex
Euroscreen and Medarex have concluded an agreement for licence and research service.[more]

H-Phar recapitalized
H-Phar has been recapitalized and has welcome a new shareholder, the Cie Mobilière et Foncière du Bois Sauvage SA[more]

IMI: Two new PhDs
Serge Vanden Eijden and Sandrine Tonon are two new PhDs at the IMI.[more]

Open day about health and form
An open day "Priorité la forme !" will take place in the campus of Parentville on September 10.[more]

Have a good holiday !
The Biopole Newsletter won't be published in August. We wish you a pleasant holiday and meet you again in September.[more]

DNAVision

DNAVision announce its upgrade of one of their current GeneChip Systems with the new AFFYMETRIX GCS3000 Targeted Genotyping System. DNAVision is the first full-service pharmacogenomic laboratory to provide this custom genotyping solution in Europe.

Thanks to incorporation of MIP and Universal Tag technologies, the GeneChip Scanner 3000 Targeted Genotyping System addresses high-throughput SNPs screening challenges by offering flexible multiplexing from 1500 to 50000 SNPs per individual assay.

"DNAVision is proud to be the first European pharmacogenomic DNA testing laboratory to provide this innovative tool. Genetic association studies are a powerful method for uncovering the basis of complex human disease and represent a valuable aspect of understand variability in response to therapeutics. By combining our high quality standards (ISO17025 accredited, GLP compliant) with this high-performing system, DNAVision will provide his customers with quality data given them the information they need to solve complete research programs" said Jean-Pol Detiffe, CEO of DNAVision SA.

IMI in Boston...

The first World Transplant Congress gathering members of the Transplantation Society and the American Society of Transplantation will be held in Boston from July 22 to July 27, 2006. The paper by ZhanZhuo Li and Alain Le Moine on vascularized bone transplantation as a new tool for the induction of allograft tolerance was selected among the 25% best abstracts accepted for oral presentations. Michel Goldman will give a lecture on rejection pathways and chair a session on preclinical and clinical tolerance.

and in San Francisco

The IMI is part of the ULB Excellence Center of the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS). During the last FOCIS Meeting in San Francisco, a "Poster of Distinction" ribbon was awarded to Virginie De Wilde, Fleur Samantha Benghiat, Magali Novalrivas, Jean Marc Verdebout, Michel Goldman and Alain Le Moine for their study entitled "CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells suppress the T cell-dependent response to lipopolysaccharide" scored in the top 10% of submitted contributions.

Euroscreen : agreement with Medarex

Medarex, Inc and Euroscreen s.a. announced the completion of a licence and research agreement for the exclusive worldwide development and commercialization of antibody-based products against certain targets for various diseases, including inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. Medarex intends to use its UltiMAb technology to create antibodies to targets provided by Euroscreen.

Under the terms of the agreement, Euroscreen has granted Medarex exclusive rights to develop and commercialize antibody products against two undisclosed targets. Euroscreen will receive an upfront payment and may receive milestone payments and royalties on any future sales of products developed and commercialized by Medarex. Medarex and Euroscreen reserve the right to collaborate on certain preclinical activities in support of the development of such products. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

Euroscreen's CEO, Dr Jean Combalbert commented : "We are very pleased to have Medarex moving forward with the development and commercialization of antibodies to these targets. Euroscreen will continue its ongoing preclinical development program focused upon small molecule drug development for the same targets. We look forward to antibody-based therapeutic collaborations with Medarex for additional targets in the future".

"We look forward to work with the targets provided by Euroscreen and combining them with our UltiMAb technology for the potential development of novel antibody products", said Donald L. Drakeman, President and CEO of Medarex.

H-Phar recapitalized

H-Phar has been recapitalized and has welcome a new shareholder, the Cie Mobilière et Foncière du Bois Sauvage SA, what brings the number of shareholders up to 7 (ULB, Florinvest, Sparaxis, Sambrinvest, Ms Margery, Hubriphar and the Cie Bois Sauvage). Further to this last increase, H-Phar's capital has been brought up to 8 300 000 euros.

H-Phar develops a new antiretroviral (ARV) with a first indication for aids.

2 Phase I studies have been terminated in 2005 and a new Phase I study should start soon while a Phase IIa Proof of Concept study should start on the end of 2006 or beginning 2007. Several preclinical studies are lead at the same time, what should allow H-Phar to consider to enter in Phase II/III in 2007.

IMI: Two new PhDs

Serge Vanden Eijden received his PhD degree in Medical Sciences on June 22, 2006. His thesis conducted under the supervision of Fabienne Willems demonstrates the capacity of human newborns to produce interleukin-23 and the activity of this cytokine on neonatal T lymphocytes. As IL-23 is involved in the generation of memory cells and in the emergence of pathogenic T cells secreting interleukin-17, these findings are relevant to the development of new vaccination strategies in early life. Medical doctor specialized in clinical neonatology, Serge Vanden Eijnden was supported by the Kids' Foundation and the Télévie programme. He was recently appointed as Resident in the Neonatal Unit of the Hôpital Erasme.

Sandrine Tonon will receive her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences on July 3, 2006. Her thesis conducted under the supervision of Dominique Dewit demonstrates the involvement of dendritic cells and naive T lymphocytes in the immunostimulatory properties of the toxin of Bordetella pertussis, the agent of whooping cough. Sandrine Tonon has been supported by the NEOVAC project of the European Commission and the Télévie programme.

Open day about health and form

Liaison ULB Wallonie and its partner La Maison pour Associations de Charleroi in collaboration with the Centre Local de Promotion de la Santé de Charleroi-Thuin organize an open day " Priorité la forme " on September 10. During this day, a preventive message will be delivered to the public through a vast number of convivial animations about food, sports, sleep… in the park of the campus of Parentville (Charleroi). Meetings, movies, an exposition about research and health, a quizz for the children, etc will also be scheduled.

A catering corner is provided. Entrance and access to all activities are free. Come with friends and families. Information : Liaison ULB Wallonie, ndath@ulb.ac.be or 02 650 92 03

Have a good holiday !

The Biopole Newsletter won't be published in August. We wish you a pleasant holidays and meet you again in September.