Tag: Europe

  • Univ. Adapts Commercial Technology in Blood Pressure Method

    Researchers at University of Leicester in the U.K. and Singapore medical device manufacturer HealthSTATS International developed a new method of non-surgically measuring blood pressure near the heart. The team published their findings in this week’s issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (paid subscription required). The traditional cuff-style blood pressure monitor inflates…

  • HSBC Takes Climate Change Research to the Bank

    The international financial company HSBC, headquartered in London, has become a champion of climate change, and says its business benefits as a result. Part of HSBC’s involvement includes committing its staff as volunteers in large-scale climate research projects, a story told yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science…

  • U.K. Universities to Forecast Reactor Lifetimes

    Materials scientists and engineers from six universities in the U.K. are taking part in a joint project to forecast the life expectancy of the country’s nuclear power reactors. The research team comes from the University of Leeds, with colleagues from the universities of Manchester, Nottingham, Salford, Sussex, and Huddersfield. The project runs for three years,…

  • Students Develop Remote IED Detonation Technology

    Two graduate students at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have developed a way to remotely detonate improvised explosive devices or IEDs, by using the energy from their electromagnetic impulses. Félix Vega and Nicolas Mora, both from Colombia, developed the technology as part of their doctoral theses, in cooperation with universities in Colombia.…

  • European Nanomaterial Reference Repository Created

    The European Commission’s research center, based in Italy, has launched Europe’s first nanomaterial repository with a collection representing 25 different types of nanomaterials. The repository, operated by the EC’s Joint Research Centre is expected to aid in safety assessments of nanomaterials. Materials developed at nanoscale (1 nanometer = 1 billionth of a meter) offer a…

  • Pharma Companies Partner on Dengue Drugs

    Medivir AB, a specialty pharmaceutical company in Huddinge, Sweden, will collaborate with Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V. in Beerse, Belgium on drugs for the prevention and treatment of dengue virus infection. Both companies plan to use their expertise in protease inhibitors for this partnership. According to the World Health Organization, dengue is the most common mosquito-borne viral…

  • Asian Patents Jump in 2010, Decline in U.S., Mixed in Europe

    The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reports today that the number of patent filings under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) increased in 2010, with the largest percentage gains recorded in Asia. Provisional data for 2010 indicate that 162,900 international patent applications were filed in 2010 compared to the 155,398 applications filed in 2009, an increase…

  • Companies Collaborate on Emergency Hypothermia Therapy

    Physio-Control Inc., a subsidiary of Medtronic Inc. in Redmond, Washington, and BeneChill Inc. in San Diego, California say they will collaborate on a new system for cooling the head and lowering body temperature following cardiac arrest or trauma. The system, called RhinoChill, will be marketed first in Europe, and then the U.S. RhinoChill, say the…

  • Nursing Home Liquid, Cream, Inhaler Drug Error Rates Higher

    A study in British nursing homes finds wide variations in medicinal delivery error rates depending on the formulation and type of delivery system. The results are published in the online edition of the journal BMJ Quality and Safety (paid subscription required). The research team from University of Leeds, University of London, and the London School…

  • U.S., Europe Agree on Patent Classification Principles

    The U.S. and European patent authorities have agreed on the principles for a new system of classifying patents in their respective jurisdictions. A common classification system is expected to make it easier to search for patents across national boundaries. The United States Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) and European Patent Office (EPO) agreed that the new…