Science and Enterprise

Month: July 2012

  • Robotic Legs Developed with Human Walking Motion

    Engineers at University of Arizona in Tucson have developed a robotic pair of legs with a biologically accurate walking motion. Theresa Klein (pictured right) and Anthony Lewis at Arizona’s Robotics and Neural Systems Laboratory published the results of their work this week in the Journal of Neural Engineering. The researchers say the robotic legs have…

  • FDA Approves Viral Load Test for Organ Transplant Patients

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first DNA test to gauge anti-viral treatments with solid organ transplant patients in  cytomegalovirus (CMV) antiviral therapy. The COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan CMV Test was is marketed by Roche Molecular Systems in Pleasanton, California. CMV is a common virus that can cause severe diseases such as pneumonia…

  • Researcher Writes Anti-Data Theft Software for Smartphones

    A computer scientist at Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany (English translation by EurekAlert) has written an application to prevent the theft of data from Android smartphones. The app was written by computer science professor Michael Backes, pictured right, who chairs the university’s Center for IT-Security, Privacy and Accountability, and who has also started a company…

  • Trial Shows Platelet Drug Benefit for Aplastic Anemia

    A clinical trial has shown eltrombopag, a drug originally designed to stimulate production of platelets from bone marrow, can raise blood cell levels in some people with severe aplastic anemia, who have failed all standard therapies. The findings of the phase 2 trial conducted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and other…

  • UN Body Releases New Food Safety Standards

    The UN’s Codex Alimentarius Commission issued new safety standards for infant formula, fruit, and seafood, as well as recommendations for nutritional labeling. The commission, a joint standards body of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), released the standards at its 2-7 July meeting in Rome. Codex standards can…

  • Happy Independence Day 2012

    Today is the fourth of July in the U.S., so Science Business will take a break from its regular schedule to enjoy the festivities. We’ll be back tomorrow. *     *     *

  • Alzheimer’s Biomarker Project to Gain Whole Genome Data

    The Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a project for validating the use of biomarkers to diagnose the advance of Alzheimer’s disease, will obtain the complete genomic sequencing data of people with the disease. The Laboratory of Neuro Imaging at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) receives and stores the data for the project. ADNI…

  • X-Ray Efficiency Boosted with Nanomaterials

    Physicists in the U.S. and China have developed nanoscale materials using a design based on the eye of a moth to increase the efficiency of X-ray devices, which can lead to higher resolution images with lower doses of radiation. The research team led by Yasha Yi at City University of New York published its findings…

  • Nanotech Coatings Found to Protect Ships from Barnacles

    Chemists and molecular biologists in Germany and the Netherlands have tested coatings with vanadium pentoxide nanoparticles as an alternative to tin- and copper-based substances that prevent the build-up of marine organisms on ships’ hulls. The team led by Wolfgang Tremel of Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany reported their findings online this week in the…

  • Memory Device Maker Secures $12.5 Million Venture Loan

    Avalanche Technology, a developer of digital memory devices in Fremont, California has received a $12.5 million loan from Horizon Technology Finance Corporation in Farmington, Connecticut. Horizon Technology Finance calls the deal a venture loan, since the debt is secured by earlier venture capital and private equity financing. The funding is expected to support Avalanche Technology’s…