• Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Boston, exclusively licensed rights to a platform technology and chemical methodology for conducting high-throughput screening and lead optimization for histone deacetylase inhibitor compounds, as well as portfolio of small-molecule selective HDACs, from Harvard University and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The license includes rights to the first selective inhibitor of HDAC6. Financial terms were not disclosed.

• Acologix Inc., of Hayward, Calif., said preclinical results demonstrated AC-100, which is derived from an endogenous human protein, promotes cartilage regeneration in goats with standardized defects in knee cartilage. In the study, four weekly intra-articular injections of AC-100 or placebo were administered, and quantity and quality of cartilage regeneration were evaluated after six months. AC-100 dose dependently promoted cartilage repair compared with placebo, and the new cartilage formed in response to AC-100 was mature, normal hyaline cartilage as assessed by several histological staining methods, the company said. AC-100 also exhibited a favorable safety profile, with no inflammatory response.

• Entest BioMedical Inc., of San Diego, said it created three bone marrow-derived stem cell lines useful for optimizing laser intensities and wavelengths in laser-enhanced stem cell therapy, which the company said would assist in the progress of its therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Entest said ENT-CL101, ENT-CL221 and ENT-CL303 are similar in nature to mesenchymal stem cells, stable in cell culture and can be expanded en masse for wide-scale screening.

• Enzon Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Bridgewater, N.J., said that it reduced its debt by $116 million during the period in which it sold its specialty pharmaceutical business. As a result of the Jan. 29 sale, the company was required to offer to repurchase for cash its convertible notes at face value. The sale of the specialty pharmaceutical business also triggered an increase in the conversion rate to 116.535 shares per $1,000 principal amount during the period Jan. 29 to March 4. The enhanced conversion period has expired, and the original conversion rate of 104.712 shares per $1,000 principal amount of notes is again in effect.

• ExonHit Therapeutics SA, of Paris, andbioMérieux, of Marcy L'Etoile, France, have decided not to pursue their collaboration in colon cancer, following a recent review of data by their scientific committee. Both companies continue to collaborate in the field of prostate cancer.

• Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Carlsbad, Calif., earned a $6 million milestone payment from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, related to the acceptance of initial regulatory filings to begin Phase 1 studies for BMS-PCSK9Rx. The drug candidate is an antisense drug that arose out of the ongoing collaboration between Bristol-Myers and Isis to identify antisense drugs targeting PCSK9 to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

• Nabi Biopharmaceuticals Inc., of Rockville, Md., closed its option and license agreement for NicVAX (nicotine conjugate vaccine), dated Nov 13, 2009, with GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA, of Rixensart, Belgium. As a result, Nabi is entitled to receive an up-front payment of $40 million and GSK has been granted an option to exclusively in-license NicVAX on a worldwide basis and a license to develop next-generation nicotine vaccines using Nabi's intellectual property. In addition, Nabi is eligible to receive up to $460 million in potential option fees and regulatory, development and sales milestones for NicVAX and follow-on nicotine vaccines. Nabi also will receive royalties on global sales of NicVAX should GSK exercise its option, as well as royalties on global sales of next-generation nicotine vaccines developed by GSK based on intellectual property licensed from Nabi.

• Ricerca Biosciences LLC, of Concord, Ohio, said it finalized its acquisition of the discovery and preclinical business of MDS Pharma Services, of King of Prussia, Pa., which has facilities and almost 600 associates in Bothell, Wash.; Lyon, France; and Taipei, Taiwan.