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Patent Given for Non-Invasive Spinal Stimulation Technology
2 June 2016. A New York neuroscientist who invented a device for stimulating the spinal cord from outside the body to relieve muscle spasticity and paralysis, received a patent for his technology. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded patent number 9,283,391 to physical therapy professor Zaghloul Ahmed at College of Staten Island, a division of…
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More Genomic Tests Enhance Personalized Cancer Care
2 June 2016. A pilot study with cancer patients shows comprehensive genomic analyses can provide actionable treatment targets in 9 out of 10 cases, exceeding the performance of commercial diagnostic services available today. A team led by genomics professors Rong Chen and Eric Schadt at Mount Sinai medical school in New York published its findings…
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Dispensing Device Shown to Boost Meds. Adherence
1 June 2016. A device that dispenses pills in prescribed dosages at specified times was shown in a user survey to improve adherence to medications for chronic conditions to almost 100 percent. The study by technology company Royal Phillips covered individuals in the Netherlands using the company’s Medido device for up to 1 year. The…
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Computer Model Created for Uterine Contractions
1 June 2016. A medical engineering team developed a computer model that measures muscle activity at various levels in the uterus and can help predict preterm birth. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, with colleagues from University of Arkansas in Little Rock, describe the model in a PLoS One article appearing at the end…
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St. Jude Hospital to Test Nanotech Flu Virus Drugs
31 May 2016. A company developing anti-viral drugs delivered in nanoscale particles is partnering with scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to test drug candidates to treat influenza. Financial details of the agreement between NanoViricides Inc. in Shelton, Connecticut and St. Jude hospital in Memphis were not disclosed. NanoViricides makes drugs that fight dangerous…
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Boehringer, Inventiva Partner on Progressive Lung Disease
31 May 2016. Drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim and biopharmaceutical company Inventiva are collaborating on discovery of new treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and related diseases causing fibrosis. The deal is expected to bring Inventiva, in Daix, France, as much as €170 million ($US 189 million), plus royalties on sales. Boehringer Ingelheim and Inventiva will jointly…
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Memorial Day, 2016
30 May 2016. Today is Memorial Day in the U.S., so Science & Enterprise is taking the day off. We’ll resume our regular posting tomorrow. * * *
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Another Chance to Get Serious on Drug Pricing
Stephen Ubl, president and CEO of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, told a press and industry event in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday (25 May) that drug makers are eager to develop more individualized treatments for patients, but proposed regulations on drug pricing threaten that progress. Ubl also suggested, however, at the Annual…
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Pricing Factors Proposed for Gene Therapies
Updated 27 May 2016. See Another Chance to Get Serious on Drug Pricing. A pediatric cancer specialist and venture capital executive argue for establishing a framework for pricing gene therapies to treat inherited and other diseases, before these treatments are approved by FDA. Stuart Orkin, a pediatric oncologist and hematologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Research Center…
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Self-Driving Truck Software Based on Biological Model
26 May 2016. Researchers from Sweden are developing software for controlling self-driving trucks, using the way animals react and adapt to their environment as a model. The team from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg plans to demonstrate the package on Saturday, 28 May, in a Volvo heavy truck as part of the Grand Cooperative…