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University Starts Computer Science/Brain Research Consortium
26 August 2014. Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh organized an international consortium of researchers to apply computer science techniques to the study of brain research and behavior. The collaboration, known as BrainHub, includes researchers from nearby University of Pittsburgh, as well as Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, and…
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FDA Approves Low-Dose Anti-Inflammatory for Arthritis Pain
25 August 2014. Iroko Pharmaceuticals LLC in Philadelphia says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its low-dose formulation of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac to treat pain from osteoarthritis. FDA in October 2013 already approved this drug, marketed under the name Zorvolex, as a treatment for mild to moderate pain in adults. Osteoarthritis is…
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Trial Crowdsources Lung Cancer Biomarker Screening
22 August 2014. A clinical trial at University of Colorado Cancer Center in Aurora is recruiting participants through an online campaign to find people with lung cancer that meet a specific genetic profile who would most likely respond to the drug being tested. The study is led by Ross Camidge, director of the center’s thoracic…
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Extended Hemophilia Therapy Lowers Bleeding Rates in Trial
22 August 2014. Results from a late-stage clinical trial show an extended-life therapy to control hemophilia reduces rates of bleeding among patients when used as a preventive medication. The biologic tested in the trial is an extended release version of Advate, an engineered form of blood coagulant proteins made by Illinois-based drug maker Baxter International…
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FDA Approves AFib Monitor Algorithm for Mobile Devices
21 August 2014. AliveCor Inc. in San Francisco says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared an analytical processing algorithm to detect atrial fibrillation by its heart monitor designed for smartphones and tablets. FDA already cleared the basic AliveCor mobile device heart monitor system for marketing in the U.S. in February 2014. The company’s heart…
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Analysis Uncovers Biotech Commercialization Bottlenecks
21 August 2014. The path from scientific discovery in an academic lab to the marketplace is rarely a straightforward process, with researchers and entrepreneurs often facing detours and delays keeping new biomedical technologies in limbo for years at a time. Those are the conclusions of faculty at Georgia Institute of Technology’s business school that studied…
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Security Flaws Revealed in Full-Body X-Ray Scanner
20 August 2014. Computer scientists at three universities evaluated the backscatter X-ray scanners used in U.S. airports up to 2013, finding weapons could be readily concealed, and the device vulnerable to hacking. The team from University of California in San Diego, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and University of Michigan in Ann Arbor will present…
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Medications, Phone Calls Boost Smoking Cessation Rates
20 August 2014. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston found a combination of free medications and repeated automated telephone calls sharply cuts smoking rates among discharged patients, compared to patients receiving the standard counseling before leaving the hospital. The findings of the team led by Nancy Rigotti, director of Mass. General’s Tobacco Research and…
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New Medical Technologies Investment Fund Raises $110M
19 August 2014. HealthQuest Capital, a spin-off investment firm, says it raised $110 million for funding in technology-based start-ups serving the health care industry. The company was spun off from Sofinnova Ventures in Menlo Park, California and founded by Garheng Kong, a Sofinnova general partner. HealthQuest plans to invest in companies developing medical devices, diagnostics, patient-care…
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Novartis Acquires Stake in Stem Cell Therapy Company
19 August 2014. Gamida Cell, a developer of therapies from umbilical cord stem cells, says the global pharmaceutical company Novartis is buying a 15 percent interest in the company, with an option to acquire the entire company later. The deal brings Gamida Cell, located in Jerusalem, Israel, $35 million immediately, with a total potential return…