EDMONTON, Canada, August 13 /PRNewswire/ --

- Milestone Triggers US$10 Million Payment From Eli Lilly and Company

BioMS Medical Corp. (TSX: MS), a leading developer in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), today announced that the independent Drug Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) for the MAESTRO-01 trial has conducted the scheduled interim analysis of efficacy and safety and has recommended that the trial continue to completion. MAESTRO-01 is the pivotal phase II/III Canadian and European study of dirucotide (MBP8298) in patients with secondary progressive MS.

To some on the fringes, the only good planet is one without people. To some pseudo-environmentalists, a good planet is one where theirs is the only SUV. To millions more, nature is a way to escape the rigors of city life and enjoy the outdoors without being intrusive.

Ecotourism is big business these days. Convincing society that nature's beauty should be preserved and enjoyed has convinced more people than ever they should actually enjoy it.

But an examination of Californian forests says that hiking, bird-watching and other low-impact activities are linked to a sharp drop in carnivores like bobcats and coyotes. In other words, if you really care about Mother Earth you should leave nature to conservationists who get paid to monitor wildlife and instead walk around the local mall.

A multidisciplinary team at the University of Reading has developed a robot which is controlled by a biological brain formed from cultured neurons. This cutting edge research is the first step to examine how memories manifest themselves in the brain, and how a brain stores specific pieces of data.

The key aim is that eventually this will lead to a better understanding of development and of diseases and disorders which affect the brain such as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, stoke and brain injury.

The robot’s biological brain is made up of cultured neurons which are placed onto a multi electrode array (MEA). The MEA is a dish with approximately 60 electrodes which pick up the electrical signals generated by the cells. This is then used to drive the movement of the robot.

WELLESLEY HILLS, Massachusetts, August 13 /PRNewswire/ --

Joseph F. Finn, Jr., C.P.A. ("Finn"), Assignee of the assets of Spherics, Inc. ("Spherics") for the benefit of creditors, announced today that all pharmaceutical intellectual property will be sold at a sealed bid auction on October 10, 2008.

One of the pieces of intellectual property for sale is its lead product, SRx-502, a once-a-day version of a branded drug that currently has more than US$2 billion in sales despite twice daily dosing and an unfavorable AE profile. A clear clinical pathway for SRx-502 has been defined by the FDA for a 505(b)(2) regulatory submission. A successful bidder may make the NDA submission in 2Q 2009 with the remaining clinical trials expected to cost US$7 million.

BASINGSTOKE, England and CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, August 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Shire Limited (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that since July 3, 2008 it has acquired 81% of the shares in Jerini AG through its wholly owned indirect subsidiary Shire Deutschland Investments GmbH (formerly Maia Elfte Vermogensverwaltungs-GmbH), which today also published an Offer Document in respect of the remaining outstanding shares in Jerini.

The intention to make the voluntary takeover offer for a cash consideration of EUR6.25 per share was announced on July 3, 2008.

The offer period will expire on 10 September 2008, 24.00 CEST and the offer can be accepted until the last day of any additional acceptance period.

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands and NEW YORK, August 13 /PRNewswire/ --

- Net Revenues increased to US$8.4 million (+83%) - Net Profit up US$1.5 million - Earnings per share up US$0.05

Playlogic Entertainment, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: PLGC) announced today its results for the 1st half-year 2008, ended June 30.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071119/PLAYLOGICLOGO )

Net Revenues

For the six months, ended June 30, net revenues increased to US$8.4 million compared with US$4.6 million in 2007, an increase of 83%.

For the second quarter of 2008 net revenues climbed to US$4.3 million, up 343%, compared with US$1.1 million in the second quarter of 2007.

LONDON, August 13 /PRNewswire/ --

- As More People Send Text Messages, Repetitive Strain Injury Cases are on the Rise

SpinVox, the leader in voice-to-content messaging, today issued new guidelines to help prevent repetitive strain injuries (RSI) caused by frequent texting.

"With people of all ages texting furiously at all hours of the day, we are starting to realise the toll texting places on our hands, fingers and wrists," said Christina Domecq, SpinVox co-founder and CEO. "There is a growing need for new behaviours and services that reduce the wear-and-tear on users without impeding their ability to communicate."

IRVINE, California, August 13 /PRNewswire/ --

- Based on actual drive usage values, the service helps companies to measure aptitudes for SSD integration

Hagiwara Sys-Com Co., Ltd. -- the industry leader in semiconductor application products for industrial/embedded computing -- today announced the launch of the new SSD Service-Life Assessment Services for its TrueSSD(R) controller based flash data storage products. Aimed to help companies determine SSD integration aptitude, the service provides insight into the potential service-life of the device based on actual drive usage.

AMSTERDAM, August 13 /PRNewswire/ --

- Conference Call & Webcast Today at 2:00 p.m. CET

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics (Euronext: AMT), a leader in the field of human gene therapy, today reported its results for the first half year of 2008.

LUDWIGSHAFEN, Germany, August 13 /PRNewswire/ -- In this podcast you will learn how the unique characteristics of liquid salts make ionic liquids so interesting for industry.

Ionic liquids are molten salts that are also in a liquid form at room temperature. The unique characteristics of these liquid salts are the very thing that makes ionic liquids so interesting for industry and could soon revolutionize a whole range of areas where industrial applications are used: Like in the production of cellulose, for instance, in solar cells, or in the metal processing industry.