Science and Enterprise

Month: September 2010

  • Genome Sequence Completed for Endangered Tasmanian Devil

    Researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, U.K. and life science instrumentation company Illumina Inc. in San Diego, California have created a draft genome sequence for the endangered Tasmanian devil and will use these results to find genetic mutations in the transmissible cancer that is ravaging its population. The findings, say the Wellcome…

  • New York Life Sciences Landing More Venture, Government Funds

    The New York Biotechnology Association (NYBA) in Stony Brook said today that in the first half of 2010, universities, companies and research organizations in New York State received $336.6 million in private and government investment. NYBA based its report on results from the quarterly PricewaterhouseCoopers Money Tree Report and data from the National Institutes of…

  • Energy Dept. Awards Grants for University Tech. Commercialization

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) selected five projects to build and strengthen what it calls “innovation ecosystems” designed to accelerate the movement of new energy technologies from university laboratories to the market. This is the first time DoE has funded this type of university-based commercialization. The ecosystems will bring together universities, the private sector,…

  • Startups License Academic Research to Combat Counterfeiting

    Two startup companies completed exclusive license agreements with University of Arkansas – Little Rock (UALR) to bring to market technology developed by UALR’s Nanotechnology Center that offers anti-counterfeiting solutions for manufacturers. UALR says the technology will enable companies and government agencies to authenticate items with an invisible and unique code that is virtually impossible to…

  • University Licenses Carbon Nanotube Technology for Fuel Cells

    Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee has commercialized research on nanomaterials by one of its engineering professors to a company making components for hydrogen fuel cells. Bing Energy Inc., a manufacturer of fuel cell components in Chino, California, has entered into an agreement with FSU that gives it exclusive use of Zheng’s patented technology. Jim…

  • Blood Disorder Gene Therapy Results Published

    The current online issue of the journal Nature features an article with the first results of a clinical trial testing gene therapy on beta-thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder. The trial tests the drug LentiGlobin, developed by bluebird bio (formerly Genetix Pharmaceuticals Inc.) of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Nature paper describes the experiences of the first patient…

  • Small Business Robotics Research Grants Available

    Five U.S. federal departments and agencies announced a joint solicitation for small business research on Robotics Technology Development and Deployment (RTD2). Under this program, small businesses can apply for research funding on a wide range of topics, including robot-assisted rehabilitation, robotics for drug discovery, and robots that can disarm explosive devices. The White House Office…

  • Kauffman Awards $500K Grant for More Women-Owned Startups

    The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri announced today a $500,000 grant to Astia, a business accelerator in San Francisco, California that works with women-led startups, to encourage the formation of more high-growth entrepreneurial companies owned by women. The organizations note that data show women start more than 50 percent of all businesses,…

  • Robotic Catheter to Treat Cardiac Condition in Development

    Researchers from North Carolina State University (NC State) in Raleigh are developing a computerized catheter designed to make the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation faster, cheaper, and more effective.  The device can also decrease a patient’s radiation exposure related to the treatment. Atrial fibrillation occurs when random electrical activity occurs in the upper chambers of…

  • Government-Industry-Academic Team Sequences Cacao Genome

    Researchers from government, industry, and academia announced early results of a project that sequenced the genome of the cacao tree, which grows in the tropics and produces crops that are processed into cocoa. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that released the findings, says they will help sustain the supply of high-quality cocoa to the…