Science and Enterprise

Month: August 2013

  • Menthol Cigarette Smoking Rising Among Teens, Young Adults

    Public health researchers from University at Buffalo in New York found smoking of mentholated cigarettes is increasing among teenagers and young adults in the U.S., while smoking of non-menthol cigarettes declined in this age group. The findings of the team led by Buffalo’s Gary Giovino — with colleagues from Johns Hopkins and Georgetown universities,  Biostatistics…

  • Portal Launched Matching Cancer Cells to Drug Molecules

    The Broad Institute, a medical research organization with scientists from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, opened its Cancer Therapeutics Response Portal, an online resource that matches potential drug molecules to their sensitivities among hundreds of cancer cell lines. The portal is described this week in the journal Cell (paid subscription required), in an…

  • Genetic Technique Tracks Salmonella Strain in Supply Chain

    Agricultural scientists at Pennsylvania State University found a way of identifying and tracking strains of antibiotic resistant Salmonella bacteria through the food supply chain, even if the strain evolves. The team from the lab of food science professor Edward Dudley describes the technique in the September issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (paid…

  • NIH Funding Micro-Sutures for Stem Cell Heart Muscle Repair

    Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts and University of Washington in Seattle are collaborating on development of tiny bio-compatible polymer threads that help stem cells repair damaged heart muscle. The work of Worcester Tech biomedical engineers Glenn Gaudette and George Pins, with Washington pathology professor Michael Laflamme is funded by a five-year $1.94 million…

  • Princeton Lab, USDA Partner on Egg Pasteurization Process

    Engineers from Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in Plainsboro, New Jersey and agricultural scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture research lab in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania developed a process and device for pastuerizing eggs in the shell without damaging the delicate egg white. The team inventing the process filed for a patent and is seeking licensees to…

  • Balance Device, Software Devised to Measure Concussion

    An exercise and nutrition researcher at San Diego State University developed a simple, inexpensive, and reliable system to test athletes for concussion. The balance tracking system, called B-TrackS, is the work of SDSU’s Daniel Goble, and in the process of commercialization, according to a statement from the university. Testing athletes in contact sports for concussions can…

  • Open Source Energy-Economy Optimization Model Developed

    Computer scientists and engineers at North Carolina State University in Raleigh developed a computer model to aid energy-related economic policy decisions, making both their data and source code available to the public. The model, called Tools for Energy Model Optimization and Assessment or Temoa, is the work of a team led by NC State engineering…

  • Biomaterial Skin Patch Shows Promise as Tuberculosis Test

    Engineers at University of Washington and colleagues from the Infectious Disease Research Institute in Seattle found a patch made with material from crustacean shells can deliver a tuberculosis skin test as successfully as current needle-based methods. The findings from the lab of Washington materials scientist Marco Rolandi appear online in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials…

  • University, Company Partner on Computer-Based Drug Discovery

    The drug discovery company Serometrix in Pittsford, New York is deploying bioinformatics software developed by University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland for identifying protein structures that show subtle clues as potential targets for drugs. Financial terms of of the licensing agreement were not disclosed. The system is a result of  a collaboration between Strathclyde chemistry…

  • XPrize Cancels $10 Million Genomics Challenge

    The XPrize Foundation in Los Angeles cancelled a $10 million challenge to bring down the cost of genomic sequencing, saying the advance of technology has overtaken the purpose of the competition. Foundation chair and CEO Peter Diamandis announced the cancellation on Thursday in a Huffington Post article and on the challenge’s Web page. The Archon…