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World Bank Contract Awarded for Off-Grid LED Tests
The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York received a World Bank contract to perform laboratory testing of LED-based, off-grid lighting products. The LED-based lights are developed for Lighting Africa, a joint initiative between the World Bank and International Finance Corporation. Over the next 18 months, the LRC will lab…
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New Techniques Developed to Bind Peptides, Proteins
Research chemists at University at Buffalo in New York have devised two new ways of binding peptides to helix-shaped proteins, making the peptides more resistant to enzymes and more valuable in therapies. One of those binding techniques, called photoclick stapling, is described in a paper published online last month in the journal Bioorganic and Medicinal…
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U.S., Europe Agree on Patent Classification Principles
The U.S. and European patent authorities have agreed on the principles for a new system of classifying patents in their respective jurisdictions. A common classification system is expected to make it easier to search for patents across national boundaries. The United States Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) and European Patent Office (EPO) agreed that the new…
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New Process Developed for Thin-Layered Nanomaterials
An international research team has devised a new, yet practical method for creating super-thin layered materials with chemical properties potentially useful to electronics and energy storage technologies. The team from Ireland, U.K., U.S., and Korea published their findings in the 4 February edition of the journal Science (paid subscription required). Materials built at nanoscale —…
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Long-Term Impacts of Biofuels on Land Analyzed
A team of university, government, and national laboratory researchers ran simulations to gauge the impact of biofuel feedstocks on agricultural land. The findings are published in the January/February 2011 issue of Agronomy Journal (free full-text access for 30 days following publication). The study, funded by the USDA’s Agriculture Research Service, simulated experiments lasting from 79…
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Eli Lilly, Diabetes Foundation to Fund Insulin Cell Research
Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, Indiana and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) in New York said today they agreed to fund early-stage research to help patients with type 1 diabetes regenerate insulin-producing cells destroyed by the disease. The funding supports a three-year, $1.4 million pre-clinical research project. Type 1 diabetes, sometimes called juvenile…
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USPTO Gives Details of New Expedited Review Process
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) released more details of its program that lets patent applicants choose the speed at which their application is processed. The program consists of three tracks, with higher fees charged for faster patent processing. USPTO plans to publish tomorrow (4 February) in the Federal Register a notice of the…
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Ringside Test Gives Quick Concussion Diagnosis
Researchers at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia found a common test for eye movements in reading that also offers a quick way to diagnose concussions at sports events. Their findings were published online in the journal Neurology (paid subscription required). The research team evaluated the King-Devick test, designed as a test for saccadic eye movements,…
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AstraZeneca, HealthCore Partner on Health Outcomes Research
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals and HealthCore Inc. in Wilmington, Delaware, said today they will collaborate on real-world studies to determine how to most effectively and economically treat disease. HealthCore Inc. is the clinical outcomes research subsidiary of the health insurance company WellPoint Inc. The research is expected to include prospective and retrospective observational studies on disease states…
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Engineers Advance Laser Welding for Bioanalytics
A research team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) in Aachen, Germany has discovered a process to make laser welding more practical and less expensive. The most immediate applications of this advance are in miniaturized bioanalytic, i.e. lab-on-a-chip, technologies. Laser welding of plastic components has held promise, but also presented many limitations. It…