Science and Enterprise

Tag: U.K.

  • Cambridge U.K. Spin-Off Gains $9.5 Million in Early Funding

    Mission Therapeutics, a research spin-off company from Cambridge University in the U.K., has raised £6 million ($US 9.5 million) in Series A funding from a European venture capital syndicate. Series A investments represent the first round of significant funds raised after an enterprise’s initial launch. The company specializes in the discovery and development of drugs…

  • New Treatment Fixes Tooth Decay Without Drilling

    Researchers at University of Leeds in the U.K. have developed a way of treating dental decay that reverses the damage caused by acid and re-builds teeth, without drilling. The technology developed at Leeds has been licensed to a company in Switzerland for commercialization. Dental cavities are caused by a process that begins with bacteria, which…

  • Computer Model Helps Pinpoint Cancer Cell Targets

    Medical and computer scientists in Israel and the U.K. have developed a computer model of cancer cell metabolism, which can help predict which drugs are lethal to cancer cells. Their work was part of a research study reported online last week in the journal Nature (paid subscription required). Many cancer drugs are now designed to…

  • Clinical Trial Shows Drug Improves Heart Muscle Functions

    A clinical trial conducted by University of Hull in the U.K. shows the drug omecamtiv mercabil improves the heart’s ability to pump blood in heart failure patients. The findings by Hull cardiology professor John Cleland and colleagues appear in the 20 August issue of the journal The Lancet (paid subscription required). Omecamtiv mercabil is one…

  • Oxford, Illumina to Sequence 500 Human Genomes

    Oxford University in the U.K. and Illumina Inc. in San Diego will collaborate on a project to sequence the whole genomes of 500 people with a range of life-threatening diseases. The research will explore how whole-genome sequencing can improve diagnosis and treatment decisions for individual patients. Illumina is a developer and manufacturer of genomic analysis…

  • Laser-Printed Drone Aircraft Developed, Flown

    Engineers at University of Southampton in the U.K. have designed and flown an unmanned aircraft made with a three-dimensional laser printing process. The university worked with 3T RPD Ltd, a company in Newbury, U.K., for the aircraft’s manufacturing. The Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft (SULSA) project led by engineering professors Andy Keane and Jim Scanlan…

  • Chemical Particles in Diesel Fumes Pose Cardiac Risk

    Researchers at University of Edinburgh in the U.K. and colleagues in the Netherlands and Sweden have found that ultrafine particles from the burning of diesel fuel can increase the chances of blood clots forming in arteries, leading to a heart attack or stroke. Their findings appear in the current issue of the European Heart Journal.…

  • Lasers, Electric Fields Aid Lab-on-a-Chip Technology

    Researchers from universities in the U.S., U.K., and China are developing new processes that combine a laser and electric fields to manipulate fluids and tiny particles such as bacteria, viruses, and DNA on miniature chip-sized analytic devices. These advances, with applications ranging from drug manufacturing to food safety, are described in the current issue of…

  • Anti-Smoking Drug Raises Risk of Heart Problems

    Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Wake Forest University, and University of East Anglia in the U.K. found healthy tobacco users that take a leading smoking cessation drug face a notably greater chance of hospitalization from heart problems, compared to those taking a placebo. The findings appear in the current issue of the Canadian Medical Association…

  • University Spin-Off to Develop Semiconductor Power Devices

    Anvil Semiconductors Ltd, a company created by University of Warwick in Coventry, U.K., will develop silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor power switches that promise to be smaller and more efficient than devices built on traditional silicon. The company was founded by Warwick engineering faculty Phil Mawby and Peter Ward, who designed the company’s development technology in…