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Compound That Repairs RNA Defects Identified
Researchers at Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida have identified a compound that can help repair defects in ribonucleic acid (RNA), a genetic material similar to DNA used in protein synthesis. The team’s findings appear online in the journal ACS Chemical Biology (paid subscription required). The researchers, led by Scripps chemistry professor Matthew Disney (pictured…
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Headphone-Wearing Pedestrian Injuries Triple Since 2004
New research from the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore shows that serious injuries to pedestrians listening to headphones have tripled in the past six years. The team led by pediatrics professor Richard Lichenstein published its findings online in the journal Injury Prevention (paid subscription required). Lichenstein and his colleagues extracted cases involving headphone…
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NIH Funds Study of Chemical Effects on Adult Stem Cells
Bioengineers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York and University of California at Berkeley, have been awarded a grant from National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study how chemicals in drugs and the environment affect human stem cells. The four-year grant of more than $2 million will fund teams led by Rensselaer’s chemical and…
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University, Company Partner to Combat Counterfeit Chips
The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany and Applied DNA Sciences Inc. in Stony Brook, New York will collaborate on nanotechnology-based solutions to prevent counterfeiting of computer chips. The partnership will focus on new methods for depositing DNA on nanoelectronics wafers and computer chips for authentication. This collaboration in…
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Biofuels Developer Secures $17M Investment Round
SG Biofuels Inc., a bioenergy crop company in San Diego, has completed a $17 million financing round to expand its R&D and commercialization programs. The series B funding — the second round of financing after start-up — was lead by life sciences venture capital company Thomas, McNerney & Partners, with participation from Finistere Ventures and…
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BASF to Move Plant Biotech Work to U.S. from Germany
The German chemical company BASF says it will move much of its plant science R&D work to the U.S. to take advantage of a more favorable regulatory climate than in Europe. The company expects to relocate its facilities in Limburgerhof, Germany and elsewhere in Europe to a new site in Research Triangle Park near Raleigh,…
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Novartis to Restructure, Cut 1,960 U.S. Jobs
The Swiss company Novartis Pharmaceuticals said on Friday it plans to reorganize its General Medicines division in the U.S. resulting in a loss of 1,960 jobs. The company said it expects the job cuts to take place in the second quarter of 2012. Novartis plans to reduce its General Medicines field workforce by 1,630 jobs…
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Nominations Open for U.S. Technology-Innovation Medal
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has opened nominations for the 2012 National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the country’s highest award for technological achievement. Nominations for the medal, awarded annually by the president, are due on 31 March. Individuals, teams of up to four individuals, companies, and divisions of companies are eligible to compete…
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Sorry about the abrupt absence
This past Wednesday afternoon, 11 January, I had to abruptly stop posting on Science Business for the rest of the week, while I took care of a personal medical issue. Be assured, however, I’m still walking the face of the earth and plan to return to regular posting on Monday, 16 January. I plan to…
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UC San Francisco, Sanofi to Partner on Diabetes Therapies
University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) and the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi have agreed to collaborate on diabetes research. Under the $3.1 million partnership, UCSF and Sanofi will share their expertise and identify new drug targets for type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The collaboration is expected to bring together researchers in UCSF labs…