Category: New products
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Autonomous Robot Shown Better at Soft-Tissue Surgery
5 May 2016. A robotic arm, programmed to work autonomously under direction of a surgeon, was shown superior at soft-tissue surgery with pigs than human surgeons and robot-assisted surgery. Results of these tests, conducted by a team from Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C., appear in yesterday’s (4 May) issue of the journal Science…
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Genomic Variations Reveal Cholesterol, Heart Disease Risks
4 May 2016. A review of genome and blood test records from a large group of people in Iceland identified genetic sequencing variations associated with risk factors connecting cholesterol levels to heart disease. Results of the analysis, conducted by deCode Genetics in Reykjavik, Iceland, appear this week in the journal Nature Genetics (paid subscription required).…
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Engineered Protein Advances to Treat Genetic Blood Disorders
4 May 2016. Lab tests by a biotechnology company show an engineered protein can block the actions of genes responsible for low normal hemoglobin production in people with inherited blood disorders like sickle cell disease. The findings of researchers from Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Boston were reported in April in the journal PLoS One. Acetylon…
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Lung Function App Service Expanded to Any Phone
3 May 2016. A computer science lab extended the abilities of its smartphone app that measures lung function to a call-in service for any phone in the world. The team led by engineering and computer science professor Shwetak Patel at University of Washington will discuss the new service at the ACM Computer-Human Interaction (CHI) 2016…
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University Lab Spins-Off Fertility Testing Company
29 April 2016. A new company is taking shape that aims to make it easier for women to get pregnant, based on research at a biochemistry lab at University of Wisconsin. BluDiagnostics, in Madison, founded by postdoctoral research Katie Brenner in the lab of biochemistry professor Douglas Weibel, a co-founder of the company, already raised…
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Genetic Techniques Quickly Build Crop Disease Resistance
26 April 2016. Plant scientists in the U.K. developed genetic engineering techniques that quickly clone resistance to plant diseases affecting wheat, soybeans, and potatoes. The techniques are described in articles appearing in the 25 April issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology (paid subscription required). Teams from the John Innes Centre and Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich…
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Trials to Test New Treatments for Inherited Alzheimer’s
25 April 2016. Clinical trials are planned to assess experimental treatments and new diagnostics for inherited forms of Alzheimer’s disease. The new studies, which extend earlier trials of drugs to treat inherited Alzheimer’s disease, are funded by a $4.3 million grant from Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago. Like the earlier trials, the new round of studies…
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Software Detects DNA Mutations in Single Cells
19 April 2016. A new computer program detects genetic variations in individual cells, rather than current methods that require analyzing DNA in millions of cells. The program, named Monovar, is described by geneticists and bioinformatics specialists at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in the 18 April issue of the journal Nature Methods (paid subscription required). Monovar…
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Nanoparticles Designed for Asthma, Allergy Treatments
19 April 2016. A technique for masking allergy or asthma treatments in biodegradable nanoparticles is shown in lab mice to quickly build a tolerance in the immune system for offending allergens. A medical and engineering team at Northwestern University in Chicago published its findings yesterday, 18 April, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…
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Electric Current Shown to Reduce Wound Bacteria
18 April 2016. A bandage that sends a mild electric current through wounds was shown in tests with pigs to disrupt and reduce films of bacteria that form over wounds, to improve healing. Tests of the electric wound dressing, made by Vomaris Innovations in Tempe, Arizona, were reported at the Wound Healing Society conference that…