A lawsuit has been filed against the Edinburgh based Roslin Institute alleging that they "misappropriated" research on genetically altered chickens in a project for an anti-cancer treatment. Avigenics, a US biotechnology company based at the University of Georgia, claim that the work done by Roslin and another US biotech firm, Viragen, last year relied on a technique pioneered in its laboratories, and which was 'stolen' by scientist Dr Helen Sang. Dr Sang has worked at Roslin for more than 15 years but was also on Avigenics' scientific advisory board. The Roslin Institute said it would be defending the lawsuit. A spokesman for Viragen said they were 'shocked and surprised', and that 'the lawsuit has no merit and it will be vigorously defended'.
Meanwhile, PPL Therapeutics, the commercial arm of the Roslin Institute, has secured provisional funding in the form of 'non-binding commitments' from investors. This follows the abandonment of a £45 million fundraising plan earlier this year. The provisional backing of £30 million is to fund the launch of a cystic fibrosis treatment in 2005, but as yet the money is by no means a certainty for PPL. Ron James, the managing director of PPL, said he was 'hardly euphoric but certainly relieved'.
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