Science and Enterprise

Tag: biotechnology

  • Synthesized Methods Developed for Anti-Coagulant Drugs

    Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill have developed a new method for producing the anti-coagulant drug fondaparinux that is purer, faster, and less expensive. Their findings, which the authors say offer a template for the discovery of other drugs, appear in the 28 October issue…

  • Dana-Farber, Brigham and Women’s Establish Genomic Database

    Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital — both in Boston — have launched a new research project to scan tumor tissue from adult cancer patients for hundreds of gene mutations linked to cancer. The program, called Profile, aims to speed the development of cancer treatments that target the genetic weaknesses in each patient’s…

  • FDA Approves Advance of ALS Stem Cell Trial

    Neuralstem Inc. in Rockville, Maryland says the Food and Drug Administration has approved the progression of a clinical trial to broaden treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with neural stem cells. Based on the FDA’s approval, the trial at Emory University in Atlanta can expand stem cell transplant region for treating ALS, also known as…

  • Contract Awarded to Test Nerve-Agent Protection Drug

    An NIH program to develop countermeasures against chemical weapons has awarded a contract to a University of Colorado researcher to evaluate a commercial drug’s ability to protect against nerve agents. The $736,000 contract from NIH’s Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Research Network to Manisha Patel (pictured left), at University of Colorado’s School of Pharmacy in…

  • U.S. Venture Investments Up in Q3, Science Companies Mixed

    Dow Jones VentureSource reports that venture capital (VC) investment in the U.S. rose in the third quarter of 2011 compared to 2010, including the number and size of deals and investment volume. Among science-based companies, medical device and energy companies gained in investment deals and volume. Among biotech and pharmaceutical companies, the number of deals…

  • Johns Hopkins, Eisai to Collaborate on New Brain Drugs

    Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in Baltimore and Eisai, a pharmaceutical company in Tokyo, will collaborate on research for discovery of drugs for brain conditions such as schizophrenia, pain, brain tumors and Alzheimer’s disease. The partnership will be part of the NeuroTranslational Program in JHU’s Brain Science Institute. The Brain Science Institute researches questions about brain…

  • ARPA-E Grant Funds Development of Univ. Oil Plant Research

    Arcadia Biosciences Inc. in Davis, California has received a $950,000 grant to develop technology that helps plants produce high levels of oil in their leaves and stems. That technology is based on research conducted at nearby University of California – Davis. Vegetable oil is the most concentrated source of energy made by plants, but is…

  • Diagnostics Start-Up Closes $33.5M Early-Stage Financing

    Foundation Medicine Inc., a developer of cancer genome diagnostics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has expanded its early stage financing to $33.5 million, adding new venture investors. The additional financing is expected to help the company continue its research  work on cancer diagnostic tests. The new funding from Google Ventures and venture capital company Kleiner Perkins Caufield…

  • Pharma, Technology Lead Worldwide Corporate R&D Rebound

    Research and development spending by the largest 1,400 corporate R&D spenders worldwide increased by more than 4 percent to €465 billion ($US 630 billion) in 2010, reversing a nearly 2 percent decline in 2009. The data are compiled in the European Commission’s EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard, released today. Pharmaceuticals/biotechnology, technology hardware, and automotive companies…

  • Harvard Program to Apply Systems Approach to Drug Discovery

    Harvard Medical School is launching an Initiative in Systems Pharmacology, to develop what it calls a comprehensive strategy to transform drug discovery. The program aims to reverse the slowdown in the development of new therapies and involve a range of disciplines and methods outside the usual collection of life scientists and clinicians. Marc Kirschner, who…