Month: April 2015
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Simple Avian Flu Test Designed for Poultry
10 April 2015. A bioengineering lab at University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada developed a quick, simple test for avian flu virus that infects poultry, including the type of virus now infecting turkeys in the U.S. and Canada. Guelph’s Bionano Lab led by engineering professor Suresh Neethirajan says a description of its device will appear…
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North Texas Campuses Researching Assistive Technologies
10 April 2015. Two University of Texas campuses, in Dallas and nearby Arlington, formed a research center to study software solutions for assistive technologies that benefit disabled and able-bodied people alike. The iPerform Center for Assistive Technologies to Enhance Human Performance, funded for five years by National Science Foundation, is also enlisting industry partners that…
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Alzheimer’s Drug Granted Orphan Status for Fragile X
9 April 2015. A new treatment in development for Alzheimer’s disease was designated an orphan drug for Fragile X syndrome, an inherited neurological disorder, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Neurotrope BioScience Inc. in Newark, New Jersey, received the designation for its drug bryostatin, now in clinical testing to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Fragile X…
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Trial Testing Mobile Apps for Mood Management
9 April 2015. A lab at Northwestern University medical school developed a collection of mobile apps for helping people cope with feelings of depression and anxiety, and is testing the apps as personalized interventions in a clinical trial. The study is led by David Mohr, director of Northwestern’s Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, who is…
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Purdue Spin-Off Designing Customized Synthetic Tissue
8 April 2015. A one year-old company, based on research at a Purdue University biomedical engineering lab, is producing customized biomaterials designed to form into synthetic tissue for drug discovery and toxicity testing. GeniPhys, founded by Purdue biomedical engineering professor Sherry Harbin, aims to further develop the technology, licensed from the university, into engineered tissue…
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Uninsured Patients Paying Far More for Cancer Drugs
8 April 2015. An analysis of cancer drug costs and reimbursement practices shows people without health insurance are paying much more for chemotherapy drugs than people covered under private insurance or Medicare. The team led by pharmacy professor Stacie Dusetzina at University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill published its findings in the April issue…
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Mobile Diabetes Device Maker Lands $20M in Venture Funds
7 April 2015. Livongo Health, a developer of mobile devices to help people with chronic disorders manage their conditions, raised $20 million in its second venture financing round. Funding for the Mountain View, California start-up, founded 7 months ago, was led by venture capital company Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, with participation from DFJ Ventures and…
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Collaboration Collecting Data to ID Precise Cancer Meds
7 April 2015. A partnership between Caris Life Sciences and COTA, short for Cancer Outcomes Tracking and Analysis, is combining data on the chemical makeup of cancer patients with clinical outcomes information to create better profiles of cancer tumors and identify more personalized therapies. Financial details between Caris Life Sciences in Irving, Texas and COTA,…
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Algorithms Compute Blood Volume from Video Images
6 April 2015. Engineers from Rice University in Houston wrote a series of algorithms that make it possible to calculate blood volume from facial video images rather than attaching a device to a person’s skin. The team from Rice’s Scalable Health Initiative that examines applications of technology to improve the conduct of health care, published…
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Bristol-Myers Squibb Licensing Gene Therapies in $2.3B Deal
6 April 2015. Drug maker Bristol-Myers Squibb is licensing gene therapies from biotechnology company uniQure N.V. in a deal with a total potential value of $2.3 billion, including an equity stake in uniQure. The agreement gives Bristol-Myers Squibb exclusive access to as many as 10 disease programs being developed by uniQure, including a treatment for…