Month: May 2014
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App Measures Health Status with Basic Smartphone Technology
8 May 2014. Computer scientists and medical researchers at University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and Chicago designed a mobile app that uses technology already built in today’s smartphones to track basic health indicators. The team led by Illinois computer scientist Bruce Schatz appears in the 10 May 2014 issue of the journal Telemedicine and e-Health.…
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Biopharm, University Partner on Universal Flu Vaccine
8 May 2014. Etubics Corp. in Seattle and University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston are developing a new type of flu vaccine that aims to provide continuous protection against a variety of seasonal virus strains. The five-year project is funded by a $4.4 million grant from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID),…
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New Company Formed to Commercialize Synthetic DNA Discovery
7 May 2014. Synthorx Inc., a spin-off company from Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, will commercialize research licensed from Scripps that adds synthetic DNA elements into natural DNA of organisms. The research, led by Scripps chemistry professor and Synthorx co-founder Floyd Romesberg, appears today online in the journal Nature (paid subscription required). Romesberg,…
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Biotech Alliance to Humanize Pig Lungs for Transplant
7 May 2014. Synthetic Genomics Inc. in La Jolla, California and Lung Biotechnology Inc. in Silver Spring, Maryland are developing synthetic lungs from pigs for patients with end-stage lung diseases needing a transplant. While all financial aspects of the deal were not disclosed, United Therapeutics Corporation — the parent company of Lung Biotechnology — is…
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FDA Clears Asthma/COPD Mobile Reporting, Analytic System
6 May 2014. Propeller Health in Madison, Wisconsin says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the latest version of its mobile-device system to record and track maintenance therapy for patients with respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. The new version of the system cleared by the FDA, says…
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Immune Therapeutics Start-Up Raises $37.5M in Early Funding
6 May 2014. Anokion SA in Lausanne, Switzerland, a start-up enterprise developing therapies to treat immune systems disorders, raised 33 million Swiss francs ($US 37.5 million) in its first venture financing round. The round was led by Novartis Venture Fund, and two life-science investment companies — Novo Ventures and Versant Ventures — with participation from…
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Regeneron, Avalanche to Partner on Eye Disorder Gene Therapy
5 May 2014. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in Tarrytown, New York is licensing gene therapy technology from Avalanche Biotechnologies in Menlo Park, California to develop and commercialize new treatments for eye diseases. The value of the deal is at least $640 million, but not all payment amounts were disclosed. Regeneron is a biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for inflammation, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, cancer,…
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Study Aims to Boost Wireless Channel Management, Performance
5 May 2014. Researchers from University at Buffalo and the engineering company Andro Computational Solutions in Rome, New York are analyzing a scheme to make better use of the wireless radio spectrum and boost performance for the burgeoning number of devices with wireless connections. The four-year, $2.72 million project is funded by the U.S. Air Force Research…
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Challenge Seeks Fluoride Activity, Disposition in Brushing
2 May 2014. A new challenge at InnoCentive is looking for detailed answers to questions about the way fluoride works in cleaning teeth once it leaves the toothbrush. The challenge has a total purse of $20,000 and a deadline of 29 May 2014. InnoCentive in Waltham, Massachusetts conducts open-innovation, crowdsourcing competitions for corporate and organization…
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Pfizer, Second Genome to Partner on Human Microbes, Obesity
2 May 2014. Second Genome, a biotechnology company in South San Francisco, California, and the pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. are conducting a large-scale study to better understand the relationship among gut microbes, obesity, and metabolic disorders, such as diabetes. Financial and intellectual property aspects of the collaboration were not disclosed. Second Genome develops therapies affecting…