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  • University Prof. Develops Lightweight Pipeline Material

    A University of Arizona engineering professor designed a new, lightweight underground pipe material, with a company he founded taking the invention, as well as the innovative manufacturing methods, to market. Mo Ehsani, Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering at Arizona (pictured left), will discuss the new pipe material next week at American Society of Civil Engineers…

  • Propulsion Systems Created for Micro Space Satellites

    A research group at Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed propulsion systems for miniature space satellites that can help prevent these research devices becoming harmful space clutter. Aeronautics and astronautics professor Paulo Lozano and colleagues from MIT’s Space Propulsion Lab discussed their work at the recent Joint Propulsion Conference of the American Institute of Aeronautics and…

  • Medical Monitor Device Start-Up Raises $7M in Venture Funds

    Retia Medical, a medical device company in East Lansing, Michigan, raised $7 million in series A funds, the first round of financing after initial start-up. The Pritzker/Vlock family office, a private equity company investing in biotech, industrial and medical equipment, and technology businesses led the round. Retia Medical develops monitors for high-risk patients, starting with…

  • Hopkins Students Invent Suturing Device, Start Company

    A team of biomedical engineering students at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore developed a disposable suturing tool for abdominal surgeries, to reduce the risk of complications, such as the accidental puncture of internal organs. The students, mainly undergraduates, filed a patent for their FastStitch device, and started a company to take their idea to market.…

  • FDA Approves Clinical Trial for H5N1 Vaccine

    Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) in Seattle and Medicago Inc. in Quebec City, Canada say the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved their request to start a clinical trial of a vaccine for the H5N1 avian flu. The early stage — phase 1 — trial will test the safety and ability to generate an immune…

  • Simulator Shows Blood Stream Bacterial Formation

    Researchers at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and University of Colorado in Boulder devised a process to simulate the flow of blood in humans and demonstrate the growth of blood stream bacteria, as well as the limited effectiveness of antibiotics. The team of medical researchers, chemical engineer, and mathematician published their findings in the…

  • Breakout Labs Backs Tissue Engineering, Diagnostic Start-Ups

    Breakout Labs, an early-stage revolving fund for life sciences start-ups, revealed three new grant recipients planning to develop solutions with advanced technologies. Breakout Labs is a program of the Thiel Foundation, founded by entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel — co-founder of PayPal and early venture backer of Facebook — in October 2011. The new recipients…

  • Consortium Launched for Industrial Robotic Operating System

    Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio unveiled a research consortium to speed development of an operating system for robots meeting the needs of industrial users. The ROS-Industrial Consortium aims to build an extension of the Robot Operating System (ROS), an open-source common framework of software libraries and tools, currently for service and research robotics applications.…

  • Nanotech Materials Solution Devised for Hydrogen Storage

    Chemical engineers at University of New South Wales in Australia synthesized and demonstrated a material that absorbs, releases, and reabsorbs hydrogen, a key step in advancing hydrogen as an alternative fuel source. The team from the university’s Materials Energy Research Laboratory in nanoscale (MERLin) published its findings last week in the journal ACS Nano; paid…

  • Biopharm Raises $80 Million in Series C Venture Funds

    Relypsa Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company in Santa Clara, California raised $80 million in series C venture funds, the third round of financing after initial start-up. New investor Sibling Capital LLC joins current backers OrbiMed Advisors, 5AM Ventures, New Leaf Venture Partners, Sprout Group, Delphi Ventures, and Mediphase Venture Partners in this funding round.…