Encorium Group Inc. is a full-service multinational contract research organization (CRO). They provide design, development, and management capabilities for clinical trials and patient registries. They do this for many of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. Trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market, Encorium Group Inc. has offices in 10 countries, managing clinical trials with their own employees. The Company’s corporate headquarters are in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

Encorium Group, Inc. provides their services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries. Their corporate mission is to provide their clients with high quality, full-service support for their biopharmaceutical and medical device development programs. They offer therapeutic expertise, experienced team management, and advanced technologies.

Encorium has drug and biologics development as well as clinical trial experience across a broad spectrum of therapeutic areas. These include infectious diseases, cardiovascular, vaccines, oncology, and diabetes endocrinology/metabolism. These also include gene therapy, immunology, neurology, gastroenterology, dermatology, hepatology, women’s health

The Pharma division of SAFC, a member of the leading Life Science and High Technology company, Sigma-Aldrich Group (SIAL) has completed the expansion of its Carlsbad, California facility. The facility conducts contract-manufacturing services for SAFC’s late phase and commercial clients. The $12 million expansion project included the addition of two fully segregated viral product-manufacturing suites built to employ the latest in disposable bioreactor technologies. This is aimed to expand SAFC Pharma's biologics, viral vaccines and gene therapy manufacturing to commercial quantities.

SAFC Pharma's Carlsbad site specializes in the process development and manufacturing of viral vaccines and viral therapeutics − including a full menu of support services − from preclinical process and analytical development to final fill/finish and commercial bulk drug supplies. The new expansion, designed for multi-lot campaigns, includes dedicated cell expansion, bioreactor production, purification and cleanroom suites. The expansion will enable both 100-liter batch production in stirred tank bioreactors

SAFC Pharma, a business segment of SAFC®, a member of the Sigma-Aldrich® Group (NASDAQ: SIAL), announced the completion of a $12M expansion to its Carlsbad, Calif. manufacturing facility, which will scale-up its commercial output capacity for viral vaccines, biologics and sophisticated gene therapy solutions.

The new facility expansion includes two stand-alone suites utilizing the latest in disposable bioreactors, streamlining production workflows and reducing the overall drug development window for its clients. This facility will specialize in developing and manufacturing viral therapeutics and vaccines. Designed specifically for multi-lot campaigns and offering cleanroom, bioreactor production, purification and dedicated cell expansion, this 18% addition to the overall size of the facility enables larger-scale production via an advanced and more efficient pipeline. The Carlsbad installation can now easily handle 100 and 1,000-liter batch production under Biosafety Level 2 requirements, which means they can work with human pathogens, and its design allows clients to secure a

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – Oct 6, 2009 – Three mutual funds rose to the highest level of a new ranking system and are being highlighted today on Zacks.com.

These free "Strong Buy" picks are being made available to promote the new Mutual Fund Rank of the investment world's leading independent research firm.

Highlighted Today: Top Health Equity Funds

Franklin Strategic Biotechnology A (FBDIX) seeks capital appreciation. The fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of biotechnology companies and discovery-research firms worldwide, including therapeutics, drug delivery, gene therapy and other select medical companies. Evan McCulloch is lead manager of the fund since September 15, 1997.

Alger Health Sciences C (AHSCX) seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in equity securities that are engaged in the health sciences sector. The fund has a portfolio turnover of 214% and an expense ratio of 2.23% as February 10, 2009. The

Today we are featuring top-performing “Health" equity mutual funds, which primarily invest in equity securities of healthcare and related companies.

Investors can find such funds by checking out the entire list of the Zacks #1 Rank Health Equity Funds.

2 Excellent Samples

Franklin Strategic Biotechnology A (FBDIX) seeks capital appreciation. The fund was incepted in September 1997 and is managed by Franklin Advisers.

The fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of biotechnology companies and discovery-research firms worldwide, including therapeutics, drug delivery, gene therapy and other select medical companies.

The fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in equity securities of smaller capitalization companies and invests a small portion of its assets in private or illiquid securities. The fund offers dividends and capital gains annually.

Evan McCulloch is lead manager of the fund since September 15, 1997. He specializes in research and analysis of the health care industry

GenVec, Inc.

(Public, NASDAQ:GNVC)

StocksHaven Investments profiles a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing gene-based therapeutic drugs and vaccines. Its lead product candidate, TNFerade biologic (TNFerade), is being developed for use in the treatment of cancer, and is currently undergoing Phase III trials which are expected to be completed by Q1 2010. In addition to its therapeutic product development programs, GenVec is working with collaborators to develop new applications for its technology through its vaccine development programs. The Company is developing a vaccine in animal health against foot-and-mouth disease and preventative vaccines for malaria, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), respiratory syncytial virus, and Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV-2). Surrounded by cash infusions through grants, mutual and institutional investors, multi-purpose products with billion dollar market potential, and an already flowing revenue stream – GenVec is one company you shouldn’t pass by.

About

Genvec

a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T9VXVyuEITg/SYksOvCIT5I/AAAAAAAAAoM/DrrO_JiQPJ8/s1600-h/stem_cells.jpg”img style=”float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 169px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T9VXVyuEITg/SYksOvCIT5I/AAAAAAAAAoM/DrrO_JiQPJ8/s200/stem_cells.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”"id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298815068233289618″ //abr /Since President Obama has decided to repeal the limitations imposed on embryonic stem cell research, and since the first federally approved human study utilizing embryonic stem cell therapy is now taking place, investors are now looking at opportunities in stem cell stocks. Extensive research is being done to utilize stem cells for a href=”http://stockerblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/gene-therapy-stocks.html” target-”_blank”gene therapy/a and the treatment of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and many other medical conditions. br /br /A source of stem cells is a href=”http://cordbloodstocks.com/” target-”_blank”cord blood/a, the blood from an umbilical cord. The saving and storing of cord blood has become a fast growing business. For example, Richard Branson, founder and head of Virgin Records and Virgin Atlantic Airways, set up a cord blood bank. Even a href=”http://stockerblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/stem-cell-bonds-issued-by-california.html” target-”_blank”Stem Cell …

ImaRx Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in developing and commercializing therapies for vascular disorders in the United States. The company’s operations are focused in two main areas.

First, the company generates revenue from the sale of urokinase, a thrombolytic drug used for the treatment of acute massive pulmonary embolism, or blood clots in the lungs. The company sells urokinase to wholesale distributors under the Kinlytic brand name.

The company uses the revenue from urokinase to fund its SonoLysis clinical program. The company’s research and development efforts are focused on using its proprietary microbubble technology in conjunction with focused ultrasound (SonoLysis) to treat ischemic stroke, as well as other vascular disorders.

Microbubble Technology

Lipid coated microbubbles represent a new class of agents with both diagnostic and therapeutic applications, and ImaRx Therapeutics is on the technological forefront in this area. The company has learned that microbubbles can