Science and Enterprise

Month: July 2013

  • Lightning Detection System Upgraded for Houston, Texas

    A meteorologist at Texas A&M University in College Station developed an enhanced lightning detection system for the Houston region, one of the most lightning-prone areas in the U.S. Richard Orville, an atmospheric sciences professor, led the $1.2 million project, which was funded by National Science Foundation. Houston averages some 1,700 lightning strikes in the months…

  • Stem Cell Developer-Supplier Issues Initial Public Offering

    Cellular Dynamics International in Madison, Wisconsin, a developer and supplier of human stem cells in bulk quantities, filed an initial public offering (IPO) of its stock with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is issuing some 3.85 million shares, which it expects to price at $12.00 to $14.00 a share, giving it an…

  • US, Europe Regulators Give Alzheimer’s Model Positive Marks

    A computer model simulating the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in clinical trials received favorable comments from U.S. and European health regulatory agencies. The Disease Model of Mild and Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease was developed by the Coalition Against Major Diseases, an initiative of the Critical Path Institute in Tucson, Arizona. The model, says the institute,  simulates…

  • Health Records Exchanges Grow, but Sustainability a Question

    Researchers at University of Michigan, Harvard University, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found larger numbers of U.S. hospitals and doctors taking part in electronic health records exchanges — services that store patient records for access as needed by different health care providers — but their funding after this year remains in doubt. The…

  • 3-D Conductive Structures Built with Liquid Metal

    Engineers at North Carolina State University in Raleigh developed techniques to build three-dimensional objects with electrical conductivity from liquid metal at room temperature. A team from the lab of chemical engineering professor Michael Dickey published its findings online last week in the journal Advanced Materials. The NC State researchers devised a series of methods using…

  • Cancer Research UK, Biotech Partner on Drug Discovery

    Forma Therapeutics in Watertown, Massachusetts and Cancer Research Technology Ltd. in London are collaborating on finding drug candidates that target the regulators of protein levels in cells, a key factor in a number of diseases, including cancer. Cancer Research Technology is the for-profit commercialization subsidiary of the foundation Cancer Research UK. Financial amounts to be…

  • Electronic Skin Material Devised to Detect Multiple Senses

    Chemical engineers at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology developed a flexible sensor that can simultaneously detect touch, humidity, and temperature. The team led by Technion’s Hossam Haick published its findings in the June issue of the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (paid subscription required). The Technion team aimed to develop a flexible electronic sensor that would…

  • Lighter, Stronger Metallic Bubble Wrap Developed

    Engineers at North Carolina State University in Raleigh created a flexible metal foam material that’s lighter and stronger than sheet metal, but more heat and chemical resistant than plastic bubble wraps. The team of Advanced Materials Research Lab director Afsaneh Rabiei and doctoral candidate Di Miao presented their findings on 24 June at the Conference…

  • First Birth Reported for Full-Genome Screened IVF Embryo

    A British woman gave birth to a boy in June, following a full genomic sequencing of the embryo to identify potential genetic disorders. Researchers at University of Oxford in the U.K., with colleagues from the reproductive genetics company Reprogenetics in New Jersey and fertility centers in the U.S., described their results today in London at…

  • FDA Approves Maintenance Drug to Treat Opioid Dependence

    Orexo AB, a pharmaceutical company in Uppsala, Sweden says it received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market in the U.S. its drug Zubsolv for the treatment of opioid dependence, such as from prescription pain killers. FDA, says the company, approved the drug as a maintenance treatment — a substitute for addictive…