Science and Enterprise

Month: December 2011

  • Engineered HIV/AIDS Vaccine Approved for Clinical Trials

    A vaccine designed to prevent HIV infection based on a genetically engineered virus has received approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to start clinical trials. The vaccine is a product of a joint venture between Universiy of Western Onatrio in London and the Canadian subsidiary of Korean pharmaceutical venture company Sumagen. Chil-Yong Kang…

  • Self-Healing Integrated Circuit Material Developed

    A team of University of Illinois researchers in Champaign has developed a self-healing process that restores electrical conductivity to a cracked circuit in barely an instant. Illinois engineering professor Scott White, materials science professor Nancy Sottos, chemistry professor Jeffrey Moore, and colleagues published their findings online in the journal Advanced Materials (paid subscription required). Electronic…

  • Chemical Brush Offers Tooth Cavity Filling Alternative

    Engineers at University of Missouri and spin-off company Nanova Inc. in Columbia, Missouri plan to soon begin clinical trials of a device to painlessly replace tooth fillings. Research and development of the plasma brush, as the device is called, was funded by National Science Foundation and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants from National Institutes…

  • Algae Protein Electrodes Boost Photosynthesis Process

    Researchers from the Swiss research institute Empa, University of Basel in Switzerland, and Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago have developed electrodes made from algal protein that mimic a key process in photosynthesis used to directly generate hydrogen from water. The team describes their findings in the online issue of the journal Advanced Functional Materials (paid…

  • Battery Developer, Utility to Partner on Grid Energy Storage

    Lithium-ion battery developer A123 Systems in Waltham, Massachusetts and Massachusetts electric power company NSTAR have agreed to pilot test A123 batteries as storage devices in a suburban power grid. The pilot project will study and document the performance and reliability of A123 batteries at a substation in Medway, Massachusetts and is expected to become operational…

  • U.S., Russia Implement Patent Cooperation Agreement

    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent) have implemented an agreement simplifying patent applications involving the two countries. Under the agreement, Rospatent will act as an international searching authority (ISA) and international preliminary examining authority (IPEA) for international applications filed with the USPTO as the…

  • Bacteria Made Fluorescent in Unison for LED-Like Display

    Researchers at University of California in San Diego have created a process for giving bacteria the ability to glow simultaneously in a colony, much like a neon sign. This discovery, which has commercial applications and for which a patent has been filed, is described this week in the advanced online issue of the journal Nature…

  • Life Science Venture Fund Raises $313 Million

    Burrill & Company in San Francisco announced today a new life sciences investment fund with commitments so far totaling $313 million. The company says its Burrill Capital Fund IV plans to make early to late stage investments in therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, health care delivery, wellness, and digital health. CEO G. Steven Burrill says the…

  • FDA Approves Cardiac Device for Children Awaiting Transplant

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved the Excor Pediatric System, a device to support children with heart failure until a donor for a heart transplant can be found. The device is made by Berlin Heart GmbH in Germany and The Woodlands, Texas. The Excor Pediatric System is an external heart pump…

  • Vanderbilt Team Develops Simple Medical Test Prep Device

    Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville are developing a medical collection and preparation system that promises to bring diagnostic testing to the poorest areas of the world. The device, called the Extractionator, is the product of Vanderbilt biomedical engineer Rick Haselton, chemist David Wright, and biochemist Ray Mernaugh. Haselton, Wright, and Mernaugh received a $1…