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Novartis to Develop Flu Vaccines with Synthetic Genomics
Novartis, a global pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland, says today it will join with Synthetic Genomics Vaccines Inc. (SGVI), in La Jolla, California to apply a combination of synthetic biology and genomics to accelerate production of influenza seed strains required for vaccine manufacturing. Seed strains are starter cultures of a virus, and the base…
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Algae Biofuels Technology to Capture CO2 from Coal Plants
OriginOil Inc. in Los Angeles, California, a developer of technology to convert algae into fuel, said today it agreed to a partnership with MBD Energy Limited, its first customer and a player in the field of CO2 capture using algae. MBD Energy as a company is experienced in the use of captured flue-gases as feedstock…
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California Funds Solar Cogeneration, Winery Demo Project
Cogenra Solar, a developer of solar cogeneration systems in Mountain View, California, has received a $1.5 million research grant from the California Solar Initiative Research, Development, Deployment and Demonstration Program. The funding will support accelerated development and commercial deployment of Cogenra’s solar cogeneration technology, including a demonstration project at the Sonoma Wine Company in Graton,…
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Paper Test Strips Developed for Bioactivity
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland in Espoo has developed a method of using printing technology to produce simple tests with treated paper to indicate the presence of bioactivity. VTT has demonstrated the feasibility of this method by printing a hemoglobin test paper that reveals whether a given sample contains hemoglobin (pictured right). VTT says…
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Fishery Byproducts Can Become Fish Food
Research aided by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, indicates that fishery byproducts can be converted into feeds for commercially farmed seafood. The work was done by the Oceanic Institute in Waimanalo, Hawaii, with help from food technologist Peter Bechtel of ARS’s unit in Kodiak, Alaska. The scientists…
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University Spins-Off Port Security Training Company
A research project to develop a new training course in port security at Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee has led to a new company that aims to train workers at the nation’s 350 commercial ports. The company, Educational Development Group LLC (EDG), has begun marketing its security training program and online reporting system to…
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Anxiety/Depression Drug Trials Approved in France
Bionomics Limited, a drug development company in Adelaide, Australia, says the French national medical agency and ethics committee for Strasburg Hospital have approved the company’s request to conduct clinical trials for BNC210, Bionomics’ treatment of anxiety and depression now in development. The first clinical study will examine whether BNC210 reduces panic and anxiety symptoms induced…
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NIH Awards $1.8 Million in Small Business Grants for Vaccines
Altravax Inc. in Fargo, North Dakota received two grants from National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research on vaccines for HIV-1. A third NIH grant supports the company’s work on vaccines for an influenza virus. All three grants, valued at $1.8 million, are awarded under NIH’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. Two of the…
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GlaxoSmithKline to Back Biotech Company
Global drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), headquartered in London, says it will take an 18 percent equity stake in Convergence Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a new biotech company developing analgesic compounds, often used in over-the-counter pain relievers. Convergence Pharmaceuticals was officially launched on 4 October. The company has raised $35.4 million in Series A (early-stage) financing from a…
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Small Business Grant Awarded for Cargo X-Ray System
Accuray Incorporated, a developer of X-ray technology for robotic surgery in Sunnyvale, California, received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the Department of Homeland Security to adapt the company’s high-energy X-ray technology for cargo scanning and inspection. The grant, valued at $1 million, will fund development of a compact X-ray source bundled with…