Month: February 2014
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Challenge Seeks Better Metal Removal Method from Mine Water
7 February 2014. A new challenge on InnoCentive asks for new, less expensive techniques to remove metals from water that drains from mines, both current and inactive. The competition has a total purse of $12,000 and a deadline of 8 March 2014 (free registration required). InnoCentive in Waltham, Massachusetts conducts open-innovation, crowd-sourcing competitions for corporate…
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Shire to End Major Depression Drug Booster Development
7 February 2014. Shire PLC, a pharmaceutical company in the U.K., will end trials of its drug Vyvanse as a supplement to anti-depressants for treating major depressive disorder. The company made the decision following results of two late-stage clinical trials that show the drug failed to meet the studies’ effectiveness objectives. Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) is…
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Xerox Testing Video to Monitor Patient Vital Signs
6 February 2014. Engineers at Xerox Corporation research centers in Bangalore, India and Webster, New York are testing the feasibility of video sensing combined with data analytics to track the status of patients with chronic conditions. The project is led by Xerox research fellow Lalit Mestha in Webster. The techniques tested by Xerox use video…
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Calif Stem Cell, UC Irvine Partner on Eye Transplant Tissue
6 February 2014. California Stem Cell Inc. in Irvine and University of California in Irvine are researching the creation of retinal tissue from stem cells for transplants in patients with incurable retinal disorders, such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. The study is funded by a $4 million grant from the California Institute of…
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Sense of Touch Restored to Amputee’s Prosthetic Hand
5 February 2014. Biomedical engineers and computer scientists at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland developed a sensory feedback system for an amputee’s prosthetic hand to control grasping and sense stiffness and shapes of objects. The findings of the Lifehand 2 team led by EPFL’s Silvestro Micera, with colleagues from other institutions in Europe,…
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Myriad Genetics Acquires Rheumatoid Arthritis Test Developer
Myriad Genetics Inc., a designer of genetics-based diagnostics in Salt Lake City, will acquire Crescendo Bioscience in South San Francisco, California, a developer of molecular blood tests for autoimmune diseases, particularly rheumatoid arthritis. Myriad is paying $270 million in cash, which includes repayment of an outstanding $25 million loan to Crescendo. Crescendo Bioscience, founded in…
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NIH, Pharmas, Non-Profits Partner on Molecular Drug Targets
4 February 2014. National Institutes of Health (NIH), with 10 pharmaceutical companies and 8 not-for-profit organizations, are collaborating on identification of targets at the molecular level for new drugs and diagnostics. The Accelerating Medicines Partnership — a five-year, $230 million initiative — is expected to focus on Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and the autoimmune disorders…
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Telemedicine Found to Expand Care to Less Engaged Patients
4 February 2014. A study by Rand Corporation, a policy analysis organization, indicates people who use a service that makes possible medical help from a doctor over the telephone tend to be those without established health care relationships. The findings of Rand policy analysts Lori Uscher-Pines and Ateev Mehrotra appear in the February 2014 issue…
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NSF-Funded Research Studying Robot-Human Interaction
3 February 2014. Computer scientists at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts are researching interactions between humans and robots in factory and home settings, working either as collaborators with or helpers to people. Research by Worcester Tech faculty Dmitry Berenson and Sonia Chernova, is funded by a pair of three-year grants from National Science Foundation’s National…
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Faster Process Developed to Test for Staph Infections
3 February 2014. Researchers at University of Iowa in Iowa City designed a process with synthesized genetic material that detects dangerous staph infections in the body faster than with current methods. The team led by medical school professor James McNamara, with colleagues from the university and genetic systems company Integrated DNA Technologies in nearby Coralville,…