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Universities, Companies Study Oilseed Camelina as Biofuel
Bioscientists at Kansas State University in Manhattan, with colleagues at two other universities and four companies, are studying the economic potential of the oilseed plant camelina as a commercial biofuel feedstock. The project, led by K-State agricultural engineering professor Xiuzhi Susan Sun (pictured right), is funded by a $5.08 million grant from National Institute of…
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Chemical Treatments Can Reduce Carbon Nanotube Toxicity
Researchers at University College London, with colleagues in the U.K., France, Italy, and Spain found ways to reduce the toxicity of carbon nanotubes, which are structurally similar to asbestos. The findings of the team led by UCL chemical engineer and pharmacy professor Kostas Kostarelos appear online in the journal Angewandte Chemie (paid subscription required). Carbon…
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Cancer Data Start-Up Lands $8 Million in Venture Funds
Flatiron Health in New York, developing data analytics for cancer research and therapeutics, secured $8 million in series A funding, the first round of financing after initial start-up. The investment round was led by Google Ventures, with First Round Capital, Laboratory Corporation of America, Great Oaks Capital, The Social+Capital Partnership, SV Angel, IA Ventures and…
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Generic HIV Drugs Save Money, But Could Impair Effectiveness
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and Yale University in New Haven calculate that switching generic for branded HIV drugs would provide substantial financial savings, but could impede the treatments’ effectiveness. The team’s findings appear in today in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine (paid subscription required).…
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Clinical Trial of Early Stroke Stent Device Underway
Covidien, a medical device company in Mansfield, Massachusetts, began enrolling paitents in a clinical trial to test its stent-based technology used with standard clot-dissolving techniques for patients in early stages of a ischemic stroke. The first of 800 patients in the trial was recruited at University at Buffalo in New York. Ischemic stroke occurs when…
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Light-Activated Hydrogel, Stem Cells Recreate Knee Cartilage
Biomedical engineers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore designed a gel-like biomaterial that in a pilot study showed it could help heal damaged knee cartilage. The team led by Jennifer Elisseeff, director of the university’s Translational Tissue Engineering Center, published its findings in last week’s issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine (paid subscription required).…
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EC Opens Proof of Concept Funding Call
The European Commission opened a call for proposals to fund early-stage scientific research ideas with commercialization potential. Applications for the €10 million ($US 13.4 million) fund are due 24 April 2013. The Proof of Concept grants, as the program is called, are open to holders of current European Research Council science project funding. The scheme…
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Challenge Awarding $60,000 for Health Technology Ideas
A new challenge is awarding $60,000 for technology solutions, in particular modifications of current products, that promote healthier lifestyles or help manage chronic conditions. Health insurance provider United Healthcare is sponsoring the Breakthrough Health Tech Challenge, which has a deadline of 8 April 2013. United Healthcare, which announced the challenge at this week’s Consumer Electronics…
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Simulation Seeks Clues to Motivations for Vaccination
Researchers at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina used an online computer game to simulate an infectious disease epidemic and better understand the motivations behind getting or avoiding preventive actions. The work of Wake Forest economists Frederick Chen, Amanda Griffith, Allin Cottrell, and computer scientist Yue-Ling Wong appear this week in the online journal…
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Industrial Process Devised for Carbon Nanotube Fibers
Engineers and materials scientists from the U.S., Netherlands, and Israel developed an industrial-scale process for spinning carbon nanotubes into fibers for a range of commercial products. The team led by chemical engineering professor Matteo Pasquali at Rice University in Houston published its findings in this week’s issue of the journal Science (paid subscription required). Pasquali,…