December 2007 - New Technique Could Dramatically Lower Costs Of DNA Sequencing. A strategy for sequencing DNA by driving the molecule back and forth through a nanopore capacitor in a semiconductor chip could lead to a device that would read human genomes quickly and affordably.

December 2007 - New Approach For Attacking Lupus Identified. Investigators have identified two new targets for drugs aimed at controlling lupus. If companies are able to develop drugs that hone in on these targets, patients may be able to control their disease with few side effects.

December 2007 - Combination Therapy Including Antibiotics May Be Beneficial For Multiple Sclerosis. Rituximab, a drug used to treat lymphoma, is now becoming used by dermatologists to treat various dangerous skin diseases.

December 2007 - Lymphoma Drug Used To Treat Skin Disorders. Ann Arbor SPARK recently announced it has awarded funding to three more companies in Michigan, pushing the total investments made through the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund past $2 million.

August 2007 - Funding awarded through Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund passes $2 million (PDF 19kb). Ann Arbor SPARK recently announced it has awarded funding to three more companies in Michigan, pushing the total investments made through the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund past $2 million.

July 2007 - Kalamazoo County life science start up company receives funding from Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund (PDF 12kb). A Kalamazoo County-based life science start up focused on developing new treatments for post-surgical adhesions, was recently awarded $250,000 from the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund via the Kalamazoo SmartZone.

July 2007 - Michigan High Throughput Screening Center and NSF International Announce New Partnership (PDF 28kb). Global Lifescience Solutions, an NSF International Company offering contract research services to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, today announced a new partnership with the Michigan High Throughput Screening Center.

June 2007 - Two Kalamazoo County companies funded by Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund (PDF 51kb). EADevices and MedElute, two companies located in Kalmaazoo County, were recently awarded $250,000 each from the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund via the Kalamazoo SmartZone.

June 2007 - NanoMed announces Harry C. Ledebur, Jr., PhD. to serve as the company’s Vice President Research & Development, Chief Scientific Officer. (PDF 108kb). NanoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an early-stage specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing improved therapeutic and diagnostic products to treat or detect cancer and other serious diseases.

April 2007 - VENOMIX Announces Deal with CHEMTURA. As part of this development deal, Chemtura’s Crop Protection division will invest more than $1 million in VENOMIX over the next two years, approximately 90 percent in cash and the balance of in-kind services to identify active molecules to be used in the products.

April 2007 - Earth-Orbiting Satellites Aid Cancer Study. Scientists have been using historical satellite imagery to identify crops that used pesticides with the potential to cause cancer.

March 2007 - Drug-discovery center in demand (PDF 3.4Mb). The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that Kalamazoo has become an even stronger national leader in the life sciences industry due, in part, to the Michigan High Throughput Screening Center.

January 2007 - Scientists Discover New, Readily Available Source Of Stem Cells. Scientists have discovered a new source of stems cells and have used them to create muscle, bone, fat, blood vessel, nerve and liver cells in the laboratory.

January 2007 - Synthetic Peptide Targets Latent Papilloma Virus Infections. While a newly marketed vaccine promises to drastically reduce human papilloma virus (HPV) infections, the major cause of cervical cancer, a new discovery by University of California, Berkeley, researchers could some day help the millions of people already infected and at constant risk of genital warts and cancer.

January 2007 - Cancer-killing Invention Also Harvests Stem Cells. Associate Professor Michael King of the University of Rochester Biomedical Engineering Department has invented a device that filters the blood for cancer and stem cells. When he captures cancer cells, he kills them. When he captures stem cells, he harvests them for later use in tissue engineering, bone marrow transplants, and other applications that treat human disease and improve health.

January 2007 - Hybrid Molecule Causes Cancer Cells To Self-destruct. Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a two-pronged molecular weapon that kills cancer cells in lab tests. They believe it represents a promising new strategy for fighting the deadly disease.

January 2007 - DNA Vaccine For H5N1 Avian Influenza Enters Human Trial. Science Daily reports that the first human trial of a DNA vaccine designed to prevent avian influenza infection began on December 21, 2006, when the vaccine was administered to the first volunteer at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD. The vaccine does not contain any infectious material from the influenza virus.

March 2006 - "Extraordinary" breakthrough in fight against cancer virus. Our very own tenant, NanoVir Inc., has discovered a new drug that may be able to cure the virus that causes cervical cancer. (Alternate Article)

February 2006 - To Banish a Cancer. Two vaccines that are nearing approval by the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. have demonstrated in clinical trials that they can prevent infection from the two types of the human papillomavirus that account for up to 70 percent of cervical cancers.

January 2006 - Pfizer to Acquire the Sanofi-Aventis Worldwide Rights to Exubera® (inhaled Human Insulin). Pfizer Inc said today that it has reached an agreement to acquire the sanofi-aventis worldwide rights to inhaled human insulin, which Pfizer intends to market under the trade name Exubera®.

January 2006 - Provectus Receives Third Pharmaceutical Patent For Diagnosis And Treatment Of Cancer. Provectus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today it has received the Company's thirteenth U.S. patent (U.S. Patent 6,986,740), which is its third U.S. patent for its pharmaceutical products.

January 2006 - Roche And Trimeris Announce Selection Of Two next Generation HIV Fusion Inhibitor Drug Candidates For Development. Roche and Trimeris, Inc. today announced the selection of two next-generation fusion inhibitor peptides for co-development and progression into further pre- clinical studies.

January 2006 - Synthetic Biology Promises To Shape The Future Of Life Sciences. The expectation that synthetic biology will play a large role in shaping the future of life sciences has greatly increased due to early successes in synthetic DNA and antibody based applications.

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