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U.S. Patent Issued for Gastrointestinal Therapy
Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc. in New York says today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded a patent to the company for its drug candidate SP-333 to treat various gastrointestinal disorders. U.S. Patent No. 7,879,802 was issued on 1 February, according to the company. The patent claims the composition of SP-333 and use in the treatment…
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Nanoparticles Increase Survival Chance After Blood Loss
Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York have used nitric oxide particles reduced to nanoscale size to improve survival after life-threatening blood loss. Their results were reported in the 21 February online edition of the journal Resuscitation (paid subscription required). Nanoparticles — particles measured in nanometers, or billions of…
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Consortium to Study Ocean Potential for Carbon Storage
The new ISIS (In-Situ Iron Studies) Consortium announced today its plans to study the role of iron in regulating the ocean’s capacity to remove atmospheric carbon dioxide. The group of scientists from 12 institutions worldwide aims to better understand the impact of iron on marine ecosystems and to quantify its potential for CO2 removal. The…
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Neuroscience, Computational Physics Help Diagnose Autism
A team led by a computational physicist and neuroscientist at Children’s Hospital Boston in Massachusetts have devised a technology that can lead to noninvasive tests for evaluating the risk of autism in infants. Their findings appear today in the journal BMC Medicine. The technology combines the standard electroencephalogram (EEG), which records electrical activity in the…
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FDA Approves Hepatitis C Virus Test
OraSure Technologies Inc. in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania says that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its OraQuick HCV Rapid Antibody Test to detect hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies with a fingerstick whole blood sample. The test, says the company, provides results in 20 minutes. OraSure says the OraQuick HCV test is the only…
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Cutting Waste and Costs in the O.R.
A team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins University schools of medicine and public health in Baltimore, Maryland has proposed ways of reducing the environmental footprint of surgeries without compromising patient care. Their recommendations, which also offer potential significant cost savings to hospitals, appear in the February issue of the journal Archives of Surgery (paid…
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Univ. Adapts Commercial Technology in Blood Pressure Method
Researchers at University of Leicester in the U.K. and Singapore medical device manufacturer HealthSTATS International developed a new method of non-surgically measuring blood pressure near the heart. The team published their findings in this week’s issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (paid subscription required). The traditional cuff-style blood pressure monitor inflates…
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DuPont Expanding Agricultural Research in Delaware
The chemical company DuPont plans to expand its biotech research on soybeans at its Delaware facilities. The $50 million expansion is expected to create 75 new, full-time positions in Delaware by the end of 2015. The proposed investment will include expanding biotech research facilities at DuPont’s research and development headquarters, the Experimental Station, in Wilmington…
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High-Res Optics Developed for Imaging Under the Skin
An engineering professor at University of Rochester in New York has developed new medical optics that provide diagnostic images under the skin’s surface. Jannick Rolland discussed the technology on Saturday at the 2011 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C.. Rolland’s technology aims to detect and examine skin…
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HSBC Takes Climate Change Research to the Bank
The international financial company HSBC, headquartered in London, has become a champion of climate change, and says its business benefits as a result. Part of HSBC’s involvement includes committing its staff as volunteers in large-scale climate research projects, a story told yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science…