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Drug Fixes Vision Birth Defect in Lab Tests, Trial Planned
Medical researchers at University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada adapted a new drug as a treatment for aniridia, a rare eye disease caused by a birth defect, with tests on mice showing the drug’s potential effectiveness in treating the disorder. The team from UBC and the affiliated Vancouver Coastal Health, led by UBC ophthalmology…
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Sugar Beet Genome Sequenced, Human Impact on Species Noted
Geneticists and computer scientists in Germany, Spain, and Sweden sequenced the genome of the sugar beet, a plant contributing a large segment of the world’s sugar production. The study offers an analytical reference for advances in biotechnology with implications for agriculture and renewable energy. The team led by biology professor Bernd Weisshaar at Bielefeld University…
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Monthly Pharmacist Appointments Improve Medication Adherence
Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond found regular monthly appointments with pharmacists can help patients keep taking their medications as prescribed. Pharmacy professor David Holdford and then-doctoral candidate Timothy Inocencio published their findings in the current issue of the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (subscription required). A study published earlier this year in…
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Bayer Acquires Cancer Drug Developer Algeta for $2.9B
The global pharmaceutical company Bayer Group based in Germany is buying the specialty drug company Algeta ASA in Oslo, Norway for NOK 17.6 billion (USD 2.9 billion). Algeta, developer of a radium-based drug to treat prostate cancer, says its board of directors approved the sale, subject to confirmation by shareholders. Bayer and Algeta collaborated on…
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Early Trial Tests Stem Cell Immunotherapy for Liver Cancer
An early stage clinical trial by California Stem Cell Inc. in Irvine tested a therapy harnessing the body’s immune system to treat a common form of liver cancer. The trial, conducted with eight patients in Shanghai, China, showed the treatments were safe for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and did not cause complications, according to the…
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NIH Giving In-Kind Technical Services for Rare Diseases
National Institutes of Health (NIH) is supporting three new projects with technical research services for two companies and one university lab developing therapies for rare diseases. The projects aim to develop treatments for acute radiation syndrome, brain injury following cardiac arrest, and beta thalassemia, a rare blood disorder. The awards are a product of the…
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Taking a Break
Science and Enterprise is taking a break for the Thanksgiving holiday and the following two weeks, while we travel and recharge our intellectual batteries. We’ll be back to regular posting on 17 December. For those in the U.S., enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday and safe travels. * * *
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Injectable Therapy for Rotator Cuff Injuries in Development
Biomedical engineers at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta are developing a material to be injected into torn rotator cuff tendons, a common sports injury, to speed their healing. The five-year project is led by Georgia Tech’s biomedical engineering professor Johnna Temenoff and funded by a $1 million grant from National Institute of Arthritis and…
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Start-Up Licenses UMass Cancer Immunotherapy Technology
Agalimmune Ltd., a new start-up enterprise in London, U.K. and Irvine, California, licensed research discoveries from University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester to develop treatments for solid tumors that harness the power of the patient’s immune system. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. The technology licensed from UMass, called Alphaject by the…
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Planet Labs Launches Two More Earth Imaging Satellites
Planet Labs, a geoscience and data analytics company in San Francisco, launched two more earth imaging satellites in its Dove series, designed to demonstrate the company’s technologies. The satellites, Dove 3 and Dove 4, were launched as payloads on a Russian Dnepr rocket. The company launched Dove 1 and Dove 2 into orbit in April…