Month: March 2015
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MedImmune, Joslin Partner on Diabetes Research
10 March 2015. Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston and MedImmune, the biotechnology subsidiary of pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, are collaborating on research to identify new drugs to treat diabetes. While the partnership calls for MedImmune to fund research conducted at Joslin, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Diabetes is a chronic condition where the pancreas…
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Heart-on-Chip Device Built to Screen Drugs
9 March 2015. A bioengineering team at University of California in Berkeley developed a device with cardiac tissue derived from stem cells that can test drug candidates for potentially toxic effects. Researchers from the lab of engineering professor Kevin Healy published their findings today in the journal Scientific Reports. Healy and colleagues created this device…
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Funds Awarded for Astronaut Eye Disorder Technologies
9 March 2015. Three companies are each receiving $100,000 in early-stage funds from a challenge seeking technologies to diagnose or correct eye problems in space faced by astronauts. The awards are made by National Space and Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, from its Vision for Mars Challenge. The Vision…
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Biomedical Applications for Nanofibers Sought in Challenge
6 March 2015. A new challenge on InnoCentive is seeking novel ways of using unique properties of nanofibers to treat human diseases. The competition as a total purse of $10,000 and a deadline of 3 April 2015. InnoCentive in Waltham, Massachusetts conducts open-innovation, crowdsourcing competitions for corporate and organization sponsors. The sponsor, in this case,…
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Gates Invests, Supports R&D in RNA Vaccine Maker
6 March 2015. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is making an equity investment and providing a grant to support research at CureVac GmbH, a developer of vaccines and therapies with RNA molecules. The foundation is investing €46 million ($52 million) in CureVac, in Tübingen, Germany, but the amount of the grant supporting research in…
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Trial Testing Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury
5 March 2015. A clinical trial testing a stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury is recruiting patients at an Atlanta rehabilitation center. The intermediate-stage trial, conducted by biotechnology company Asterias Biotherapeutics, aims to initially enroll 13 adults to test three dosage levels of neural stem cells designed to restore motor functions to spinal cord…
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Synthetic Polymer Shown to Reduce Heavy Bleeding
5 March 2015. A University of Washington research team developed a synthetic polymer that in lab animals acts like natural proteins to form blood clots to stop heavy bleeding, a common danger in trauma cases. The group led by Washington bioengineering faculty Suzi Pun and emergency medicine professor Nathan White published its findings yesterday in…
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Robot for Reaching Children With Autism Demonstrated
4 March 2015. Milo, a humanoid robot designed to engage and build social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder, was shown today at a press conference in Washington, D.C. The demonstration also reported on early research findings that suggest Milo can reach some children with autism to develop their social interactions. Autism spectrum disorder is…
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Alliance to Build Photonic Mosquito Control Device
3 March 2015. A collaboration between a social enterprise and lighting technology company aims to develop a laser device to control disease-carrying mosquitoes without pesticides. Financial details of the partnership between Global Good and Lighting Science Group, a designer of advanced industrial and residential lighting systems, were not disclosed. Global Good brings together government, business,…
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Pen-Dispensed Bio-Inks Developed for On-Demand Sensors
3 March 2015. Researchers at University of California in San Diego developed a way to create bioactive inks to use in hand-drawn sensors when needed at the point of care and other applications in the field. The team from the lab of nanoengineering professor Joseph Wang reported on their proof-of-concept findings last week in the…