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  • Start-Up Commercializing Genetic Microfluidic Chip

    Aquila Diagnostic Systems in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada is taking to market a technology that collects small blood samples on a microfluidic chip for multiple genetic tests. The technology, now in prototype, was developed at University of Alberta, also in Edmonton, and licensed to Aquila for commercialization when the company was formed in 2009. The chip…

  • Damage, Security Sensors Added to New Bridge Construction

    Engineers at Iowa State University in Ames have added gauges and sensors to detect for damage on a reconstructed bridge in Iowa Falls, some 50 miles north of Ames. The project is serving as a prototype for similar systems with other bridge construction projects in the state. The project involves Iowa State’s Bridge Engineering Center,…

  • Patent Issued on Antibody for Brain, Spinal Cord Treatments

    Lpath Inc., a biotechnology company in San Diego, has been awarded a patent for its monoclonal antibody against lysophosphatidic acid, a factor in neurological disorders such as traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. Patent 8,158,124 was issued last week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to four inventors, including Lpath’s chief scientist Roger Sabbadini,…

  • Vibrating Steering Wheel Helps Maintain Driver Attention

    Research at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and AT&T Labs in Florham Park, New Jersey reveals that a vibrating steering wheel helps keep a driver’s eyes safely on the road by providing an additional means to convey directions from a car’s navigation system. The team’s findings will be presented in June at the International Conference on…

  • Government-Industry Consortium Selects U.K. Cereals Studies

    A committee of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) selected nine new research projects for funding that involve the U.K.’s main cereal crops: oilseed rape, barley and wheat. The funds for the research total some £4 million ($6.45 million) from Crop Improvement Research Club, a consortium of BBSRC, Scottish government, and 14 private…

  • Biopharm Lands $25M Venture Funding for Phase 3 Trial

    Argos Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company in Durham, North Carolina, says it secured $25 million in series D venture financing, the fourth funding installment after initial start-up. The funds are expected to support a planned clinical trial of Argos Therapeutics’ immunotherapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer. The financing was led…

  • New York University to Build Urban Sciences Center

    A Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP) is planned for downtown Brooklyn, New York to conduct research on issues and technology related to the needs of the world’s cities. The new campus, which will include an incubator for spin-off businesses, is a consortium of New York University and its Polytechnic Institute (NYU-Poly), other U.S.…

  • Automated Device Developed for Limb Lengthening Adjustments

    Student engineers at Rice University in Houston have developed a system that automatically adjusts distraction osteogenesis devices used to correct bone deformities that leave children with one limb shorter than the other. The LinDi — short for Linear Distractor — was designed in collaboration with Shriners Hospital for Children in Houston, as a senior-year undergraduate…

  • Immune System Signatures Proposed for Disease Diagnostics

    Researchers at Arizona State University in Tempe have developed a technique for harnessing the body’s immune system to give early indicators of disease. Student Brian Chase, postdoctoral fellow Barten Legutki, and faculty member Stephen Johnston at Arizona State’s Biodesign Institute published their findings in last month’s issue of the journal Clinical and Vaccine Immunology (paid…

  • Microemulsion Shows Promise for Extending Vaccine Shelf Life

    A U.S. Army medical researcher has devised a new process for mixing vaccine ingredients with the potential for extending the shelf life of vaccines. Maj. Jean Muderhwa (pictured left) , a deputy laboratory director at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, presented his findings yesterday at a meeting of the American Society for…