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Roche Advanced Skin Cancer Drug Approved in Europe
The global pharmaceutical company Roche says its drug vismodegib, marketed under the name Erivedge, received conditional approval in Europe as a treatment for adults with advanced cases of basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer. Approval for the the drug, taken once a day in capsule form, is limited to cases of basal cell carcinoma that metastasize,…
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Early Trial Shows Safety, Action of RNA Scar Treatment
RXi Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company in Westborough, Massacusetts reports an early-stage clinical trial of its treatment for skin scarring shows the therapy is safe and generates the desired chemical response in the body. The trial is testing RXI-109, the company’s therapy based on RNA to treat hypertrophic scarring and keloids associated with skin trauma. RXi’s…
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Crowdsourcing Can Aid Health Research, but Guidelines Needed
Researchers from the medical and business schools at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia evaluated crowdsourcing as a research tool in health care, and found it has potential to improve quality and lower costs of studies, but ground rules are needed for the technique. Findings from the team led by Penn emergency medicine professor Raina Merchant…
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Foundation Funds Study of Glass Formation Processes
A research team at University of Akron in Ohio is studying the formation of glass materials, processes that cover much more than materials found in windows. The team led by Akron polymer engineering professor David Simmons is funded by a $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation. Simmons is joined in the project by…
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System Analyzes Baby Cries to Detect Development Disorders
Engineers and clinicians at Brown University and Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island in Providence designed a system that can analyze a baby’s cry for signs of developmental problems or disorders. The findings of the Brown team are scheduled for publication in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research. The…
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Lightning Detection System Upgraded for Houston, Texas
A meteorologist at Texas A&M University in College Station developed an enhanced lightning detection system for the Houston region, one of the most lightning-prone areas in the U.S. Richard Orville, an atmospheric sciences professor, led the $1.2 million project, which was funded by National Science Foundation. Houston averages some 1,700 lightning strikes in the months…
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Stem Cell Developer-Supplier Issues Initial Public Offering
Cellular Dynamics International in Madison, Wisconsin, a developer and supplier of human stem cells in bulk quantities, filed an initial public offering (IPO) of its stock with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is issuing some 3.85 million shares, which it expects to price at $12.00 to $14.00 a share, giving it an…
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US, Europe Regulators Give Alzheimer’s Model Positive Marks
A computer model simulating the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in clinical trials received favorable comments from U.S. and European health regulatory agencies. The Disease Model of Mild and Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease was developed by the Coalition Against Major Diseases, an initiative of the Critical Path Institute in Tucson, Arizona. The model, says the institute, simulates…
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Health Records Exchanges Grow, but Sustainability a Question
Researchers at University of Michigan, Harvard University, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found larger numbers of U.S. hospitals and doctors taking part in electronic health records exchanges — services that store patient records for access as needed by different health care providers — but their funding after this year remains in doubt. The…
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3-D Conductive Structures Built with Liquid Metal
Engineers at North Carolina State University in Raleigh developed techniques to build three-dimensional objects with electrical conductivity from liquid metal at room temperature. A team from the lab of chemical engineering professor Michael Dickey published its findings online last week in the journal Advanced Materials. The NC State researchers devised a series of methods using…