Science and Enterprise

Month: February 2011

  • Dengue Fever Vaccine Promotion Initiative Unveiled

    The International Vaccine Institute announced the launch of the Dengue Vaccine Initiative (DVI), a joint project that aims to reduce the economic and infrastructure barriers to the use of a dengue vaccine. Participants include the Sabin Vaccine Institute, Johns Hopkins University, and World Health Organization, with funding from a $6.9 million grant from the Bill…

  • USPTO Updates Patent Examiner Guidelines

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has proposed a supplement to its patent examiner guidelines that the agency says will clarify the scope of patent rights to the public. USPTO released the proposed guidelines in the Federal Register for a 60-day public comment period. The new guidelines address section 112 of the Patent Act,…

  • Brain Shown to Have Opposite Reactions to Fructose, Glucose

    New research on the brain’s reactions to two kinds of sugars offers insights into the way people find some sugary foods so inviting. The results are published in the current online edition of the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism (paid subscription required). Researchers from Oregon Health and Science University in Portland and University of California…

  • Trial: Monitor Implant Lowers Heart Failure Hospitalization

    A clinical trial of a wireless heart monitor implanted in heart failure patients shows the device can markedly reduce the rate of further hospitalizations. The study, conducted in the U.S. and funded by the the monitor’s manufacturer, is published in the current online issue of the journal The Lancet (paid subscription required). The implanted device…

  • Asian Patents Jump in 2010, Decline in U.S., Mixed in Europe

    The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reports today that the number of patent filings under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) increased in 2010, with the largest percentage gains recorded in Asia. Provisional data for 2010 indicate that 162,900 international patent applications were filed in 2010 compared to the 155,398 applications filed in 2009, an increase…

  • Research Suggests Strategy for Stockpiled Avian Flu Vaccine

    A new study suggests that current stockpiles of avian influenza (H5N1) vaccine can be part of an effective strategy to protect against a new pandemic, even though the vaccine was developed for an earlier strain of the virus. The researchers from three universities, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, Group Health Research Institute in Washington state,…

  • Companies Collaborate on Emergency Hypothermia Therapy

    Physio-Control Inc., a subsidiary of Medtronic Inc. in Redmond, Washington, and BeneChill Inc. in San Diego, California say they will collaborate on a new system for cooling the head and lowering body temperature following cardiac arrest or trauma. The system, called RhinoChill, will be marketed first in Europe, and then the U.S. RhinoChill, say the…

  • Life Science Commercialization Grants Awarded

    The Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) in Seattle, Washington awarded some $600,000 in grants for the commercial development of technologies to improve the diagnosis and management of health conditions. LSDF is a Washington state agency that makes grant investments in life sciences research to benefit Washington state citizens. Christopher Bernards at Benaroya Research Institute at…

  • Gates Grants Fund Malaria Modeling Device, Culture System

    The University of South Florida in Tampa received $5.45 million in grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for research on devices related to malaria. The first grant is to create advanced devices that mimic the human liver to better study the life cycle of the malaria parasite. The second grant aims to develop…

  • Univ. Developing Prototype Air Passenger Liquid Scanner

    A University of California at Davis professor is building a magnetic resonance device that can scan unopened bottles carried on airplanes by passengers. Matthew Augustine, a member of the UC Davis chemistry faculty, originally developed the technology to check the quality of wine. Augustine began experimenting with the technology some years ago to check sealed…