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Process Devised for Plastics from Carbon Dioxide, Plants
10 March 2016. Producing common plastics like polyester today often needs large inputs of fossil fuel derivatives. A chemistry lab at Stanford University in California developed a low-carbon alternative to polyester that combines recycled carbon dioxide with inedible plant matter, such as agricultural waste, as reported in today’s issue of the journal Nature. Matthew Kanan…
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Study to Develop Simple, Standard TBI Test Process
9 March 2016. An industry, academic, and medical center research team is beginning a study to better diagnose traumatic brain injury with multiple testing methods. The project is an undertaking of medical device maker Abbott, Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, and University of Minnesota medical school, also in Minneapolis. The initiative aims to develop…
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Hydrogel Injection Tested to Treat Advanced Artery Disease
9 March 2016. A biomedical engineering team developed an injected hydrogel for advanced cases of peripheral artery disease that in lab animals improved blood flow and muscles in affected limbs. Researchers from University of California in San Diego, led by bioengineering professor Karen Christman, published their findings earlier this year in the Journal of the…
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Genetics Company Makes Available Cancer Sequencing Database
8 March 2016. A genetic testing company is making freely available a database of genomic sequencing data from patients with breast and ovarian cancer. The database, from 10,000 human genomes but with personal identity removed, is offered by Ambry Genetics in Aliso Viejo, California. Ambry Genetics is a 16 year-old company offering genetic tests for…
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Platform Devised for 3-D Engineered Heart, Liver Tissue
8 March 2016. An engineering team at University of Toronto designed and tested in lab animals a technology for growing synthetic heart and liver tissue for drug testing and eventual clinical use. Researchers led by chemical engineering professor Milica Radisic published their findings yesterday (7 March) in the journal Nature Materials; paid subscription required. Radisic…
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Allergy Drug Shown to Allow Eating Small Peanut Amounts
7 March 2016. A new drug was shown in a clinical trial to allow most children and teens with food allergies to eat peanuts in small quantities. The results of the intermediate-stage trial were reported yesterday at the annual meeting of American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Los Angeles. Allergies to peanuts and other…
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Taking a Break
23 February 2016. Science & Enterprise is taking a break for the next 12 days, in order to recharge some batteries and do some photography. We’ll return to regular posting on Monday, 7 March. * * *
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Gene Editing Creates Pigs Resilient to African Virus
23 February 2016. University and industry researchers edited the genomes of domesticated pigs to create a variety better able to withstand a deadly tick-borne virus. The team from University of Edinburgh and the biotechnology companies Sangamo BioSciences and Genus plc published its findings in yesterday’s (22 February) issue of the journal Scientific Reports. The team…
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Breast Cancer Academic Research Program Launched
23 February 2016. Breast Cancer Research Foundation in New York began a new initiative to attract more academic researchers to take part in clinical trials of cancer therapies. The group is starting its Drug Research Collaborative, with a $15 million contribution from drug maker Pfizer, that is also granting research access to its cancer drug…
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Duchenne-Related Stem Cell Heart Therapy Trial Underway
22 February 2016. An early clinical trial testing a stem cell therapy for heart disease among individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy treated its first enrolled patient. The trial is conducted by Capricor Inc. in Los Angeles, developer of the treatments code-named CAP-1002, for cardiomyopathy or heart failure related to Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is…