ALSO NOTED: BMS: Buyer or buyout target?; LAB Research readies big expansion;Malaysia readies biotech investments; and much mor

> Market-watchers love to speculate. Their latest topic? Bristol-Myers Squibb, which has been paring away its "non-core" businesses over the last few months. Report

> Canada's LAB Research has raised $21.1 million to help fund the expansion of its facilities, increasing its floor space from 87,000 to 170,000 square feet. Release

> Canada's Apotex and Intas Biopharmaceuticals have agreed to collaborate on the development of a biosimilar for neutropenia, a side effect of chemotherapy. Report

> ImaRx Therapeutics has forged a deal to sell its urokinase inventory and related assets to Microbix Biosystems for $17 million in cash. Urokinase is an FDA-approved thrombolytic, or clot-dissolving agent. Release

> Isogenica has acquired the principal assets of the Finnish biotechnology company Karyon CTT and secured a £2 million cash investment. Release

> A systems biology spin-off from Newcastle University has opened up a new consultancy division that will use its in-silico technology to assess the safety and efficacy of new drug candidates. E-therapeutics' technology assesses how a drug will respond to cells as well as other therapeutics. Report

> Scientists in Scotland say that they have identified a chemical group that can protect the p53 gene, a guardian against cancer tumors which is damaged or turned off in most cancer cases. Report

> Research on fat cell replacement could lead to new obesity treatments. Report

> An FDA advisory panel voted against broadening the use of Cephalon's painkiller, citing worries that it would in fact be misused. Report

> GlaxoSmithKline went hat in hand to the bond markets and came back with a record $9 billion. Report

And Finally... Malaysian officials are lining up the first big round of loans to the country's biotech sector. Report