Science and Enterprise

Tag: U.K.

  • MRSA Toxicity Predicted Through Genomic Sequencing

    9 April 2014. Researchers in the U.K., U.S., Sweden, and Turkey developed a technique based on genomic sequencing to predict the pathogenic severity of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA bacteria, an antibiotic-resistant microbe often found in health care facilities. The team led by University of Bath biologist Ruth Massey published its findings today online…

  • University, Board Maker Partner on Point-of-Care Diagnostics

    8 April 2014. Computer scientists in the U.K. at Southampton University and circuit board manufacturer Newbury Electronics Ltd. are designing a device to detect protein indicators for diagnosing diseases at a doctor’s office or clinic rather than sending out samples to a lab for analysis. The three-year project led by Southampton’s Themis Prodromakis, is funded…

  • Novo Nordisk, University Partner on Diabetes in Big Cities

    28 March 2014. The pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, based in Denmark, and University College London in the U.K. are studying the scope of diabetes in big cities to develop a strategy for attacking the problem, while accounting for the special needs of urban centers. The Cities Changing Diabetes project, which includes Steno Diabetes Center, a…

  • Drug Discovery Consortium Harnesses Sequencing, Big Data

    27 March 2014. A collaboration among the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, European Bioinformatics Institute, and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute aims to tap the power of genomic sequencing combined with bioinformatics to boost the success rate of discovering safe and effective medicines. Financial details of the partnership creating the new Centre for Therapeutic Target Validation were not disclosed. The consortium…

  • Investments Added to Breakout Labs Life Science Seed Grants

    26 March 2014. NetScientific in Cambridge, U.K. is adding investment funds for qualified life science enterprises taking part in Breakout Labs to help them advance beyond the initial start-up phase. Under the deal, Breakout Labs portfolio companies fitting into NetScientific’s investment priorities will qualify for $250,000 in follow-on investment beyond Breakout Labs’ $350,000 in seed…

  • Light-Activated Coating Kills Bacteria, Even in Dark

    25 March 2014. Chemistry researchers at University College London in the U.K. developed a material that when coated on surfaces in the lab can kill bacteria when exposed to light, as well as in total darkness. The team led by UCL chemistry professor Ivan Parkin published its findings online earlier this month in the journal…

  • Smartphone App for Point-of-Care Diagnostics in Development

    20 March 2014. Engineers at University of Cambridge in the U.K. designed a smartphone app that accurately performs tests with urine or saliva samples at the point of care. The app, called Colorimetrix, is the work of Leo Martinez-Hurtado, now a postdoctoral researcher at Technical University of Munich and Cambridge Ph.D. candidate Ali Yetisen, who…

  • Virtual Fish in Development for Environmental Toxin Testing

    13 March 2014. Researchers at Plymouth University in the U.K. and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca are developing a technique to gauge potential toxic effects of chemicals in rivers and oceans using cells from fish configured into a testing device. The three-year, £600,000 ($998,000) project of biologist Awadhesh Jha with colleagues from Plymouth and AstraZeneca is funded by U.K. science…

  • Life Sciences Investment Company Closes New Fund

    28 February 2014. Abingworth LLP, an investment company based in London, closed its 10th fund designed for financing life sciences and health care enterprises. The company says its Abingworth Bioventures VI fund raised £225 million ($375 million), exceeding its target of £200 million. Abingworth expects its Bioventures VI fund to invest in life sciences companies in Europe…

  • Gene Modified Potatoes Developed with Blight Resistance

    24 February 2014. Researchers at The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, U.K. developed and field tested a new type of potato with greater genetically modified resistance to late blight, a long-time scourge of potato growers. The team led by Sainsbury plant biologist Jonathan Jones reported its findings online last week in the journal Philosophical Transactions of…