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Trial Shows Stem Cell Treatment Feasibility for Stroke
8 August 2014. An early-stage clinical trial shows treating stroke patients with their own bone-marrow stem cells is safe and feasible, and provides evidence of improving cognitive and motor functions. The study conducted by Imperial College London and affiliated hospitals in the U.K. appears today in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine (registration required). The…
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Graphene Sensor Designed for Wearable Disease Detection
7 August 2014. Engineers at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor designed a sensor from graphene that makes it possible to embed the technology into wearable devices for disease detection. The team from the labs of electrical engineering professor Zhaohui Zhong and biomedical engineering professor Sherman Fan published their results last month in the journal…
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Efficient Sequencing Method Devised to ID Cells, Biomarkers
6 August 2014. Researchers at University of California in San Francisco and Fluidigm Corp. in South San Francisco developed a more efficient process for analyzing genetic material, still revealing cell types and biomarkers that previously required more in-depth analysis. The team led by Arnold Kriegstein, director of UCSF’s regeneration medicine and stem cell center, and…
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Immunotherapy Start-Up Adds $134M in Venture Funding
5 August 2014. Juno Therapeutics, a biotechnology company in Seattle developing cancer treatments that harness the human immune system, secured $134 million in its second round of venture financing. The company, a spin-off enterprise from research labs in Seattle and New York, says the new round was provided by 10 public mutual funds and health…
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Roche Acquiring RNA Medications Biotech Company
5 August 2014. The pharmaceutical company Roche is acquiring Santaris Pharma, a biotechnology company developing therapies targeting ribonucleic acid or RNA that performs vital genetic functions. Roche is expected to pay as much as $450 million for Santaris, based in Hørsholm, Denmark. Santaris designs therapies focusing on RNA, a fundamental molecular building block in the…
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Consortium to Develop Common Neuroscience Data Format
4 August 2014. A coalition of research institutes and universities working in neuroscience are constructing a common format for sharing data about the brain to make emerging databases more useful to researchers. The Neurodata Without Borders project is an initiative of Allen Institute for Brain Science, California Institute of Technology, New York University School of…
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Allied Minds, Bristol-Myers Squibb Form Life Science Venture
4 August 2014. Allied Minds, a research commercialization company in Boston, and the pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb in New York are starting a joint venture to discover new drug candidates and enterprises from promising life science research in U.S. university labs. Financial terms of the new venture, named Allied-Bristol Life Sciences LLC, were not disclosed.…
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Challenge Seeks Biomarkers for Neuropathic Pain
1 August 2014. A new challenge on InnoCentive is seeking biomarkers that help predict the effectiveness of pain-killing therapies for patients with neuropathic pain. The challenge requires a detailed written proposal due on 27 September 2014, with a payout of $25,000. Free registration is required to see the challenge details. InnoCentive in Waltham, Massachusetts conducts…
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Engineered Protein Detoxes Pesticides, Chemical Weapons
1 August 2014. Biochemists at New York University synthesized a protein that removes the toxic elements of chemicals found in pesticides and some chemical warfare agents. The team led by Jin Kim Montclare at NYU’s engineering school published its findings last week in the journal ChemBioChem (paid subscription required). The process, which includes use of…
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Early Trial Shows Parkinson’s Vaccine Creates Antibodies
31 July 2014. An early-stage clinical trial testing the safety of an experimental vaccine to treat Parkinson’s disease, shows the vaccine generates antibodies that fight the build-up of proteins in the brain associated with the disorder. The vaccine is made by the biotechnology company Affiris AG, which presented the results today at a press conference…