Month: September 2011
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U.S. Patent No. 8 Million Signed, Reform Bill Action Urged
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) held a ceremonial signing today of the eight millionth U.S. patent awarded in the agency’s history. The USPTO’s director and acting Secretary of Commerce used the occasion to urge the Senate to complete its work on patent reform legislation. USPTO issued patent no. 8 million on 16 August…
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Light Posting Today
We will have fewer items than usual today, in order to attend various events and meetings. The regular volume will resume tomorrow. * * *
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$100K Challenge Seeks Responsive Insulin Delivery
A new challenge at InnoCentive seeks new ideas for the development of “glucose-responsive insulin” that would respond to the needs of the individual rather than deliver fixed dosage amounts. The competition has a prize of $100,000 and requires a written proposal. The deadline for entries is 9 November 2011. InnoCentive in Waltham, Massachusetts is a…
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CE Mark Approved for Migraine Implant Therapy
St. Jude Medical in St. Paul, Minnesota says it received the European CE Mark approval for its implanted neurostimulation device for patients with chronic migraines. The CE marking (an acronym for the French “Conformite Europeenne”) certifies that a product has met EU health, safety, and environmental requirements for consumer safety. The company’s Genesis system for…
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U.S., China Universities to Collaborate on Cancer Biomarkers
Arizona State University in Tempe and Sun Yat-Sen University (SYSU) in Guangzhou, China have agreed to collaborate on research developing early and predictive diagnostics for colorectal cancer. The agreement involves the Biodesign Institute’s Center for Sustainable Health at ASU and the SYSU Gastrointestinal Institute of the Sixth Affiliated Hospital in Guangzhou. Research scientists at the…
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Magnetic Fields Help Purify Hybrid Nanoparticles
Chemistry, physics, and materials scientists at Pennsylvania State University have invented a new system using magnetism to purify hybrid nanoparticles, a development with implications for drug delivery, medical imaging, and related fields. The findings of Mary Elizabeth Williams, Raymond E. Schaak, and their colleagues at Penn State appear online in the journal Agewandte Chemie (paid…
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Engineers Develop Full Duplex Wireless Technology
Computer engineering researchers at Rice University in Houston have developed a technology that makes it possible for wireless devices to transmit and receive signals simultaneously and on the same frequency. This “full-duplex” capability can, in effect, double the capacity of wireless networks without adding any more cell phone towers. Mobile phones and wireless data devices…
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Microbes Found to Clean Nuclear Waste, Generate Electricity
Researchers at Michigan State University in East Lansing have shown the ability of certain microbes to generate an electric current while cleaning up uranium in wastewater. The team’s findings, for which patents have been filed, appear online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (paid subscription required). Microbiologist Gemma Reguera (pictured right)…
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Ohio Medical Imaging Center Awarded Research Funds
The Philips Healthcare Global Advanced Imaging Innovation Center, a collaboration of Philips Healthcare and Case Western Reserve University hospitals and medical center in Cleveland, has received $2.6 million in two grants from the Ohio Third Frontier Commission. The Philips Healthcare imaging center conducts clinical research, development, and commercialization of medical imaging technologies. The larger ($1.6…
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New Method Can Increase Commercial Antibiotic Yields
Researchers from the U.K. and Japan have devised a new method for increasing the yields of antibiotic compounds from bacteria. The process, which has practical applications in commercial pharmaceutical production, is scheduled to be described this week in an online issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Most known antibiotics are…