Science and Enterprise

Month: January 2013

  • Synthetic Stool Found to Stop C. Difficile Infections

    Bioscientists at University of Guelph and University of Western Ontario in Canada created synthetic fecal matter for transplants that in early human trials stopped C. difficile infections. The findings of the team led by Guelph’s Emma Allen-Vercoe (pictured right) appear online in the inaugural issue of the journal Microbiome. Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a…

  • Graphene Oxide Absorbs Radioactive Material in Wastewater

    Researchers at Rice University in Houston and Lomonosov Moscow State University in Russia developed a lab process with graphene oxide to remove radioactive materials from contaminated water. The team from the labs of Rice chemistry professor James Tour and Moscow chemist Stepan Kalmykov published their findings in a recent issue of the journal Physical Chemistry…

  • New Company Formed to Create Engineered Corneal Tissue

    Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, North Carolina Eye Bank, and the company Ocular Systems Inc., all in Winston-Salem, are forming a new company to create bioengineered tissue for cornea transplants. The startup company, HCEC LLC (for human cultured endothelial cells), is expected first to advance the technology to the point of an FDA submission for…

  • Foundation Medicine Adds $13.5 Million to Series B Funds

    Foundation Medicine, a genomic diagnostics company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, added $13.5 million to its current venture funding, bringing its series B  round — the second financing cycle after start-up — to $56 million. The new investors include entrepreneurs and venture financiers Bill Gates, Evan Jones, and Yuri Milner. Foundation Medicine, founded by scientists at the…

  • Color X-Ray System Devised for Health, Security, Industry

    Materials scientists at University of Manchester in the U.K. developed a faster and more feasible 3D color X-ray system with potential uses in health care, security inspections, and industrial quality assurance. The researchers, led by Manchester’s Robert Cernik, describe their invention in the current issue of the journal Analyst (free registration required). Cernik’s team, which…

  • Addition of Lightning Data Increases Tornado Warning Times

    Engineers at Earth Networks in Germantown, Maryland developed a system for analyzing lightning occurrences during severe weather they say can increase lead times in predicting most tornados by 50 percent. Chonglin (Charlie) Liu of Earth Networks will discuss the company’s dangerous thunderstorm alert system in a presentation this week at a meeting of the American…

  • Genetic Tech Company to Acquire Prenatal Test Developer

    Illumina Inc., a developer of genetic diagnostics systems in San Diego, will acquire Verinata Health Inc. in Redwood City, California, a provider of non-invasive prenatal tests for high-risk pregnancies. The deal will pay Verinata Health $350 million, with up to $100 million in additional milestone payments through 2015. Illumnia offers technology for research and diagnostics,…

  • Battery Life Extended for Working Electric Locomotive

    Engineers at Pennsylvania State University in University Park wrote a new energy-reviving algorithm for lead-acid batteries that power an electric locomotive hauling freight for Norfolk Southern Railway. The team led by Penn State mechanical engineering professor Christopher Rahn describe their research, funded by Department of Energy, in this month’s issue of Journal of Power Sources…

  • Potential Cause of Statin-Produced Muscle Pain Revealed

    Researchers at Copenhagen University in Denmark identified a possible cause for muscle pain encountered by people taking a leading statin drug for control of cholesterol. The team from the university’s Center for Healthy Aging, led by Flemming Dela, reported its findings in this month’s issue of the Journal of American College of Cardiology. Statins are…

  • Trial Fails to Show Biogen Idec ALS Drug Efficacy

    Biogen Idec, a biotechnology company in Weston, Massachusetts, reported the clinical trial of a drug to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) did not meet its main objectives. Based on these results, the company decided to stop further development of dexpramipexole, the drug tested in the trial. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a…