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Baxter Sets Up Venture Fund for New Therapies
Baxter International in Deerfield, Illinois has established Baxter Ventures to invest in promising early-stage companies developing therapies that complement Baxter’s product lines. Baxter Ventures will make up to $200 million in equity investments and report to Norbert Riedel, the company’s chief scientific officer. Baxter is a developer of medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology solutions. The…
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Study: Computer Detection No Aid in Finding Breast Tumors
A group of university, research institute, and National Cancer Institute researchers have concluded that computer-aided detection (CAD) technology, often used with mammograms, is ineffective in finding breast tumors. The research indicates that CAD may also increase a woman’s risk of being called back needlessly for additional testing following mammography. The study, published online in the…
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Lab Creates Graphene Composite for Lithium Ion Batteries
Researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California have developed a graphene and tin nanoscale composite material for high-capacity energy storage in renewable lithium ion batteries, like those used in electric cars. The team at the lab, funded by the Department of Energy, published its findings in a recent issue of the journal Energy…
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FDA Alerting Pharmas Over Work of Contract Research Company [UPDATED]
The Food and Drug Administration has notified pharmaceutical companies that hired contract research organization Cetero Research of Houston, Texas that the work done by Cetero may need to be redone or confirmed. The alert to pharmaceutical companies follows an FDA letter sent yesterday to Cetero identifying problems in the company’s research, including falsification of entries…
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Head Cap Devised to Capture Brain Signals to Control Devices
A neuroscience/engineering team at University of Maryland in College Park has developed headgear like a swim cap with sensors that read brain signals and let the wearer control electronic devices. The Maryland team’s findings appear in the current issue of the Journal of Neurophysiology (paid subscription required). The non-invasive cap, lined with sensors that connect…
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European Consortium to Fund Research on Life Expectancy
A group of research agencies in Europe, Canada, and Israel have combined resources to fund studies aimed at increasing healthy life expectancy by two years in the European Union by 2020. Europe’s first joint call for aging research — ERA-AGE 2 — will offer a total of €4.2 million ($US 5.9 million) to multidisciplinary teams…
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Inexpensive Flow Cytometer Developed on Cell Phone Platform
Engineers at University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) have built a device that combines imaging cytometry and florescent microscopy and can be attached to a cell phone. The device — pictured right — used to image bodily fluids for cell counts or cell analysis, is described in the online edition of the journal Analytical…
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Faster Lab-On-a-Chip Devised for Genetic Analysis
A team at University of British Columbia in Vancouver has developed a small silicon chip that the researchers say can make genetic analysis faster and more sensitive. The findings have been accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The UBC scientists worked with colleagues at the British Columbia Cancer Agency…
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Composite Materials Developed with Liquid or Gas Channels
Researchers at University of Illinois in Champaign have developed composite materials with tiny embedded channels, and potential properties such as self-healing or self-cooling. The team published their findings earlier this month in the journal Advanced Materials (paid subscription required). Composite materials often contain reinforcing fibers such as fiberglass or kevlar that add strength to the…
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DuPont Acquires Nanotech Solar Materials Developer
The global chemical company DuPont says it has acquired Innovalight Inc. in Sunnyvale, California that develops silicon inks and process technologies to increase the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Innovalight’s silicon ink is made of silicon nano-particles dispersed in an environmentally friendly blend of chemicals, according…