Science and Enterprise

Category: Regulations

  • Stem Cells Found to Protect Against Chemo Side Effects

    Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and four other institutions have developed a method for transplanting brain cancer patients’ own gene-modified blood stem cells to protect their bone marrow against the toxic side effects of chemotherapy. Their findings appear in this week’s issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine (paid subscription…

  • HHS Awards First Health Care Innovation Awards

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services revealed the first group of universities, companies, and medical centers to receive Health Care Innovation awards. The three-year cooperative agreements, authorized by the Affordable Care Act, total $122.6 million and are administered through HHS’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. The department says the 26 awardees were…

  • Early Trial Results Indicate Cystic Fibrosis Drug Efficacy

    Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts says interim data from a clinical trial of its cystic fibrosis drugs point to improved lung function among patients who took the drugs. The results reported from the trial were for patients with two copies of the most common mutation of the cystic fibrosis regulator gene. The phase 2…

  • NIST Develops New Biometric Communications Protocol

    Computer scientists at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed and published a new protocol for communicating with biometric sensors over wired and wireless networks. Biometric sensors are being used increasingly for security access to and controls on electronic systems and physical facilities. The new protocol, called WS-Biometric Devices (WS-BD), allows desktops, laptops,…

  • Clinical Trial to Test Varied Hypertension Drug Dosage

    Researchers at University of Rochester Medical Center in New York are testing if a lower dose of an common blood pressure medicine can provide the same benefits as a standard dose in people with mild hypertension. The new clinical trial is funded with a $1.9 million grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute,…

  • White House Issues Outline for Bioscience-Based Economy

    The Office of Science and Technology Policy in the White House today released a national Bioeconomy Blueprint that it says will harness biological research to address national priorities. The plan outlines actions to be undertaken by federal agencies. No mention is made of new legislation, although the administration’s latest budget submission identified as a priority…

  • Biopharm Lands $25M Venture Funding for Phase 3 Trial

    Argos Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company in Durham, North Carolina, says it secured $25 million in series D venture financing, the fourth funding installment after initial start-up. The funds are expected to support a planned clinical trial of Argos Therapeutics’ immunotherapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer. The financing was led…

  • Forest Biofuels Unsustainable, Could Boost Greenhouse Gases

    An analysis by researchers in Europe and the U.S. indicate that large-scale biofuel production from forest biomass is unsustainable and will increase greenhouse gas emissions. The findings appear online in the journal Global Change Biology/Bioenergy. The report, an invited analysis by the journal, was led by the Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Germany, Oregon State…

  • Helicopter Medevacs Save Trauma Patient Lives But Are Costly

    A study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore shows helicopter transport increases the survival rate of trauma victims brought to hospitals compared to ground transport, but the costs are high and better guidelines are needed to determine when to use this resource. The findings are published in this week’s issue of the…

  • Clinical Trial Shows Brain Cancer Vaccine Extends Lives

    A clinical trial involving researchers from University of California at San Francisco and the biotechnology company Agenus Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts found a vaccine has extended the lives of patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme, a type of brain cancer. The findings are being presented today at a meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.…