Month: February 2011
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Cutting Waste and Costs in the O.R.
A team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins University schools of medicine and public health in Baltimore, Maryland has proposed ways of reducing the environmental footprint of surgeries without compromising patient care. Their recommendations, which also offer potential significant cost savings to hospitals, appear in the February issue of the journal Archives of Surgery (paid…
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Univ. Adapts Commercial Technology in Blood Pressure Method
Researchers at University of Leicester in the U.K. and Singapore medical device manufacturer HealthSTATS International developed a new method of non-surgically measuring blood pressure near the heart. The team published their findings in this week’s issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (paid subscription required). The traditional cuff-style blood pressure monitor inflates…
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DuPont Expanding Agricultural Research in Delaware
The chemical company DuPont plans to expand its biotech research on soybeans at its Delaware facilities. The $50 million expansion is expected to create 75 new, full-time positions in Delaware by the end of 2015. The proposed investment will include expanding biotech research facilities at DuPont’s research and development headquarters, the Experimental Station, in Wilmington…
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High-Res Optics Developed for Imaging Under the Skin
An engineering professor at University of Rochester in New York has developed new medical optics that provide diagnostic images under the skin’s surface. Jannick Rolland discussed the technology on Saturday at the 2011 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C.. Rolland’s technology aims to detect and examine skin…
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HSBC Takes Climate Change Research to the Bank
The international financial company HSBC, headquartered in London, has become a champion of climate change, and says its business benefits as a result. Part of HSBC’s involvement includes committing its staff as volunteers in large-scale climate research projects, a story told yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science…
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Finance Friday: 18 February 2011
Here are recent angel and venture finance transactions for science- and engineering-based companies, as reported by Xconomy and elsewhere. Biomedical/Life Sciences Rosetta Genomics Ltd. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. MicroRNA-based molecular diagnostics. $6.0 million, equity. Versartis in Mountain View, California. Protein drugs for endocrine disorders. $21 million in Series B equity financing. Ivivi Health Sciences in San…
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USDA Funding Research on Climate Change, Agr Production
USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded three grants to study the effects of climate change on agriculture and forest production. NIFA Director Roger Beachy made the announcement today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C. A research team led by Dr. Tim Martin,…
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Contract Awarded for Smallpox Countermeasure Drug Candidate
Chimerix Inc., a pharmaceutical company in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, was awarded a contract by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to develop the company’s antiviral drug candidate, CMX001 as a medical countermeasure in the event of a smallpox release. The contract has a total potential value of $81 million. CMX001 is…
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Chemistry Prof. Commercializes Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology
A chemistry professor at Michigan State University in East Lansing developed a process for making inexpensive hydrogen fuel cells to generate cheap electrical power, and helped start a business to bring that technology to market. A company making portable device chargers has now licensed the technology and unveiled its product this week. James Dye has…
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U.K. Universities to Forecast Reactor Lifetimes
Materials scientists and engineers from six universities in the U.K. are taking part in a joint project to forecast the life expectancy of the country’s nuclear power reactors. The research team comes from the University of Leeds, with colleagues from the universities of Manchester, Nottingham, Salford, Sussex, and Huddersfield. The project runs for three years,…