A study published online in the Journal of Infectious Disease reports that ultra-deep sequencing has the ability to identify low-frequency hepatitis B virus (HBV) drug-resistant mutations in infected samples, including mutations undetected by standard direct PCR sequencing methods. The paper outlines the results of a collaborative study between Stanford University and 454 Life Sciences (Branford), a Roche Company, that used 454 Sequencing systems to examine blood samples from nucleoside and nucleotide reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) treated and untreated individuals. The study provides new insights into the dynamics of early stage NRTI resistance in HBV as current methods limit detection to mutations only after they have become prevalent.

Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (New Haven) announced that the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has granted Achillion U.S. Patent No. 7,476,686 related to the Achillion NS4A antagonists to treat the hepatitis C virus (HCV). This new patent, entitled "Substituted Aryl Thioureas and related compounds; inhibitors of viral replication," includes novel mechanism of action claims and expires in 2025.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals (Cheshire) reported Q1 2009 net product sales of Soliris® (eculizumab) of $81.3 million, compared to $45.5 million for the same period in 2008. Soliris® was approved in the United States and European Union in 2007 and is the only drug specifically indicated for the treatment of patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria ("PNH"), an ultra-rare, debilitating, and life-threatening blood disease. Separately, the company announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application for Soliris® to Japan's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency.

BioRelix, Inc. (New Haven) and Dalton Medicinal Chemistry have jointly announced an expansion and renewal of their exclusive worldwide collaboration and agreement to discover and develop new therapeutics. Dalton Medicinal Chemistry will apply their proprietary insights to the design and synthesis of new classes of compounds against selected Riboswitch targets. BioRelix will advance these compounds with their cutting edge array of biological assays and thorough knowledge of Riboswitch drug discovery and development.

Boehringer Ingelheim (Ingelheim, Germany/Ridgefield) and the National Stroke Association announced the launch of Talk About TIA!,  a new educational initiative to raise awareness of transient ischemic attack (TIA). TIA is an important warning sign that a stroke may occur. In fact, one in 20 people who experience a TIA are expected to suffer a stroke within two days. Talk About TIA! is the first comprehensive and interactive online resource for people to learn about TIA, the link between TIA and stroke, and how to help reduce the risk of stroke following a TIA. The website is at www.TalkAboutTIA.com.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (New York/Wallingford) announced an agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. to extend the U.S. portion of the companies' long-standing agreement for the development and commercialization of ABILIFY® (aripiprazole) from the currently scheduled end date of November 2012 until the expected loss of exclusivity in April 2015. In addition, the companies have established an oncology collaboration for two Bristol-Myers Squibb products – SPRYCEL® (dasatinib) and IXEMPRA® (ixabepilone).

Intellectual Property Today ranked Cantor Colburn LLP (Hartford) sixteenth in its annual survey of Top Patent Firms in the U.S. in 2008, up from nineteenth in 2007. Cantor Colburn was attorney of record for 1,173 issued patents in 2008. This is the second year that Cantor Colburn is ranked among the country’s Top 20 firms for patents issued.

Connecticut Innovations (Rocky Hill) hosted its Annual Technology Celebration April 7 at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington. The event drew over 600 members of the state’s technology community including technology businesses, young entrepreneurs from 13 of the state’s colleges and universities, investors, and industry leaders. "Our Annual Technology Celebration is a great forum for businesses, investors, and entrepreneurs to learn about each other and explore opportunities to collaborate," said Peter Longo, president and executive director of CI. "It’s often during challenging economic times that entrepreneurs launch new businesses and undertake new initiatives; our event showed there are many talented innovators in Connecticut ready to make new investments and help the state’s technology sector continue to grow."

The Praxair Regional Heart and Vascular Center at Danbury Hospital (Danbury) has received national accreditation as a Chest Pain Center, announced Frank Kelly, President and Chief Executive Officer of Danbury Hospital. "We are pleased to receive accreditation as a Chest Pain Center given our continuous efforts to reach new levels of excellence and to improve the organization," Kelly said. "This latest development underscores Danbury Hospital’s commitment to offer patients the highest level of cardiac care. Our multidisciplinary team of cardiac experts provides a superior level of care with clinical outcomes that exceed national standards."

GlaxoSmithKline plc (Research Triangle Park, NC) entered into an agreement with Pfizer to create a new world-leading HIV company focused solely on research, development, and commercialization of HIV medicines. The new HIV business will be more sustainable and broader in scope than either company’s individually, their joint announcement said, will hold a 19% share of the growing market and will have an industry-leading pipeline. GSK will initially hold an 85% equity interest in the new company and Pfizer will hold 15%.

Paul S. Besson has joined Hartford Healthcare and Hartford Hospital (Hartford) as Senior Vice President of Human Resources. He comes to Hartford after serving more than 20 years at General Electric Company. "We are extremely fortunate to add Paul Besson to our senior management team," said Elliot Joseph, President and CEO of Hartford Healthcare and Hartford Hospital.

Johnson & Johnson (New Brunswick, NJ) said that Virco Lab, Inc. a leader in HIV resistance testing services, is collaborating with SmartGene, a provider of novel services for the management and analysis of genetic data to provide laboratories and physicians with greater insight into HIV drug resistance and to transfer the ordering, viewing and storage of HIV resistance reports to an innovative secure Web-based system.

Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Branford) a developer of drugs to treat neurological and psychiatric disorders, announced the close of a $20 million Series B financing. The funding comes on the heels of the Company's recent announcement of positive Phase 2a data for ganaxolone as an adjunctive therapy in adults with partial onset seizures. The Series B financing included participation from all of Marinus' existing investors, including Canaan Partners, Domain Associates, Sofinnova Ventures and Foundation Medical Partners. "We've made tremendous strides since our Series A financing, with the completion of two Phase 2a clinical trials for ganaxolone in two separate indications, significant patent applications to protect our intellectual property, and advances on formulations which resulted in novel IP and a strong commercial candidate," said John Krayacich, president and CEO of Marinus Pharmaceuticals.

Pfizer Inc. (New York, NY/Groton/New London) will form two distinct research organizations after its acquisition of Wyeth. The PharmaTherapeutics Research Group will focus on the discovery of small molecules and related modalities and will be led by Martin Mackay, who now leads Pfizer Global Research & Development (PGRD). The BioTherapeutics Research Group will focus on large-molecule research, including vaccines, and will be led by Mikael Dolsten, who currently serves as President of Wyeth Research. Both Dr. Dolsten and Dr. Mackay will serve as presidents of their respective organizations and members of Pfizer’s Executive Leadership Team, and both will report to Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Kindler.

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) (Washington, DC) and the national consumer health organization Families USA have unveiled a campaign to promote policies designed to help achieve high-quality, affordable health coverage for all Americans. First, the two organizations will promote the establishment of a nationwide Medicaid eligibility floor at 133 percent of the federal poverty level – almost $24,400 in annual income for a family of three. Second, the organizations propose providing sliding-scale subsidies to moderate-income people who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid but can’t afford insurance premiums. Third, PhRMA and Families USA will seek a cap on out-of-pocket health expenditures so that no family is unable to afford essential care.

Protein Sciences Corporation (Meriden) is working with federal officials and with contacts in Mexico on developing a PanBlok® vaccine for the potentially pandemic swine flu, using the company's protein expression technology. The company said that if requested, it could be ready to manufacture by mid June, producing 20,000 to 30,000 doses per week.

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (New Haven) announced the issuance of a key antibiotic patent in China. The State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China has issued Chinese Patent Number ZL 2004 8 0021883.9 to Rib-X. This patent provides composition of matter protection for Rib-X's novel oxazolidinone antibiotic, radezolid. Rib-X has established a broad patent portfolio related to radezolid, including the issuance of composition of matter for radezolid in the U.S. The company anticipates issuance of additional patents in all major and emerging markets.

Following is recent news from The University of Connecticut (Storrs) and the University of Connecticut Health Center (Farmington).

Eleven UConn scientists have received state-funded grant awards totaling $5.4 million from the Connecticut Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee to advance embryonic and human adult stem cell research in Connecticut. more

Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, the UConn Health Center’s vice president for health affairs and dean of the UConn School of Medicine, has received the highest honor of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, the Pierre Galletti Award; and Dr. Jay R. Lieberman, director of the New England Musculoskeletal Institute, was inducted into the Institute's College of Fellows. more

UConn chemistry professor Fotios Papadimitrakopoulos and a team of researchers in the Nanomaterials Optoelectronics Laboratory at the Institute of Materials Science have found a way to smooth the surface of nanotubes, in what Papadimitrakopoulos describes as a major nanotechnology breakthrough that could have significant applications in medical imaging and other areas. more

For patients undergoing kidney dialysis, gum disease is more than an inconvenience. It may cause not only local, oral inflammatory responses but also systemic inflammatory responses that could put patients at higher risk for complications such as heart problems, according to research by Dr. Effie Ioannidou, assistant professor of periodontology at the UConn School of Dental Medicine. Ioannidou is part of a team of researchers led by Dr. Anna Dongari-Bagtzoglou, associate professor and head of the division of peridontology, who were the first to report on the relationship between gum disease and systemic inflammation that could affect the risk of organ rejection in kidney and heart transplant recipients. more

Sleep deprivation is not just a problem for adults, and the Sleep Disorders Center at the UConn Health Center is treating more pediatric patients than ever before. "Whether you have a newborn or a teenager, some kids just can’t sleep and others sleep too much," says Dr. Daniel McNally, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center. "Each phase of a child’s life can bring a new sleep pattern, but it’s important to realize that good sleep is essential to good health – no matter what the age." more

The UConn School of Medicine is working on several fronts to encourage medical students to consider pursuing a career in primary care. "As we re-engineer the present dysfunctional health care system, the role of the primary care physician will be central to assuring a high quality, affordable-cost system that will meet the needs of the American public," says Dr. Bruce Gould, associate dean for primary care and professor at the UConn School of Medicine. more

An economic impact study issued by the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis says the proposed partnership between the UConn Health Center and Hartford Hospital will result in a significant increase in new jobs, personal income, and tax revenue for the state. more

Tissue regeneration research at the UConn Health Center has received a substantial boost in manpower with the arrival of a team of researchers who are colleagues of Dr. Cato Laurencin, vice president for health affairs and dean of the school of medicine, who joined the Health Center from the University of Virginia. "The overall goal of our laboratories is to develop biodegradable materials into three-dimensional constructs, or scaffolds, to promote the regeneration of skin, cartilage, and bone," says Dr. Syam Nukavarapu, assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Department of Chemical, Materials, and Biomolecular Engineering. more

Dr. Ozoemene Obuekwe, dean of the University of Benin’s dental school in Benin City, Nigeria, was recently a visiting faculty member at the UConn School of Dental Medicine, working with  Dr. Ellen Eisenberg, chair of the Section of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. Obuekwe says, "As an academic, one hopes that there will be a point in your career where you can step out to see what others are doing, to share knowledge and to gain insights. Having had the chance to spend time with the oral pathologists, immersed in what they do on a daily basis, it is obvious that our respective specialty areas do go hand-in-hand." more

Victoria Robinson, an assistant professor of molecular and cell biology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has won a $936,000 early career development award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The CAREER award, as it is known, is the NSF’s most prestigious award in support of the career development of promising teacher-scholars who integrate research and education. more

The UConn chapter of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the nation’s largest independent medical student organization, has been awarded the prestigious 2009 Paul R. Wright Award for Excellence in Medical Education. more

Following is recent news from Yale University and the Yale School of Medicine (New Haven).

Yale University researchers received almost $4 million from the state of Connecticut to study ways human embryonic stem cells can be used to treat ailments as diverse as spinal cord injuries, cancer and mental retardation. The grants by the Connecticut Stem Cell Advisory Committee were made under a 2005 state law that designated $100 million over 10 years to promote stem cell research in Connecticut. Connecticut was the third such state to pass legislation authorizing use of funds to study embryonic stem cells.

Routine screening for coronary artery disease in type 2 diabetes patients with no symptoms of angina or a history of coronary disease is unnecessary and may lead initially to more invasive and costly heart procedures, according to researchers at Yale School of Medicine. They report their findings in the April 15 Journal of the American Medical Association. "Patients with type 2 diabetes with no symptoms who are feeling well can generally be managed effectively with preventive therapies such as lipid-lowering drugs, blood pressure medication, aspirin and diabetes treatment," said Lawrence Young, M.D., professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine.

A single crafty protein allows the deadly bacterium Salmonella enterica to both invade cells lining the intestine and hijack cellular functions to avoid destruction, Yale researchers report in the April 15 issue of the journal Cell. "In evolutionary terms, this hijacking of cellular machinery to diversify the function of a bacterial protein is mind boggling," said Jorge Galan, senior author of the paper and the Lucille P. Markey Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis and Cell Biology and chair of microbial pathogenesis at Yale.

Making its home near extreme temperatures of thermal vents on the ocean floor, the organism Methanopyrus kandleri harbors a molecular secret that intrigues evolutionary biologists and even HIV researchers. It turns out that the extremophile M. kandleri contains a mutation that would normally shut down cellular activity, Yale researchers report in the April 17 edition of the journal Science. "This exceptional organism provides us with an alternate take on the pathways involved in the production of transfer RNAs. Ultimately this will help us to better understand the diverse processes necessary for protein biosynthesis," said Dieter Söll, senior author of the paper and Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry as well as Professor of Chemistry.

Non-specialist physicians who inserted implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) had higher rates of complications in their patients than electrophysiologists, who are specially trained to implant the devices. These findings are reported by Yale School of Medicine researchers in the April 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. "In the overall group of patients with ICDs, we found that acute complication rates, such as cardiac arrest, cardiac perforation, and hematomas, were higher among patients who had their ICDs put in place by non-specialists,” said lead author Jeptha Curtis, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at Yale School of Medicine. “The differences were particularly striking among thoracic surgeons."

Scientists from Yale University, in collaboration with other institutions, have determined that climate impacts the severity of Lyme Disease by influencing the feeding patterns of deer ticks that carry and transmit it. The paper appears in the April issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Durland Fish, Professor of Epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health, is co-author of the study.

Citing research that shows drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is helping fuel the obesity epidemic, Yale University’s Kelly Brownell, Ph.D., and New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden, M.D., M.P.H, argue for taxing sugared beverages in the April 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Eleven Yale faculty members have been elected to the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in recognition of their contributions to the advancement of science. The newly elected members are: Michael Donoghue, the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Vice President for West Campus Planning and Program Development; Peter Jones, the James E. English Professor of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics; John Krystal, the Robert L. McNeil Jr. Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the Yale School of Medicine; Lynn Regan, professor of molecular biophysics & biochemistry and professor of chemistry; Peter Salovey, Yale University Provost and the Chris Argyris Professor of Psychology; William Sessa, professor of pharmacology at the Yale School of Medicine; Robert Sherwin, the C.N.H. Long Professor of Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine and director of the Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center; Abraham Silberschatz, chair and the Sidney J. Weinberg Professor of Computer Science; Joann Sweasy, professor of therapeutic radiology and genetics at the Yale School of Medicine; William Tamborlane, professor and section chief of pediatric endocrinology at the Yale School of Medicine; Kyle T. Vanderlick, dean of the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science and professor of chemical engineering.

For more member news, see the April 2009 issue of CURE News