Quintiles backs away from possible ClinPhone bid; Introgen files first gene therapy for FDA approval;

> After flirting with the idea of making a competing offer for ClinPhone [1], Quintiles Transnational has backed away from the table, giving Parexel a clear path to completing its planned acquisition. Report [2]

> After 14 years of research, Introgen Therapeutics is asking the FDA to give its BLA for a gene-based therapy for head and neck cancer--Advexin--a priority review. Report [3]

> Shares of SuperGen took a dive after the company revealed that Dacogen failed a late-stage trial for the bone marrow disease MDS. Report [4]

> CoLucid Pharmaceuticals says it has rounded up $25 million in Series B financing. VC report [5]

> Sangamo BioSciences has reported new work in Nature Biotechnology demonstrating the effectiveness of its zinc finger DNA-binding proteins in immunizing cells in the immune system against HIV. Sangamo report [6]

> The drumbeat of criticism over the impact of flat-line budgets at the NIH [7] on the U.S. research community continues to build. In a recent article for the Star-Ledger, scientists report that original grant funding for projects dropped from 30 percent in 1999 to 12 percent today. Report [8]

> A professor at the University of Texas in Austin has created a virtual supercomputer to study metastasis. Report [9]

> Looking to raise its profile with U.S. drug developers, Xceleron is set to open its new, $7.5 million lab in Germantown, MD later today. Xceleron report [10]

And Finally... About 20 years ago, Harvard researcher Donald Ingber accidentally stumbled on a mold that demonstrated a remarkable ability to prevent the growth of small blood vessels. Cancer report [11]