Month: April 2012
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European Approval Granted for Temporary Heart Pump
Abiomed Inc. in Danvers, Massachusetts, a developer of medical devices for circulatory support, says its Impella cVAD heart pump has received a CE mark indicating approval to market the device in EU member countries. The marking, an acronym for the French Conformité Européenne, certifies that a product has met EU health, safety, and environmental requirements.…
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PhRMA Company R&D Investment Flat in 2011
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) released its annual industry profile today showing its 28 member companies spent $49.5 billion on research and development in 2011, down slightly from the $50.7 billion expended in 2010. The $49.5 billion spent on R&D is about 17 percent of total sales. The organization cites the latest…
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Skin, Umbilical Cord Cells Converted to Nerve Cells
Researchers at University of Bonn, with colleagues from medical centers in Germany, have developed a process for converting human cells from skin and umbilical cords directly into usable quantities of nerve cells, bypassing previous intermediate steps. Their findings appear this week in the journal Nature Methods (paid subscription required). Converting one type of human cell…
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Energy Department Seeking New Power Storage Technologies
The U.S. Department of Energy is looking for new methods for storing electric power, for use in plug-in passenger cars and to improve the performance of the nation’s power grids. The $30 million research program is being offered by the department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). The agency’s Advanced Management and Protection of…
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Non-Invasive Technique Developed to Measure Brain Pressure
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with colleagues in the U.S. and the U.K., have devised a non-invasive technique to measure intercranial pressure that builds up in cases of head trauma and brain tumors. Their findings are described in this week’s issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine (paid subscription required). When head trauma or…
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Michigan State Forms Subsidiary to Encourage Start-Ups
Michigan State University in East Lansing has formed a subsidiary of its MSU Foundation to help faculty and students turn their research discoveries into operating businesses. Spartan Innovations LLC will be part of the university’s Innovation Center located adjacent to the campus. Spartan Innovations is expected to tap into a $350 million capital fund from…
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Biotech Licenses Brain-Nervous System Treatment Technology
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel says it has licensed a technology from its labs that crosses the blood-brain barrier to deliver drugs for treating disorders of the brain and central nervous system. The V-Smart technology, as its called, was licensed exclusively to Lauren Sciences LLC, a privately held biotechnology company in New York.…
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IBM, Universities Form Canadian Research Center
IBM Corporation is establishing a new research and development center in Barrie, Ontario, part of a $210 million technology initiative involving research universities in the province. The plan calls for investments of $175 million by IBM, $20 million by the government of Canada, and $15 million by the Ontario government, with the creation of 145…
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Companies Join Stanford/Berkeley Open Networking Consortium
Twelve companies in software, mobile computing, semiconductors, and IT equipment have joined with research groups at Stanford University and University of California at Berkeley to explore software-defined networking as a new paradigm in networking. The aim of the Open Networking Research Center (ONRC) is to develop the intellectual foundations of software-defined networking in order to…
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DuPont Expanding Iowa Agriculture R&D Center
DuPont Corporation says it will add a $40 million plant genetics research center to its current facilities in Johnston, Iowa. The 200,000 square foot center is expected to add some 400 jobs. The new facility will be part of DuPont’s Pioneer Hi-Bred business, a subsidiary developing seeds through plant genetics. Johnston is located northwest of…