Science and Enterprise

Category: Joint ventures/collaborations

  • Algorithm Helps Identify Viral Strains, Mutations

    Researchers in Israel and the U.S. have developed computational methods to analyze the composition of proteins that control a virus’s ability to attach to host cells and produce more virus. The unique position of amino acids in those proteins acts as a signature for the virus, and identifying that signature can help pinpoint the virus’s…

  • New Measure Developed of Irrigation Water Requirements

    The Agricultural Research Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has devised a new method for measuring the water requirements of crops, based on the yield per drop of water actually taken in by the crops. A company is now developing instruments and software to measure and manage the amounts of water absorbed…

  • UC San Diego Added to Pfizer Translational Network

    Pfizer Inc. in New York says University of California, San Diego Health Sciences will join the company’s network of translation research partnerships called Centers for Therapeutic Innovation (CTI). The company’s CTI partnerships now include life science research institutions in Massachusetts and New York, as well as California. Pfizer says it expects to spend some $50…

  • System Being Developed to Watch for Airport Runway Debris

    A German consortium of companies, university, and Fraunhofer institutes are developing a system with multiple technologies to monitor the presence of debris on airport runways that can make them unsafe for aircraft. A piece of metal that fell off another airplane is blamed for the crash of the supersonic Concorde jet that followed on the…

  • Nanotech Coating Helps Reduce Flames in Polyurethane Foam

    Researchers from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Texas A&M University in College Station have developed carbon nanofiber-filled coatings that outperform conventional flame retardants used in the polyurethane foam found in upholstered furniture and mattresses. Their findings appear in a recent issue of the journal Polymer (paid subscription required). Ignition of soft furnishings…

  • Oxford, Illumina to Sequence 500 Human Genomes

    Oxford University in the U.K. and Illumina Inc. in San Diego will collaborate on a project to sequence the whole genomes of 500 people with a range of life-threatening diseases. The research will explore how whole-genome sequencing can improve diagnosis and treatment decisions for individual patients. Illumina is a developer and manufacturer of genomic analysis…

  • Universities to Study Food Security in Appalachia

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg is collaborating with West Virginia University and North Carolina State University to develop, implement, and evaluate a food security strategy for the southern Appalachian region. The three-year, $2 million study is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.…

  • Robot Being Developed to Aid in Care of Elderly

    The Japanese research foundation RIKEN, in collaboration with Tokai Rubber Industries Ltd. in Nagoya Science Park, has developed a robot with the ability to lift and carry a patient from floor-level bedding to a wheelchair and back.     The robot, with high-precision tactile sensors and motor control, was designed to meet the needs of caring…

  • Corp/Univ Project to Research Green Energy for Data Centers

    Chip maker AMD says it will take part with HP, Clarkson University, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) in a project researching the challenge of channeling renewable energy to data centers. Because wind and solar energy are intermittent power sources, the study will also seek ways to automatically shift a…

  • Laser-Printed Drone Aircraft Developed, Flown

    Engineers at University of Southampton in the U.K. have designed and flown an unmanned aircraft made with a three-dimensional laser printing process. The university worked with 3T RPD Ltd, a company in Newbury, U.K., for the aircraft’s manufacturing. The Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft (SULSA) project led by engineering professors Andy Keane and Jim Scanlan…