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iPhone App Developed for Adult Immunization Schedules
The American College of Physicians (ACP) in Philadelphia has released an application for the iPhone and iPad that provides clinicians with the latest guidance on vaccines for their patients. The free app, for which no Android version is yet available, was written for ACP by medical systems developer Cientis Technologies and Web app designer Hot…
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USPTO to Expand to Texas, Colorado, California
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) says it will open three new satellite offices in or around Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, and Silicon Valley, California. The three new offices will join Detroit, Michigan as satellites to USPTO’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. The Detroit office is set to open on 13 July. The Denver Post reported…
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Bristol-Myers Squibb Buys Amylin, Expands AstraZenca Deal
The pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb in Princeton, New Jersey will acquire diabetes drug maker Amylin Pharmaceuticals in San Diego, California for $31.00 per share or $5.3 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb will also expand its current collaboration with pharmaceutical maker AstraZeneca in London developing diabetes drugs, using the assets acquired through Amylin. Amylin Pharmaceuticals is expected to…
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No Juice [Updated]
[UPDATE] About one hour after I posted a message that our power was out, we got power restored. Thus, we will indeed be back online Monday. [ORIGINAL POST] The Washington, D.C. region was hit Friday night with a string of severe thunderstorms, which knocked out electric power to more than 1 million people, including us.…
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Biogen Idec, Isis Pharma Partner on Muscular Dystrophy Drug
The biotechnology companies Biogen Idec in Weston, Massachusetts and Isis Pharmaceuticals in Carlsbad, California have agreed to develop and commercialize an antisense treatment for myotonic dystrophy type 1, also known as Steinert disease. The deal, which involves Biogen Idec licensing antisense technology developed by Isis Pharmaceuticals, will gain Isis $12 million immediately and up to…
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Lab Seeking Commercial Partners for Detection Technology
Sandia National Laboratory in Livermore, California is developing a new process that the lab says can make radiation detection in cargo and baggage more effective and less costly. Sandia lab is seeking partners to commercialize the new technology. The process, known as spectral shape discrimination, makes use of a new type of nanomaterials called metal-organic…
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Dow Chemical Partners with Turkish Company on Carbon Fibers
Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan and the industrial fiber company Aksa Akrilik Kimya Sanayii in Istanbul, Turkey have formed a joint venture to produce carbon fiber and derivative materials. The venture, known as DowAksa Advanced Composites Holdings BV (DowAksa), will be formed through Dow’s subsidiary Dow Europe Holding BV, with each party owning 50…
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Older Americans Experiencing Fewer Vision Problems
Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago and University of California in San Francisco say American senior citizens today are having fewer vision impairment problems than older Americans in the 1980s. Northwestern’s Angelo Tanna, a professor of ophthalmology, and UCSF’s Stephen Kaye, a health statistician, report their findings online in the journal Ophthalmology (paid subscription required).…
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Univ. Start-Up Developing High-Energy Light for Microchips
Engineers in a University of Washington fusion-energy lab have started a new company that aims to apply their discoveries to the semiconductor industry. Uri Shumlak, an aeronautics and astronautics professor, and research associate professor Brian Nelson are applying their research on high-energy plasma light from fusion reactors to meet a high-priority need of microchip developers.…
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Study: Better Placebo Info Needed for Drug Trials
An analysis of pamphlets used to inform patients in clinical trials about the studies in which they take part indicates the literature short-changes discussion of placebos, in favor of the treatments being tested. The findings of health researchers led by psychology professor Felicity Bishop (pictured right) at University of Southampton in the U.K. appear in…