Science and Enterprise

Month: August 2012

  • Biotech Begins Clinical Trial for Stroke Treatment

    ZZ Biotech, a biotechnology company in Houston, began a clinical trial of an experimental drug to treat acute ischemic stroke, where blood flow to the brain is blocked by a clot. The drug being tested is 3K3A-APC, the result of research first conducted at University of Southern California and Scripps Research Institute in California, and…

  • Color Codes, Eye-Level Positions Boost Healthy Food Choices

    A hospital’s program encouraging more healthful cafeteria food choices through color-coded labels and the positioning of items in display cases was found successful across all categories of employees. A team from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, led by Harvard University public health professor Douglas Levy, published a study of the program online in the American…

  • Targeted Cancer Therapies Result in Fewer Side Effects

    An analysis of data from early-phase clinical trials indicates patients treated with targeted cancer therapies have a lower risk of more serious side effects than with traditional chemotherapy. The findings from researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, U.K., and Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust appear in this month’s issue of the journal…

  • Composite Nanofibers Developed for Orthopedic Biomaterials

    Biomedical engineers at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia developed a technology for creating composite nanoscale fibers for replacement tissue to treat orthopedic injuries. The team led by Penn medical school professor Robert Mauck published its findings online this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (paid subscription required). Recent advances in…

  • Simple Process Devised to Make Thin-Film Display Material

    Researchers at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and Advanced Technology Materials Inc. in Danbury, Connecticut developed a simpler and less expensive process for producing thin films of indium tin oxide used in touch-screen displays and solar panels. The team led by Brown chemistry professor Shouheng Sun (pictured right) published its findings online in a…

  • MIT Start-Up Building Solar Thermal Systems for Clinics

    A not-for-profit company established by students and alumni at Massachusetts Institute of Technology is testing a solar energy system that generates electric power and hot water for isolated health clinics in Africa. The team led by Matthew Orosz, a recent Ph.D. recipient in mechanical engineering, will describe its work in an upcoming issue of the…

  • Students, Postdocs, Policies Drive University Spinoffs

    A new report from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation says participation of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in forming businesses, coupled with campus policies and support structures, help propel the creation of spinoff companies from universities. The Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City conducts research and advocacy on entrepreneurship, and provided one of the report’s authors…

  • Foundation Medicine, Clovis Oncology Partner on Diagnostics

    Genomic diagnostics provider Foundation Medicine in Cambridge, Massachusetts and biotechnology company Clovis Oncology in Boulder, Colorado, will collaborate on diagnostics to identify cancer patients most likely to respond to rucaparib, a drug candidate in development by Clovis Oncology. Rucaparib is a small-molecule drug developed to treat tumors with defective BRCA gene function in breast and…

  • 120-Car Fleet Testing Intelligent Vehicle Network

    A fleet of 120 cars began today a field test in Germany of intelligent vehicle technology. Researchers at Munich Technical University (Technische Universität München, TUM) designed the testing scenarios and will process the data, as part of a larger project involving auto manufacturers, technology providers, universities, and research institutes. The Safe Intelligent Mobility – Test…

  • Technology Created to Remove Toxins from Edible Crop Plants

    Researchers in Denmark, Spain, and Germany developed a method for keeping natural plant toxins out of edible parts of food and animal feed crops. The team led by University of Copenhagen plant biologist Barbara Ann Halkier reports its findings in this week’s issue of the journal Nature (paid subscription required). Halkier and colleagues studied glucosinolates,…