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Pfizer, Opko Partner on Growth Hormone Drug
16 December 2014. The pharmaceutical company Pfizer is licensing an engineered compound to treat human growth hormone deficiency in adults and children from Opko Health Inc., a provider of therapeutics and diagnostics. The deal has a potential value to Opko of $570 million, plus royalties from sales. Opko Health, based in Miami, offers drugs and…
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University Prof to Commercialize 3-D Printed Cell Platforms
15 December 2014. A biomedical engineer at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston plans to develop a commercial platform for three-dimensional printing of artificial cells in research, education, and industrial applications. Mark DeCoster, an engineering faculty member at Louisiana Tech, received a $50,000 National Science Foundation I-Corps grant to further develop the idea into a marketable…
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Nanomedicine Developer Secures $7.5M Venture Funds
15 December 2014. Cristal Therapeutics, a developer of medications formulated as nanoscale particles, raised more than €6 million ($7.5 million) in early-stage venture funds. The financing round for the company, based in Maastricht, The Netherlands, was led by Chemelot Ventures, with current seed investors Thuja Capital, BioGeneration Ventures, Nedermaas, Utrecht University Holding, and Beheer Innovatiefonds…
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SpaceX Mission to Carry University Pathogen Research
12 December 2014. The next launch of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station will carry a set of specially-configured petri dishes testing the effect of microgravity on the virulence of salmonella bacteria. The research is the work of microbiologists at Arizona State University and engineers at University of Colorado in Boulder. Salmonella…
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Test Reveals, Measures Breast Cancer Recurrence Risk
12 December 2014. A study by Genomic Health, a developer of diagnostics for personalized cancer treatments, shows its test of an early-stage breast cancer can predict long-term chances of recurrence. Frederick Baehner, a pathologist at University of California in San Francisco and vice-president of Genomic Health, is scheduled to present the findings with colleagues today…
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Trial Testing Blood Filter Device for Hepatitis C Virus
11 December 2014. Aethlon Medical Inc. is beginning patient recruitment for an early-stage safety and feasibility study of its blood filtration device with patients in kidney dialysis who also have hepatitis C. The San Diego medical device developer plans to test the Hemopurifier device at DaVita Medical Center in Houston. Patients with kidney disease needing…
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Flexible Pulse Oximeter Designed for Wearable Devices
11 December 2014. Engineers at University of California in Berkeley developed techniques for building inexpensive sensors to measure pulse rate and blood oxygen levels into flexible materials suitable for wearable monitors or fitness devices. The team led by UC-Berkeley electrical engineering professor Ana Arias published its results online yesterday in the journal Nature Communications (paid…
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Chikungunya Virus Antibody Isolated, Tested
10 December 2014. Researchers from biotechnology company Integral Molecular and Blood Systems Research Institute identified and tested with lab animals a human antibody that limits viral activity causing chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease spreading in the Western hemisphere. The team led by Integral Molecular CEO Benjamin Doranz published its findings in this month’s issue of Journal…
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Organic Farming Narrows Yield Gap With Conventional Methods
10 December 2014. An analysis of research studies comparing organic to conventional farming shows conventional techniques have greater yields, but by a smaller margin than previously thought. The team led by environmental scientist Claire Kremen at University of California in Berkeley published its findings in today’s issue of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society…
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Fewer Americans on Pain Meds, But in Risky Combinations
9 December 2014. A review of insurance claims from 2009 to 2013 shows fewer Americans taking opioid pain medications, but for longer periods than originally prescribed and in potentially dangerous combinations. Results of the review were released today in a report by the pharmacy-benefit management company Express Scripts in St. Louis, and authored by Lynne…