Science and Enterprise

Month: November 2011

  • Algorithm Predicts Auto Traffic Intersection Violators

    Aerospace engineers at MIT have developed an algorithm tested on real-life traffic data that predicts when an oncoming car is likely to run a red light at an intersection. The team’s research is expected to appear in an upcoming issue of the journal IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems. Researchers from MIT’s Aerospace Controls Laboratory,…

  • Biotech, Energy Company Partner on Renewable Fuel, Chemicals

    The synthetic biology company Amyris Inc. in Emeryville, California and the French oil and gas company Total have agreed to collaborate on research and production of renewable fuels and chemicals. The agreement expands on an existing R&D relationship between the two companies. Amyris and Total agreed to accelerate the pace of their current partnership to…

  • Contaminants in City Soil Found Similar to Industrial Sites

    Engineers at University of Iowa in Iowa City tested residential soil in nearby Cedar Rapids after the city flooded in 2008 and found industrial pollutants similar to those found at industrial sites. The findings appear in the online issue of the journal Environmental Pollution (paid subscription required), and scheduled to appear in print in the…

  • Patent Awarded for Synthetic Canine Antimicrobial Peptide

    Kansas State University in Manhattan says a team of its researchers has received a U.S. patent for their discovery of a synthetic peptide that helps dogs better fight pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. The patent, “Antimicrobial Cathelicidin Peptides” was awarded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to K-State nutritionist Tonatiuh Melgarejo, immunophysiologist…

  • Fox Foundation to Fund Parkinson’s Drug Candidate Studies

    Civitas Therapeutics Inc., a pharmaceutical company in Chelsea, Massachusetts, received a grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to support the company’s lead drug candidate CVT-301. The amount of the grant to fund clinical development of the drug was not disclosed. Parkinson’s disease occurs when the nerve cells in the brain…

  • European, Chinese Patent Offices Agree to Translations

    The European Patent Office (EPO) and State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) of the People’s Republic of China have agreed to make possible translations of each other’s patents to the general public. The two organizations signed the agreement at their annual joint meeting, held this year in Chongqing, China. The translations in English and Chinese, according…

  • Graphene-Based Nanotech Gas Detector Developed

    Engineers from the U.S. and China devised a foam substance made from graphene that is more sensitive in detecting potentially dangerous and explosive chemicals than current technologies. The researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shenyang published their research in the journal Scientific Reports. The graphene-based…

  • NIH Unveils Web Site to Expedite Lab Technology Transfer

    National Institutes of Health has launched its electronic Research Materials (eRMa) Web site that aims to make it easier for prospects to locate and license findings from NIH’s labs for commercialization. The eRMA site was developed in response to President Obama’s order to agencies last month to speed the process of transferring federal scientific discoveries…

  • Junior Faculty Entrepreneurship Fellowship Grants Open

    The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri has opened the next round of nominations for the Kauffman Junior Faculty Fellowship (KJFF) in Entrepreneurship Research. Each fellowship awards $40,000 to the fellow’s university to support the recipient’s research for two years. The foundation plans to award up to seven KJFF grants to junior faculty…

  • European Commission Approval Granted for Blood Pressure Drug

    The pharmaceutical company Novartis in Basel, Switzerland says its drug Rasitrio has received approval from the European Commission (EC) for the treatment of hypertension or high blood pressure. The drug was designed for blood pressure patients who need multiple medications to treat their condition. Rasitrio has the compound Rasilez, an inhibitor of the enzyme renin…