Business Roundup

DSM is investing $12 million in a new process flavors plant based on semicontinuous technology. To be built in Shanghai, China, the plant will double the firm's process flavors capacity when it opens in April 2007, DSM says.

Silecs, a manufacturer of dielectric materials for the semiconductor and flat-panel display industries, has raised $7.7 million in a new financing round. The Mountain View, Calif., company says it is expanding production to meet customer demand.

CureVac, a German biopharmaceutical firm, has received an investment of $26 million through the German investment companies DH Capital and OH Beteiligungen. The principal investor in these companies is Dietmar Hopp, founder of information technology giant SAP.

Dow AgroSciences and Locus Pharmaceuticals have extended a research alliance on small molecules that treat fungal targets identified by Dow. Locus is using its fragment-based computational drug design technology to create a virtual library of drug candidates with known binding potencies.

Cambrex is buying Cutanogen, which makes products to treat burn patients. Cambrex will pay $1.5 million for the privately held biotech firm, with additional milestone payments of up to $4.8 million.