Month: February 2015
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RNA Flu Therapy Clinical Trials Complete Enrollment
19 February 2015. Two late-stage clinical trials testing an influenza treatment that disrupts a virus’s genetic replication ability finished recruiting more than 2,000 participants worldwide. The trials are being conducted by MediVector Inc., a drug development company in Boston, for Joint Project Manager Medical Countermeasure Systems, an office in the U.S. Department of Defense developing…
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Synthetic Bone Marrow System Produces Platelets
19 February 2015. Bioengineers in the U.S. and Italy designed a programmable bioreactor system that emulates bone marrow to produce platelets, blood cells that coagulate to prevent bleeding. The team led by Tufts University bioengineering professors Alessandra Balduini and David Kaplan published its findings last month in the journal Blood (paid subscription required). Balduini and…
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European Patent Issued for Rare Liver Disease Drug
18 February 2015. Synageva BioPharma Corp., a biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for rare diseases, received a European patent on its treatment for lysosomal acid lipase deficiency, an inherited disease causing severe disruptions and injuries to the liver. The European Patent Office issued patent number EP2613798 B1 on 11 February to inventor Anthony Quinn, Synageva’s chief…
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Flu Vaccine Shown to Protect Against Avian Influenza
18 February 2015. Researchers at University of Chicago and Mount Sinai medical centers found people who receive the seasonal flu vaccine also generate antibodies that in lab cultures and animals act against avian (H7N9) and other influenza strains. The team led by Chicago’s Patrick Wilson and Mount Sinai’s Florian Krammer published its findings yesterday in the Journal…
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Redesigned Crutch Developer Gains $450K in Early Funds
17 February 2015. A company developing a more comfortable alternative to standard underarm or forearm crutches, secured $450,000 in its first venture funding round. Financing for Better Walk Inc., a spin-off from Georgia Institute of Technology and based in Atlanta, is led by MB Venture Partners, a Memphis-based venture capital firm. A broken ankle playing basketball…
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Patent Awarded for Neurostimulation Electronics
17 February 2015. A U.S. patent on electronic components for switching and pulse generation in neurostimulation devices was awarded earlier this month. The Patent and Trademark Office awarded patent number 8,948,880 on 3 February to Barry Yomtov, founder and chief technologist of AdvaStim Inc. in Beverly, Massachusetts, and assigned to the company. AdvaStim develops modular…
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Image Analysis Company Raises $800K for New Venture
16 February 2015. Glencoe Software Inc., a developer of image analysis and management software for research and pharmaceutical applications, raised $800,000 to fund a new venture in digital pathology. Financing for the Seattle company’s venture is provided by TIE Angels Group – Seattle and several other local angel investors. Glencoe is the commercialization arm of…
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Thyroid Cancer Drug Approved by FDA
16 February 2015. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved on Friday a drug for differentiated thyroid cancers, where the cancer continues to grow despite treatments with radioactive iodine. The drug, lenvatinib, is marketed by Eisai Inc. in Woodcliffe, New Jersey, under the brand name Lenvima. The thyroid gland helps the body regulate metabolism, using…
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Intrexon Acquires Biopharm Company for $60M
13 February 2015. Intrexon Corp., a biotechnology company in Gaithersburg, Maryland specializing in synthetic biology, is acquiring ActoGeniX, developing biologic therapies from engineered microbes. Under the deal, stockholders of ActoGeniX, based in Ghent, Belgium, are receiving $30 million in cash plus another $30 million in Intrexon stock. ActoGeniX develops therapies from engineered microbes, particularly Lactococcus…
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Devices Assembled to Record Doctor-Patient Interactions
13 February 2015. Computer scientists at University of California in San Diego assembled a collection of audio and video devices into a portable package that records doctors’ consultations with patients when also using electronic health records. The team led by computer science researcher Nadir Weibel that includes members from San Diego university and veterans’ medical…