Month: January 2015
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New Process Expands Samples for Microscope Magnification
16 January 2015. Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a process for expanding the size of tissue samples that makes possible high resolution images with ordinary laboratory materials and microscopes. The team led by MIT bioengineering professor Ed Boyden published its findings yesterday in the online journal Science Express (paid subscription required). Microscopes have…
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DNA Tools Being Devised to Determine Physical Appearance
15 January 2015. A genetics professor in Indiana is developing forensics techniques to determine physical appearance characteristics of people from samples of their DNA. The work of Susan Walsh, in the biology department at Indiana University – Purdue University in Indianapolis is funded by a $1.1 million grant from National Institute of Justice, a division…
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European Consortium to Create Alzheimer’s Trial Panel
15 January 2015. A group of 35 universities, companies, and research institutes in Europe are forming a panel of people in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease to test new treatments that prevent the disorder. The five-year European Prevention of Alzheimer’s dementia or EPAD project is part of the Innovative Medicines Initiative, a joint undertaking…
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FDA Approves Nerve Pathway Device for Obesity
14 January 2015. U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a device blocking nerve signals between the brain and stomach to help obese people who have not responded to other weight-loss methods control their appetites and lose weight. The Maestro Rechargeable system approved by FDA is made by medical device maker EnteroMedics Inc. in St.…
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Trial Testing RNA Therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Update: 15 January 2015. Comments on the article are offered at the end of the main text. 14 January 2015. A clinical trial is underway testing safety and effectiveness of synthetic RNA treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease affecting primarily males. The treatments are developed by Sarepta Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company in…
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Behavioral App Developer Lands $20 Million in Venture Funds
13 January 2015. Ginger.io, a company in San Francisco developing smartphone apps for monitoring mental state and wellness, raised $20 million in its second venture financing cycle. The new funding was led by first-round investors Khosla Ventures and True Ventures, with participation by undisclosed new investors. Ginger.io, a spin-off from human dynamics research at MIT’s…
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Foundation Supporting Open Science Initiatives
12 January 2015. Helmsley Charitable Trust is awarding $6.4 million in grants to three not-for-profit organizations that foster more open and collaborative science. The awards, from the foundation’s Biomedical Research Infrastructure Program, support new research platforms, data management tools, and training programs. The Biomedical Research Infrastructure Program aims to support new technologies and systems that…
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Roche Buys $1 Billion Stake in Cancer Genetics Company
12 January 2015. Pharmaceutical company Roche is acquiring a majority stake in Foundation Medicine, a company conducting personal genomic analyses for cancer patients. The investment, licensing, and collaboration deal is expected to bring Foundation Medicine, in Cambridge, Massachusetts more than $1 billion. Foundation Medicine — founded by scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School,…
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Biogen Idec, Columbia to Partner on Genetics Research
9 January 2015. Biotechnology company Biogen Idec and Columbia University in New York are collaborating on research into genetic causes of disease that aims to uncover targets for new treatments and help in the early stages of producing those treatments. The partnership is valued at $30 million, but timetable, intellectual property, and further financial details…
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Trial Shows Synthetic Insulin Reduces Alzheimer’s Symptoms
9 January 2015. A clinical trial shows a synthetic form of insulin delivered with a nasal spray can improve memory functions of people with mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer’s disease. Results of the study led by gerontology professor Suzanne Craft of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina appear in an advance…