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Spirogen, Genentech Partner on Anti-Cancer Therapies
Spirogen Ltd. a London, U.K. biotechnology company, announced a multi-year research collaboration and license agreement with Genentech, a Roche Group company, to discover and develop antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) as potential anti-cancer agents. The collaboration will make use of Spirogen’s pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) drugs, a group of natural antibiotics, and associated linking technology. Under the agreement,…
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Univ. Developing Plastic That Tells When Food Goes Bad
Chemists at University of Strathclyde in the U.K. are developing a new form of food packaging that tells consumers when the contents have started to spoil. The university received a £325,000 ($502,500) grant from the Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept Programme to support the project. The problem of food spoilage is important to both consumers…
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Study: Longer Drug Exclusivity Hikes Costs, Adds Approvals
A new study in the January 2011 issue of the journal Health Affairs (paid subscription required) calculates the financial and social costs of regulations that limit access to pharmaceutical companies’ clinical trial data, used in the manufacture of generic drugs. The study suggests that extending the term of exclusive access for that data would likely…
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National Lab Signs Two Auto Battery Licensing Deals
Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Illinois, part of the U.S. Department of Energy, announced two licensing agreements today (6 January 2011) for its cathode material technology used in electric vehicle lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. The deals are with or involve cars made by General Motors. The first agreement, with General Motors, involves the worldwide licensing of…
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Academic-Business Partnership Developing IVF Technology
A reproductive biologist at University of Adelaide in Australia has discovered molecules in a mother’s tissue that can help women who have suffered previous miscarriages after in-vitro fertilization (IVF) improve their rates of subsequent IVF success. Professor Sarah Robertson (pictured right), who made the discovery, is partnering with a Danish company to develop a product…
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Researchers to Study Hip Replacement, Jobs, Retirement
Researchers in Italy, the U.K., and the U.S. will study the impact of hip replacement therapy on the employment and retirement decisions of older adults. The project with participants from Università Bocconi in Milan, University of York in the U.K., and Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland is funded by a…
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University of Oklahoma to Develop Shale Gas Simulator
University of Oklahoma researchers in Norman are developing a new simulator for shale gas reservoirs to provide oil and gas companies with a tool for managing production and choosing drilling locations. The three-year project is supported with $1,053,778 from the group Research for Partnership to Secure Energy for America plus an additional $250,000 in matching…
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Community Management Can Sustain Small Fisheries
Small-scale commercial fishing operations, the kind that often feed millions of people worldwide, can be sustained when managed cooperatively with their communities. This conclusion is drawn from a study published 5 January in the online issue of the journal Nature (paid subscription required). Nicolas Gutiérrez, a University of Washington fisheries scientist and lead author of…
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Partnership To Advance Military Field Energy Sources
A team from Maxwell Technologies Inc. in San Diego, California, University of Massachusetts in Amherst, and the U.S. Navy will develop a lighter, longer-lasting, energy source for field radios and other portable electronic equipment carried by military personnel. Maxwell Technologies says today that Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded the company a $1.7 million…
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Helicopter Transport Improves Survival of Severely Injured
The first national study of helicopters to transport injured patients from accidents shows patients delivered to trauma centers by helicopter are more likely to survive than those brought by ground ambulance. The results were published recently in the Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care (paid subscription required). The research, led by Mark Gestring…